,transcriber's ,note3 ,the text of ,part ,,iv of ,a ,christian ,directory has been transcribed from pages #gcg to #idh of ,volume ,i of ,richard ,baxter's ,practical ,works1 as lithographed from the #ahdf edition4 ,the greater part comprises #cd chapters that mostly address duties to rulers and to neighbours4 ,these are followed by a ,moral ,prognostication on the future of the churches1 and by a ,reformed ,liturgy that ,baxter proposed4 ,a table of contents has been inserted to assist the reader4 ,in the ,liturgy all sub-headings1 commentary and instructions to the ,minister have been indented4 ,the ,liturgy includes a large number of sidenotes citing relevant biblical passages4 ,in the interests of legibility these have been consolidated into footnotes at the end of each paragraph4 ,small capitals have been rendered in full capitals4 ,italics are indicated by underscores4 ,sidenotes refer to the following paragraph4 ,inconsistencies in hyphenation1 and apparent typographical errors1 have been corrected4 ,the anchors for footnotes #e and #h1 in chapter ,i1 have been inserted after consulting another edition of the text4 ,,part ,,iv4 ,,christian ,,politics4 ,table of ,contents ,page ,to the reader4 #gcg ,i4 ,general rules for an upright conversation4 #gcg ,,ii4 ,memorandums to civil rulers for the interest of ,christ1 the church1 and men's salvation4 #gda ,,iii4 ,directions for subjects concerning their duty to their rulers4 #gdd ,,iv4 ,directions to lawyers about their duty to ,god4 #gfi ,v4 ,the duty of physicians4 #gga ,,vi4 ,directions to schoolmasters about their duty for their children's souls4 #ggc ,,vii4 ,directions for soldiers1 about their duty in point of conscience4 #ggd ,,viii4 ,advice against murder4 #ggh ,,ix4 ,directions for the forgiving of enemies1 and those that injure us2 against wrath1 and malice1 and revenge1 and persecution4 #ghb ,x4 ,cases resolved about forgiving injuries and debts1 and about self-defence1 and seeking right by law or otherwise4 #ghe ,,xi4 ,special directions to escape the guilt of persecuting4 ,determining also the case about liberty in matters of religion4 #gij ,,xii4 ,directions against scandal as given4 #hjj ,,xiii4 ,directions against scandal taken1 or an aptness to receive hurt1 by the words or deeds of others4 #hjg ,,xiv4 ,directions against soul murder1 and partaking of other men's sins4 #haj ,,xv4 ,general directions for the furthering of the salvation of others4 #hac ,,xvi4 ,special directions for christian conference1 exhortation1 and reproof4 #had ,,xvii4 ,directions for keeping peace with all men4 #hai ,,xviii4 ,directions against all theft and fraud1 or injurious getting and keeping that which is another's1 or desiring it4 #hbc ,,xix4 ,general directions and particular cases of conscience1 about contracts in general1 and about buying and selling1 borrowing and lending1 usury1 c4 in particular4 #hbg ,,xx4 ,directions against oppression4 #hdf ,,xxi4 ,cases about1 and directions against1 prodigality and sinful wastefulness4 #hea ,,xxii4 ,cases and directions against injurious law-suits1 witnessing1 and judgment4 #hee ,,xxiii4 ,cases of conscience1 and directions against backbiting1 slandering1 and evil speaking4 #heh ,,xxiv4 ,cases and directions against censoriousness and unwarrantable judging4 #hfa ,,xxv4 ,cases and directions about trusts and secrets4 #hff ,,xxvi4 ,directions against selfishness as it is contrary to the love of our neighbour4 #hfh ,,xxvii4 ,cases and directions for loving our neighbour as ourselves4 #hgj ,,xxviii4 ,special cases and directions for love to godly persons as such4 #hgc ,,xxix4 ,cases and directions for loving and doing good to enemies4 #hhc ,,xxx4 ,cases and directions about works of charity4 #hhe ,,xxxi4 ,cases and directions about confessing sins and injuries to others4 #hie ,,xxxii4 ,cases and directions about satisfaction and restitution4 #hif ,,xxxiii4 ,cases and directions about our obtaining pardon from ,god4 #hii ,,xxxiv4 ,cases and directions about self-judging4 #ija ,a moral prognostication4 ,to the reader4 #ije ,of what must be expected in the churches of christendom1 till the golden age returns1 or till the time of true reformation and unity4 #ijf ,of the changes that will be in christendom in the golden age1 and time of true reformation and unity4 #iad ,consectary4 #ibj ,the reformed liturgy4 ,the ordinary public worship on the ,lord's day4 #iba ,the order of celebrating the sacrament of the body and blood of ,christ4 #icj ,the celebration of the sacrament of baptism4 #icd ,of catechising1 and the approbation of those that are to be admitted to the ,lord's supper4 #icf ,of the celebration of matrimony4 #icg ,the visitation of the sick1 and their communion4 #ich ,the order of solemnizing the burial of the dead4 #ich ,of extraordinary days of humiliation and thanksgiving1 and anniversary festivals4 #ici ,of prayer and thanksgiving for particular members of the church4 #ici ,of pastoral discipline1 public confession1 absolution1 and exclusion from the holy communion of the church4 #ida ,appendix3 prayers to be used at discretion4 #ide ,,reader1 ,think not by the title of this part1 that ,i am doing the same work which ,i lately revoked in my ,political ,aphorisms2 though ,i concluded that book to be quasi non scriptum1 ,i told you ,i recanted not the doctrine of it1 which is for the empire of ,god1 and the interest of government1 order1 and honesty in the world4 ,this is no place to give you the reasons of my revocation1 besides that it offended my superiors1 and exercised the tongues of some in places1 where other matters would be more profitable3 pass by all that concerneth our particular states and times1 and you may know by that what principles of policy ,i judge divine4 ,and experience teacheth me1 that it is best for men of my profession1 to meddle with no more1 but to leave it to the ,contzeu's1 the ,arnisus's1 and other ,jesuits1 to promote their cause by voluminous politics4 ,the pope's false-named church is a kingdom1 and his ministers may write of politics more congruously1 and 7it seems7 with less offence1 than we4 ,saith the ,geographia ,nubiensis aptly1 ,there is a certain king dwelling at ,rome called the pope1 c4 when he goeth to describe him4 ,nothing well suits with our function1 but the pure doctrine of salvation2 let statesmen and lawyers mind the rest4 ,two things ,i must apologize for in this part4 #a4 ,that it is maimed by defect of those directions to princes1 nobles1 parliament men1 and other magistrates1 on whose duty the happiness of kingdoms1 churches1 and the world dependeth4 ,to which ,i answer1 ,that those must teach them whom they will hear2 while my reason and experience forbid me1 as an unacceptable person1 to speak to them without a special invitation1 ,i can bear the censures of strangers1 who knew not them or me4 ,i am not so proud as to expect that men so much above me1 should stoop to read any directions of mine2 much less to think me fit to teach them4 ,every one may reprove a poor servant1 or a beggar 7it is part of their privilege74 ,but great men must not be so much as admonished by any but themselves1 and such as they will hear4 ,at least nothing is a duty which a man hath reason to think is like to do much more harm than good4 ,and my own judgment is much against pragmatical1 presumptuous preachers1 who are over-forward to meddle with their governors1 or their affairs1 and think that ,god sendeth them to reprove persons and things that are strange to them1 and above them2 and vent their distastes upon uncertain reports1 or without a call4 #b4 ,and ,i expect both to be blamed and misunderstood1 for what ,i here say in the confutation of ,master ,richard ,hooker's ,political ,principles1 and my own citation of ,bishop ,bilson1 and such others4 ,but they must observe1 #a4 ,that it is not all in ,master ,hooker's first and eighth book1 which ,i gainsay2 but the principle of the people's being the fountain of authority1 or that kings receive their office itself from them1 with the consequents hereof4 ,how far the people have1 in any countries1 the power of electing the persons1 families1 or forms of government1 or how far nature giveth them propriety1 and the consequents of this1 ,i meddle not with at all4 #b4 ,nor do ,i choose ,master ,hooker out of any envy to his name and honour1 but ,i confess ,i do it1 to let men know truly whose principles these are4 ,and if any 7causelessly7 question1 whether the eighth 7imperfect7 book be in those passages his own1 let them remember that the sum of all that ,i confute1 is in his first book1 which is old1 and highly honoured1 by----you know whom4 ,and ,i will do him the honour1 and myself the dishonour1 to confess1 that ,i think the far greater number of casuists and authors of politics1 papists1 and protestants1 are on his side1 and fewest on mine3 but truth is truth4 ,on the subjects' duty ,i am larger1 because1 if they will not hear1 at least ,i may boldly and freely instruct them4 ,if in the latter part there be any useful cases of conscience left out1 it is because ,i could not remember them4 ,farewell4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,general ,,rules ,,for ,,an ,,upright ,,conversation4 ,solomon saith1 ,prov4 x4 #i1 ,he that walketh uprightly walketh surely4 ,and perfection and uprightness are the characters of ,job1 ,job i4 #a1 #h2 ii4 #c4 ,and in the ,scripture to be upright or righteous1 and to walk uprightly1 and to do righteously1 are the titles of those that are acceptable to ,god4 ,and by uprightness is meant not only sincerity as opposed to hypocrisy2 but also rectitude of heart and life1 as opposed to crookedness or sin2 and this as it is found in various degrees3 of which we use to call the lowest degree that is saving by the name of sincerity1 and the highest by the name of perfection4 ,concerning uprightness of life1 ,i shall1 ,i4 ,briefly tell you some of those blessings that should make us all in love with it1 and1 ,,ii4 ,give you some necessary rules of practice4 #a4 ,uprightness of heart and life is a certain fruit of the ,spirit of grace1 and consequently a mark of our union with ,christ1 and a proof of our acceptableness with ,god4 ,my defence is of ,god1 who saveth the upright in heart1 ,psal4 vii4 #aj4 ,for the righteous ,lord loveth righteousness1 and his countenance doth behold the upright1 ,psal4 xi4 #g4 ,it is a title that ,god himself assumeth2 ,good and upright is the ,lord1 ,psal4 xxv4 #h4 ,to show that the ,lord is upright1 he is my ,rock1 and no unrighteousness is in him1 ,psal4 xcii4 #ae4 ,and ,god calleth himself the ,maker1 the ,director1 the ,protector1 and the ,lover of the upright4 ,god made man upright1 ,eccl4 vii4 #bi4 ,the ,lord knoweth the way of the righteous1 ,psal4 i4 #f4 ,what man is he that feareth the ,lord8 him will he teach in the way that he shall choose1 ,psal4 xxv4 #ab4 ,he layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous2 he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly1 ,prov4 ii4 #g4 #b4 ,the upright are the pillars of human society1 that keep up truth and justice in the world3 without whom it would be but a company of liars1 deceivers1 robbers1 and enemies1 that live in constant rapine and hostility4 ,there were no trust to be put in one another1 further than self-interest did oblige men4 ,lord1 who shall abide in thy tabernacle8 ,who shall dwell in thy holy hill8 ,he that walketh uprightly1 and worketh righteousness1 and speaketh the truth in his heart1 ,psal4 xv4 #a1 #b4 ,therefore the wicked1 and the enemies of peace1 and destroyers of societies1 are still described as enemies to the upright4 ,for lo1 the wicked bend their bow1 they make ready their arrow upon the string1 that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart4 ,if the foundations be destroyed1 what can the righteous do8 ,psal4 xi4 #b1 #c4 ,the just and upright man is laughed to scorn1 ,job xii4 #d4 ,the wicked have drawn out the sword to slay such as be of upright conversation1 ,psal4 xxxvii4 #ad4 ,and indeed it is for the upright's sake that societies are preserved by ,god1 as ,sodom might have been for ten ,lots4 ,at least they are under the protection of omnipotency themselves4 ,he that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly1 he that despiseth the gain of oppression1 that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes1 that stoppeth his ear from hearing of blood1 that shutteth his eyes from seeing evil2 he shall dwell on high1 his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks3 bread shall be given him2 his waters shall be sure4 ,thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty3 they shall behold the land that is very far off1 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #ae1 #af4 ,the upright shall have good things in possession1 ,prov4 xxviii4 #aj4 ,the house of the wicked shall be overthrown2 but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish1 ,prov4 xiv4 #aa4 #c4 ,uprightness affordeth peace of conscience1 and quietness and holy security to the soul4 ,this was ,paul's rejoicing1 the testimony of his conscience1 that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had had his conversation in the world1 and not in fleshly wisdom1 #b ,cor4 i4 #ab4 ,and this was ,david's comfort3 ,for ,i have kept the ways of the ,lord1 and have not wickedly departed from my ,god2 for all his judgments were before me1 and as for his statutes1 ,i did not depart from them4 ,i was also upright before him1 and have kept myself from mine iniquity4 ,therefore hath the ,lord recompensed me according to my righteousness2--with the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful1 and with the upright thou wilt show thyself upright1 #b ,sam4 xxii4 #bb-bd4 ,yea1 peace is too little2 exceeding joy is the portion1 and most beseeming condition of the upright4 ,be glad in the ,lord1 and rejoice1 ye righteous1 and shout for joy1 all ye that are upright in heart1 ,psal4 xxxii4 #aa4 ,rejoice in the ,lord1 ,o ye righteous1 for praise is comely for the upright1 ,psal4 xxxiii4 #a4 ,the righteous shall be glad in the ,lord1 and trust in him1 and all the upright in heart shall glory1 ,psal4 lxiv4 #aj4 ,light is sown for the righteous1 and gladness for the upright in heart1 ,psal4 xcvii4 #aa4 ,the ,spirit that sanctifieth them1 will comfort them4 #d4 ,as the upright1 so their upright life and duties are specially delightful and acceptable to ,god1 ,prov4 xv4 #h4 ,the prayer of the upright is his delight1 ,psal4 xv4 #b4 ,therefore ,god blesseth their duties to them1 and they are comforted and strengthened by experience of success4 ,the way of the ,lord is strength to the upright1 but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity1 ,prov4 x4 #bi4 ,do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly1 ,micah ii4 #g4 #e4 ,no carnal policies1 no worldly might1 no help of friends1 nor any other human means1 doth put a man in so safe a state1 as uprightness of heart and life4 ,to walk uprightly1 is to walk surely1 because such walk with ,god1 and in his way1 and under his favour1 and his promise2 and if ,god be not sufficient security for us1 there is none4 ,surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name2 the upright shall dwell in thy presence1 ,psal4 cxl4 #ac4 ,the integrity of the upright shall guide them1 but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them4 ,the righteousness of the upright shall deliver them1 but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness1 ,prov4 xi4 #c1 #f4 #f4 ,lastly1 the failings and weaknesses of the upright are pardoned1 and therefore they shall certainly be saved1 ,rom4 vii4 #bd1 #be2 viii4 #a4 ,the upright may say in all their weaknesses as ,solomon2 ,i know also1 my ,god1 that thou triest the heart1 and hast pleasure in uprightness2 as for me1 in the uprightness of my heart1 ,i have willingly offered all these things1 #a ,chron4 xxix4 #ag4 ,god will do good to them that are good1 and to them that are upright in their hearts1 ,psal4 cxxv4 #d4 ,the upright love him1 ,cant4 i4 #d1 and are loved by him4 ,no good thing will he withhold from them1 ,psal4 lxxxiv4 #aa4 ,the way to right comforting the mind of man1 is to show to him his uprightness1 ,job xxxiii4 #bc4 ,and whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved1 ,prov4 xxviii4 #ah4 ,for the high way of the upright is to depart from evil2 and he that keepeth his way1 preserveth his soul1 ,prov4 xvi4 #ag4 ,i conclude with ,psal4 xxxvii4 #cg1 ,mark the upright man1 and behold the just1 for the end of that man is peace4 ,,ii4 ,the true rules of an upright life are these that follow4 #a4 ,he that will walk uprightly must be absolutely devoted and subjected unto ,god3 he must have a ,god1 and the true ,god1 and but one ,god2 not notionally only1 but in sincerity and reality3 he must have a ,god whose word shall be an absolute law to him2 a ,god that shall command himself1 his time1 his estate1 and all that he hath1 or that he can do2 a ,god whose will must be his will1 and may do with him what he please2 and who is more to him than all the world2 whose love will satisfy him as better than life1 and whose approbation is his sufficient encouragement and reward4#a #b4 ,his hope must be set upon heaven as the only felicity of his soul3 he must look for his reward and the end of all his labours and patience in another world2 and not with the hypocrite1 dream of a felicity that is made up first of worldly things1 and then of heaven1 when he can keep the world no longer4 ,he that cannot1 that doth not in heart1 quit all the world for a heavenly treasure1 and venture his all upon the promise of better things hereafter1 and forsaking all1 take ,christ and everlasting happiness for his portion1 cannot be upright in heart or life4#b #c4 ,he must have an infallible teacher 7which is only ,christ7 and the encouragement of pardoning grace when he faileth1 that he sink not by despair2 and therefore he must live by faith on a ,mediator4 ,and he must have the fixed principle of a nature renewed by the ,spirit of ,christ4#c #d4 ,he that will walk uprightly1 must have a certain1 just1 infallible rule2 and must hold to that1 and must try all by it2 and this is only the word of ,god4 ,the teachings of men must be valued as helps to understand this word2 and the judgments of our teachers1 and those that are wiser than ourselves1 must be of great authority with us in subordination to the ,scripture4 ,but neither the learned1 nor the godly1 nor the great1 must be our rule in co-ordination with the word of ,god4#d #e4 ,he that will walk uprightly1 must have both a solid and a large understanding1 to know things truly as they are1 and to see all particulars which must be taken notice of1 in all the cases which he must determine1 and all the actions which his integrity is concerned in4 #a4 ,there is no walking uprightly in the dark4 ,zeal will cause you to go apace2 but not at all to go right1 if judgment guide it not4 ,erroneous zeal will make you to do evil with double violence1 and with blasphemous fathering your sins on ,god1 and with impenitence and justification of your sin4#e ,this made ,paul mad in persecuting the church4 ,prov4 xv4 #ba1 ,folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom2 but a man of understanding walketh uprightly4 ,no man can do that well which he understandeth not well4 ,therefore you must study and take unwearied pains for knowledge2 wisdom never grew up with idleness1 though the conceit of wisdom doth no where more prosper4 ,this age hath told us to what dangerous precipices men will be carried by an ignorant zeal4 #b4 ,and the understanding must be large1 or it cannot be solid2 when many particulars are concerned in an action1 the overlooking of some may spoil the work4 ,narrow-minded men are turned as the weathercock1 with the wind of the times1 or of every temptation2 and they seldom avoid one sin1 but by falling into another4 ,it is prudence that must manage an upright life3 and prudence seeth all that must be seen1 and putteth every circumstance into the balance2 for want of which1 much mischief may be done1 while you seem to be doing the greatest good4#f ,the prudent man looketh well to his going1 ,prov4 xiv4 #ae4 ,see therefore that ye walk circumspectly1 7at a hair's breadth17 not as fools1 but as wise4 #f4 ,but because you will object1 that1 alas1 few even of the upright1 have wits so strong as to be fit for this1 ,i add1 that he that will walk uprightly1 must in the great essential parts of religion have this foresaid knowledge of his own1 and in the rest at least he must have the conduct of the wise4 ,and therefore1 #a4 ,he must be wise in the great matters of his salvation1 though he be weak in other things4 #b4 ,and he must labour to be truly acquainted who are indeed wise men1 that are meet to be his guides3 and he must have recourse to such in cases of conscience1 as a sick man to his physician4 ,it is a great mercy to be so far wise1 as to know a wise man from a fool1 and a counsellor from a deceiver4#g #g4 ,he that will walk uprightly must be the master of his passion2 not stupid1 but calm and sober4 ,though some passion is needful to excite the understanding to its duty1 yet that which is inordinate doth powerfully deceive the mind4 ,men are very apt to be confident of what they passionately apprehend2 and passionate judgments are frequently mistaken1 and ever to be suspected2 it being exceeding difficult to entertain any passion which shall not in some measure pervert our reason2 which is one great reason why the most confident are ordinarily the most erroneous and blind4 ,be sure therefore whenever you are injured1 or passion any way engaged1 to set a double guard upon your judgments4#h #h4 ,he that will walk uprightly1 must not only difference between simple good and evil1 but between a greater good and a less2 for most sin in the world consisteth in preferring a lesser good before a greater4 ,he must still keep the balance in his hand1 and compare good with good2 otherwise he will make himself a religion of sin1 and prefer sacrifice before mercy2 and will hinder the gospel and men's salvation for a ceremony1 and violate the bonds of love and faithfulness for every opinion which he calleth truth2 and will tithe mint and cummin1 while he neglecteth the great things of the law4 ,when a lesser good is preferred before a greater1 it is a sin1 and the common way of sinning4 ,it is not then a duty when it is inconsistent with a greater good4#i #i4 ,he must ever have a conjunct respect to the command and the end3 the good of some actions is but little discernible any where1 but in the command2 and others are evidently good because of the good they tend to4 ,we must neither do evil and break a law1 that good may come by it2 nor yet pretend obedience to do mischief1 as if ,god had made his laws for destruction of the church or men's souls1 and not for edification4#aj #aj4 ,he must keep in union with the universal church1 and prefer its interest before the interest of any party whatsoever1 and do nothing that tendeth to its hurt4#aa #aa4 ,he must love his neighbour as himself1 and do as he would be done by1 and love his enemies and forgive wrongs2 and bear their defamations as his own4#ab #ab4 ,he must be impartial1 and not lose his judgment and charity in the opinion or interest of a party or sect3 nor think all right that is held or done by those that he best liketh2 nor all wrong that is held or done by those that are his adversaries4 ,but judge of the words and deeds of those that are against him1 as if they had been said or done by those of his own side3 else he will live in slandering1 backbiting1 and gross unrighteousness4#ac #ac4 ,he must be deliberate in judging of things and persons2 not rash or hasty in believing reports or receiving opinions2 not judging of truths by the first appearance1 but search into the naked evidence3 nor judging of persons by prejudice1 fame1 and common talk4#ad #ad4 ,he must be willing to receive and obey the truth at the dearest rate1 especially of laborious study1 and a self-denying life2 not taking all to be truth that costeth men dear1 nor yet thinking that truth indeed can be over-prized4#ae #ae4 ,he must be humble and self-suspicious1 and come to ,christ's school as a little child2 and not have a proud overvaluing of himself and his own understanding4 ,the proud and selfish are blind and cross1 and have usually some opinions or interests of their own1 that lie cross to duty1 and to other men's good4#af #af4 ,he must have an eye to posterity1 and not only to the present time or age2 and to other nations1 and not only to the country where he liveth4 ,many things seem necessary for some present strait or work that we would do 7which in the next age may be of mischievous effects72 especially in ecclesiastical and political professions1 covenants and impositions1 we must look further than our present needs4 ,and many things seem necessary for a local1 narrow interest1 which those at a distance will otherwise esteem4#ag #ag4 ,he that will walk uprightly must be able to bear the displeasure of all the world1 when the interest of truth requireth it2 yea1 to be rejected of learned and good men themselves2 and account man's favour no better than it is2 not to despise it as it is a means to any good1 but to be quite above it as to his own interest4 ,not that uprightness doth use to make a man despised by the upright2 but that it may bring him under their censure in some particulars1 which are not commonly received or understood to be of ,god4#ah #ah4 ,he must make it a great part of the work of his life to kill all those carnal desires1 which the sensual make it their work and felicity to please2 that appetite1 sense and lust1 and self-will may not be the constant perverters of his life2 as a fool in a dropsy studieth to please his thirst1 and a wise man to cure it4#ai #ai4 ,he must live a life of constant and skilful watchfulness1 apprehending himself in continual danger2 and knowing his particular corruptions1 temptations1 and remedies4 ,he must have a tender conscience1 and keep as far as possible from temptation1 and take heed of unnecessary approaches or delightful thoughts of sin4 ,oh what strong resolutions1 what sound knowledge1 have the near-baits of sensuality 7meat1 drink1 lust1 and pleasures7 overcome6 ,never think yourselves safe among near-temptations1 and opportunities of sinning4#bj #bj4 ,live as those that are going to the grave2 die daily1 and look on this world as if you did look on it out of the world to which you go4 ,let faith as constantly behold the world unseen1 as your eye seeth this4 ,death and eternity make men wise3 we easily confess and repent of many things when we come to die1 which no counsels or sermons could make us penitently confess before4 ,death will answer a thousand objections and temptations1 and prove many vanities to be sin1 which you thought the preacher did not prove3 dying men are not drawn to drunkenness1 filthiness1 or time-wasting sports2 nor flattered into folly by sensual baits2 nor do they then fear the face or threats of persecutors4 ,as it is from another world that we must fetch the motives1 so also the defensative of an upright life4 ,and oh happy are they that faithfully practise these rules of uprightness6#ba ,though it be my judgment that much more of the doctrine of politics or civil government belongeth to theology1#bb than those men understand1 who make kings and laws to be mere human creatures1 yet to deliver my reader from the fear lest ,i should meddle with matters that belong not to my calling1 and my book from that reproach1 ,i shall overpass all these points1 which else ,i should have treated of1 as useful to practise in governing and obeying4 #a4 ,of man as sociable1 and of communities and societies1 and the reason of them1 of their original1 and the obligation on the members4 #b4 ,of a city1 and of civility4 #c4 ,of a republic in general4 7#a47 ,of its institution1 7#b47 ,of its constitution1 and of its parts4 7#c47 ,of its species4 7#d47 ,of the difference between it1 #a4 ,and a community in general4 #b4 ,a family4 #c4 ,a village4 #d4 ,a city4 #e4 ,a church4 #f4 ,an accidental meeting4 7#e47 ,of its administrations4 7#f47 ,of the relation between ,god's government and man's1 and ,god's law and man's1 and of their difference2 and between man's judging and ,god's judging4 ,nay1 ,i will not only gratify you1 by passing over this and much more in the theory1 but also as to the practical part1 ,i shall pass over1 #a4 ,the directions for supreme governors4 #b4 ,and for inferior magistrates towards ,god1 and their superiors1 and the people4 #c4 ,and the determination of the question1 ,how far magistrates have to do in matters of religion8 ,whether they be christian or heathen8 #d4 ,how far they should grant or not grant liberty of conscience1 7as it is called17 viz4 of judging1 professing1 and practising in matters of religion2 with other such matters belonging to government3 and all the controversies about titles and supremacy1 conservations1 forfeitures1 decays1 dangers1 remedies1 and restorations1 which belong either to politicians1 lawyers1 or divines2 all these ,i pretermit1 save only that ,i shall venture to leave a few brief memorandums with civil governors 7instead of directions7 for securing the interest of ,christ1 and the church1 and men's salvation2 yet assuring the reader that ,i omit none of this out of any contempt of the matter1 or of magistracy1 or as if ,i thought them not worthy of all our prayers and assistance1 or thought their office of small concernment to the welfare of the world and of the church2 but for those reasons1 which all may know that know me and the government under which we live1 and which ,i must not tell to others4 #a ,psal4 lxxiii4 #be2 lxiii4 #c2 #a ,cor4 iv4 #c1 #d2 ,phil4 iii4 #h1 #i1 #ah1 #ai2 ,psal4 iv4 #g1 #h2 ,luke xii4 #d2 ,matt4 vi4 #a-c4 #b ,luke xiv4 #bf1 #bg1 #cc1 #cd2 xviii4 #bb2 ,matt4 vi4 #ai1 #bj2 #a ,john ii4 #ae2 ,phil4 iii4 #ah1 #ba4 #c ,john xii4 #af2 xv4 #a1 c42 iii4 #e1 #f2 ,rom4 viii4 #h1 #i4 #d #b ,tim4 iii4 #ae2 ,isa4 viii4 #bj2 #a ,thess4 v4 #ab2 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #ba2 ,jam4 iv4 #ab2 ,heb4 viii4 #aj1 #af2 ,neh4 ix4 #ac1 #ad2 ,psal4 xix4 #g2 cxix4 #a-c4 #e ,prov4 i4 #e2 x4 #bc2 xvii4 #bg2 iii4 #d2 ,psal4 cxi4 #aj2 ,eph4 i4 #aj2 ,acts xxvi4 #ah2 ,col4 i4 #i2 ii4 #b2 #b ,tim4 ii4 #g2 #a ,cor4 xiv4 #e1 #bj4 #f ,luke xxiv4 #de2 ,matt4 xv4 #af2 ,eph4 v4 #ag2 #a ,tim4 i4 #g2 ,prov4 viii4 #e2 ,john xii4 #dj2 #b ,pet4 ii4 #ab2 ,rom4 iii4 #aa2 ,matt4 xiii4 #ai1 #bc2 ,isa4 lii4 #ac2 ,hos4 xiv4 #i2 ,prov4 xiv4 #ae1 #ah2 xviii4 #ae2 xxii4 #c2 viii4 #ab2 ,eph4 v4 #ae2 ,psal4 ci4 #b4 #g ,psal4 cxix4 #ih2 ,prov4 i4 #f-h2 xii4 #ae1 #ah2 xiii4 #a1 #ad1 #bj2 xv4 #b1 #g1 #ab1 #ca2 xxii4 #ag2 xxv4 #ab2 ,eccl4 xii4 #aa2 ,dan4 xii4 #c1 #aj2 ,matt4 xxiv4 #de2 ,psal4 xxxvii #cj2 ,eccl4 ii4 #ac2 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #f2 ,matt4 xii4 #db2 ,luke i4 #ag2 xxi4 #ae2 ,acts vi4 #c2 #b ,pet4 iii4 #ae2 ,mal4 ii4 #f1 #g2 #a ,thess4 v4 #ab1 #ac2 ,heb4 xiii4 #g1 #ag2 ,tit4 i4 #i1 #ac2 ii4 #a1 #h2 #b ,tim4 iv4 #c4 #h ,prov4 xiv4 #bi2 ,col4 iii4 #h4 #i ,matt4 ix4 #ac2 xii4 #g2 ,psal4 xl4 #f2 li4 #af2 #a ,sam4 xv4 #bb4 #aj #b ,cor4 x4 #h2 xiii4 #aj2 ,rom4 xv4 #b2 xiv4 #i2 #a ,cor4 xiv4 #bf2 #b ,cor4 xii4 #ai2 ,rom4 iii4 #h4 #aa ,eph4 iv4 #ab1 c42 #a ,cor4 xii4 #ab ,matt4 xxii4 #ci2 v4 #dc1 #dd2 vii4 #ab4 #ac ,jam4 iii4 #ae-ah2 ,gal4 ii4 #ac1 #ad2 ,deut4 xxv4 #af2 #a ,cor4 vi4 #i4 #ad ,matt4 vii4 #a1 #b2 ,john vii4 #bd2 ,rom4 xiv4 #aj1 #ac2 #a ,pet4 i4 #ag4 #ae ,luke xiv4 #bf1 #cc2 xii4 #d2 ,prov4 xxiii4 #bc4 #af ,matt4 xviii4 #c2 ,prov4 xxvi4 #ab1 #af2 xxviii4 xx2 #a ,cor4 iii4 #ah2 ,prov4 iii4 #g4 #ag ,judg4 viii4 #bg2 #a ,cor4 vii4 #ce2 #a ,kings xiv4 #af2 xv4 #bf2 ,deut4 xxix4 #bb2 ,exod4 xii4 #bf2 ,josh4 iv4 #f1 #bb2 xxii4 #bd1 #be4 #ah #a ,cor4 iv4 #c1 #d2 ,john v4 #dd2 ,luke xiv4 #bf2 ,gal4 ii4 #ac1 #ad2 ,acts xi4 #b1 #c4 #ai ,col4 iii4 #d1 #e2 ,rom4 vi4 #a1 c42 xiii4 #ab1 #ac2 viii4 #ac4 #bj ,matt4 xxiv4 #db2 xxv4 #ac2 ,mark xiii4 #cg2 #a ,thess4 v4 #f2 #a ,pet4 iv4 #g2 #a ,cor4 xvi4 #ae2 ,matt4 vi4 #ac2 xxvi4 #da4 #ba ,eccl4 vii4 #b-f2 #b ,cor4 iv4 #af2 v4 #a1 #g1 #h2 ,luke xii4 #ag-bj2 xvi4 #bj1 c42 ,matt4 xxv4 #c-h2 ,acts vii4 #ef1 #fj4 #bb ,among the ,jews it was all one to be a lawyer and a divine2 but not to be a lawyer and a priest4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,memorandums ,,to ,,civil ,,rulers ,,for ,,the ,,interest ,,of ,,christ1 ,,the ,,church1 ,,and ,,men',s ,,salvation4 ,mem4 ,i4 ,remember that your power is from ,god1 and therefore for ,god1 and not against ,god1 ,rom4 xiii4 #b-d4 ,you are his ministers1 and can have no power except it be given you from above1 ,john xix4 #aa4 ,remember therefore that as constables are your officers and subjects1 so you are the officers and subjects of ,god and the ,redeemer2 and are infinitely more below him than the lowest subject is below you2 and that you owe him more obedience than can be due to you2 and therefore should study his laws1 7in nature and ,scripture17 and make them your daily meditation and delight1 ,josh4 i4 #c-e2 ,psal4 i4 #b1 #c2 ,deut4 xvii4 #ah-bj4 ,and remember how strict a judgment you must undergo when you must give account of your stewardship1 and the greater your dignities and mercies have been1 if they are abused by ungodliness1 the greater will be your punishment1 ,luke xvi4 #b2 xii4 #dh4bc ,mem4 ,,ii4 ,remember therefore and watch most carefully that you never own or espouse any interest which is adverse to the will or interest of ,christ2 and that you never fall out with his interest or his ordinances2 and that no temptation ever persuade you that the interest of ,christ1 and the gospel1 and the church1 is an enemy to you1 or against your real interest2 and that you keep not up suspicions against them3 but see that you devote yourselves and your power wholly to his will and service1 and make all your interest stand in a pure subservience to him1 as it stands in a real dependence on him4#bd ,mem4 ,,iii4 ,remember that1 under ,god1 your end is the public good2 therefore desire nothing to yourselves1 nor do any thing to others1 which is really against your end4 ,mem4 ,,iv4 ,remember therefore that all your laws are to be but subservient to the laws of ,god1 to promote the obedience of them with your subjects1 and never to be either contrary to them1 nor co-ordinate1 or independent on them2 but as the by-laws of corporations are in respect to the laws and will of the sovereign power1 which have all their life and power therefrom4 ,mem4 ,v4 ,let none persuade you that you are such terrestrial animals that have nothing to do with the heavenly concernments of your subjects2 for if once men think that the end of your office is only the bodily prosperity of the people1 and the end of the ministry is the good of their souls1 it will tempt them to prefer a minister before you1 as they prefer their souls before their bodies2 and they that are taught to contemn these earthly things1 will be ready to think they must contemn your office2 seeing no means1 as such1 can be better than the end4 ,there is no such thing as a temporal happiness to any people1 but what tendeth to the happiness of their souls2 and must be thereby measured1 and thence be estimated4 ,though ministers are more immediately employed about the soul1 yet your office is ultimately for the happiness of souls1 as well as theirs2 though bodily things 7rewards or punishments7 are the means1 by which you may promote it2 which ministers1 as such1 may not meddle with4 ,therefore you are custodes utriusque tabul1 and must bend the force of all your government to the saving of the people's souls4 ,and as to the objection from heathen governors1 distinguish between the office1 and an aptitude to exercise it3 the office consisteth1 #a4 ,in an obligation to do the duty2 #b4 ,and in authority to do it4 ,both these a heathen ruler hath 7else the omission were a duty1 and not a sin74 ,but it is the aptitude to do the duty of his place which a heathen wanteth2 and he wanteth it culpably2 and therefore the omission is his sin2 even as it is the sin of an insufficient minister that he doth not preach4 ,for the question is of the like nature1 and will have the like solution3 ,whether an ignorant minister be bound to preach1 who is unable or heretical8 ,it is aptitude that he wanteth1 and neither authority nor obligation1 if he be really a minister2 but he is obliged in this order1 first to get abilities1 and then to preach3 so is it in the present case4#be ,mem4 ,,vi4 ,encourage and strengthen a learned1 holy1 self-denying1 serious1 laborious ministry2 as knowing1 that the same ,lord hath commissioned them in the institution of their office1 who instituted yours2 and that it is such men that are suited to the work1 for which their office was appointed2 and that souls are precious2 and those that are the guides and physicians of souls1 can never be too well furnished1 nor too diligent4 ,and the church hath no where prospered on earth1 but in the prosperity of the abilities1 holiness1 and diligence of their pastors3 ,god hath always built by such1 and the devil hath pulled down by pulling down such4 ,mem4 ,,vii4 ,remember that the people that are seriously religious1 that love1 and worship1 and obey the ,lord1 with all their heart1 are the best of your subjects1 and the honour of your dominions3 see therefore that serious godliness be every where encouraged1 and that the profane and ignorant rabble be never encouraged in their enmity and opposition to it3 and that true fanaticism1 hypocrisy1 and schism1 be so prudently discountenanced and suppressed1 that none may have encouragement to set themselves against godliness1 under the slander or pretension of such names4 ,if christianity be better than heathenism1 those christians then are they that must be countenanced1 who go further in holiness1 and charity1 and justice1 than heathens do1 rather than those that go no further 7besides opinions and formalities7 than a ,cato1 a ,plato1 or ,socrates have done4 ,if all religion were a deceit1 it were fit to be banished1 and atheism professed1 and men confess themselves to be but brutes4 ,but if there be a ,god1 there must be a religion2 and if we must be religious1 we must sure be so in seriousness1 and not in hypocrisy and jest4 ,it being no such small1 contemptible matter1 to be turned into dissembling compliment4#bf ,mem4 ,,viii4 ,endeavour the unity and concord of all the churches and christians that are under your government1 and that upon the terms which all ,christ's churches have sometime been united in2 that is1 ,in the ,holy ,scriptures implicitly1 as the general rule2 in the ancient creeds explicitly1 as the sum of our credenda2 and in the ,lord's prayer1 as the summary of our expetenda2 and in the decalogue1 as the summary of our agenda2 supposing1 that we live in peaceable obedience to our governors1 whose laws must rule us not only in things civil1 but in the ordering of those circumstances of worship and discipline1 which ,god hath left to their determination4 ,mem4 ,,ix4 ,let all things in ,god's worship be done to edification1 decently1 and in order1 and the body honour ,god1 as well as the soul2 but yet see that the ornaments or garments of religion be never used against the substance2 but that holiness1 unity1 charity1 and peace1 have alway the precedency4 ,mem4 ,x4 ,let the fear of sinning against ,god be cherished in all1 and let there be a tenderness for such as are over-scrupulous and fearful in some smaller things3 and let not things be ordered so1 as shall most tend to the advantage of debauched consciences1 that dare say or do any thing for their carnal ends4 ,for they are truest to their governors1 that are truest to their ,god2 and when it is the wrath of ,god and hell that a man is afraid of1 it is pity he should be too eagerly spurred on4 ,the unconscionable sort will be true to their governors1 no longer than it serves their interest2 therefore conscientiousness should be encouraged4#bg ,mem4 ,,xi4 ,if the clergy1 or most religious people1 offend1 let their punishment be such as falleth only on themselves1 and reacheth not ,christ1 nor the gospel1 nor the church4 ,punish not ,christ for his servants' failings1 nor the gospel for them that sin against it2 nor the souls of the people1 for their pastors' faults2 but see that the interest of ,christ and men's souls be still secured4#bh ,mem4 ,,xii4 ,if the dissensions of lawyers or statesmen make factions in the commonwealth1 let not the fault be laid on religion1 though some divines fall into either faction4 ,when the difference is not in divinity1 but in law cases1 blame not religion for that1 which it hath no hand in3 and watch against ,satan1 who alway laboureth to make civil factions or differences tend to the dishonour of religion1 and the detriment of the church and gospel4 ,mem4 ,,xiii4 ,take those that are covetous1 ambitious1 or selfish1 and seek for preferment1 to be the unfittest to be consulted with in the matters of religion1 and the unfittest to be trusted with the charge of souls4 ,and let the humble1 mortified1 self-denying men1 be taken as fitter pastors for the churches4 ,mem4 ,,xiv4 ,side not with any faction of contentious pastors1 to the oppression of the rest1 when the difference is in tolerable things2 but rather drive them on to unity1 upon condescending and forbearing terms3 for there will else be no end2 but the faction which you side with1 will break into more factions1 and the church will receive damage by the loss of the oppressed party1 and by the division much more4 ,what lamentable work the contentions of the bishops have made in the churches1 in all ages1 since the primitive times1 all history doth too openly declare4 ,and how much a holy1 prudent1 peaceable magistrate can do1 to keep peace among them1 more than will be done if their own impetuosity be left unrestrained1 it is easy to observe2 especially if he keep the sword in his own hand1 and trust it not in the hands of churchmen1 especially of one faction to the oppression of the rest4#bi ,mem4 ,,xv4 ,believe not the accusations that are brought against the faithful ministers of ,christ1 till they are proved2 and judge not them1 or any of his servants1 upon the reports of adversaries1 till they have spoken for themselves2 for the common corruption of depraved nature1 doth engage all the ungodly in such an enmity against holiness1 that there is little truth or righteousness to be expected from wicked and malicious lips1 for any holy cause or person4 ,and if such persons find but entertainment and encouragement1 their malice will abound1 and their calumnies will be impudent2 which is the sense of ,prov4 xxix4 #ab1 ,if a ruler hearken to lies1 all his servants are wicked4 ,the example of ,saul and ,doeg is but such as would be ordinary1 if rulers would but hearken to such calumniators4#cj ,mem4 ,,xvi4 ,when the case is doubtful about using punishments and severities against the scrupulous in the matters of religion1 remember your general directions1 and see what influence they must have into such particulars2 as1 ,that the very work and end of your office is1 that under your government the people may live quietly and peaceably in godliness and honesty1 #a ,tim4 ii4 #b4 ,and that rulers are not a terror to good works1 but to evil2 and for the praise of them that do good2 and ministers of ,god to us for good2 and revengers to execute wrath upon them that do evil1 ,rom4 xiii4 #c1 #d4 ,and remember the danger of persecution1 as described ,matt1 xviii4 #f1 #aj1 #ad2 #a ,thess4 ii4 #ae1 #af2 #b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #ad-ag4 ,and that he that doubteth of things indifferent is damned if he do them1 because he doth them not of faith1 ,rom4 xiv4 #bc4 ,and remember whom and what it is that ,god himself forgiveth and forbeareth4 ,and always difference the infirmities of serious conscionable christians1 from the wickedness of unconscionable and ungodly men4 ,yet not extenuating the wickedness of any1 because of his hypocritical profession of religion4#ca ,mem4 ,,xvii4 ,remember that you must be examples of holiness to the people2 and shun all those sins which you would have them shun1 and be eminent in all those virtues which you would commend unto them4#cb ,this is not only necessary to the happiness of those under you1 but also for the saving of yourselves4 ,as ,paul saith to ,timothy1 ,take heed unto thyself1 and unto the doctrine1 continue in them2#cc for in doing this1 thou shalt both save thyself1 and them that hear thee1 #a ,tim4 iv4 #af4 ,so may ,i say to rulers1 ,take heed to yourselves1 and unto government1 and continue herein2 for in doing this1 you will save yourselves1 and those you govern4 ,they that are good are likest to do good2 but the wicked will do wickedly1 ,dan4 xii4 #aj4 ,the chief means for rulers to become thus holy and exemplary is1 #a4 ,to hearken to the doctrine and counsel of the word of the ,lord1 and to meditate in it day and night1 ,josh4 i4 #c1 #d2 ,deut4 xvii4 #ah-bj4 ,and to have faithful1 holy1 and self-denying teachers1 #b ,chron4 xx4 #bj4 #b4 ,to beware of the company and counsels of the wicked4 ,take away the wicked from before the king1 and his throne shall be established in righteousness1 ,prov4 xxv4 #d1 #e4 #c4 ,to watch most carefully against the special temptations of their great places1 especially against sensuality and pride1 and preferring their own honour1 and interest1 and will1 before the honour1 and interest1 and will1 of ,jesus ,christ4 ,woe to thee1 ,o land1 when thy king is a child1 and thy princes eat in the morning6 ,blessed art thou1 ,o land1 when thy king is the son of nobles1 and thy princes eat in due season1 for strength1 and not for drunkenness6 ,eccl4 x4 #af1 #ag4 ,it is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness2 for the throne is established by righteousness1 ,prov4 xvi4 #ab4 #d4 ,to remember always the end of holiness4 ,how sure a way it is to glory hereafter1 and to leave a sweet and glorious name and memorial upon earth2 when wickedness is the certain way to shame on earth1 and misery for ever6#cd ,mem4 ,,xviii4 ,rulers should not be contented to do good at home1 and to be the joy and blessing of their own subjects2 but also set their hearts to the promoting of faith1 and holiness1 and concord1 throughout the churches of the world2 and to improve their interests in princes and states1 by amicable correspondencies and treaties to these ends2 that they may be blessings to the utmost extent of their capacities4 ,as ,constantine interceded with the ,persian king1 to forbear the persecuting of christians in his dominion1#ce c4 ,but ,i shall presume to speak no further to my superiors2 in the golden age these memorandums will be practised4 ,i will only annex ,erasmus's image of a good prince1 and of a bad1 recited by ,alstedius ,encyclop4 lib4 xxiii4 ,polit4 c4 #c4 p4 #agc1 #agd4 ,the ,image of a ,good ,prince1 out of ,erasmus4 ,if you will draw the picture of a good prince1 delineate some celestial wight1 liker to ,god than to a man2 absolute in all perfections of virtue2 given for the good of all2 yea1 sent from heaven for the relief of mortal men's affairs2 which being 7oculatissimum7 most discerning1 looketh to all6 ,to whom nothing is more regarded1 nothing more sweet1 than the commonwealth2 who hath more than a fatherly affection unto all4 ,to whom every one's life is dearer than his own2 who night and day is doing and endeavouring nothing else1 but that it may be very well with all2 who hath rewards in readiness for all that are good2 and pardon for the bad1 if so be they will betake them to a better course2 that so freely desireth to deserve well of his subjects1 that if it be needful1 he will not stick to preserve their safety by his own peril2 that taketh his country's commodity to be his own gain2 that always watcheth1 that others may sleep quietly2 that leaveth himself no quiet vacancy1 that his country may live in quiet vacancy1 or peace2 that afflicteth himself with successive cares1 that his subjects may enjoy tranquillity4 ,to conclude1 on whose virtue it is1 that the public happiness doth depend4 ,the ,image of a ,bad ,prince4 ,ibid4 ,if you would set forth a bad prince to the eye1 you must paint some savage1 horrid beast1 made up of such monstrosities as a dragon1 a wolf1 a lion1 a viper1 a bear1 c4 every way armed1 with six hundred eyes2 every way toothed2 every way terrible2 with hooked talons2 of an insatiable paunch2 fed with men's bowels2 drunk with man's blood2 that watcheth to prey upon the lives and fortunes of all the people2 troublesome to all1 but specially to the good2 a fatal evil to the world2 which all curse and hate1 who wish well to the commonwealth2 which can neither be endured1 because of his cruelty1 nor yet taken away without the great calamity of the world1 because wickedness is armed with guards and riches4 #bc ,finis ad quem rex principaliter intendere debet in seipso et in subditis1 est terna beatitudo1 qu in visione ,dei consistit4 ,et quia ista visio est perfectissimum bonum maxime movere debet regem et quemecunque dominum1 ut hunc finem subditi consequantur4 ,lib4 de ,regim4 ,principum ,thom adscript4 ,grot4 de ,imper4 ,sum4 ,pot4 p4 #i4 ,even ,aristotle could say1 ,polit4 vii4 c4 #a1 #b4 et eadem fine1 that each man's active and contemplative life1 is the end of government1 and not only the public peace2 and that is the best life which conduceth most to our consideration of ,god1 and that is the worst1 which calleth us off from considering and worshipping him4 ,vide ,grot4 de ,imper4 sum4 ,pot4 p4 #aj4 ,quam multa injuste fieri possunt1 qu nemo possit reprehendere4 ,cicero de fin4 ,read ,plutarch's ,precepts of ,policy1 and that old men should be rulers4 #bd ,read often ,psal4 ii4 and ci4 #be ,read ,bilson of ,subject4 p4 #abi4 to the end of the second part1 specially p4 #adj-adb4 ,the laws of ,charles the ,great4 ,and ,grotius de ,imperio ,sum4 ,pot4 circa ,sacra4 c4 #a4 et per totum4 #bf ,jul4 ,capitolin4 saith of the ,antonines1 ,that they would not be saluted by filthy persons4 ,and ,lampridus of ,alexander ,severus1 that1 ,nisi honestos et bon fam homines ad salutationem non admisit4 ,jussitque ut nemo ingrediatur1 nisi qui se innocentem novit3 per prconem edixit1 ut nemo salutaret principem qui se furem esse nosset1 ne aliquando detectus capitali supplicio subderetur4 ,read ,sebastian4 ,foxius de ,regno ,regisque institutione4 ,even ,crsus1 ,dionysius1 and ,julian were liberal to philosophers1 and ambitious of their converse4 ,vera civitatis flicitas est1 ut ,dei sit amans et amata ,deo2 illum sibi regem1 se illius populum agnoscat4 ,august4 de ,civit4 ,dei1 #a4 v4 c4 #ad4 #bg ,aug4 ,ep4 ,bonifac4 ,omnes reges qui populo ,dei non prohibuerunt nec everterunt qu contra ,dei prcepta fuerunt instituta1 culpantur4 ,qui prohibuerunt et everterunt1 super aliorum merita1 laudantur4 #bh ,when ,hunnerichus the ,arian ,vandal king1 was resolved to banish1 imprison1 and otherwise persecute the orthodox bishops and pastors1 he first trieth them by threatenings and divers cruelties1 and after appointeth a public disputation2 where his bishops and officers1 having no better pretence1 cruelly beat the people and pastors1 and then falsely tell the king1 ,that by tumult and clamour they avoided disputing4 ,and at last he calleth together all the pastors that were met for the disputation1 and1 to insnare them1 putteth an oath upon them1 ,that after the king's death1 they would take his son for their king2 and that they would send no letters beyond sea4 ,this oath divided the orthodox among themselves4 ,for one part of the bishops and pastors said1 ,if we refuse a lawful oath1 our people will say that we forsake them1 and the dissolution of the churches will be imputed to us4 ,the other part perceiving the snare1 were fain to pretend ,christ's command1 ,swear not at all4 ,the king having separated them1 and the officers took all their names1 sendeth them all to prison4 ,to those that took the oath1 they said1 ,because that contrary to the command of the gospel1 you would swear1 you shall see your cities and churches no more1 but be sent into the country to till the ground2 but so that you presume not to sing psalms1 or pray1 or carry a book1 or baptize1 or ordain1 or absolve4 ,to those that refused the oath1 they said1 ,because you desired not the reign of the king's son1 and therefore refused the oath2 you shall be banished to the isle of ,corsica1 to cut wood for the ships4 ,victor4 ,utic4 p4 7mihi7 #def1 #deg4 ,generalis ,jesuitarum ex nimio absoluti imperii amore1 delaturas in scrinia sua admittit1 iisque credit1 non audito eo qui accusatur3 quod injustiti genus ab ethnicis ipsis improbatur4 ,imperando non bonis regibus se facit similem1 qui senatum magni fecerunt2 sed tyrannos mavult imitari1 e4 g4 ,tarquinium superbum1 qui ante omnia conatus est debilitare senatus numerum et authoritatem1 ut omnia suo libitu facere posset2 similiter generalis cum assistentibus suis odit synodos generales1 omniaque experitur1 ne tales instituantur conventus1 quibus rerum gestarum reddere rationem necesse habeat4--,generalis ,jesuiticus in eligendis officialibus non curat quod sit cujusque talentum aut dotes eminentiores1 sed quam bene secum aut cum provinciali suo conformetur4 ,qu causa est cur homines viles et abjecti animi officiis prponantur1 qui a superioribus duci se sinant ut nervis alienis mobile lignum4 ,mariana de ,reform4 ,jesuit4 cap4 #ac1 #ae1 #af1 #ah4 ,in ,arcan4 ,jesuit4 p4 #aca1 #acb4 ,recit4 in ,apolog4 ,giraldi4 ,nulla est latronum societas in qua justicia non plus loci habeat1 quam in societate nostra1 c4--ubi non modo scientia et ignorantia in quo sunt1 sed etiam scientia impedimento est1 quo minus quis consequatur prmia humano ac divino jure debita4 ,marian4 ,aphor4 #hd4 c4 #ab1 c4 #ad4 #hi4 ,aphor4 #hg1 c4 ,the rest is worth the reading1 as a warning from a ,jesuit to the governors of state and church4 ,aphor4 #hj4 c4 #aa4 ,superiores societatis nostr sunt homines indigni1 qui officiis prsint1 cum generalis metuat ac sublatos velit1 quorum eminentes sunt virtutes4 ,boni quam mali ei suspectiores sunt4 ,this1 and abundance more1 saith ,mariana1 a ,jesuit of ninety-six years of age1 learned in ,hebrew1 ,chaldee1 ,syriac1 ,greek1 and ,latin1 of his own society4 #bi ,lamprid4 numbers it with ,alexander ,mam4 ,severus's good works4 ,judis privilegia reservavit2 christianos esse passus est4 ,nam illo tempore crudelius ,arianorum episcopi1 presbyteri1 clerici1 quam rex et ,vandali sviebant4 ,id4 p4 #dfh4 #cj ,justiti munus primum est1 ut ne cui quis noceat nisi lacessitus injuria4 ,cicero4 ,prov4 xxii4 #g2 xxviii4 #af2 ,psal4 cxix4 #bc2 ,prov4 xxv4 #b4 ,leg4 ,epist4 ,m4 ,ciceronis ad fratrem4 #ca ,quis mihi imponat necessitatem vel credendi quod nolim1 vel quod velim non credendi4 ,lactant4 lib4 #e4 c4 #ac4 #cb ,laert4 in ,solon1 reciteth one of his sayings1 ,populi rector prius se quam populum recte instituere debet3 si principes et majores secundum leges vixerint1 unaquque civitas optime rege peterit1 p4 #ca4 #cc ,or spend thy time in them4 ,dr4 ,hammond4 #cd ,luke xviii4 #bb1 #bd2 ,deut4 xvii4 #bj2 ,prov4 xxix4 #ad2 xxii4 #bi2 xvi4 #ac2 xxxi4 #c1 #d2 #b ,chron4 xxxii4 #be2 xx4 #af2 ,ezek4 xxviii4 #b1 #e1 #ag2 ,luke xii4 #ai1 #bj2 xvi4 #ai1 #bj1 #be4 ,it is a sad observation of ,acosta1 lib4 v4 c4 #i4 p4 #dgd4 ,ac reipsa ceutoque usu observatum est1 eas ,indorum nationes plures ac graviores superstitionis diabolic species teuuisse1 in quibus regum ac reipublic maxime potentia et peritia excelluit4 ,contra qui tenuiorem fortunam minusque reipublic accommodata sortiti sunt1 in his multo idololatria parcior est3 usque adeo ut nonnullas ,indorum gentes omni idolorum religione vacare1 quidam pro certo confirment4 ,ex bon fidei scriptoribus super alias innumeras1 hc prcipua capitur utilitas2 quod non alia res que vel bonorum regum animos ad res cum laude gerendas accendit1 vel tyrannorum cupiditates cohibet1 ac refrnat1 dum utrique cernunt horum literis suam vitam omnem1 mox in totius orbis1 imo sculorum omnium theatrum producendam4 ,et quicquid in abdito nunc vel patrant1 vel adscito fuco prtexunt1 vel metu dissimulari cogunt1 verius quam ignorari1 paulo post clarissimam in lucem sub oculis omnium traducendum3 quam jam metu pariter ac spe libera posteritas1 nec ullo corrupta studio1 magno consensu recte factis applaudet1 parique libertate his diversa explodet1 exibilabitque4 ,erasm4 ,prfat4 in ,sueton4 #ce ,euseb4 in vita ,const4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,directions ,,for ,,subjects ,,concerning ,,their ,,duty ,,to ,,their ,,rulers4 ,being now to speak of the duties which ,i must practise1 and to those of my own rank1 ,i shall do it with some more freedom1 confidence1 and expectation of regard and practice4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,though ,i shall pass by most of the theory1 and especially of the controversial points in politics1 and not presume to play the lawyer's part2 yet ,i must advise you to understand so much of the cause1 and nature1 and end of government1 as is necessary to direct you in your obedience1 and to preserve you from all temptations to rebellion4 ,especially take heed of those mistakes which confound sovereignty and subjection1 and which delude the people with a conceit1 that they are the original of power1 and may intrust it as they please2 and call their rulers to account1 and take the forfeiture1 and recall their trust1 c4 ,it is not to flatter kings1 but to give ,god his due1 that ,i shall caution you against these mistakes of popularity4 ,and first1 ,i shall briefly lay down the truth1 and then answer some few of the chief objections4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,that there be government in genere1 and obedience thereto1 is determined even in nature1 by the ,god of nature1 in making man a sociable creature1 and each man insufficient for himself1 and in making republics necessary to the welfare and safety of individuals1 and government necessary to these republics4#cf ,this therefore is not left to the people's wills2 though some odd cases may be imagined1 in which some individual persons may live out of a commonwealth1 and not be obliged to live under civil government2 yet that exception doth but confirm the general rule3 even as all men ordinarily are bound to live in communion with some particular church1 and know their own pastor1 though yet some few may be excepted1 as some ambassadors1 travellers1 seamen1 soldiers1 banished men1 c4 ,so here1 the obligation to live under government1 lieth upon the generality of the world1 though some few may be excepted4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,rulers therefore are ,god's officers1 placed under him in his kingdom1 as he is the universal1 absolute ,sovereign of the world2 and they receive their power from ,god1 who is the only original of power4 ,not only their strength from his strength1 but their authority or governing power1 7which is jus regendi17 from his supreme authority2 as mayors and bailiffs in corporations receive their power from the king4 ,rom4 xiii4 #a-c1 ,there is no power1 but of ,god2 the powers that be1 are ordained of ,god4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,this governing power in genere1 is not an empty name1 but in the very institution containeth in it those things materially which are absolutely necessary to the end of government4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,yet ,god hath left that which is commonly called1 the specification of government2 and some lower parts of the matter1 and manner of exercise1 undetermined2 as also the individual persons or families that shall rule4 ,in these three therefore it is that communities interpose4 #a4 ,whether the sovereignty shall be in one1 or two1 or ten1 or how many1 and how divided for their exercise1 ,god hath not determined4 #b4 ,nor hath he determined of every particular1 whether the power shall extend to this1 or that1 or the other thing1 or not8 ,nor whether it shall be exercised thus or thus1 by standing courts1 or temporary judges1 c4 #c4 ,nor hath he named the person or family that shall rule4#cg ,prop4 ,v4 ,though these in the constitution are determined of by explicit or implicit contract or consent1 between the ruler and the community1 yet by none of these three can the people be truly and properly said to give the ruler his power of government4 ,not by the first or last2 for both those do but determine who shall be the recipient of that power2 whether one or more1 and who individually4 ,not the second1 for that is but a limiting1 or bounding1 or regulating the governing power1 that it be not exercised to their hurt2 the bounding and regulating of their power1 is not the giving them power4 ,the people having the strength1 cannot be ruled against their concordant wills3 and therefore1 if they contract with their governors1 that they will be ruled thus and thus1 or not at all1 this is not to give them power4 ,yet propriety they have1 and there they may be givers4 ,so that this bounding1 or regulating1 and choosing the form1 and persons1 and giving of their propriety1 is all that they have to do4 ,and the choosing of the family or person1 is not at all a giving the power4 ,they are but sine quibus non to that2 they do but open the door to let in the governor2 they do but name the family or man1 to whom ,god1 and not they1 shall give the power4 ,as1 when ,god hath already determined what authority the husband shall have over the wife1 the wife by choosing him to be her husband1 giveth him not his power1 but only chooseth the man1 to whom ,god giveth it by his standing law3 though about the disposing of her estate1 she may limit him by precontracts2 but if she contract against his government1 it is a contradiction and null4 ,nor if he abuse his power1 doth it at all fall into her hands4 ,if the king by charter give power to a corporation to choose their mayor1 or other officer1 they do but nominate the persons that shall receive it1 but it is the king's charter1 and not they1 that give him the power4 ,if a soldier voluntarily list himself under the king's general1 or other commanders1 he doth but choose the man that shall command him1 but it is the king's commission that giveth him the power to command those that voluntarily so list themselves4 ,and if the authority be abused or forfeited1 it is not into the soldiers' hands1 but into the king's4 ,prop4 ,,vi4 ,the constituting consent or contract of ancestors obligeth all their posterity1 if they will have any of the protection or other benefit of government1 to stand to the constitution2 else governments should be so unsettled and mutable1 as to be uncapable of their proper end4 ,prop4 ,,vii4 ,god hath neither in nature or ,scripture1 estated this power of government1 in whole or in part1 upon the people of a mere community1 7much less on subjects17 whether noble or ignoble1 learned or unlearned1 the part of the community1 or the whole body1 real or representative4#ch ,the people as such1 have not this power1 either to use or to give2 but the absolute ,sovereign of all the world1 doth communicate the sovereign power in every kingdom1 or other sort of commonwealth1 from himself immediately2 ,i say1 immediately3 not without the mediation of an instrument signifying his will2 for the law of nature and ,scripture are his instrument1 and the charter of authority2 nor yet so immediately1 as without any kind of medium2 for the consent and nomination of the community before expressed1 may be conditio sine qua non1 so far as aforesaid2 but it is so immediately from ,god1 as that there is no immediate recipient1 to receive the power first from ,god1 and convey it to the sovereign4 ,prop4 ,,viii4 ,the natural power of individual persons over themselves1 is tota specie different from this political or civil power4 ,and it is not the individual's resignation of this natural power of self-disposal1 unto one or more1 which is the efficient cause of sovereignty or civil power4#ci ,prop4 ,,ix4 ,if you take the word law properly1 for the expression of a ruler's will obliging the governed1 or making their duty2 and not improperly1 for mere contracts between the sovereign and the people2 then it is clear in the definition itself1 that neither subjects1 nor the community1 as such1 have any legislative power4 ,neither nature nor ,scripture hath given the people a power of making laws1 either by themselves1 or with the sovereign2 either the sole power1 or a part of it4 ,but the very nature of government requireth1 that the whole legislative power1 that is1 the power of making governing laws1 belong to the summa majestas1 or sovereign alone4 7,unless when the summa potestas is in many hands1 you compare the partakers among themselves1 and call one party the sovereign1 as having more of the sovereignty than the rest47 ,for those that are no governors at all1 cannot perform the chief act of government1 which is the making of governing laws2 but the people are no governors at all1 either as a community1 or as subjects2 so that you may easily perceive1 that all the arguments for a natural democracy1 are built upon false suppositions2 and wherever the people have any part in the sovereignty1 it is by the after constitution1 and not by nature2 and that kings receive not their power from the people's gift1 7who never had it themselves to use or give17 but from ,god alone4 ,prop4 ,x4 ,though ,god have not made a universal determination for any one sort of government1 against the rest1 7whether monarchy1 aristocracy1 or democracy17 because that is best for one people1 which may be worse for others1 yet ordinarily monarchy is accounted better than aristocracy1 and aristocracy better than democracy4 ,so much briefly of the original of power4 ,object4 ,i4 ,but1 saith worthy ,mr4 ,richard ,hooker1 ,eccl4 ,polit4 lib4 i4 sect4 #aj4 p4 #ba1dj ,that which we spake of the power of government1 must here be applied to the power of making laws1 whereby to govern2 which power1 ,god hath over all1 and by the natural law1 whereto he hath made all subject1 the lawful power of making laws to command whole politic societies of men1 belongeth so properly to the same entire societies1 that for any prince or potentate of what kind soever upon earth1 to exercise the same of himself1 and not either by express commission immediately and personally received from ,god1 or else by authority derived at first from their consent1 upon whose persons they impose laws1 it is no better than mere tyranny4 ,laws they are not therefore1 which public approbation hath not made so4 ,answ4 ,because the authority of this famous divine is with his party so great1 ,i shall adventure to say something1 lest his words do the more harm2 but not by confident opposition1 but humble proposal and submission of my judgment to superiors and wiser men1 as being conscious of my own inferiority and infirmity4 ,i take all this to be an assertion no where by him proved 7and by me elsewhere disproved fully74 ,laws are the effects and signs of the ruler's will2 and instruments of government4 ,legislation is the first part of government2 and if the whole body are naturally governors1 the pars imperans and pars subdita are confounded4 ,if the most absolute monarch can make no laws1 then disobeying them were no fault4 ,it is enough that their power be derived from ,god immediately1 though the persons be chosen by men4 ,their authority is not derived from the people's consent1 but from ,god1 by their consent1 as a bare condition sine qua non4 ,what if a community say all to their elected king1 ,we take not ourselves to have any governing power to give or use1 but we only choose you or your family to that office which ,god hath instituted1 who in that institution giveth you the power upon our choice2 can any man prove1 that such a king hath no power1 but is a tyrant2 because the people disclaim the giving of the power2 when indeed they do their duty8 ,remember that in all this we speak not of the government of this or that particular kingdom1 but of kingdoms and other commonwealths indefinitely4#da ,object4 ,,ii4 ,but1 saith he1 lib4 viii4 p4 #aib1 ,unto me it seemeth almost out of doubt and controversy1 that every independent multitude before any certain form of regimen established1 hath under ,god supreme authority1 full dominion over itself1-- ,answ4 ,if by dominion were meant propriety1 every individual hath it2 but for governing power1 it seemeth as clear to me1 that your independent multitude hath no civil power of government at all2 but only a power to choose them governors2 while they have no governors1 they have no governing power1 for that maketh a governor4 ,object4 ,,iii4 ,ibid4 ,a man who is lord of himself1 may be made another's servant1 c4 ,answ4 #a4 ,he may hire out himself to labour for another2 because he hath so far the power of himself1 and his labour is his own1 which he may sell for wages2 but in a family1 that the master be the governor to see ,god's laws obeyed by his servants1 is of divine appointment1 and this governing power the servant giveth not to his master1 but only maketh himself the object of it4 #b4 ,the power that nature giveth a man over himself1 is tota specie distinct from civil government2 7as ,dr4 ,hammond hath well showed against ,i4 ,g47 ,an individual person hath not that power of his own life as the king hath4 ,he may not put himself to death1 for that which the king may put him to death for4 #c4 ,if this were true1 that every individual1 by self-resignation1 might give a king his power over him2 yet a posse ad esse non valet consequentia2 and that it is not so is proved1 in that ,god the universal ,sovereign hath prevented them1 by determining himself1 of his own officers1 and giving them their power in the same charter by which he enableth the people to choose them4 ,therefore it is no better reasoning than to say1 ,if all the persons in ,london subjected themselves to the lord mayor1 he would thereby receive his power from them1 when the king hath prevented that already1 by giving him the power himself in his charter2 and leaving only the choice of the person to them2 and that under the direction of the rules which he hath given them4#db ,object4 ,,iv4 ,but saith he1 lib4 viii4 p4 #aic1 ,in kingdoms of this quality1 7as this we live in17 the highest governor hath indeed universal dominion1 but with dependency upon that whole entire body over the several parts whereof he hath dominion2 so that it standeth for an axiom in this case1 ,the king is major singulis1 universis minor4 ,answ4 ,if you had included himself1 it is certain that he cannot be greater than the whole1 because he cannot be greater than himself4 ,but seeing you speak of the whole in contradistinction from him1 ,i answer1 that indeed in genere caus finalis1 the sovereign is universis minor1 that is1 the whole kingdom is naturally more worth than one1 and their felicity a greater good2 or else the bonum publicum1 or salus populi1 could not be the end of government2 but this is nothing to our case2 for we are speaking of governing power as a means to this end2 and so in genere caus efficientis1 the sovereign 7yea1 and his lowest officer7 hath more authority or jus regendi than all the people as such 7for they all as such have none at all72 even as the church is of more worth than the pastor1 and yet the pastor alone hath more authority to administer the sacraments1 and to govern the people1 than all the flock hath2 for they have none either to use or give1 7whatever some say to the contrary17 but only choose him to whom ,god will give it4#dc ,object4 ,v4 ,saith the reverend author1 lib4 viii4 p4 #aid1 ,neither can any man with reason think1 but that the first institution of kings1 7a sufficient consideration wherefore their power should always depend on that from which it did always flow17 by original influence of power from the body into the king1 is the cause of kings' dependency in power upon the body3 by dependency we mean subordination and subjection4 ,answ4 #a4 ,but if their institution in genere was of ,god1 and that give them their power1 and it never flowed from the body at all1 then all your superstructure falleth with your ground-work4 #b4 ,and here you seem plainly to confound all kingdoms by turning the pars imperans into the pars subdita1 and vice versa2 if the king be subject1 how are they his subjects8 ,i will not infer what this will lead them to do1 when they are taught that kings are in subordination and subjection to them4 ,sad experience hath showed us what this very principle would effect4 ,object4 ,,vi4 ,ibid4#dd ,a manifest token of which dependency may be this2 as there is no more certain argument1 that lands are held under any as lords1 than if we see that such lands in defect of heirs fall unto them by escheat2 in like manner it doth follow rightly that seeing dominion when there is none to inherit it1 returneth unto the body1 therefore they which before were inheritors of it1 did hold it in dependence on the body2 so that by comparing the body with the head as touching power1 it seemeth always to reside in both2 fundamentally and radically in one1 in the other derivatively2 in one the habit1 in the other the act of power4 ,answ4 ,power no more falleth to the multitude by escheat1 than the power of the pastor falls to the church1 or the power of the physician to the hospital1 or the power of the schoolmaster to the scholars2 that is1 not at all4 ,when all the heirs are dead1 they are an ungoverned community1 that have power to choose a governor1 but no power to govern1 neither 7as you distinguish it7 in habit nor in act1 originally nor derivatively4 ,as it is with a corporation when the mayor is dead1 the power falleth not to the people4 ,therefore there is no good ground given for your following question1 ,may a body politic then at all times withdraw in whole or in part the influence of dominion which passeth from it1 if inconveniences do grow thereby8 ,though you answer this question soberly yourself1 it is easy to see how the multitude may be tempted to answer it on your grounds1 especially if they think your inconvenience turn into a necessity2 and what use they will make of your next words1 ,it must be presumed that supreme governors will not in such cases oppose themselves1 and be stiff in detaining that1 the use whereof is with public detriment4 ,a strange presumption4 ,object4 ,,vii4 ,the axioms of our regal government are these1 ,lex facit regem2 the king's grant of any favour made contrary to law is void2 ,rex nihil potest nisi quod jure potest4 ,answ4 ,if lex be taken improperly for the constituting contract between prince and people1 and if your facit have respect only to the species and person1 and not the substance of the power itself1 then ,i contradict you not4 ,but if lex be taken properly for authoritativa constitutio debiti1 or the signification of the sovereign's will to oblige the subject1 then lex non facit regem1 sed rex legem4#de ,object4 ,,viii4 ,lib4 viii4 p4 #baj1 ,when all which the wisdom of all sorts can do is done for the devising of laws in the church1 it is the general consent of all that giveth them the form and vigour of laws2 without which they could be no more to us than the counsels of physicians to the sick4 ,well might they seem as wholesome admonitions and instructions1 but laws could they never be1 without consent of the whole church to be guided by them1 whereunto both nature and the practice of the church of ,god set down in ,scripture1 is found every way so fully consonant1 that ,god himself would not impose1 no not his own laws upon his people1 by the hand of ,moses1 without their free and open consent4 ,answ4 #a4 ,wisdom doth but prepare laws1 and governing power enacteth them1 and giveth them their form2 but the whole body hath no such governing power1 therefore they give them not their form4#df #b4 ,the people's consent to ,god's laws gave them not their form or authority2 this opinion ,i have elsewhere confuted1 against a more erroneous author4 ,their consent to ,god's laws was required indeed1 as naturally necessary to their obedience1 but not as necessary to the being or obligation of the law4 ,can you think that it had been no sin in them to have disobeyed ,god's laws1 unless they had first consented to them8 ,then all the world might escape sin and damnation1 by denying consent to the laws of ,god4 #c4 ,this doctrine will teach men that we have no church laws2#dg for the whole church never signified their consent4 ,millions of the poorer sort have no voices in choosing parliament men or convocations2 and this will teach the minor dissenting part1 to think themselves disobliged for want of consenting2 and will give every dissenting part or person a negative voice to all church laws4 #d4 ,a single bishop hath a governing power over his particular church1 and they are bound to obey him1 ,heb4 xiii4 #g1 #ag4 ,and if the governing power of one pastor be not suspended for want of the consent of any or all the people1 then much less the governing power of king and parliament4 ,object4 ,,ix4 ,lib4 viii4 p4 #bbj4 ,it is a thing even undoubtedly natural1 that all free and independent societies should themselves make their own laws2 and that this power should belong to the whole1 not to any certain part of a politic body----4 ,answ4 ,this is oft affirmed1 but no proof at all of it2 in many nations the representatives of the whole body have the legislative power1 or part of it4 ,but that is from the special constitution of that particular commonwealth1 and not from nature1 nor common to all nations4 ,all that naturally belongeth to the people as such1 was but to choose their law-makers1 and secure their liberties1 and not to make laws themselves1 by themselves1 or mere representers4 ,object4 ,x4 ,lib4 viii4 p4 #bba4 ,for of this thing no man doubteth1 namely1 that in all societies1 companies1 and corporations1 what severally each shall be bound unto1 it must be with all their assents ratified4 ,against all equity it were1 that a man should suffer detriment at the hands of men1 for not observing that which he never did1 either by himself or by others1 mediately agree to----4 ,answ4 ,i am one that more than doubt of that which you say no man doubteth of4 ,do you not so much as except ,god's laws1 and all those that only do enforce them1 or drive men to obey them8 ,as men are obliged to obey ,god1 whether they consent or not2 so are they to obey the laws of their sovereigns1 though they never consented to them1 no nor to their sovereignty1 as long as they are members of that commonwealth1 to the government whereof the sovereign is lawfully called1 millions of dissenters may be bound to obey1 till they quit the society4 ,object4 ,,xi4 ,lib4 viii4 p4 #bba4 ,if magistrates be heads of the church1 they are of necessity christians4 ,answ4 ,that can never be proved4 ,a constitutive head indeed must be a christian1 and more1 even a pastor to a particular church1 and ,christ to the universal4 ,this headship our kings disclaim2 but a head of the church1 that is1 over the church1 or a coercive governor of it1 the king would be if he were no christian4 ,as one that is no physician may be head over all the physicians in his kingdom2 or though he be no philosopher1 or artist1 he may be head over all the philosophers and artists2 and in all their causes have the supreme coercive power2 so would the king over all protestants if he were no protestant1 and over all christians if he were no christian4 ,but you think1 that he that is no member of the church cannot be the head of it4 ,i answer1 not a constitutive1 essential head as the pastor is2 but he may be the head over it1 and have all the coercive power over it4 ,what if the king be not a member of many corporations in his kingdom8 ,yet as he is head of the kingdom1 he is head of1 or over them1 as they are parts of it4 ,object4 ,,xii4 ,lib4 viii4 p4 #bah1 #bbc1 #bbd4 ,what power the king hath1 he hath it by law3 the bounds and limits of it are known2 the entire community giveth order1 c4 p4 #bbc4 ,as for them that exercise power altogether against order1 although the kind of power which they have may be of ,god1 yet is their exercise thereof against ,god1 and therefore not of ,god1 otherwise than by permission1 as all injustice is4 p4 #bbd4 ,usurpers of power1 whereby we do not mean them that by violence have aspired unto places of highest authority1 but them that use more authority than they did ever receive in form and manner before mentioned4 ,such usurpers thereof as in the exercise of their power1 do more than they have been authorized to do1 cannot in conscience bind any man to obedience4 ,answ4 ,it is true that no man can exercise more power than he hath3 the power that we speak of being 1 jus regendi1 it is impossible to use more authority than they have2 though they may command beyond and without authority4 ,and it is true1 that where a man hath no authority or right to command1 he cannot directly bind obedience4 ,but yet a ruler may exercise more power than man ever gave him1 and oblige men to obedience thereby4 ,god giveth them power to govern for his glory1 according to his laws1 and to promote obedience to those laws of ,god 7in nature and ,scripture7 by subordinate laws of their own4 ,and all this the sovereign may do1 if the people1 at the choice of him or his family1 should only say1 ,we take you for our sovereign ruler3 for then he may do all that true reason or ,scripture make the work of a sovereign ruler1 even govern the people by all such just means as tend to the public good and their everlasting happiness3 and yet that people that should do no more but choose persons or families to govern them1 and set them no bounds1 do give no power to those they choose1 but determine of the persons that shall have power from ,god4 ,yet it is granted you1 that if the person or family chosen1 contract with them to govern only with such and such limitations1 they have bound themselves by their own contract2 and thus both specifications of government and degrees of power come in by men4 ,but always distinguish1 #a4 ,between the people's giving away their propriety1 7in their goods1 labours1 c4 which they may do17 and giving authority1 or governing power 7which they have not to give74 #b4 ,between their naming the persons that shall receive it from the universal ,king1 and giving it themselves4 #c4 ,between bounding and limiting power1 and giving power4 #d4 ,and between a sovereign's binding himself by contract1 and being bound by the authority of others4#dh ,if they be limited by contracts1 which are commonly called the constitutive or fundamental laws1 it is their own consent and contract that effectively obligeth and limiteth them2 of which indeed the people's will may be the occasion1 when they resolve that they will be governed on no other terms3 but if the contract limit them not1 but they be chosen simply to be the summ potestates1 without naming any particular powers either by concession or restraint1 then as to ruling they are absolute as to men1 and limited only by ,god1 from whose highest power they can never be exempt1 who in nature and ,scripture restraineth them from all that is impious and unjust1 against his laws and honour1 or against the public happiness and safety4 ,and here also remember1 that if any shall imagine that ,god restraineth a magistrate when it is not so1 and that the commands of their governors are contrary to the word of ,god1 when it is no such matter1 their error will not justify their disobedience4 ,though ,i have answered these passages of this reverend author1 it is not to draw any to undervalue his learned writings1 but to set right the reader in the principles of his obedience1 on which the practice doth so much depend4 ,and ,i confess1 that other authors of politics say as much as ,mr4 ,hooker saith1 both papists and protestants2 but not all1 nor ,i think the soundest3 ,i will instance now in ,alstedius only1 7an excellent person1 but in this mistaken17 who saith1 ,encyclop4 lib4 xxiii4 ,polit4 cap4 #c4 p4 #agh4 ,populus universus dignior et potior est tum magistratu tum ephoris4--,hinc recte docent ,doct4 ,politici1 populum obtinere regnum et jura majestatis proprietate et dominio3 principem et ephoros usu et administratione 7whereas the people have not the regnum vel jura majestatis any way at all74--,si administratores officium suum facere nolint1 si impia1 et iniqua mandent1 si contra dilectionem ,dei et proximi agant1 populus propri salutis curam arripiet1 imperium male utentibus abrogabit1 et in locum eorum alios substituet4--,porro ephori validiora ipso rege imperia obtinent3 principem enim constituunt et deponunt2 id quod amplissimum est preminenti argumentum4 ,atque hc prrogative mutuis pactis stabilitur4--,interim princeps summam potestatem obtinere dicitur1 quatenus ephori administrationem imperii1 et cumulum potestatis ipsi committunt4 ,denique optimatum universorum potestas non est infinita et absoluta1 sed certis veluti rhetris et clathris definita1 utpote non ad propriam libidinem1 sed ad utilitatem et salutem populi alligata4 ,hinc illorum munia sunt regem designare1 constituere1 inaugurare1 constitutum consiliis et auxiliis juvare2 sine consensu et approbatione principis1 quamdiu ille suum officium facit1 nihil in reipublic negotiis suscipere3 nonnunquam conventum inscio principe agere1 necessitate reipublic exigente4--,populum contra omnis generis turbatores et violatores defendere4--,i suppose ,mr4 ,hooker's principles and ,alstedius's were much the same4 ,i will not venture to recite the conclusion1 cap4 #ab4 p4 #aii4 ,r4 #e4 de resistendo ,tyranno4 ,many other authors go the same way1 and say that people have the majestas realis 7both papists1 and protestants1 and heathens74 ,but ,i suppose that what ,i have said against ,hooker will serve to show the weakness of their grounds3 though it is none of my purpose to contradict either ,hooker or any other1 so far as they open the odiousness of the sin of tyranny1 7which at this day keepeth out the gospel from the far greatest part of the world1 and is the greatest enemy to the kingdom of ,christ17 nor yet as they plead for the just liberties of the people2 but ,i am not for their authority4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,begin with an absolute1 universal1 resolved obedience to ,god1 your ,creator and ,redeemer1 who is your sovereign ,king1 and will be your final1 righteous ,judge4 ,as he that is no loyal subject to the king1 can never well obey his officers2 so he that subjecteth not his soul to the original power of his ,creator1 can never well obey the derivative power of earthly governors4 ,object4 ,but1 you may say1 experience teacheth us1 that many ungodly people are obedient to their superiors as well as others4 ,i answer1 materially they are1 but not formally1 and from a right principle1 and to right ends3 as a rebel against the king1 may obey a justice of peace for his own ends1 as long as he will let him alone1 or take his part2 but not formally1 as he is the king's officer2 so ungodly men may flatter princes and magistrates for their own ends1 or on some low and by-account1 but not sincerely as the officers of ,god4 ,he is not like to be truly obedient to man1 that is so foolish1 dishonest1 and impious1 as to rebel against his ,maker2 nor to obey that authority which he first denieth1 in its original and first efficient cause4 ,whatever ,satan and his servants may say1 and however some hypocrites may contradict in their practices the religion which they profess1 yet nothing is more certain1 than that the most serious1 godly christians1 are the best subjects upon earth2 as their principles themselves will easily demonstrate4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,having begun with ,god1 obey your governors as the officers of ,god1 with an obedience ultimately divine4#di ,all things must be done in holiness by the holy4 ,that is1 ,god must be discerned1 obeyed1 and intended in all2 and therefore in magistrates in a special manner4 ,in two respects magistrates are obeyed1 or rather flattered1 by the ungodly2 first1 as they are men that are able to do them corporal good or hurt3 as a horse1 or dog1 or other brute will follow you for his belly1 and loveth to be where he fareth best4 ,secondly1 as the head of his party1 and encourager of him in his evil way1 when he meets with rulers that will be so bad4 ,wicked men love wicked magistrates for being the servants of ,satan2 but faithful men must honour and obey a magistrate1 as an officer of ,god2 even a magistrate as a magistrate1 and not only as holy1 is an officer of the ,lord of all4 ,therefore the fifth commandment is as the hinge of the two tables2 many of the ancients thought that it was the last commandment of the first table1 and the moderns think it is the first commandment of the last table2 for it commandeth our duty to the noblest sort of men2 but not merely as men1 but as the officers of ,god4 ,they debase magistrates that look at them merely as those that master other men1 as the strongest beast doth by the weaker3 nothing will make you sincere and constant in your honouring and obeying them1 but taking them as the officers of ,god1 and remembering by whose commission they rule1 and whose work they do2 that they are the ministers of ,god to us for good1 ,rom4 xiii4 #a-e4 ,if you do not this1 #a4 ,you wrong ,god1 whose servants they are2 for he that despiseth1 despiseth not man but ,god4 #b4 ,you wrong the magistrate1 as much as you should do an ambassador1 if you took him to be the messenger of some ,jack ,straw1 or some fellow that signifieth no more than his personal worth importeth4 #c4 ,and you wrong yourselves2 for while you neglect the interest and authority of ,god in your rulers1 you forfeit the acceptance1 protection1 and reward of ,god4 ,subjects as well as servants must learn that great lesson1 ,col4 iii4 #bc-be1 ,whatsoever ye do1 do it heartily as to the ,lord1 and not unto men3 knowing that of the ,lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance1 for ye serve the ,lord ,christ3 but he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong1 which he hath done2 and there is no respect of persons4 ,so ,eph4 vi4 #e-h4 ,magistrates are as truly ,god's officers as preachers3 and therefore as he that heareth preachers heareth him1 so he that obeyeth rulers obeyeth him3 the exceptions are but the like in both cases3 it is not every thing that we must receive from preachers2 nor every thing that we must do at the command of rulers2 but both in their proper place and work1 must be regarded as the officers of ,god2 and not as men that have no higher authority than their own to bear them out4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,let no vices of the person cause you to forget the dignity of his office1 ,the authority of a sinful ruler is of ,god1 and must accordingly be obeyed3 of this read ,bishop ,bilson at large in his excellent treatise of ,christian ,subjection2 against the papists that excommunicate and depose princes whom they account heretics1 or favourers of them4 ,those sins which will damn a man's soul1 and deprive him of heaven1 will not deprive him of his kingdom1 nor disoblige the subjects from their obedience4 ,an infidel1 or an ungodly christian1 7that is1 a hypocrite17 is capable of being a prince1 as well as being a parent1 husband1 master2 and the apostle hath taught all1 as well as servants1 their duty to such4 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ah-ba1 ,servants1 be subject to your masters with all fear2 and not only to the good and gentle1 but also to the froward2 for this is thankworthy1 if a man for conscience toward ,god1 endure grief1 suffering wrongfully4 ,for what glory is it if when you are buffeted for your faults1 you take it patiently8 but if when ye do well and suffer for it ye take it patiently1 this is acceptable with ,god2 for even hereunto were ye called4 ,though it be a rare mercy to have godly rulers1 and a great judgment to have ungodly ones1 it is such as must be borne4#ej ,direct4 ,v4 ,do not either divulge or aggravate the vices of your governors to their dishonour2 for their honour is necessary to the public good4 ,if they have not care of their own honour1 yet their subjects must have a care of it4 ,if once they be dishonoured1 they will the more easily be contemned1 hated1 and disobeyed4 ,therefore the dishonouring of the rulers tendeth to the dissolution of the government1 and ruin of the commonwealth4 ,only in two cases did the ancient christians aggravate the wickedness of their governors4 #a4 ,in case they were such cruel monsters as ,nero1 who lived to the misery of mankind4 #b4 ,in case they were not only open enemies of the church of ,christ1 but their honour stood in competition with the honour of christianity1 piety1 and honesty1 as in ,julian's case2 ,i confess against ,nero and ,julian both living and dead1 7and many like them17 the tongues and pens of wise and sober persons have been very free2 but the fifth commandment is not to be forgotten1 ,honour thy father and mother2 and #a ,pet4 ii4 #ag1 ,fear ,god1 honour the king2#ea though you must not call evil good1 yet you may conceal and hide evil3 ,ham was cursed for opening his father's nakedness4 ,though you must flatter none in their sins1 nor hinder their repentance1 but further it by all righteous means1 yet must you speak honourably of your rulers1 and endeavour to breed an honourable esteem of them in the people's minds2 and not as some1 that think they do well1 if they can secretly make their rulers seem odious1 by opening and aggravating their faults4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,subdue your passions1 that no injuries which you may suffer by them1 may disturb your reason1 and make you dishonour them by way of revenge4 ,if you may not revenge yourselves on private men1 much less on magistrates2 and the tongue may be an unjust revenger1 as well as the hand4 ,passion will provoke you to be telling all men1 ,thus and thus ,i was used1 and to persuade you that it is no sin to tell the truth of what you suffered3 but remember1 that the public good1 and the honour of ,god's officers1 are of greater value1 than the righting of a particular person that is injured4 ,many a discontented person hath set kingdoms on fire1 by divulging the faults of governors for the righting of themselves4 ,object4 ,but shall cruel and unrighteous or persecuting men do mischief1 and not hear of it1 nor be humbled for it8 ,answ4 #a4 ,preachers of the gospel1 and others that have opportunity1 may privately tell them of it1 to bring them to repentance1 7if they will endure it17 without dishonouring them by making it public4 #b4 ,historians will tell posterity of it1 to their perpetual infamy 7if repentance and well-doing recover not their honour74#eb ,flatterers abuse the living1 but truth will dishonour their wickedness when they are dead3 for it is ,god's own decree1 ,that the memory of the just is blessed1 but the name of the wicked shall rot1 ,prov4 x4 #g4 #c4 ,and ,god himself will fully be avenged upon the impenitent for ever1 having told you1 ,that it were better for him that offendeth one of his little ones1 that a millstone were hanged about his neck1 and he were drowned in the depth of the sea4#ec ,and is not all this enough1 without the revenge of your passionate tongues8 ,to speak evil of dignities1 and despise dominion1 and bring railing accusations1 are the sins of the old licentious heretics4 ,christ left us his example1 not to revile the meanest1 when we are reviled1 #a ,pet4 ii4 #bc4 ,if you believe1 that ,god will justify the innocent1 and avenge them speedily1 ,luke xviii4 #g1 #h1 what need you be so forward to justify and avenge yourselves8 ,object4 ,if ,god will have their names to rot1 and spoken evil of when they are dead1 why may ,i not do it while they are alive8 ,answ4 ,there is a great deal of difference between a true historian and a self-avenger in the reason of the thing1 and in the effects3 to dishonour bad rulers while they live1 doth tend to excite the people to rebellion1 and to disable them to govern2 but for truth to be spoken of them when they are dead1 doth only lay an odium upon the sin1 and is a warning to others1 that they follow them not in evil3 and this no wicked prince was ever so great and powerful as to prevent2 for it is a part of ,god's resolved judgment4 ,yet must historians so open the faults of the person1 as not to bring the office into contempt1 but preserve the reverence due to the authority and place of governors4#ed ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,by all means overcome a selfish mind1 and get such a holy and a public spirit1 as more regardeth ,god's honour1 and the public interest1 than your own4 ,it is selfishness that is the great rebel and enemy of ,god1 and of the king1 and of our neighbour4 ,a selfish1 private spirit careth not what the commonwealth suffereth1 if he himself may be a gainer by it4 ,to revenge himself1 or to rise up to some higher place1 or increase his riches1 he will betray and ruin his king1 his country1 and his nearest friends4 ,a selfish1 ambitious1 covetous man1 is faithful to no man1 longer than he serveth his ends2 nor is he any further to be trusted1 than his own interest will allow4 ,self-denial1 and a public spirit1 are necessary to every faithful subject4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,wish not evil to your governors in your secret thoughts2 but if any such thought would enter into your hearts1 reject it with abhorrence4 ,eccles4 x4 #bj1 ,curse not the king1 no1 not in thy thoughts2 and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber2 for a bird of the air shall carry the voice1 and that which hath wings shall tell the matter4 ,a feverish1 misguided zeal for religion1 and a passionate discontent for personal injuries1 do make many greatly guilty in this point2 they would be much pleased1 if ,god would show some grievous judgment upon persecutors2 and take no warning by ,christ's rebukes of ,james and ,john1 but secretly are wishing for fire from heaven1 not knowing what manner of spirit they are of4 ,they cherish such thoughts as are pleasing to them1 though they dare not utter them in words4 ,and he that dare wish hurt1 is in danger of being drawn by temptation to do hurt4 ,object4 ,but may we not pray for the cutting off of persecutors8 ,and may we not give ,god thanks for it1 if he do it himself1 without any sinful means of ours8 ,answ4 #a4 ,every ruler that casteth down one sect or party of christians1 and setteth up another1 7perhaps as true to the interest of christianity as they17 is not to be prayed against1 and his destruction wished by the suffering party4 #b4 ,if he be a persecutor of christianity and piety itself1 as heathens and infidels are1 yet if his government do more good than his persecution doth harm1 you may not so much as wish his downfall4 #c4 ,if he were a ,nero1 or a ,julian1 you must pray first for his conversion2 and if that may not be1 then next for his restraint1 and never for his destruction1 but on supposition that neither of the former may be attained 7which you cannot say74 #d4 ,you must pray for the deliverance of the persecuted church1 and leave the way and means to ,god1 and not prescribe to him4 ,hurtful desires and prayers are seldom of ,god4 #e4 ,you may freelier rejoice afterwards1 than desire it before3 because when a ,julian is cut off1 you know that ,god's righteous will is accomplished2 when before you knew not that it was his will3 yet after1 it is the deliverance of the church1 and not the hurt of a persecutor as such1 that you must give thanks for3 be very suspicious here1 lest partiality and passion blind you4#ee ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,learn how to suffer2 and know what use ,god can make of your sufferings1 and think not better of prosperity1 and worse of suffering1 than you have cause4#ef ,it is a carnal1 unbelieving heart1 that maketh so great a matter of poverty1 imprisonment1 banishment1 or death1 as if they were undone1 if they suffer for ,christ1 or be sent to heaven before the time2 as if kingdoms must be disturbed to save you from suffering3 this better beseems an infidel or a worldling1 that takes his earthly prosperity for his portion1 and thinks he hath no other to win or lose4 ,do you not know what the church hath gained by suffering8 how pure it hath been when the fire of persecution hath refined it8 and how prosperity hath been the very thing that hath polluted it1 and shattered it all to pieces2 by letting in all the ungodly world into the visible communion of the saints1 and by setting the bishops on contending for superiority1 and overtopping emperors and kings8 ,many thousands that would be excellent persons in adversity1 cannot bear a high or prosperous state1 but their brains are turned1 and pride and contention maketh them the scorn of the adversaries that observe them4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,trust ,god1 and live by faith2 and then you will find no need of rebellious or any sinful means4 ,do you believe1 that both the hearts and lives of kings1 and all their affairs1 are in the hands of ,god8 ,if not1 you are atheists4 ,if you do1 then do you not think that ,god is fitter than you to dispose of them8 ,he that believeth1 will not make haste4 ,deliverance from persecutions must be prayed and waited for1 and not snatched by violence1 as a hungry dog will snatch the meat out of his master's hands1 and bite his fingers4 ,do you believe1 ,that all shall work together for good to them that love ,god8 ,rom4 viii4 #bh4 ,and do you believe1 that the godly are more than conquerors2 when they are killed all day1 and counted as sheep unto the slaughter8 ver4 #cb-ce4 ,and do you believe1 that it is cause of exceeding joy1 when for the sake of righteousness you are hated and persecuted1 and all manner of evil is falsely spoken of you8 ,matt4 v4 #aj-ab4 ,if you do not1 you believe not ,christ2 if you do1 will you strive by sinful means against your own good1 and happiness1 and joy8 ,will you desire to conquer1 when you may be more than conquerors8 ,certainly1 the use of sinful means doth come from secret unbelief and diffidence4 ,learn to trust ,god1 and you will easily be subject to your governors4 ,direct ,,xi4 ,look not for too great matters in the world3 take it but for that wilderness which is the way to the promised land of rest4 ,and then you will not count it strange to meet with hard usage and sufferings from almost all4 ,beloved1 think it not strange concerning the fiery trial1 which is to try you1 as if some strange thing happened to you2 but rejoice in that ye are partakers of the sufferings of ,christ1 #a ,pet4 iv4 #ab1 #ac4 ,are you content with ,god and heaven for your portion8 ,if not1 how are you christians8 if you are1 you have small temptation to rebel or use unlawful means for earthly privileges4#eg ,paul saith1 he took pleasure in persecutions1 #b ,cor4 xii4 #aj4 ,learn you to do so1 and you will easily bear them4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,abhor the popular spirit of envy1 which maketh the poor1 for the most part1 think odiously of the rich and their superiors2 because they have that which they had rather have themselves4 ,i have long observed it1 that the poor labouring people are very apt to speak of the rich1 as sober men speak of drunkards2 as if their very estates1 and dignity1 and greatness1 were a vice4#eh ,and it is very much to flatter their own conscience1 and delude themselves with ungrounded hopes of heaven4 ,when they have not the spirit of regeneration and holiness1 to witness their title to eternal life1 they think their poverty will serve the turn2 and they will ordinarily say1 that they hope ,god will not punish them in another world1 because they have had their part in this3 but they will easily believe1 that almost all rich and great men go to hell2 and when they read ,luke xvi4 of the rich man and ,lazarus1 they think they are the ,lazaruses1 and read it as if ,god would save men merely for being poor1 and damn men for being great and rich2 when yet they would themselves be as rich and great1 if they knew how to attain it4 ,they think that they are the maintainers of the commonwealth1 and the rich are the caterpillars of it1 that live upon their labours1 like drones in the hive1 or mice and vermin that eat the honey1 which the poor labouring bees have long been gathering4 ,for they are unacquainted with the labours and cares of their governors1 and sensible only of their own4 ,this envious spirit exceedingly disposeth the poor to discontents1 and tumults1 and rebellions2 but it is not of ,god1 ,james iii4 #ae-ag4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,keep not company with envious murmurers at government2 for their words fret like a canker1 and their sin is of an infecting kind4 ,what a multitude were drawn into the rebellion of ,korah1 who1 no doubt1 were provoked by the leader's discontented words4#ei ,it seemeth they were for popularity4 ,ye take too much upon you1 seeing all the congregation are holy1 every one of them1 and the ,lord is among them3 wherefore then lift you up yourselves above the congregation of the ,lord8--,is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey1 to kill us in the wilderness2 except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us8--,wilt thou put out the eyes of these men8 ,numb4 xvi4 #c1 #ac1 #ad4 ,what confidence1 and what fair pretences are here6 so probable and plausible to the people1 that it is no wonder that multitudes were carried to rebellion by it6 ,though ,god disowned them by a dreadful judgment1 and showed whom he had chosen to be the governors of his people4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,keep humble1 and take heed of pride4 ,the humble are ready to obey and yield1 and not only to be subject to magistrates1 but to all men1 even voluntarily to be subject to them that cannot constrain them4 ,be all of you subject one to another1 #a ,pet4 v4 #e4 ,it is no hard matter for a twig to bow1 and for a humble soul to yield and obey another1 in any thing that is lawful4 ,but the proud take subjection for vassalage1 and obedience for slavery1 and say1 ,who is lord over us8 our tongues are our own3 what lord shall control us8 ,will we be made slaves to such and such8#fj ,only from pride cometh contention1 ,prov4 xiii4 #aj4 ,by causing impatience1 it causeth disobedience and sedition4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,meddle not uncalled with the matters of superiors1 and take not upon you to censure their actions1 whom you have neither ability1 fitness1 or authority to censure4 ,how commonly will every tradesman and labourer at his work1 be censuring the counsels and government of the king2 and speaking of things1 which they never had means sufficiently to understand6 ,unless you had been upon the place1 and heard all the debates and consultations1 and understood all the circumstances and reasons of the business1 how can you imagine that at so great a distance you are competent judges8 ,fear ,god1 and judge not that you be not judged4#fa ,if busy-bodies and meddlers with other men's matters1 among equals1 are condemned1 #b ,thess4 iii4 #aa2 #a ,tim4 v4 #ac2 #a ,pet4 iv4 #ae2 much more when they meddle1 and that censoriously1 with the matters of their governors4 ,if you would please ,god1 know and keep your places1 as soldiers in an army1 which is their comely order and their strength4 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,consider the great temptations of the rich and great2 and pity them that stand in so dangerous a station1 instead of murmuring at them1 or envying their greatness4 ,you little know what you should be yourselves1 if you were in their places1 and the world1 and the flesh1 had so great a stroke at you1 as they have at them4 ,he that can swim in calmer water1 may be carried down a violent stream4 ,it is harder for that bird to fly1 that hath many pound weights tied to keep her down1 than that which hath but a straw to carry to her nest4 ,it is harder mounting heaven-wards with lordships and kingdoms1 than with your less impediments4 ,why do you not pity them that stand on the top of barren mountains1 in the stroke of every storm and wind1 when you dwell in the quiet1 fruitful vales8 ,do you envy them that must go to heaven1 as a camel through a needle's eye1 if ever they come there8 ,and are you discontented1 that you are not in their condition8 ,will you rebel and fight to make your salvation as difficult as theirs8 ,are you so unthankful to ,god for your safer station1 that you murmur at it1 and long to be in the more dangerous place8 ,direct4 ,,xvii4 ,pray constantly and heartily for the spiritual and corporal welfare of your governors4 ,and you have reason to believe1 that ,god who hath commanded you to put up such prayers1 will not suffer them to be wholly lost1 but will answer them some way to the benefit of them that perform the duty1 #a ,tim4 ii4 #a-c4 ,and the very performance of it will do us much good of itself2 for it will keep the heart well disposed to our governors1 and keep out all sinful desires of their hurt2 or control them and cast them out1 if they come in3 prayer is the exercise of love and good desires2 and exercise increaseth and confirmeth habits4 ,if any ill wishes against your governors should steal into your minds1 the next time you pray for them1 conscience will accuse you of hypocrisy1 and either the sinful desires will corrupt or end your prayers1 or else your prayers will cast out those ill desires4 ,certainly the faithful1 fervent prayers of the righteous1 do prevail much with ,god3 and things would go better than they do in the world1 if we prayed for rulers as heartily as we ought4 ,object4 ,for all the prayers of the church1 five parts of six of the world are yet idolaters1 heathens1 infidels1 and ,mahometans2 and for all the prayers of the reformed churches1 most of the christian part of the world are drowned in popery1 or gross ignorance and superstition1 and the poor ,greek churches have ,mahometan or tyrannical governors1 and carnal1 proud1 usurping prelates domineer over the ,roman church2 and there are but three protestant kings on the whole earth6 ,and among the ,israelites themselves1 who have priests and prophets to pray for their princes1 a good king was so rare1 that when you have named five or six over ,judah1 7and never a one after the division over ,israel17 you scarce know where to find the rest4 ,what good then do your prayers for kings and magistrates8 ,answ4 #a4 ,as ,i said before1 they keep the hearts of subjects in an obedient1 holy frame4 #b4 ,were it not for prayers1 those few good ones would be fewer1 or worse than they are2 and the bad ones might be worse1 or at least do more hurt to the church than they now do4 #c4 ,it is not to be expected1 that all should be granted in kind that believers pray for2 for then not only kings1 but all the world should be converted and saved2 for we should pray for every one4 ,but ,god who knoweth best how to distribute his mercies1 and to honour himself1 and refine his church by the malice and persecution of his enemies1 will make his people's prayers a means of that measure of good which he will do for rulers1 and by them in the world2 and that is enough to encourage us to pray4 #d4 ,and indeed1 if when proud1 ungodly worldlings have sold their souls by wicked means1 to climb up into places of power1 and command1 and domineer over others1 the prayers of the faithful should presently convert and save them all1 because they are governors2 this would seem to charge ,god with respect of persons1 and defect of justice1 and would drown the world in wickedness1 treasons1 bloodshed1 and confusion1 by encouraging men by flatteries1 or treacheries1 or murders1 to usurp such places1 in which they may both gratify their lusts1 and after save their souls1 while the godly are obliged to pray them into heaven4 ,it is no such hearing of prayers for governors which ,god hath promised4 #e4 ,and yet1 ,i must observe1 that most christians are so cold and formal in their prayers for the rulers of the world1 and of the church1 that we have great reason to impute the unhappiness of governors very much to their neglect2 almost all men are taken up so much with their own concernments1 that they put off the public concernments of the world1 and of the church and state1 with a few customary1 heartless words2 and understand not the meaning of the three first petitions of the ,lord's prayer1 and the reason of their precedency1 or put them not up with that feeling as they do the other three4 ,if we could once observe1 that the generality of christians were more earnest and importunate with ,god1 for the hallowing of his name through all the world1 and the coming of his kingdom1 and the obeying of his will in earth1 as it is in heaven1 and the conversion of the kings and kingdoms of the world1 than for any of their personal concernments1 ,i should take it for a better prognostic of the happiness of kings and kingdoms1 than any that hath yet appeared in our days4 ,and those that are taken up with the expectations of ,christ's visible reign on earth1 would find it a more lawful and comfortable way1 to promote his government thus by his own appointed officers1 than to rebel against kings1 and seek to pull them down1 on pretence of setting up him that hath appointed them1 whose kingdom 7personally7 is not of this world4#fb ,direct4 ,,xviii4 ,when you are tempted to dishonourable thoughts of your governors1 look over the face of all the earth1 and compare your case with the nations of the world2 and then your murmurings may be turned into thankfulness for so great a mercy4 ,what cause hath ,god to difference us from other nations1 and give us any more than an equal proportion of mercy with the rest of the world8 ,have we deserved to have a christian king1 when five parts of the world have rulers that are heathens and ,mahometans8 ,have we deserved to have a protestant king1 when all the world hath but two more8 ,how happy were the world1 if it were so with all nations1 as it is with us6 ,remember how unthankfulness forfeiteth our happiness4 ,direct4 ,,xix4 ,consider as well the benefits which you receive by governors1 as the sufferings which you undergo2 and especially consider of the common benefits1 and value them above your own4 ,he that knoweth what man is1 and what the world is1 and what the temptations of great men are1 and what he himself deserveth1 and what need the best have of affliction1 and what good they may get by the right improvement of it1 will never wonder nor grudge to have his earthly mercies mixed with crosses1 and to find some salt or sourness in the sauce of his pleasant dishes4 ,for the most luscious is not of best concoction4 ,and he that will more observe his few afflictions1 than his many benefits1 hath much more selfish tenderness of the flesh1 than ingenuous thankfulness to his ,benefactor4 ,it is for your good that rulers are the ministers of ,god1 ,rom4 xiii4 #c-e4 ,perhaps you will think it strange1 that ,i say to you 7what ,i have oft said7 that ,i think there are not very many rulers1 no1 not tyrants and persecutors1 so bad1 but that the godly that live under them1 do receive from their government more good than hurt2 and 7though it must be confessed1 that better governors would do better1 yet7 almost the worst are better than none4 ,and none are more beholden to ,god for magistrates1 than the godly are1 however none suffer so much by them in most places of the world4#fc ,my reason is1 #a4 ,because the multitude of the needy1 and the dissolute prodigals1 if they were all ungoverned1 would tear out the throats of the more wealthy and industrious2 and as robbers use men in their houses1 and on the highway1 so would such persons use all about them1 and turn all into a constant war4 ,and hereby all honest industry would be overthrown1 while the fruit of men's labours were all at the mercy of every one that is stronger than the owner2 and a robber can take away all in a night1 which you have been labouring for many years1 or may set all on fire over your heads2 and more persons would be killed in these wars by those that sought their goods1 than tyrants and persecutors use to kill 7unless they be of the most cruel sort of all74 #b4 ,and it is plain1 that in most countries1 the universal enmity of corrupted nature to serious godliness would inflame the rabble1 if they were but ungoverned1 to commit more murders and cruelties upon the godly1 than most of the persecutors in the world have committed4 ,yet ,i deny not1 in most places there are a sober sort of men of the middle rank that will hear reason1 and are more equal to religion than the highest or the lowest usually are4 ,but suppose these sober men were the more numerous1 yet is the vulgar rabble the more violent1 and if rulers restrained them not1 would leave few of the faithful alive on earth4 ,as many volumes as are written of the martyrs1 who have suffered by persecutors1 ,i think they saved the lives of many more than they murdered4 ,though this is no thanks to them1 it is a mercy to others4 ,as many as ,queen ,mary martyred1 they had been far more if she had but turned the rabble loose upon them and never meddled with them by authority4 ,i do not think ,nero or ,dioclesian martyred near so many1 as the people turned loose upon them would have done4 ,much more was ,julian a protector of the church from the popular rage1 though1 in comparison of a ,constantine or a ,theodosius1 he was a plague4 ,if you will but consider thus the benefits of your common protection1 your thankfulness for rulers would overcome your murmurings4 ,in some places1 and at some times1 perhaps the people would favour the gospel1 and flock after ,christ1 if rulers hindered them not2 but that would not be the ordinary case1 and their unconstancy is so great1 that what they built up one day in their zeal1 the next day they would pull down in fury4 ,direct4 ,,xx4 ,think not that any change of the form of government1 would cure that which is caused by the people's sin1 or the common pravity of human nature4 ,some think they can contrive such forms of government1 as that rulers shall be able to do no hurt3 but either they will disable them to do good1 or else their engine is but glass1 and will fail or break when it comes to execution4 ,men that are themselves so bad and unhumbled1 as not to know how bad they are1 and how bad mankind is1 are still laying the blame upon the form of government when any thing is amiss1 and think by a change to find a cure4 ,as if when an army is infected with the plague1 or composed of cowards1 the change of the general1 or form of government1 would prove a cure4 ,but if a monarch be faulty1 in an aristocracy you will but have many faulty governors for one2 and in a democracy a multitude of tyrants4#fd ,direct4 ,,xxi4 ,set yourselves much more to study your duty to your governors1 than the duty of your governors to you2 as knowing1 that both your temporal and eternal happiness depend much more upon yourselves1 than upon them4#fe ,god doth not call you to study other men's duties so much as your own4 ,if your rulers sin1 you shall not answer for it2 but if you sin yourselves1 you shall4 ,if you should live under the ,turk1 that would oppress and persecute you1 your souls shall speed never the worse for this2 it is not you1 but he that should be damned for it4 ,if you say1 ,but it is we that should be oppressed by it2 ,i answer1 #a4 ,how small are temporal things to a true believer1 in comparison of eternal things6 ,have not you a greater hurt to fear1 than the killing of your bodies by men8 ,luke xii4 #d4 #b4 ,and even for this life1 do you not believe that your lives and liberties are in the power of ,god1 and that he can relieve you from the oppression of all the world1 by less than a word1 even by his will8 ,if you believe not this1 you are atheists2 if you do1 you must needs perceive that it concerneth you more to care for your duty to your governors1 than for theirs to you2 and not so much to regard what you receive1 as what you do2 nor how you are used by others1 as how you behave yourselves to them4 ,be much more afraid lest you should be guilty of murmuring1 dishonouring1 disobeying1 flattering1 not praying for your governors1 than lest you suffer any thing unjustly from them4 #a ,pet4 iv4 #ac-ag1 ,let none of you suffer as a murderer1 or as a thief1 or as an evil-doer1 or as a busybody in other men's matters2 yet if any man suffer as a christian1 let him not be ashamed1 but let him glorify ,god on this behalf4--,if ye be reproached for the name of ,christ1 ye are happy4 ,live so1 that all your adversaries may be forced to say1 as it was said of ,daniel1 ,we shall not find any occasion against this ,daniel1 except we find it against him concerning the law of his ,god1 ,dan4 vi4 #e4 ,let none be able justly to punish you as drunkards1 or thieves1 or slanderers1 or fornicators1 or perjured1 or deceivers1 or rebellious1 or seditious2 and then never fear any suffering for the sake of ,christ or righteousness4 ,yea1 though you suffer as ,christ himself did1 under a false accusation of disloyalty1 fear not the suffering nor the infamy1 as long as you are free from the guilt4 ,see that all be well at home1 and that you be not faulty against ,god or your governors1 and then you may boldly commit yourselves to ,god1 #a ,pet4 ii4 #bc1 #bd4 ,direct4 ,,xxii4 ,the more religious any are1 the more obedient should they be in all things lawful4 ,excel others in loyalty1 as well as in piety4 ,religion is so far from being a just pretence of rebellion1 that it is the only effectual bond of sincere subjection and obedience4 ,direct4 ,,xxiii4 ,therefore believe not them that would exempt the clergy from subjection to the civil powers4 ,as none should know the law of ,god so well as they1 so none should be more obedient to kings and states1 when the law of ,god so evidently commandeth it4 ,of this read ,bilson of ,christian ,subjection 7who besides many others1 saith enough of this74 ,the arguments of the papists from the supposed incapacity of princes1 would exempt physicians1 and others arts and sciences1 from under their government1 as well as the clergy4 ,direct4 ,,xxiv4 ,abase not magistrates so far1 as to think their office and power extend not to matters of religion and the worship of ,god4 ,were they only for the low and contemptible matters of this world1 their office would be contemptible and low4 ,to help you out in this1 ,i shall answer some of the commonest doubts4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is the civil magistrate judge in controversies of faith or worship8 ,sidenote3 ,who shall be judge in points of faith and worship8 ,answ4 ,it hath many a time grieved me to hear so easy a question frequently propounded1 and pitifully answered1 by such as the public good required to have had more understanding in such things4 ,in a word1 judgment is public or private4 ,the private judgment1 which is nothing but a rational discerning of truth and duty1 in order to our own choice and practice1 belongeth to every rational person4 ,the public judgment is ever in order to execution4 ,now the execution is of two sorts1 #a4 ,by the sword4 #b4 ,by ,god's word applied to the case and person4 ,one is upon the body or estate2 the other is upon the conscience of the person1 or of the church1 to bring him to repentance1 or to bind him to avoid communion with the church1 and the church to avoid communion with him4#ff ,and thus public judgment is civil or ecclesiastical2 coercive and violent in the execution2 or only upon consenters and volunteers4 ,in the first1 the magistrate is the only judge1 and the pastors in the second4 ,about faith or worship1 if the question be1 ,who shall be protected as orthodox1 and who shall be punished by the sword as heretical1 idolatrous1 or irreligious8 here the magistrate is the only judge4 ,if the question be1 ,who shall be admitted to church communion as orthodox1 or ejected and excommunicated as heretical or profane8 here the pastors are the proper judges4 ,this is the truth1 and this is enough to end all the voluminous wranglings upon the question1 ,who shall be judge8 and to answer the cavils of the papists against the power of princes in matters of religion4 ,it is pity that such gross and silly sophisms1 in a case that a child may answer1 should debase christian princes1 and take away their chief power1 and give it to a proud and wrangling clergy1 to persecute and divide the church with4#fg ,sidenote3 ,of the oath of supremacy4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may our oath of supremacy be lawfully taken1 wherein the king is pronounced supreme governor in all causes ecclesiastical as well as civil8 ,answ4 ,there is no reason of scruple to him that understandeth1 #a4 ,that the title causes ecclesiastical is taken from the ancient usurpation of the pope and his prelates1 who brought much of the magistrate's work into their courts1 under the name of causes ecclesiastical4 #b4 ,that our canons1 and many declarations of our princes1 have expounded it fully1 by disclaiming all proper pastoral power4 #c4 ,that by governor is meant only one that governeth coercively1 or by sword2 so that it is no more than to swear ,that in all causes ecclesiastical1 so far as coercive government is required1 it belongeth not to pope or prelates under him2 but to the king and his officers or courts alone3 or1 ,that the king is chief in governing by the sword in causes ecclesiastical as well as civil4 ,so that if you put spiritual instead of ecclesiastical1 the word is taken materially1 and not formally2 not that the king is chief in the spiritual government1 by the keys of excommunication and absolution1 but that he is chief in the coercive government about spiritual matters1 as before explained4#fh ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,is not this to confound the church and state1 and to give the pastor's power to the magistrate8 ,answ4 ,not at all2 it is but to say that there may be need of the use both of the word and sword against the same persons1 for the same offence2 and the magistrate only must use one1 and the pastors the other4 ,an heretical preacher may be silenced by the king upon pain of banishment1 and silenced by the church upon pain of excommunication4 ,and what confusion is there in this8 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,but hath not the king power in cases of church discipline1 and excommunication itself8 ,answ4 ,there is a magistrate's discipline1 and a pastoral discipline4 ,discipline by the sword1 is the magistrate's work2 discipline by the word is the pastor's work4 ,and there is a coercive excommunication1 and a pastoral excommunication4 ,to command upon pain of corporal punishment1 that a heretic or impenitent1 wicked man shall forbear the sacred ordinances and privileges1 a magistrate may do2 but to command it only upon divine and spiritual penalties1 belongeth to the pastors of the church4 ,the magistrate hath power over their very pastoral work1 though he have not power in it1 so as to do it himself4 ,suppose but all the physicians of the nation to be of divine institution1 with their colleges and hospitals1 and in the similitude you will see all the difficulties resolved1 and the next question fully answered4#fi ,quest4 ,v4 ,seeing the king1 and the pastors of the church1 may command and judge to several ends in the same cause1 suppose they should differ1 which of them should the church obey8 ,answ4 ,distinguish here1 #a4 ,between a right judgment and a wrong4 #b4 ,between the matter in question2 which is either1 #a4 ,proper in its primary state to the magistrate4 #b4 ,or proper primarily to the pastor4 #c4 ,or common to both 7though in several sorts of judgment74 ,and so ,i answer the question thus4 #a4 ,if it be a matter wherein ,god himself hath first determined1 and his officers do but judge in subordination to his law1 and declare his will1 then we must obey him that speaketh according to the word of ,god1 if we can truly discern it2 and not him that we know goeth contrary to ,god4#gj ,as if the magistrate should forbid communion with ,arians or heretics1 and the pastors command us to hold communion with them as no heretics2 here the magistrate is to be obeyed 7because ,god is to be obeyed7 before the pastors1 though it be in a matter of faith and worship4 ,if you say1 ,thus you make all the people judges2 ,i answer you1 ,and so you must make them such private judges1 to discern their own duty1 and so must every man2 or else you must rule them as beasts or madmen1 and prove that there is no heaven or hell for any in the world but kings and pastors2 or1 at least1 that the people shall be saved or damned for nothing1 but obeying or not obeying their governors2 and if you could prove that1 you are never the nearer reconciling the contradictory commands of those governors4 #b4 ,but if the matter be not fore-determined by ,god1 but left to man2 then1 #a4 ,if it be the magistrate's proper work1 we must obey the magistrate only4 #b4 ,if it be about the pastor's proper work1 the pastor is to be obeyed2 though the magistrate gainsay it1 so be it he proceed according to the general rules of his instructions1 and the matter be of weight4 ,as if the magistrate and the pastors of the church do command different translations or expositions of the ,bible to be used1 or one forbiddeth and another commandeth the same individual person to be baptized1 or receive the sacrament of the ,lord's supper1 or to be esteemed a member of the church2 if the people know not which of them judgeth right1 it seemeth to me they should first obey their pastors1 because it is only in matters intimately pertaining to their office4 ,i speak only of formal obedience1 and that of the people only1 for1 materially1 prudence may require us rather to do as the magistrate commandeth1 quod1 non quia1 to avoid a greater evil4 ,and it is always supposed that we patiently bear the magistrate's penalties1 when we obey not his commands4 #c4 ,but in points common to them both1 the case is more difficult4 ,but here you must further distinguish1 first1 between points equally common1 and points unequally common2 secondly1 between determinations of good1 or bad1 or indifferent consequence as to the main end and interest of ,god and souls4 #a4 ,in points equally common to both1 the magistrate is to be obeyed against the pastors2 because he is more properly a commanding governor1 and they are but the guides or governors of volunteers2 and because1 in such cases1 the pastors themselves should obey the magistrate2 and therefore the people should first obey him4#ga #b4 ,much more in points unequally common1 which the magistrate is more concerned in than the pastors1 the magistrate is undoubtedly to be first obeyed4 ,of both1 there might instances be given about the circumstantials or adjuncts of ,god's worship4 ,as the place of public worship1 the situation1 form1 bells1 fonts1 pulpits1 seats1 precedency in seats1 tables1 cups1 and other utensils2 church bounds by parishes1 church ornaments1 gestures1 habits1 some councils1 and their order1 with other such like2 in all which1 cteris paribus1 for my part ,i would rather obey the laws of the king1 than the canons of the bishops1 if they should disagree4 #c4 ,but in cases common to both1 in which the pastor's office is more nearly and fully concerned than the magistrate's1 the case is more difficult3 as at what hour the church shall assemble2 what part of ,scripture shall be read2 what text the minister shall preach on2 how long prayer1 or sermon1 or other church exercises shall be2 what prayers the minister shall use2 in what method he shall preach2 and what doctrine he shall deliver1 and the people hear2 with many such like4 ,these do most nearly belong to the pastoral office1 to judge of as well as to execute2 but yet in some cases the magistrate may interpose his authority4 ,and herein1 #a4 ,if the one party do determine clearly to the necessary preservation of religion1 and the other to the ruin of it1 the disparity of consequents maketh a great disparity in the case2 for here ,god himself hath predetermined1 who commandeth that all be done to edification4 ,as for instance1 if a christian magistrate ordain1 that no assembly shall consist of above forty or a hundred persons1 when there are so many preachers and places of meeting1 that it is no detriment to men's souls2 and especially1 when the danger of infection1 or other evil1 warranteth it1 then ,i would obey that command of the magistrate1 though the pastors of the church were against it1 and commanded fuller meetings4 ,but if a ,julian should command the same thing1 on purpose to wear out the christian religion1 and when it tendeth to the ruin of men's souls1 7as when preachers are so few1 that either more must meet together1 or most must be untaught1 and excluded from ,god's worship17 here ,i would rather obey the pastors that command the contrary1 because they do but deliver the command of ,god1 who determineth consequently of the necessary means1 when he determineth of the end4 ,but if the consequents of the magistrate's and the pastor's commands should be equally indifferent1 and neither of them discernibly good or bad1 the difficulty then would be at the highest1 and such as ,i shall not here presume to determine4#gb ,no doubt but the king is the supreme governor over all the schools1 and physicians1 and hospitals in the land1 that is1 he is the supreme in the civil coercive government3 he is supreme magistrate over divines1 physicians1 and schoolmasters2 but not the supreme divine1 physician1 or schoolmaster4 ,when there is any work for the office of the magistrate1 that is1 for the sword1 among any of them1 it belongeth only to him1 and not at all to them3 but when there is any work for the divine1 the physician1 the schoolmaster1 or if you will1 for the shoemaker1 the tailor1 the watchmaker1 this belongeth not to the king to do1 or give particular commands for3 but yet it is all to be done under his government2 and on special causes he may make laws to force them all to do their several works aright1 and to restrain them from abuses4 ,as 7to clear the case in hand7 the king is informed that physicians take too great fees of their patients1 that some through ignorance1 and some through covetousness1 give ill compounded medicines and pernicious drugs3 no doubt but the king1 by the advice of understanding men1 may forbid the use of such drugs as are found pernicious to his subjects1 and may regulate not only the fees1 but the compositions and attendances of physicians4 ,but if he should command1 that a man in a fever1 or dropsy1 or consumption1 shall have no medicine1 but this or that1 and so oft1 and in such or such a dose1 and with such or such a diet2 and the physicians1 whom my reason bindeth me to trust1 7and perhaps my own experience also17 do tell me that all these things are bad for me1 and different tempers and accidents require different remedies1 and that ,i am like to die1 or hazard my health1 if ,i obey not them contrary to the king's commands1 here ,i should rather obey my physicians3 partly1 because else ,i should sin against ,god1 who commandeth me the preservation of my life2 and partly1 because this matter more belongeth to the physician1 than to the magistrate4 ,mr4 ,richard ,hooker1 ,eccles4 ,polit4 lib4 viii4 p4 #bbc1 #bbd1 giveth you the reason more fully4#gc ,direct4 ,,xxv4 ,give not the magistrate's power to any other2 whether to the people1 on pretence of their majestatis realis1 7as they call it17 or the pope1 or prelates1 or pastors of the church1 upon pretence of authority from ,christ1 or of the distinction of ecclesiastical government and civil4 ,the people's pretensions to natural authority1 or real majesty1 or collation of power1 ,i have confuted before1 and more elsewhere4 ,the pope's1 prelate's1 and pastor's power of the sword in causes ecclesiastical1 is disproved so fully by ,bishop ,bilson ubi supra1 and many more1 that it is needless to say much more of it4#gd ,all protestants1 so far as ,i know1 are agreed that no bishop or pastor hath any power of the sword1 that is1 of coercion1 or force upon men's bodies1 liberties1 or estates1 except as magistrates derived from their sovereign4 ,their spiritual power is only upon consenters1 in the use of ,god's word upon the conscience1 either generally in preaching1 or with personal application in discipline4 ,no courts or commands can compel any to appear or submit1 nor lay the mulct of a penny upon any1 but by their own consent1 or the magistrate's authority4 ,but this the papists will few of them confess3 for if once the sword were taken from them1 the world would quickly see that their church had the hearts of few of those multitudes1 whom by fire and sword they forced to seem their members2 or at least1 that1 when the windows were opened1 the light would quickly deliver poor souls from the servitude of those men of darkness4 ,for then few would fear the unrighteous excommunication of mere usurpers4#ge ,it is a manifold usurpation by which their kingdom is upheld4 7,for a kingdom it is rather to be called than a church47 #a4 ,they usurp the power of the keys or ecclesiastical government over all the world1 and make themselves pastors of those churches1 which they have nothing to do to govern4 ,their excommunications of princes or people1 in other lands or churches that never took them for their pastors1 is a usurpation the more odious1 by how much the power usurped is more holy1 and the performance in so large a parish as the whole world1 is naturally impossible to the ,roman usurper4 #b4 ,under the name of ecclesiastical jurisdiction1 they usurp the magistrate's coercive power in such causes as they call ecclesiastical4 #c4 ,yea1 and they claim an immunity to their clergy from the civil government1 as if they were no subjects of the king1 or the king had not power to punish his offending subjects4 #d4 ,in ordine ad spiritualia1 they claim yet more of the magistrate's power4 #e4 ,and one part of them give the pope directly in temporals a power over kings and kingdoms4 #f4 ,their most eminent divines do ordinarily maintain1 that the pope may excommunicate kings and interdict kingdoms1 and that an excommunicated king is no king1 and may be killed4 ,it is an article of their religion1 determined of in one of their approved general councils1 7,later4 sub4 ,innoc4 ,,iii4 can4 #c17 ,that if temporal lords will not exterminate heretics from their lands1 7such as the ,albigenses1 that denied transubstantiation1 mentioned can4 #b17 the pope may give their dominions to others1 and absolve their vassals from their fealty4 ,and when some of late would have so far salved their honour1 as to invalidate the authority of that council1 they will not endure it1 but have strenuously vindicated it2 and indeed whatever it be to us1 with them it is already enrolled among the approved general councils4 ,between the ,erastians1 who would have no government but by magistrates1 and papists1 who give the magistrate's power to the pope and his prelates1 the truth is in the middle2 that the pastors have a nunciative and directive power from ,christ1 and a discipline to exercise by the word alone1 or volunteers2 much like the power of a philosopher in his school1 or a physician in his hospital1 supposing them to be by divine right4 ,direct4 ,,xxvi4 ,refuse not to swear allegiance to your lawful sovereign4 ,though oaths are fearful1 and not to be taken without weighty cause1 yet are they not to be refused when the cause is weighty1 as here it is4 ,must the sovereign be sworn to do his office for you1 and must he undertake so hard and perilous a charge for you1 which he is no way able to go through1 if his subjects be not faithful to him8 ,and shall those subjects refuse to promise and swear fidelity8 ,this is against all reason and equity4 ,direct4 ,,xxvii4 ,think not that either the pope1 or any power in the world1 can dispense with this your oath1 or absolve you from the bond of it1 or save you from the punishment due from ,god1 to the perjured and perfidious4 ,of this see what ,i have written before against perjury4 ,direct4 ,,xxviii4 ,do nothing that tendeth to bring the sacred bonds of oaths into an irreligious contempt1 or to make men take the horrid crime of perjury to be a little sin4 ,sovereigns have no sufficient security of the fidelity of their subjects1 or of their lives1 or kingdoms2 if once oaths and covenants be made light of1 and men can play fast and loose with the bonds of ,god1 which lie upon them4 ,he is virtually a traitor to princes and states1 who would bring perjury and perfidiousness into credit1 and teacheth men to violate oaths and vows4 ,for there is no keeping up human societies and governments1 where there is no trust to be put in one another4 ,and there is no trust to be put in that man1 that maketh no conscience of an oath or vow4#gf ,direct4 ,,xxix4 ,be ready to your power to defend your governors1 against all treasons1 conspiracies1 and rebellions4#gg ,for this is a great part of the duty of your relation4 ,the wisdom and goodness necessary to government1 is much personal in the governors themselves2 but the strength 7without which laws cannot be executed1 nor the people preserved7 is in the people1 and the prince's interest in them2 therefore if you withdraw your help in time of need1 you desert and betray your rulers1 whom you should defend4 ,if you say1 it is they that are your protectors4 ,i answer1 true2 but by yourselves4 ,they protect you by wisdom1 council1 and authority1 and you must protect them by obedience and strength4 ,would you have them protect you rather by mercenaries or foreigners8 ,if not1 you must be willing to do your parts1 and not think it enough in treasons1 invasions1 or rebellions1 to sit still and save yourselves1 and let him that can lay hold on the crown1 possess it4 ,what prince would be the governor of a people1 that he knew would forsake him in his need8 ,direct4 ,,xxx4 ,murmur not at the payment of those necessary tributes1 by which the common safety must be preserved1 and the due honour of your governors kept up4 ,sordid covetousness hath been the ruin of many a commonwealth4 ,when every one is shifting for himself1 and saving his own1 and murmuring at the charge by which their safety must be defended1 as if kings could fight for them1 without men and money2 this selfishness is the most pernicious enemy to government1 and to the common good4 ,tribute and honour must be paid to whom it doth belong4 ,rom4 xiii4 #f1 #g1 ,for they are ,god's ministers1 attending continually on this very thing4 ,and none of your goods or cabins will be saved1 if by your covetousness the ship should perish4 ,direct4 ,,xxxi4 ,resist not1 where you cannot actually obey3 and let no appearance of probable good that might come to yourselves1 or the church1 by any unlawful means1 7as treason1 sedition1 or rebellion17 ever tempt you to it4 ,for evil must not be done that good may come by it3 and all evil means are but palliate and deceitful cures1 that seem to help a little while1 but will leave the malady more perilous at last1 than it was before4 ,as it is possible1 that lying or perjury might be used to the seeming service of a governor at the time1 which yet would prepare for his after danger1 by teaching men perfidiousness2 even so rebellions and treasons may seem at present to be very conducible to the ends of a people or party that think themselves oppressed2 but in the end it will leave them much worse than it found them4#gh ,object4 ,but if we must let rulers destroy us at their pleasure1 the gospel will be rooted out of the earth3 when they know that we hold it unlawful to resist them1 they will be imboldened to destroy us1 and sport themselves in our blood2 as the papists did by the poor ,albigenses1 c4 ,answ4 ,all this did signify something if there were no ,god1 that can easilier restrain and destroy them at his pleasure1 than they can destroy or injure you4 ,but if there be a ,god1 and all the world is in his hand1 and with a word he can speak them all into dust2 and if this ,god be engaged to protect you1 and hath told you1 that the very hairs of your head are numbered1 and more regardeth his honour1 and gospel1 and church1 than you do1 and accounteth his servants as the apple of his eye1 and hath promised to hear them and avenge them speedily1 and forbid them to avenge themselves2 then it is but atheistical distrust of ,god1 to save yourselves by sinful means1 as if ,god either could not or would not do it3 thus he that saveth his life shall lose it4 ,do you believe that you are in the hands of ,christ1 and that men cannot touch you but by his permission2 and that he will turn all your sufferings to your exceeding benefit8 ,and yet will you venture on sin and hell to escape such sufferings from men8 ,wolves1 and bears1 and lions1 that fight most for themselves1 are hated and destroyed by all2 so that there are but few of them in the land4 ,but though a hundred sheep will run before a little dog1 the master of them taketh care for their preservation4 ,and little children that cannot go out of the way from a horse or cart1 every one is afraid of hurting4 ,if christians behaved themselves with that eminent love1 and lowliness1 and meekness1 and patience1 and harmlessness1 as their ,lord hath taught them and required1 perhaps the very cruelty and malice of their enemies would abate and relent2 and when a man's ways please ,god1 he would make his enemies to be at peace with him2#gi but if not1 their fury would but hasten us to our joy and glory4 ,yet note1 that ,i speak all this only against rebellion1 and unlawful arms and acts4 ,direct4 ,,xxxii4 ,obey inferior magistrates according to the authority derived to them from the supreme1 but never against the supreme1 from whom it is derived4 ,the same reasons which oblige you to obey the personal commands of the king1 do bind you also to obey the lowest constable1 or other officer3 for they are necessary instruments of the sovereign power1 and if you obey not them1 the obedience of the sovereign signifieth almost nothing4 ,but no man is bound to obey them beyond the measure of their authority2 much less against those that give them their authority4 ,direct4 ,,xxxiii4 ,no human power is at all to be obeyed against ,god3 for they have no power1 but what they receive from ,god2 and all that is from him1 is for him4 ,he giveth no power against himself2 he is the first efficient1 the chief dirigent1 and ultimate final cause of all4#hj ,it is no act of authority1 but resistance of his authority1 which contradicteth his law1 and is against him4 ,all human laws are subservient to his laws1 and not co-ordinate1 much less superior4 ,therefore they are ipso facto null1 or have no obligation1 which are against him3 yet is not the office itself null1 when it is in some things thus abused2 nor the magistrate's power null1 as to other things4 ,no man must commit the least sin against ,god1 to please the greatest prince on earth1 or to avoid the greatest corporal suffering4#ha ,fear not them that can kill the body1 and after that have no more that they can do2 but fear him1 who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell3 yea1 ,i say unto you1 fear him1 ,luke xii4 #d4 ,whether we ought to obey ,god rather than men1 judge ye1 ,acts v4 #bi4 ,not fearing the wrath of the king3 for he endured1 as seeing him that is invisible4--,others were tortured1 not accepting deliverance1 c4 ,heb4 xi4 #bg1 #ce4 ,be it known unto thee1 ,o king1 that we will not serve thy gods1 nor worship the golden image1 c4 ,dan4 iii4 #ah4 ,object4 ,if we are not obliged to obey1 we are not obliged to suffer2 for the law obligeth primarily to obedience1 and only secondarily ad pnam1 for want of obedience4 ,therefore where there is no primary obligation to obedience1 there is no secondary obligation to punishment4 ,answ4 ,the word obligation1 being metaphorical1 must in controversy be explained by its proper terms4 ,the law doth first constituere debitum obedienti1 et propter inobedientiam debitum pn4 ,here then you must distinguish1 #a4 ,between obligation in foro conscienti1 and in foro humano4 #b4 ,between an obligation ad pnam by that law of man1 and an obligation ad patiendum by another divine law4 ,and so the answer is this3 first1 ,if the higher powers1 e4 g4 forbid the apostles to preach upon pain of death or scourging1 the dueness both of the obedience and the penalty1 is really null1 in point of conscience2 however in foro humano they are both due2 that is1 so falsely reputed in that court3 therefore the apostles are bound to preach notwithstanding the prohibition1 and so far as ,god alloweth they may resist the penalty1 that is1 by flying3 for properly there is neither debitum obedienti nec pn4 ,secondly1 ,but then ,god himself obligeth them not to resist the higher powers1 ,rom4 xiii4 #a-c1 and in their patience to possess their souls4 ,so that from this command of ,god1 there is a true obligation ad patiendum1 to patient suffering and non-resistance1 though from the law of man against their preaching1 there was no true obligation aut ad obedientiam1 aut ad pnam4 ,this is the true resolution of this sophism4 ,direct4 ,,xxxiv4 ,it is one of the most needful duties to governors1 for those that have a call and opportunity1 7as their pastors17 to tell them wisely and submissively of those sins which are the greatest enemies to their souls2 and not the smallest enemies to their government1 and the public peace4#hb ,all christians will confess1 that sin is the only forfeiture of ,god's protection1 and the cause of his displeasure1 and consequently the only danger to the soul1 and the greatest enemy to the land4 ,and that the sins of rulers1 whether personal1 or in their government1 have a far more dangerous influence upon the public state1 than the sins of other men4 ,yea1 the very sins which upon true repentance may be pardoned as to the everlasting punishment1 may yet be unpardoned as to the public ruin of a state3 as the sad instance of ,manasseh showeth4 #b ,kings xxiii4 #bf1 ,notwithstanding the ,lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath1 wherewith his anger was kindled against ,judah1 because of all the provocations that ,manasseh had provoked him withal4 ,chap4 xxiv4 #c1 #d1 ,surely at the commandment of the ,lord came this upon ,judah1 to remove them out of his sight for the sins of ,manasseh according to all that he did2 and also for the innocent blood that he shed1 7for he filled ,jerusalem with innocent blood17 which the ,lord would not pardon4 ,and yet this was after ,josiah had reformed4 ,so ,solomon's sin did cause the rending of the ten tribes from his son's kingdom3 yea1 the bearing with the high places1 was a provoking sin in kings1 that otherwise were upright4 ,therefore sin being the fire in the thatch1 the quenching of it must needs be an act of duty and fidelity to governors2 and those that tempt them to it1 or soothe and flatter them in it1 are the greatest enemies they have4 ,but yet it is not every man that must reprove a governor1 but those that have a call and opportunity2 nor must it be done by them imperiously1 or reproachfully1 or publicly to their dishonour1 but privately1 humbly1 and with love1 honour1 reverence1 and submissiveness4 ,object4 ,but great men have great spirits1 and are impatient of reproof1 and ,i am not bound to that which will do no good1 but ruin me4 ,answ4 #a4 ,it is an abuse of your superiors1 to censure them to be so proud and brutish1 as not to consider that they are the subjects of ,god1 and have souls to save or lose1 as well as others3 will you judge so hardly of them before trial1 as if they were far worse and foolisher than the poor1 and take this abuse of them to be an excuse for your other sin8 ,no doubt there are good rulers in the world1 that will say to ,christ's ministers1 as the ,prince ,elector ,palatine did to ,pitiscus1 charging him to tell him plainly of his faults1 when he chose him to be the ,pastor ,aulicus4#hc #b4 ,how know you beforehand what success your words will have8 ,hath the word of ,god well managed no power8 yea1 to make even bad men good8 ,can you love your rulers1 and yet give up their souls in despair1 and all for fear of suffering by them8 #c4 ,what if you do suffer in the doing of your duty8 ,have you not learned to serve ,god upon such terms as those8 ,or do you think it will prove it to be no duty1 because it will bring suffering on you8 ,these reasons savour not of faith4 ,direct4 ,,xxxv4 ,think not that it is unlawful to obey in every thing which is unlawfully commanded4 ,it may in many cases be the subject's duty1 to obey the magistrate who sinfully commandeth him4 ,for all the magistrate's sins in commanding1 do not enter into the matter or substance of the thing commanded3 if a prince command me to do the greatest duty1 in an ill design1 to some selfish end1 it is his sin so to command2 but yet that command must be obeyed 7to better ends74 ,nay1 the matter of the command may be sinful in the commander1 and not in the obeyer4 ,if ,i be commanded without any just reason to hunt a feather1 it is his sin that causelessly commandeth me so to lose my time2 and yet it may be my sin to disobey it1 while the thing is lawful2 else servants and children must prove all to be needful1 as well as lawful1 which is commanded them before they must obey4 ,or the command may at the same time be evil by accident1 and the obedience good by accident1 and per se4 ,very good accidents1 consequence1 or effects1 may belong to our obedience1 when the accidents of the command itself are evil4 ,i could give you abundance of instances of these things4 ,direct4 ,,xxxvi4 ,yet is not all to be obeyed that is evil but by accident1 nor all to be disobeyed that is so3 but the accidents must be compared2 and if the obedience will do more good than harm1 we must obey2 if it will evidently do more harm than good1 we must not do it4 ,most of the sins in the world are evil by accident only1 and not in the simple act denuded of its accidents1 circumstances1 or consequents4 ,you may not sell poison to him that you know would poison himself with it1 though to sell poison of itself be lawful4 ,though it be lawful simply to lend a sword1 yet not to a traitor that you know would kill the king with it1 no nor to one that would kill his father1 his neighbour1 or himself4 ,a command would not excuse such an act from sin4#hd ,he was slain by ,david1 that killed ,saul at his own command1 and if he had but lent him his sword to do it1 it had been his sin4 ,yet some evil accidents may be weighed down by greater evils1 which would evidently follow upon the not doing of the thing commanded4 ,direct4 ,,xxxvii4 ,in the question1 whether human laws bind conscience1 the doubt is not of that nature1 as to have necessary influence upon your practice4 ,for all agree1 that they bind the subject to obedience1 and that ,god's law bindeth us to obey them4 ,and if ,god's law bind us to obey man's law1 and so to disobey them be materially a sin against ,god's law1 this is as much as is needful to resolve you in respect of practice3 no doubt1 man's law hath no primitive obliging power at all1 but a derivative from ,god1 and under him2 and what is it to bind the conscience 7an improper speech7 but to bind the person to judge it his duty1 7conscire17 and so to do it4 ,and no doubt but he is bound to judge it his duty1 that that is immediately by human law1 and remotely by divine law1 and so the contrary to be a sin proximately against man1 and ultimately against ,god4 ,this is plain1 and the rest is but logomachy4 ,direct4 ,,xxxviii4 ,the question is much harder1 whether the violation of every human penal law be a sin against ,god1 though a man submit to the penalty4 7,and the desert of every sin is death47 ,master ,richard ,hooker's last book unhappily ended1 before he gave us the full reason of his judgment in this case1 these being the last words3 ,howbeit1 too rigorous it were1 that the breach of every human law should be a deadly sin3 a mean there is between those extremities1 if so be we can find it out--4#he ,amesius hath diligently discussed it1 and many others4 ,the reason for the affirmative is1 because ,god bindeth us to obey all the lawful commands of our governors2 and suffering the penalty1 is not obeying2 the penalty being not the primary intention of the lawgiver1 but the duty2 and the penalty only to enforce the duty3 and though the suffering of it satisfy man1 it satisfieth not ,god1 whose law we break by disobeying4 ,those that are for the negative1 say1 ,that ,god binding us but to obey the magistrate1 and his law binding but aut ad obedientiam1 aut ad pnam1 ,i fulfil his will1 if ,i either do or suffer3 if ,i obey not1 ,i please him by satisfying for my disobedience4 ,and it is none of his will1 that my choosing the penalty should be my sin or damnation4 ,to this it is replied1 ,that the law bindeth ad pnam1 but on supposition of disobedience2 and that disobedience is forbidden of ,god3 and the penalty satisfieth not ,god1 though it satisfy man4 ,the other rejoins1 ,that it satisfieth ,god1 in that it satisfieth man2 because ,god's law is but to give force to man's1 according to the nature of it4 ,if this hold1 then no disobedience at all is a sin in him that suffereth the penalty4 ,in so hard a case1 because more distinction is necessary to the explication1 than most readers are willing to be troubled with1 ,i shall now give you but this brief decision4#hf ,there are some penalties which fulfil the magistrate's own will as much as obedience1 which indeed have more of the nature of a commutation1 than of penalty3 7as he that watcheth not or mendeth not the highways1 shall pay so much to hire another to do it3 he that shooteth not so oft in a year1 shall pay so much3 he that eateth flesh in ,lent1 shall pay so much to the poor3 he that repaireth not his hedges1 shall pay so much37 and so in most amercements1 and divers penal laws2 in which we have reason to judge1 that the penalty satisfieth the lawgiver fully1 and that he leaveth it to our choice4 ,in these cases ,i think we need not afflict ourselves with the conscience or fear of sinning against ,god4 ,but there are other penal laws1 in which the penalty is not desired for itself1 and is supposed to be but an imperfect satisfaction to the lawgiver's will1 and that he doth not freely leave us to our choice1 but had rather we obeyed than suffered2 only he imposeth no greater a penalty1 either because there is no greater in his power1 or some inconvenience prohibiteth2 in this case ,i should fear my disobedience were a sin1 though ,i suffered the penalty4 7,still supposing it an act that he had power to command me47 ,direct4 ,,xxxix4 ,take heed of the pernicious design of those atheistical politicians1 that would make the world believe1 that all that is excellent among men1 is at enmity with monarchy1 yea1 and government itself2 and take heed on the other side1 that the most excellent things be not turned against it by abuse4 ,here ,i have two dangers to advertise you to beware3 the first is of some ,machiavelian1 pernicious principles1 and the second of some erroneous1 unchristian practices4 ,for the first1 there are two sorts of atheistical politicians guilty of them4 ,the first sort are some atheistical flatterers1 that to engage monarchs against all that is good1 would make them believe that all that is good is against them and their interest4 ,by which means1 while their design is to steal the help of princes1 to cast out all that is good from the world1 they are most pernicious underminers of monarchy itself4 ,for what readier way to set all the world against it1 than to make them believe that it standeth at enmity to all that is good4 ,these secret enemies would set up a leviathan to be the butt of common enmity and opposition4 ,the other sort are the professed enemies of monarchy1 who in their zeal for popular government1 do bring in all that is excellent1 as if it were adverse to monarchy4 #a4 ,they would 7both7 set it at enmity with politicians4 #b4 ,with lawyers4 #c4 ,with history4 #d4 ,with learning4 #e4 ,with divines4 #f4 ,with all christian religion4 #g4 ,and with humanity itself4 ,object4 ,i4 ,the painters of the leviathan scorn all politics1 as ignorant of the power of monarchs1 except the atheistical inventions of their own brains4 ,and the adversaries of monarchy say1 ,the reading of politics will satisfy men against monarchy2 for in them you ordinarily find that the majestas realis is in the people1 and the majestas personalis in the prince2 that the prince receiveth all his power from the people1 to whom it is first given1 and to whom it may be forfeited and escheat3 with much more of the like1 as is to be seen in politicians of all religions4 ,answ4 #a4 ,it is not all politics that go upon those principles3 and one mistake in writers is no disgrace to the true doctrine of politics1 which may be vindicated from such mistakes4 #b4 ,as almost all authors of politics take monarchy for a lawful species of government1 so most or very many 7especially of the moderns7 do take it to be the most excellent sort of unmixed government4 ,therefore they are no enemies to it4 ,object4 ,,ii4 ,for lawyers1 they say1 ,that1 #a4 ,civilians set up reason so high1 that they dangerously measure the power of monarchs by it2 insomuch1 that the most famous pair of zealous and learned defenders of monarchy1 ,barclay and ,grotius1 do assign many cases1 in which it is lawful to resist princes by arms1 and more than so4#hg #b4 ,and the common lawyers1 they say1 are all for the law1 and ready to say as ,hooker1 ,lex facit regem2 and what power the king hath1 he hath it by law1 ,the bounds are known1 p4 #bah4 ,he is singulis major1 et universis minor1 c4 ,answ4 #a4 ,sure the ,roman civil laws were not against monarchy1 when monarchs made so many of them4 ,and what power reason truly hath1 it hath from ,god1 whom none can over-top2 and that which reason is abused unjustly to defend1 may be well contradicted by reason indeed4 #b4 ,and what power the laws of the land have1 they have by the king's consent and act3 and it is strange impudence to pretend1 that his own laws are against him4 ,if any misinterpret them1 he may be confuted4 ,object4 ,,iii4 ,for historians1 say they1 ,be but well-versed in ancient history1 ,greek and ,roman1 and you shall find them speak so ill of monarchy1 and so much for popularity1 and liberty1 and magnifying so much the defenders of the people's liberty against monarchs1 that it will secretly steal the dislike of monarchy1 and the love of popular liberty into your minds4#hh ,answ4 ,it must be considered in what times and places the ancient ,greek and ,roman historians did live4#hi ,they that lived where popular government was in force and credit1 wrote according to the time and government which they lived under2 yet do they extol the virtues and heroic acts of monarchs1 and often speak of the vulgar giddiness and unconstancy4 ,and for my part1 ,i think he that readeth in them those popular tumults1 irrationalities1 furies1 unconstancies1 cruelties1 which even in ,rome and ,athens they committed1 and all historians record1 will rather find his heart much alienated from such democratical confusions4 ,and the historians of other times and places do write as much for monarchy1 as they did for democracy4 ,object4 ,,iv4 ,some of them revile at ,aristotle and all universities1 and say1 ,that while multitudes must be tasters and pretenders to the learning which they never can thoroughly attain1 they read many dangerous books1 and receive false notions2 and these half-witted men are the disturbers of all societies4 ,do you not see1 say they1 that the two strongest kingdoms in the world1 are kept up by keeping the subjects ignorant4 ,the ,greek and ,latin empires were ruined by the contention of men that did pretend to learning4 ,the ,turk keepeth all in quiet by suppressing it3 and the pope confineth it almost all to his instruments in government1 and keepeth the common people in ignorance2 which keepeth them from matter of quarrel and disobedience4#ij ,answ4 ,i hope you will not say1 that ,rome or ,athens of old did take this course4 ,and we will not deny1 but men of knowledge are more subject to debates1 and questionings1 and quarrels about right and wrong1 than men of utter ignorance are4 ,beasts fall not out about crowns or kingdoms1 as men do4 ,dogs and swine will not scramble for gold1 as men will do1 if you cast it among them3 and it is easier to keep swine or sheep1 than men2 and yet it is not better to be swine or sheep1 than men2 nor to be governors of beasts1 than men4 ,dead men are quieter than the living1 and blind men will submit to be led more easily than those that see2 and yet it is not better to be a king of brutes1 or blind men1 or dead men1 than of the living that have their sight4 ,a king of men that have many disagreements1 is better than a king of beasts that all agree4 ,and yet true knowledge tendeth to concord1 and to the surest and constantest obedience4 ,object4 ,v4 ,but their chief calumniations are against divines4 ,they say1 ,that divines make a trade of religion2 and under pretence of divine laws1 and conscience1 and ecclesiastical discipline1 they subjugate both prince and people to their will1 and set up courts which they call ecclesiastical1 and keep the people in dependence on their dictates1 and teach them to disobey upon pretence that ,god is against the matter of their obedience2 and also by contending for their opinions1 or for superiority and domination over one another1 they fill kingdoms with quarrels1 and break them into sects and factions1 and are the chief disturbers of the public peace4#ia ,answ4 ,we cannot deny that carnal1 ignorant1 worldly1 proud1 unholy pastors1 have been and are the great calamity of the churches3 but that is no more disgrace to their office1 or to divinity1 than it is to philosophy or reason1 that philosophers have been ignorant1 erroneous1 divided1 and contentious2 nor than it is to government1 that kings and other rulers have been imperfect1 bad1 contentious1 and filled the world with wars and bloodshed4 ,nay1 ,i rather think that this is a proof of the excellency of divinity3 as the reason of the aforesaid imperfections and faultiness of philosophers and rulers1 is because that philosophy and government are things so excellent1 that the corrupt1 imperfect nature of man1 will not reach so high1 as to qualify any man to manage them1 otherwise than with great defectiveness2 so also divinity1 and the pastoral office1 are things so excellent and sublime1 that the nature of lapsed man will not reach to a capacity of being perfect in them4 ,so that the faultiness of the nature of man1 compared with the excellency of the things to be known and practised by divines1 is the cause of all these faults that they complain of2 and nature's vitiosity1 if any thing1 must be blamed4 ,certainly1 the pastoral office hath men as free from ignorance1 worldliness1 pride1 and unquietness1 as any calling in the world4 ,to charge the faults of nature upon that profession1 which only discovereth1 but never caused them1 yea1 which would heal them1 if they are to be healed on earth1 judge whether this dealing be not foolish and injurious1 and what will be the consequents if such unreasonable persons may be heard4 ,and therefore1 though leviathan and his spawn1 among all that is good1 bring down divines1 and the zealots for democracy have gloried of their new forms of commonwealths1 as inconsistent with a clergy1 their glory is their shame to all but infidels4 ,let them help us to take down and cure the ignorance1 pride1 carnality1 worldliness1 and contentiousness of the clergy1 and we will be thankful to them2 but to quarrel with the best of men for the common pravity of nature1 and to reproach the most excellent science and function1 because depraved nature cannot attain or manage them in perfection1 this is but to play the professed enemies of mankind4 ,object4 ,,vi4 ,these atheists or infidels also do spit their venom against christianity and godliness itself1 and would make princes believe1 that the principles of it are contrary to their interest1 and to government and peace3 and they fetch their cavils1 #a4 ,from the ,scripture's contemptuous expressions of worldly wealth and greatness4 #b4 ,from its prohibition of revenge and maintaining our own right4 #c4 ,from the setting it above all human laws2 and by its authority and obscurity1 filling the minds of men with scrupulosity4 #d4 ,from the divisions which religion occasioneth in the world3 and1 #e4 ,from the testimonies of the several sects against each other4 ,i shall answer them particularly1 though but briefly4 ,object4 ,i4 ,say the infidel politicians1 ,how can subjects have honourable thoughts of their superiors1 when they believe that to be the word of ,god1 which speaketh so contemptuously of them8#ib ,as ,luke vi4 #bd1 ,woe to you that are rich6 for ye have received your consolation4 ,jam4 v4 #a-c1 ,go to now1 ye rich men1 weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you4 ,ver4 #e1 #f1 ,ye have lived in pleasure on earth1 and been wanton--,ye have condemned and killed the just4--,luke xii4 #ba4 ,chap4 xvi4 the parable of the rich man and ,lazarus1 is spoken to make men think of the rich as miserable1 damned creatures4 ,ezek4 xxi4 #be1 ,thou profane1 wicked prince of ,israel4 ,prov4 xxv4 #e1 ,take away the wicked from before the king4 ,prov4 xxix4 #ab1 ,if a ruler hearken to lies1 all his servants are wicked3 the contempt of greatness is made a part of the christian religion4 ,answ4 #a4 ,as if there were no difference between the contempt of riches and worldly prosperity1 and the contempt of government4 ,he is blind that cannot see that riches and authority are not the same3 yea1 that the overvaluing of riches is the cause of seditions1 and the disturbance of governments1 when the contempt of them removeth the chief impediments of obedience and peace4 #b4 ,and may not governors be sufficiently honoured1 unless they be exempted from the government of ,god8 and unless their sin must go for virtue8 and unless their duty1 and their account1 and the danger of their souls1 be treacherously concealed from them8 ,god will not flatter dust and ashes2 great and small are alike to him4 ,he is no respecter of persons3 when you can save the greatest from death and judgment1 then they may be excepted from all those duties which are needful to their preparation4 #c4 ,and is it not strange1 that ,god should teach men to contemn the power which he himself ordaineth8 and which is his own8 ,hath he set officers over us1 for the work of government1 and doth he teach us to despise them8 ,there is no show of any such thing in ,scripture3 there are no principles in the world that highlier advance and honour magistracy1 than the christian principles1 unless you will make gods of them1 as the ,roman senate did of the ,antonines1 and other emperors4 ,object4 ,,ii4 ,how can there be any government1 when men must believe that they must not resist evil1 but give place to wrath1 and turn the other cheek to him that smiteth them1 and give their coat to him that taketh away their cloak1 and lend1 asking for nothing again8 ,is not this to let thieves and violent1 rapacious men rule all1 and have their will1 and go unpunished8 ,what use is there then for courts or judges8 ,and when ,christ commandeth his disciples1 that though the kings of the nations rule over them1 and exercise authority1 and are called benefactors1 yet with them it shall not be so4#ic ,answ4 ,these were the old cavils of ,celsus1 ,porphyry1 and ,julian2 but very impudent4 ,as though love and patience were against peace and government4 ,christ commandeth nothing in all these words1 but that we love our neighbour as ourselves1 and love his soul above our wealth1 and that we do as we would be done by1 and use not private revenge1 and take not up the magistrate's work3 and is this doctrine against government8 ,it is not magistrates1 but ministers and private christians1 whom he commandeth not to resist evil1 and not to exercise lordship1 as the civil rulers do4 ,when it will do more hurt to the soul of another1 than the benefit amounteth to1 we must not seek our own right by law1 nor must private men revenge themselves4 ,all law-suits1 and contentions1 and hurting of others1 which are inconsistent with loving them as ourselves1 are forbidden in the gospel4 ,and when was government ever disturbed by such principles and practices as these8 ,nay1 when was it disturbed but for want of these8 ,when was there any sedition1 rebellion1 or unlawful wars1 but through self-love1 and love of earthly things1 and want of love to one another8 ,how easily might princes rule men1 that are thus ruled by love and patience6 ,object4 ,,iii4 ,christianity teacheth men to obey the ,scriptures before their governors1 and to obey no law that is contrary to the ,bible2 and when the ,bible is so large1 and hath so many passages hard to be understood1 and easily perverted1 some of these will be always interpreted against the laws of men2 and then they are taught to fear no man against ,god1 and to endure any pains or death1 and to be unmoved by all the penalties which should enforce obedience2 and to rejoice in this as a blessed martyrdom1 to the face of kings2 and those that punish them1 are reproached as persecutors1 and threatened with damnation1 and made the vilest men on earth1 and represented odious to all4#id ,answ4 ,the sum of all this objection is1 ,that there is a ,god4 ,for if that be not denied1 no man can deny that he is the ,universal ,governor of the world2 and that he hath his proper laws and judgment1 and rewards and punishments1 or that magistrates are his ministers1 and have no power but from him2 and consequently1 that the commands1 and threats1 and promises of ,god1 are a thousand-fold more to be regarded1 than those of men4#ie ,he is a beast1 and not a man1 that feareth not ,god more than man1 and that feareth not hell more than bodily sufferings3 and for the ,scriptures1 #a4 ,are they any harder to be understood than the law of nature itself8 ,surely the characters of the will of ,god in natura rerum1 are much more obscure than in the ,scriptures4 ,hath ,god sent so great a messenger from heaven1 to open to mankind the mysteries of his kingdom1 and tell them what is in the other world1 and bring life and immortality to light1 and yet shall his revelation be accused as more obscure than nature itself is8 ,if an angel had been sent from heaven to any of these infidels by name1 to tell them but the same that ,scripture telleth us1 sure they would not have reproached his message with such accusations4 #b4 ,and are not the laws of the land about smaller matters1 more voluminous and difficult8 ,and shall that be made a reproach to government8 ,and for misinterpretation1 it is the fault of human nature1 that is ignorant and rash1 and not of the ,scriptures4 ,will you tell ,god1 that you will not obey him1 unless he will make his laws so1 as no man can misinterpret them8 ,when or where were there ever such laws8 ,god will be ,god1 and ,judge of the world1 whether you will or not2 and he will not be an underling to men1 nor set their laws above his own1 to avoid your accusations4 ,if there be another life of joy or misery1 it is necessary that there be laws according to which those rewards and punishments are to be adjudged4 ,and if rulers oppose those who are appointed to promote obedience to them1 they must do it at their perils2 for ,god will render to all according to their works4 ,object4 ,,iv4 ,doth not experience tell the world1 that christianity every where causeth divisions1 and sets the world together by the ears8 ,what a multitude of sects are there among us at this day2 and every one thinketh that his salvation lieth upon his opinion6 ,and how can princes govern men of so contrary minds1 when the pleasing of one party is the losing of the rest8 ,we have long seen that church divisions shake the safety of the state4 ,if it were not that few that are called christians are such indeed1 and serious in the religion which themselves profess1 there were no quietness to be expected2 for those that are most serious1 are so full of scruples1 and have consciences still objecting something or other against their obedience1 and are so obstinate in their way1 as thinking it is for their salvation1 that all ages and nations have been fain to govern them by force as beasts1 which they have called persecution4#if ,answ4 #a4 ,there is no doctrine in the world so much for love1 and peace1 and concord as the doctrine of ,christ is4 ,what doth it so much urge and frequently inculcate8 ,what doth it contain but love and peace from end to end8 ,love is the sum and end of the gospel1 and the fulfilling of the law4 ,to love ,god above all1 and our neighbours as ourselves1 and to do as we would be done by1 is the epitome of the doctrine of ,christ and his apostles4 #b4 ,and therefore christianity is only the occasion1 and not the cause of the divisions of the earth4 ,it is men's blindness and passions and carnal interests rebelling against the laws of ,god1 which is the make-bate of the world1 and filleth it with strife4 ,the wisdom from above is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good fruits2 it blesseth the peace-makers and the meek4 ,but it is the rebellious wisdom from beneath1 that is earthly1 sensual1 and devilish1 which causeth envy and strife1 and thereby confusion and every evil work1 ,james iii4 #ae-ag2 ,matt4 v4 #f-h4 ,so that the true1 genuine christian is the best subject and peaceablest man on earth4 ,but seriousness is not enough to make a christian2 a man may be passionately serious in an error2 understanding must lead and seriousness follow4 ,to be zealous in error is not to be zealous in christianity2 for the error is contrary to christian verity4 #c4 ,as ,i said before1 it is a testimony of the excellency of religion that it thus occasioneth contention4 ,dogs and swine do not contend for crowns and kingdoms1 nor for sumptuous houses or apparel2 nor do infants trouble the world or themselves with metaphysical1 or logical1 or mathematical disputes2 idiots do not molest the world with controversies1 nor fall thereby into sects and parties4 ,nor yet do wise and learned persons contend about chaff1 or dust1 or trifles4 ,but as excellent things are matter of search1 so are they matter of controversy1 to the most excellent wits4 ,the hypocritical christians that you speak of1 who make ,god and their salvation give place to the unjust commands of men1 are indeed no christians1 as not taking ,christ for their sovereign ,lord2 and it is not in any true honour of magistracy that they are so ductile1 and will do any thing1 but it is for themselves1 and their carnal interest2 and when that interest requireth it1 they will betray their governors1 as infidels will do4 ,if you can reduce all the world to be infants1 or idiots1 or brutes1 yea1 or infidels1 they will then trouble the state with no contentions for religion or matters of salvation4 ,but if the governed must be brutified1 what will the governors be8 #d4 ,all true christians are agreed in the substance of their religion2 there is no division among them about the necessary points of faith or duty4 ,their agreement is far greater than their disagreement2 which is but about some smaller matters1 where differences are tolerable2 therefore they may all be governed without any such violence as you mention4 ,if the common articles of faith1 and precepts of christian duty1 be maintained1 then that is upheld which all agree in2 and rulers will not find it needful to oppress every party or opinion save one1 among them that hold the common truths4 ,wise and sober christians lay not men's salvation upon every such controversy2 nor do they hold or manage them unpeaceably to the wrong of church or state1 nor with the violation of charity1 peace1 or justice4 #e4 ,is there any of the sciences which afford not matter of controversy8 ,if the laws of the land did yield no matter of controversy1 lawyers and judges would have less of that work than now they have4 ,and was there not greater diversity of opinions and worship among the heathens than ever was among christians8 ,what a multitude of sects of philosophers and religions had they6 ,and what a multitude of gods had they to worship6 ,and the number of them still increased as oft as the senate pleased to make a god of the better sort of their emperors when they were dead4 ,indeed one emperor1 7of the religion of some of these objectors17 ,heliogabalus1 bestirred himself with all his power to have reduced all religion to unity1 that is1 he would have all the worship brought to his god to whom he had been priest3 saith ,lampridius in his life1 ,dicebat ,judorum et ,samaritanorum religiones et christianam devotionem1 illuc transferendam1 c4 ,and therefore he robbed1 and maimed1 and destroyed the other gods1 id agens ne quis ,rom ,deus nisi ,heliogabalus coleretur4 ,but as the effect of his monstrous1 abominable filthiness of life was to be thrust into a privy1 killed1 and dragged about the streets1 and drowned in the ,tiber2 so the effect of his desired unity1 was to bring that one god or temple into contempt1 whereto he would confine all worship4 ,the differences among christians are nothing in comparison of the differences among heathens4#ig ,the truth is1 religion is such an illustrious1 noble thing1 that dissensions about it1 like spots in the moon1 are much more noted by the world1 than about any lower1 common matters4 ,men may raise controversies in philosophy1 physic1 astronomy1 chronology1 and yet it maketh no such noise1 nor causeth much offence or hatred in the world2 but the devil and corrupted nature have such an enmity against religion1 that they are glad to pick any quarrel against it1 and blame it for the imperfections of all that learn it1 and should practise it4 ,as if grammar should be accused for every error or fault that the boys are guilty of in learning it2 or the law were to be accused for all the differences of lawyers1 or contentions of the people2 or physic were to be accused for all the differences or errors of physicians2 or meat and drink were culpable because of men's excesses and diseases4 ,there is no doctrine or practice in the world1 by which true unity and concord can be maintained1 but by seriousness in the true religion4 ,and when all contention cometh for want of religion1 it is impudence to blame religion for it1 which is the only cure4 ,if rulers will protect all that agree in that which is justly to be called the christian religion1 both for doctrine and practice2 and about their small and tolerable differences1 will use no other violence but only to compel them to live in peace1 and to suppress the seditious1 and those that abuse and injure government or one another2 they will find that christianity tendeth not to divisions1 nor to the hinderance or disturbance of government or peace4 ,it is passion1 and pride1 and selfishness that doth this1 and not religion2 therefore let these and not religion be restrained4 ,but if they will resolve to suffer none to live in peace1 but those that in every punctilio are all of one opinion1 they must have but one subject that is sincere in his religion1 7for no two will be in every thing of the same apprehension1 no more than of the same complexion17 and all the rest must be worldly hypocrites1 that while they are heartily true to no religion1 will profess themselves of any religion which will serve their present turns2 and these nominal christians will be ready to betray their rulers1 or do any mischief which their carnal interest requireth4#ih ,object4 ,v4 ,what witness need we more than their own accusations of one another8#ii ,for the papists1 how many volumes have the protestants written against them as enemies to all civil government2 alleging even the decrees of their general councils1 as ,later4 sub ,innoc4 ,,iii4 ,can4 #c4 ,and for the protestants1 they are as deeply charged by the papists1 as you may see in the ,image of both ,churches1 and ,philanax ,anglicus1 and abundance more4 ,for ,calvin and the presbyterians and puritans1 let the prelates tell you how peaceable they are4 ,and the papists and puritans say that the prelatists are of the same mind1 and only for their own ends pretend to greater loyalty than others4 ,there are no two among them more famous for defending government1 than ,hooker and ,bilson4 ,and what ,hooker saith for popular power1 his first and eighth books abundantly testify3 and even ,bishop ,bilson himself defendeth the ,french and ,german protestant wars2 and you may judge of his loyal doctrine by these words1 p4 #ebj1 ,of ,christian ,subjection3 ,if a prince should go about to subject his kingdom to a foreign realm1 or change the form of the commonwealth from impery to tyranny1 or neglect the laws established by common consent of prince and people1 to execute his own pleasure2 in these and other cases which might be named1 if the nobles and commons join together to defend their ancient and accustomed liberty1 regimen1 and laws1 they may not well be counted rebels4#ajj ,answ4 #a4 ,if it be clear that christianity as to its principles1 is more for love1 and concord1 and subjection1 than any other rational doctrine in the world1 then if any sect of christians shall indeed be found to contradict these principles1 so far they contradict christianity3 and will you blame religion because men contradict it8 or blame ,christ's doctrine because men disobey it8 ,indeed every sect that hath something of its own to make a sect1 besides christian religion1 which maketh men mere christians1 may easily be guilty of such error as will corrupt the christian religion4 ,and as a sect1 they have a divided interest which may tempt them to dividing principles2 but none more condemn such divisions than ,christ4 #b4 ,and indeed1 though a christian as such is a credible witness2 yet a sect or faction as such1 doth use to possess men with such an envious1 calumniating disposition1 that they are little to be believed when they accuse each other6 ,this factious zeal is not from above1 but is earthly1 sensual1 and devilish2 and therefore where this is1 no wonder if there be strife1 and false accusing1 and confusion1 and every evil work4 ,but as these are no competent witnesses1 so whether or no they are favoured by ,christ1 you may judge if you will read but those three chapters1 ,matt4 v4 ,rom4 xii4 ,james iii4 ,i may say here as ,bishop ,bilson in the place which is accused1 p4 #eba4 ,,it ,,is ,,easy ,,for ,a ,,running ,,and ,,ranging ,,head ,,to ,,sit ,,at ,,home ,,in ,,his ,,chamber ,,and ,,call ,,men ,,rebels1 ,,himself ,,being ,,the ,,rankest4 #c4 ,for the papists ,i can justify them from your accusation1 so far as they are christians2 but as they are papists let him justify them that can4 ,indeed usurpation of government is the very essence of popery2 for which all other christians blame them2 and therefore there is small reason that christianity should be accused for them4 #d4 ,and for the protestants1 both episcopal and disciplinarians1 the sober and moderate of them speak of one another in no such language as you pretend4 ,for the episcopal1 ,i know of none but railing papists1 that accuse them universally of any doctrines of rebellion3 and for the practices of some particular men1 it is not to be alleged against their doctrine4 ,do you think that ,queen ,elizabeth1 to whom ,bishop ,bilson's book was dedicated1 or ,king ,charles1 to whom ,mr4 ,hooker's book was dedicated1 took either of them to be teachers of rebellion8 ,it is not every different opinion in politics that proveth men to be against subjection4 ,he that can read such a book as ,bilson's for ,christian ,subjection against ,antichristian ,rebellion1 and yet deny him to be a teacher of subjection1 hath a very hard forehead4 ,for the controversies1 ,i shall say no more of them here1 but what ,i have said before to ,mr4 ,hooker4 ,and as for ,calvin and the disciplinarians1 or puritans1 as they are called1 they subscribe all the confessions for magistracy1 and take the same oaths of allegiance and supremacy1 as others do2 and they plead and write for them3 so that for my part ,i know not of any difference in their doctrine4 ,hear what ,bishop ,andrews saith1 7who was no rebel17 in his ,tortura ,torti1 p4 #cgi1 #chj4 ,calvinus autem ut papam regem2 ita regem papam non probavit2 neque nos quod in papa detestamur1 in rege approbamus2 at et ille nobiscum1 et nos cum illo sentimus1 easdem esse in ecclesia christiana regis ,jacobi partes1 qu ,josi fuerunt in ,judaica2 nec nos ultra quicquam fieri ambimus--3 that is1 ,but ,calvin neither liked a pope-king1 nor a king-pope2 nor do we approve of that in the king1 which we detest in the pope4 ,but he with us1 and we with him1 do judge1 that ,king ,james hath as much to do in the christian church1 as ,josias had in the ,jewish church2 and we go not about to get any more4 ,and after1 ,sub primatus nomine1 papatum novum rex non invehit in ecclesiam2 sic enim statuit1 ut non ,aaroni pontifici1 ita nec ,jeroboamo regi1 jus ullum esse conflatum a se vitulum populo proponendi1 ut adoret1 7id est17 non vel fidei novos articulos1 vel cultus divini novas formulas procudendi3 that is1 ,the king doth not bring into the church a new papacy1 under the name of primacy2 for thus he judgeth1 7or determineth17 that neither ,aaron the priest1 nor ,jeroboam the king1 had any right to propose the calf which they had made1 to the people to be adored2 that is1 neither to hammer 7or make7 new articles of faith1 or new forms of divine worship4 ,and p4 #cgi1 #chj4 ,quos vero puritanos appellat1 si regium primatum detestantur1 detestandi ipsi4 ,profitentur enim1 subscribunt1 jurant indies2 sed et illi quod faciunt ingenue faciunt1 et societatem in hoc ,torti1 ipsumque adeo ,tortum1 tanquam mendacem hominem1 7et alibi de aliis1 et hic de se17 ac sycophantem egregium detestantur3 that is1 ,and for those he calleth puritans1 if they detest the king's supremacy1 they are to be detested2 for they daily profess1 subscribe1 and swear to it2 and what they do1 they do ingenuously2 and they detest the society of ,tortus in this1 and ,tortus himself1 as a lying man1 7elsewhere of others1 and here of themselves17 and an egregious sycophant4 ,by these testimonies judge what protestants think of one another in point of loyalty4 #e4 ,and why are not all the other christians taken into your enumeration8 the ,armenians1 ,abassins1 and all the ,greek churches8 whom the papists so frequently reproach as flatterers or servile1 because they still gave so much to their emperors4 ,have you any pretence for your accusation as against them8 ,unless perhaps from the tumults which ,alexandria in its greatness was much addicted to1 which is nothing to the doctrine of christianity1 nor to the practice of all the rest4 ,sidenote3 ,christianity is most for loyalty and subjection4 ,having answered these cavils of the late atheistical or infidel politicians1 ,i shall next show1 though briefly1 yet by plentiful evidence1 that christianity and true godliness is the greatest strength of government1 and bond of subjection1 and means of peace1 that ever was revealed to the world3 which will appear in all these evidences following4 #a4 ,christianity teacheth men to take the higher powers as ordained of ,god1 and to obey them as ,god's ministers or officers1 having an authority derived immediately from ,god2 so that it advanceth the magistrate as ,god's officer1 as much higher than infidels advance him1 7who fetch his power no higher than force or choice17 as a servant of ,god is above a servant of men2 which is more than a man is above a dog4#aja #b4 ,christianity telleth us that our obedience to magistrates is ,god's own command1 and so that we must obey him by obeying them4 ,and as obedience to a constable is more procured by the king's laws than by his own commands1 so obedience to a king is far more effectually procured by ,god's laws than by his own4 ,if ,god be more above a king1 than a king is above a worm1 the command of ,god must be a more powerful obligation upon every understanding person1 than the king's4 ,and what greater advantage can a king have in governing1 than to have subjects whose consciences do feel themselves bound by ,god himself1 to obey the king and all his officers4 ,object4 ,but this is still with exception1 if it be not in things forbidden of ,god2 and the subjects are made judges whether it be so or no4 ,answ4 ,and woe to that man that grudgeth that ,god must be obeyed before him2 and would be himself a god to be obeyed in things which ,god is against6 ,the subjects are made no public judges1 but private discerners of their duties2 and so you make them yourselves3 or else they must not judge whether the king or a usurper were to be obeyed2 or whether the word of a king or of a constable1 if they be contradictory1 is to be preferred4 ,to judge what we must choose or refuse is proper to a rational creature3 even brutes themselves will do something like it by instinct of nature1 and will not do all things according to your will4 ,you would have us obey a justice of peace no further than our loyalty to the king will give leave3 and therefore there is greater reason that we should obey the higher powers no further than our loyalty to ,god will give leave4#ajb ,but if men pretend ,god's commands for any thing which he commandeth not1 magistrates bear not the sword in vain1 and subjects are commanded by ,god not to resist4 ,if they punish them rightfully1 ,god will bear the rulers out in it2 if they punish them wrongfully or persecute them for well doing1 ,god will severely punish them1 who so wronged his subjects1 and abused the authority which he committed to their trust4 #c4 ,the christian religion bindeth subjects to obedience upon sorer penalties than magistrates can inflict2 even upon pain of ,god's displeasure1 and everlasting damnation1 ,rom4 xiii4 #b1 #c4 ,and how great a help this is to government it is so easy to discern1 that the simpler sort of atheists do persuade themselves1 that kings devised religion to keep people in obedience with the fears of hell4 ,take away the fears of the life to come1 and the punishment of ,god in hell upon the wicked1 and the world will be turned into worse than a den of serpents and wild beasts2 adulteries1 and murders1 and poisoning kings1 and all abomination1 will be freely committed1 which wit or power can think to cover or bear out6 ,who will trust that man that believeth not that ,god doth judge and punish8 #d4 ,the christian religion doth encourage obedience and peace with the promise of the reward of endless happiness 7cteris paribus72 heaven is more than any prince can give4 ,if that will not move men1 there is no greater thing to move them4 ,atheism and infidelity have no such motives4 #e4 ,christianity teacheth subjects to obey not only good rulers but bad ones1 even heathens themselves1 and not to resist when we cannot obey4 ,whereas among heathens1 princes ruled no longer than they pleased the soldiers or the people2 so that ,lampridius marvelled that ,heliogabalus was no sooner butchered1 but suffered to reign three years3 ,mirum fortasse cuipiam videatur ,constantine venerabilis1 quod hc clades quam retuli loco principum fuerit2 et quidem prope triennio1 ita ut nemo inventus fuerit qui istum a gubernaculis ,roman majestatis abduceret1 cum ,neroni1 ,vitellio1 ,caligul cterisque hujusmodi nunquam tyrannicida defuerit4#ajc #f4 ,christianity and godliness do not only restrain the outward acts1 but rule the very hearts1 and lay a charge upon the thoughts1 which the power of princes cannot reach4 ,it forbiddeth to curse the king in our bedchamber1 or to have a thought or desire of evil against him2 it quencheth the first sparks of disloyalty and disorder2 and the rule of the outward man followeth the ordering of the heart2 and therefore atheism1 which leaveth the heart free and open to all desires and designs of rebellion1 doth kindle that fire in the minds of men1 which government cannot quench2 it corrupteth the fountain2 it breaketh the spring that should set all a going2 it poisoneth the heart of commonwealths4#ajd #g4 ,christianity and godliness teach men patience1 that it may not seem strange to them to bear the cross1 and suffer injuries from high and low2 and therefore that impatience which is the beginning of all rebellion being repressed1 it stayeth the distemper from going any further4 #h4 ,christianity teacheth men self-denial as a great part of their religion2#aje and when selfishness is mortified1 there is nothing left to be a principle of rebellion against ,god or our superiors4 ,selfishness is the very predominant principle of the ungodly2 it is only for themselves that they obey when they do obey2 no wonder therefore if the author of ,leviathan allow men to do any thing when the saving of themselves requireth it4 ,and so many selfish persons as there be in a kingdom1 so many several interests are first sought1 which for the most part stand cross to the interests of others3 the godly have all one common centre2 they unite in ,god1 and therefore may be kept in concord2 for ,god's will is a thing that may be fulfilled by all as well as one2 but the selfish and ungodly are every one his own centre1 and have no common centre to unite in1 their interests being ordinarily cross and inconsistent4 #i4 ,christianity teacheth men by most effectual arguments1 to set light by the riches and honours of the world1 and not to strive for superiority2 but to mind higher things1 and lay up our treasure in a better world1 and to condescend to men of low degree4 ,it forbiddeth men to exalt themselves lest they be brought low2 and commandeth them to humble themselves that ,god may exalt them2 and he that knoweth not that pride and covetousness are the great disquieters of the world1 and the cause of contentions1 and the ruin of states1 knoweth nothing of these matters4 ,therefore if it were but by the great urging of humility and heavenly-mindedness1 and the strict condemning of ambition and earthly-mindedness1 christianity and godliness must needs be the greatest preservers of government1 and of order1 peace1 and quietness in the world4#ajf #aj4 ,christianity teacheth men to live in the love of ,god and man4 ,it maketh love the very heart1 and life1 and sum1 and end of all other duties of religion4 ,faith itself is but the bellows to kindle in us the sacred flames of love4 ,love is the end of the gospel1 and the fulfilling of the law4 ,to love all saints with a special love1 even with a pure heart and fervently1 and to love all men heartily with a common love2 to love our neighbour as ourselves2 and to love our very enemies2 this is the life which ,christ requireth1 upon the penalty of damnation2 and if love thus prevail1 what should disturb the government1 peace1 or order of the world8 #aa4 ,christianity teacheth men to be exact in justice1 distributive and commutative2 and to do to others as we would they should do to us3 and where this is followed kings and states will have little to molest them1 when gens sine justitia est sine remige navis in unda4 #ab4 ,christianity teacheth men to do good to all men as far as we are able1 and to abound in good works1 as that for which we are redeemed and new made2 and if men will set themselves wholly to do good1 and be hurtful and injurious to none1 how easy will it be to govern such6 #ac4 ,christianity teacheth men to forbear and to forgive1 as ever they will be forgiven of ,god1 and the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak1 and not to please themselves1 but one another to their edification2 not to be censorious1 harsh1 or cruel1 nor to place the kingdom of ,god in meats1 and drinks1 and days1 but in righteousness1 peace1 and joy in the ,holy ,ghost2 to bear one another's burdens1 and to restore them with the spirit of meekness that are overtaken in a fault1 and to be peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good fruits1 without partiality and hypocrisy1 and to speak evil of no man2 and where this is obeyed1 how quietly and easily may princes govern6#ajg #ad4 ,christianity setteth before us the perfectest pattern of all this humility1 meekness1 contempt of worldly wealth and greatness1 self-denial and obedience1 that ever was given in the world4 ,the eternal ,son of ,god incarnate1 would condescend to earth and flesh1 and would obey his superiors after the flesh1 in the repute of the world2 and would pay tribute1 and never be drawn to any contempt of the governors of the world1 though he suffered death under the false accusation of it4 ,he that is a christian1 endeavoureth to imitate his ,lord3 and can the imitation of ,christ1 or of his peaceable apostles1 be injurious to governors8 ,could the world but lay by their serpentine enmity against the holy doctrine and practice of christianity1 and not take themselves engaged to persecute it1 nor dash themselves in pieces on the stone which they should build upon1 nor by striving against it provoke it to fall on them and grind them to powder1 they never need to complain of disturbances by christianity or godliness4#ajh #ae4 ,christianity and true godliness containeth1 not only all those precepts that tend to peace and order in the world1 but also strength1 and willingness1 and holy dispositions for the practising of such precepts4 ,other teachers can speak but to the ears1 but ,christ doth write his laws upon the heart2 so that he maketh them such as he commandeth them to be3 only this is the remnant of our unhappiness1 that while he is performing the cure on us1 we retain a remnant of our old diseases1 and so his work is yet imperfect3 and as sin in strength is it that setteth on fire the course of nature1 so the relics of it will make some disturbance in the world1 according to its degree2 but nothing is more sure than that the godliest christian is the most orderly and loyal subject1 and the best member 7according to his parts and power7 in the commonwealth2 and that sin is the cause1 and holiness the cure of all the disorders and calamities of the world4 #af4 ,lastly1 ,consult with experience itself1 and you will find1 that all this which ,i have spoken1 hath been ordinarily verified4#aji ,what heathenism tendeth to1 you may see even in the ,roman government 7for there you will confess it was at the best74 ,to read of the tumults1 the cruelties1 the popular unconstancy1 faction1 and injustice2 how rudely the soldiers made their emperors1 and how easily and barbarously they murdered them1 and how few of them from the days of ,christ till ,constantine did die the common death of all men1 and escape the hands of those that were their subjects2 ,i think this will satisfy you1 whither men's enmity to christianity tendeth3 and then to observe how suddenly the case was altered1 as soon as the emperors and subjects became christian 7till in the declining of the ,greek empire1 some officers and courtiers who aspired to the crown did murder the emperors73 and further to observe1 that the rebellious doctrines and practices against governors1 have been all introduced by factions and heresies1 which forsook christianity so far before they incurred such guilt2 and that it is either papal usurpation 7which is in its nature an enemy to princes7 that hath deposed and trampled upon emperors and kings1 or else some mad enthusiastics that overrun religion and their wits1 that at ,munster1 7and in ,england some lately17 by the advantage of their prosperity1 have dared to do violence against sovereignty2 but the more any men were christians and truly godly1 the more they detested all such things2 all this will tell you that the most serious and religious christians1 are the best members of the civil societies upon earth4 ,,ii4 ,having done with the first part of my last direction1 ,i shall say but this little of the second2 let christians see that they be christians indeed1 and abuse not that which is most excellent to be a cloak to that which is most vile4 #a4 ,in reading politics1 swallow not all that every author writeth in conformity to the polity that he liveth under4 ,what perverse things shall you read in the popish politics 7,contzen1 and abundance such76 ,what usurpation on principalities1 and cruelties to christians1 under the pretence of defending the church1 and suppressing heresies6 #b4 ,take heed in reading history that you suffer not the spirit of your author to infect you with any of that partiality which he expresseth to the cause which he espouseth4 ,consider in what times and places all your authors lived1 and read them accordingly with the just allowance4 ,the name of liberty was so precious1 and the name of a king so odious to the ,romans1 ,athenians1 c41 that it is no wonder if their historians be unfriendly unto kings4 #c4 ,abuse not learning itself to lift you up with self-conceitedness against governors6 ,learned men may be ignorant of polity2 or at least unexperienced1 and almost as unfit to judge1 as of matters of war or navigation4 #d4 ,take heed of giving the magistrate's power to the clergy1 and setting up secular1 coercive power under the name of the power of the keys3 and it had been happy for the church if ,god had persuaded magistrates in all ages to have kept the sword in their own hands1 and not have put it into the clergy's hands1 to fulfil their wills by3#aaj for1 #a4 ,by this means the clergy had escaped the odium of usurpation and domineering1 by which atheistical politicians would make religion odious to magistrates for their sakes4 #b4 ,and by this means greater unity had been preserved in the church1 while one faction is not armed with the sword to tread down the rest3 for if divines contend only by dint of argument1 when they have talked themselves and others aweary they will have done2 but when they go to it with dint of sword1 it so ill becometh them1 that it seldom doth good1 but the party often that trusteth least to their reason1 must destroy the other1 and make their cause good by iron arguments4 #c4 ,and then the ,romish clergy had not been armed against princes to the terrible concussions of the christian world1 which histories at large relate1 if princes had not first lent them the sword which they turned against them4 #d4 ,and then church discipline would have been better understood1 and have been more effectual2 which is corrupted and turned to another thing1 and so cast out1 when the sword is used instead of the keys1 under pretence of making it effectual3 none but consenters are capable of church communion3 no man can be a christian1 or godly1 or saved against his will2 and therefore consenters and volunteers only are capable of church discipline3 as a sword will not make a sermon effectual1 no more will it make discipline effectual3 which is but the management of ,god's word to work upon the conscience4 ,so far as men are to be driven by the sword to the use of means1 or restrained from offering injury to religion1 the magistrate himself is fittest to do it4 ,it is noted by historians as the dishonour of ,cyril of ,alexandria1 7though a famous bishop17 that he was the first bishop that like a magistrate used the sword there1 and used violence against heretics and dissenters4 #e4 ,above all1 abuse not the name of religion for the resistance of your lawful governors3 religion must be defended and propagated by no irreligious means4 ,it is easy before you are aware1 to catch the fever of such a passionate zeal as ,james and ,john had1 when they would have had fire from heaven to consume the refusers and resisters of the gospel3 and then you will think that any thing almost is lawful1 which doth but seem necessary to the prosperity of religion4 ,but no means but those of ,god's allowance do use to prosper1 or bring home that which men expect3 they may seem to do wonders for awhile1 but they come to nothing in the latter end1 and spoil the work1 and leave all worse than it was before4 ,direct4 ,,xl4 ,take heed of mistaking the nature of that liberty of the people1 which is truly valuable and desirable1 and of contending for an undesirable liberty in its stead4#aaa ,it is desirable to have liberty to do good1 and to possess our own1 and enjoy ,god's mercies1 and live in peace3 but it is not desirable to have liberty to sin1 and abuse one another1 and hinder the gospel1 and contemn our governors4 ,some mistake liberty for government itself2 and think it is the people's liberty to be governors3 and some mistake liberty for an exemption from government1 and think they are most free1 when they are most ungoverned1 and may do what they list3 but this is a misery1 and not a mercy1 and therefore was never purchased for us by ,christ4 ,many desire servitude and calamity under the name of liberty3 optima est reipublic forma1 saith ,seneca1 ubi nulla libertas deest1 nisi licentia pereundi4 ,as ,mr4 ,r4 ,hooker saith1 lib4 viii4 p4 #aie1 ,i am not of opinion1 that simply in kings the most1 but the best limited1 power is best1 both for them and the people3 the most limited is that which may deal in fewest things3 the best1 that which in dealing is tied to the soundest1 perfectest1 and most indifferent rule1 which rule is the law3 ,i mean not only the law of nature and of ,god1 but the national law consonant thereunto3 happier that people whose law is their king in the greatest things1 than that whose king is himself their law4 ,yet no doubt but the lawgivers are as such1 above the law as an authoritative instrument of government1 but under it as a man is under the obligation of his own consent and word3 it ruleth subjects in the former sense2 it bindeth the summam potestatem in the latter4 ,direct4 ,,xli4 ,when you have done all that you can in just obedience1 look for your reward from ,god alone4 ,let it satisfy you that he knoweth and approveth your sincerity4 ,you make it a holy work if you do it to please ,god2 and you will be fixed and constant1 if you take heaven for your reward 7which is enough1 and will not fail you72 but you make it but a selfish1 carnal work1 if you do it only to please your governors1 or get preferment1 or escape some hurt which they may do you1 and are subject only in flattery1 or for fear of wrath1 and not for conscience sake4 ,and such obedience is uncertain and unconstant2 for when you fail of your hopes1 or think rulers deal unjustly or unthankfully with you1 your subjection will be turned into passionate desires of revenge4 ,remember still the example of your ,saviour1 who suffered death as an enemy to ,csar1 when he had never failed of his duty so much as in one thought or word4 ,and are you better than your ,lord and ,master8 ,if ,god be all to you1 and you have laid up all your hopes in heaven1 it is then but little of your concernment 7further than ,god is concerned in it7 whether rulers do use you well or ill1 and whether they interpret your actions rightly1 or what they take you for1 or how they call you2 but it is your concernment that ,god account you loyal1 and will judge you so1 and justify you from men's accusations of disloyalty1 and reward you with more than man can give you4 ,nothing is well done1 especially of so high a nature as this1 which is not done for ,god and heaven1 and which the crown of glory is not the motive to4 ,i have purposely been the larger on this subject1 because the times in which we live require it1 both for the settling of some1 and for the confuting the false accusations of others1 who would persuade the world that our doctrine is not what it is2 when through the sinful practices of some1 the way of truth is evil spoken of1 #b ,pet4 ii4 #b4 ,tit4 #b4 ,a fuller resolution of the cases1 #a4 ,whether the laws of men do bind the conscience8 #b4 ,especially smaller and penal laws8 ,the word conscience signifieth either1 #a4 ,in general according to the notation of the word1 ,the knowledge of our own matters2 conscire2 the knowledge of ourselves1 our duties1 our faults1 our fears1 our hopes1 our diseases1 c4 #b4 ,or more limitedly and narrowly1 ,the knowledge of ourselves and our own matters in relation to ,god's law and judgment2 ,judicium hominis de seipso prout subjicitur judicio ,dei1 as ,amesius defineth it4 #b4 ,conscience is taken1 #a4 ,sometimes for the act of self-knowing4 #b4 ,sometimes for the habit4 #c4 ,sometimes for the faculty1 that is1 for the intellect itself1 as it is a faculty of self-knowing4 ,in all these senses it is taken properly4 #d4 ,and sometimes it is used 7by custom7 improperly1 for the person himself1 that doth conscire2 or for his will 7another faculty74 #c4 ,the conscience may be said to be bound1 #a4 ,subjectively1 as the subjectum quod1 or the faculty obliged4 #b4 ,or objectively1 as conscire1 the act of conscience1 is the thing ad quod1 to which we are obliged4 ,and upon those necessary distinctions ,i thus answer to the first question4 ,prop4 #a4 ,the act or the habit of conscience is not capable of being the subject obliged2 no more than any other act or duty3 the act or duty is not bound1 but the man to the act or duty4 #b4 ,the faculty or judgment is not capable of being the object1 or materia ad quam1 the thing to which we are bound4 ,a man is not bound to be a man1 or to have an intellect1 but is made such4 #c4 ,the faculty of conscience 7that is1 the intellect7 is not capable of being the immediate or nearest subjectum quod1 or subject obliged4 ,the reason is1 ,because the intellect of itself is not a free-working faculty1 but acteth necessarily per modum natur further than it is under the empire of the will2 and therefore intellectual and moral habits are by all men distinguished4 #d4 ,all legal or moral obligation falleth directly upon the will only3 and so upon the person as a voluntary agent2 so that it is proper to say1 ,the will is bound1 and ,the person is bound4 #e4 ,improperly and remotely it may be said1 ,the intellect 7or faculty of conscience7 is bound1 or the tongue1 or hand1 or foot is bound2 as the man is bound to use them4 #f4 ,though it be not proper to say1 ,that the conscience is bound1 it is proper to say1 ,that the man is bound to the act and habit of conscience1 or to the exercise of the faculty4 #g4 ,the common meaning of the phrase1 that we are bound in conscience1 or that conscience is bound1 is that we are bound to a thing by ,god1 or by a divine obligation1 and that it is a sin against ,god to violate it2 so that divines use here to take the word conscience in the narrower theological sense1 as respect to ,god's law and judgment doth enter the definition of it4 #h4 ,taking conscience in this narrower sense1 to ask1 ,whether man's law as man's do bind us in conscience1 is all one as to ask1 ,whether man be ,god4#aab #i4 ,and taking conscience in the large or general sense1 to ask1 ,whether man's laws bind us in conscience subjectively1 is to ask1 ,whether they bind the understanding to know our duty to man8 ,and the tenor of them will show that1 while they bind us to an outward act1 or from an outward act1 it is the man that they bind to or from that act1 and that is1 as he is a rational1 voluntary agent2 so that a human obligation is laid upon the man1 on the will1 and on the intellect1 by human laws4 #aj4 ,and human laws1 while they bind us to or from an outward act1 do thereby bind us as rational free agents1 knowingly to choose or refuse those acts2 nor can a law which is a moral instrument any otherwise bind the hand1 foot1 or tongue1 but by first binding us to choose or refuse it knowingly1 that is1 conscientiously1 so that a human bond is certainly laid on the mind1 soul1 or conscience1 taken in the larger sense4 #aa4 ,taking conscience in the stricter sense1 as including essentially a relation to ,god's obligation1 the full sense of the question plainly is but this1 ,whether it be a sin against ,god to break the laws of man8 ,and thus plain men might easily understand it4 ,and to this it must be answered1 ,that it is in two respects a sin against ,god to break such laws or commands as rulers are authorized by ,god to make2 #a4 ,because ,god commandeth us to obey our rulers3 therefore he that 7so7 obeyeth them not1 sinneth against a law of ,god4 ,god obligeth us in general to obey them in all things which they are authorized by him to command2 but their law determineth of the particular matter2 therefore ,god obligeth us 7in conscience of his law7 to obey them in that particular4 #b4 ,because by making them his officers1 by his commission he hath given them a certain beam of authority1 which is divine as derived from ,god2 therefore they can command us by a power derived from ,god3 therefore to disobey is to sin against a power derived from ,god4 ,and thus the general case is very plain and easy1 ,how man sinneth against ,god in disobeying the laws of man1 and consequently how 7in a tolerable sense of that phrase7 it may be said1 that man's laws do or do not bind the conscience1 7or rather1 bind us in point of conscience17 or by a divine obligation4 ,man is not ,god2 and therefore1 as man1 of himself can lay no divine obligation on us4 ,but man being ,god's officer1 #a4 ,his own law layeth on us an obligation derivatively divine 7for it is no law which hath no obligation1 and it is no authoritative obligation which is not derived from ,god74 #b4 ,and ,god's own law bindeth us to obey man's laws4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,but is it a sin to break every penal law of man8 ,answ4 #a4 ,you must remember that man's law is essentially the signification of man's will2 and therefore obligeth no further than it truly signifieth the ruler's will4 #b4 ,that it is the act of a power derived from ,god2 and therefore no further bindeth1 than it is the exercise of such a power4 #c4 ,that it is given1 #a4 ,finally for ,god's glory and pleasure1 and for the common good 7comprehending the honour of the ruler and the welfare of the society ruled74 ,and therefore obligeth not when it is1 7#a47 ,against ,god4 7#b47 ,or against the common good4 #b4 ,and it is subordinate to ,god's own laws1 7in nature and ,scripture17 and therefore obligeth not to sin1 or to the violation of ,god's law4#aac #d4 ,you must note that laws are made for the government of societies as such universally2 and so are fitted to the common case1 for the common good4 ,and it is not possible but that a law which prescribeth a duty which by accident is so to the most1 should meet with some particular subject to whom the case is so circumstantiated as that the same act would be to him a sin3 and to the same man it may be ordinarily a duty1 and in an extraordinary case a sin4 ,thence it is that in some cases 7as ,lent fasts1 marriages1 c47 rulers oft authorize some persons to grant dispensations in some certain cases3 and hence it is said1 that necessity hath no law4 ,hereupon ,i conclude as followeth3 #a4 ,it is no sin to break a law which is no law1 as being against ,god1 or not authorized by him1 7as of a usurper1 c47 ,see ,r4 ,hooker1 ,conclus4 lib4 viii4 #b4 ,it is no law so far as it is no signification of the true will of the ruler1 whatever the words be3 therefore so far it is no sin to break it4 #c4 ,the will of the ruler is to be judged of1 not only by the words1 but by the ends of government1 and by the rules of humanity4 #d4 ,it being not possible that the ruler in his laws can foresee and name all exceptions1 which may occur1 it is to be supposed that it is his will that the nature of the thing shall be the notifier of his will1 when it cometh to pass2 and that if he were present1 and this case fell out before him1 which the sense and end of the law extendeth not to1 he would say1 ,this is an excepted case4 #e4 ,there is therefore a wide difference between a general law1 and a personal1 particular mandate2 as of a parent to a child1 or a master to a servant2 for this latter fully notifieth the will of the ruler in that very case1 and to that very person4 ,and therefore it cannot be said that here is any exception1 or that it is not his will2 but in a universal or general law1 it is to be supposed that some particular excepted cases will fall out extraordinarily1 though they cannot be named2 and that in those cases1 the ruler's will dispenseth with it4 #f4 ,sometimes also the ruler doth by the mere neglect of pressing or executing his own laws1 permit them to grow obsolete1 and out of use2 and sometimes he forbeareth the execution of them for some time1 or to some sort of persons2 and by so doing1 doth notify that it was not his will that at such a time1 and in such cases1 they should oblige4 ,i say not that all remissness of execution is such a sign2 but sometimes it is3 and the very word of the lawgiver may notify his dispensation or suspending will4 ,as for instance1 upon the burning of ,london1 there were many laws 7about coming to parish churches1 and relief of the poor of the parish1 and the like7 that the people became uncapable of obeying2 and it was to be supposed1 that the ruler's will would have been to have excepted such cases if foreseen2 and that they did dispense with them when they fell out4 #g4 ,sometimes also the penalty of violating a law1 is some such mulct or service1 which the ruler intendeth as a commutation for the duty1 so that he freely leaveth it to the choice of the subject which he will choose4 ,and then it is no sin to pay the mulct1 and omit the action2 because it crosseth not the lawgiver's will4 #h4 ,sometimes also the law may command this principally for some men's sake1 which so little concerns others1 that it should not extend to them at all1 were it not lest the liberty of them should be an impediment to the obedience of others1 and consequently of the common good4 ,in which case1 if those persons so little concerned1 do but omit the action secretly1 so as to be no scandal or public hurt1 it seemeth that they have the implicit consent of the rulers4 #i4 ,sometimes particular duties are commanded with this express exception1 ,unless they have just and reasonable impediment4 ,as for coming every ,lord's day to church1 c42 which seemeth to imply1 that 7though in cases where the public good is concerned1 the person himself shall not be judge1 nor at all as to the penalty1 yet that7 in actions of an indifferent nature in themselves1 this exception is still supposed to be implied1 unless we have just and reasonable impediments1 of which in private cases1 as to the crime1 we may judge4 #aj4 ,i need not mention the common1 natural exceptions3 as that laws bind not to a thing when it becometh naturally impossible2 or cessante materia1 rel capacitate subjecti obligati1 c4 #aa4 ,laws may change their sense in part by the change of the lawgiver2 for the law is not formally to us his law that is dead and was once our ruler1 but his that is alive and is now our ruler4 ,if ,henry the ,eighth make a law about the outward acts of religion1 7as for coming to church1 c47 and this remain unrepealed in ,king ,edward's1 ,queen ,mary's1 ,queen ,elizabeth's1 ,king ,james's days1 c41 even till now2 as we are not to think that the lawgivers had the same sense and will1 so neither that the law hath the same sense and obligation2 for if the general words be capable of several senses1 we must not take it as binding to us in the sense it was made in1 but in the sense of our present lawgivers or rulers1 because it is their law4 #ab4 ,therefore if a law had a special reason for it at the first making1 7as the law for using bows and arrows17 that reason ceasing1 we are to suppose the will of the lawgiver to remit the obligation1 if he urge not the execution1 and renew not the law4 #ac4 ,by these plain principles many particular difficulties may be easily resolved1 which cannot be foreseen and named1 e4 g4 the law against relieving a beggar bindeth not1 when he is like to die if he be not relieved2 or in such a case as after the burning of ,london1 when there was no parish to bring him to4 ,a law that is but for the ordering of men's charity1 7to soul or body1 by preaching or alms17 will not disoblige me from the duties of charity themselves1 in cases where ,scripture or nature proveth them to be imposed by ,god4 ,a law for fasting will not bind me1 when it would be destructive to my body2 even on ,god's sabbaths duties of mercy were to be preferred to rest and sacrifices4 #ad4 ,if ,god's own laws must be thus expounded1 that ,when two duties come together1 and both cannot be done1 the lesser ceaseth at that time to be a duty1 and the greater is to be preferred1 man's laws must also be necessarily so expounded3 and the rather1 because man's laws may be contradictory1 when ,god's never are so1 rightly understood4 #ae4 ,where the subject is to obey1 so far he must discern which of the laws inconsistent is to be preferred2 but in the magistratical execution1 the magistrate or judge must determine4 ,e4 g4 ,one law commandeth that all the needy poor be kept on the parish where they were born or last lived4 ,another law saith1 that nonconformable ministers of the gospel1 who take not the ,oxford oath1 shall not come within five miles of city or corporation1 7though they were born there17 or any place where they have been preachers4 ,in case of necessity what shall they do8 ,answ4 ,whither they shall go for relief1 they must discern as well as they can2 but whither they shall be carried or sent1 the magistrate or constable must discern and judge4 ,also whether he shall go with a constable that by one law bringeth him to a place1 which by the other law he is forbid on pain of six months' imprisonment in the common gaol to come to8 ,answ4 ,if he be not voluntary in it1 it is not his fault3 and if one bring him thither by force1 and another imprison him for being there1 he must patiently suffer it4 #af4 ,but out of such excepted cases1 the laws of our rulers 7as the commands of parents7 do bind us as is afore explained2 and it is a sin against ,god to violate them4 #ag4 ,yea1 when the reason of the law reacheth not our particular case and person1 yet when we have reason to judge1 that it is the ruler's will that all be bound for the sake of some1 and the common order and good will be hindered by our exemption1 we must obey to our corporal detriment1 to avoid the public detriment1 and to promote the public good4 #cf ,nihil ,deo qui omnem mundum hunc regit1 acceptius1 quam concilia ccusque nominum qu civitates appellantur4 ,cicero4 #cg ,grotius de ,imper4 ,sum4 ,potest4 c4 i4 p4 #g1 #h4 ,sunt qui objiciant reges qudam imperare non posse1 nisi consensus ordinum accesserit3 sed hi non vident quibus in locis id juris est1 ibi summum imperium non esse penes reges1 sed aut penes ordines1 aut certe penes id corpus1 quod rex et juncti constituunt1 ut ,bodinus1 ,suarezius1 ,victoria1 aliique1 aliunde demonstrarunt3 certum summum imperium totum1 et aliquid imperare non posse1 ideo tantum quod alter vetet aut intercedat1 plane sunt 4 #ch ,so foolish and bad is the multitude too often1 that it made ,aristippus hold it as probable1 that a wise man should not endanger himself for his country1 because wisdom is not to be cast away for the commodity of fools4 ,laert4 in ,aristip4 ,but a wise man must be wise for others1 and not only for himself4 #ci ,it was one of the ,roman laws of the twelve tables1 ,vendendi filium patri potestas esto4 ,but this law rather giveth the father that power1 than declareth it to be naturally in him4 ,nature alloweth him no other selling of him1 than what is for his child's own good4 #dj ,so p4 #bc4 ,the same error of the original of power hath ,acosta1 #a4 ii4 c4 #b4 p4 #bjh4 with many other ,jesuits and papists4 #da ,bishop ,andrews in ,tortur4 ,tort4 p4 #che4 ,actuus homo non distinguit inter formam1 atque authoritatem regiminis2 forma de hominibus esse potest3 de clo semper est authoritas4 ,an rex sit supra leges1 ,vid4 ,seb4 ,fox4 lib4 ii4 de ,instit4 ,reg4 #db ,dion ,cass4 saith1 that when ,euphates the philosopher would kill himself1 ,veniam dederat ei ,adrianus citra ignominiam et infamiam1 ut cicutam tum propter senectutem1 tum etiam propter gravem morbum1 bibere possit4 ,in vita ,adrian4 #dc ,against the people's being the givers of power1 by conjoining all their own in one1 in church or state1 see ,mr4 ,d4 ,cawdry's ,review of ,mr4 ,hooker's ,survey1 p4 #aed1 c4 #dd ,so lib4 viii4 p4 #baa1 #bah1 #bbj4 #de ,lib4 viii4 p4 #aie4 ,trita in scholis1 neminem sibi imperare posse2 neminem sibi legem posse dicere1 a qua mutata voluntate nequeat recedere3 summum ejus esse imperium qui ordinario jure derogare valeat4 ,et quibus evincitur jus summ potestatis non limitari per legem positivum4 ,hinc et ,augustinus dixit imperatorem non esse subjectum legibus suis4--,grotius de ,imp4 p4 #adi1 #aej4 #df ,hanc video sapientissimorum fuisse sententiam4 ,legem nec hominum ingeniis excogitatam1 nec scitum aliquod esse populorum2 sed ternum quiddam1 quod universum mundum regeret1 imperandi prohibendique sapientia4 ,cicero de ,leg4 #dg ,how considerable a part of ,england is ,london6 ,yet in this convocation1 which hath made the new changes in the liturgy and book of ordination1 ,london had not one clerk of their choosing3 for being to choose but two1 they chose only ,mr4 ,calamy and myself2 who were neither of us accepted1 or ever there4 ,now if your opinion be true2 ,qur4 #a4 ,whether you make not this convocation's decrees to be but counsels to us8 #b4 ,or at least whether the city of ,london1 or the ,london ministers1 be not made free from detriment1 as not consenters8 ,you will free them and me1 especially from detriment for our not conforming to this convocation's acts as such2 upon reasons which ,i do not own myself1 as generally by you laid down4 #dh ,potestas maritalis est a ,deo3 applicatio ejus potestatis ad certam personam ex consensu venit quo tamen ipsum jus non datur4 ,nam si ex consensu daretur1 posset consensu etiam dissolvi matrimonium1 aut conveniri ne maritus fmin imperaret4 ,quod minime verum est4 ,imperatoria potestas non est penes electores3 ergo nec ab ipsis datur2 sed ab ipsis tamen cert person applicatur4 ,jus vit et necis non est penes cives antequam in rempublicam coeant4 ,privatus enim jus vindict non habet3 ab iisdem tamen applicatur ad ctum aut personam aliquam4 ,grotius de ,imperio1 p4 #bgj4 #di ,greg4 ,nazianzen cited by ,bilson of ,subjection1 p4 #cfa4 ,thou reignest together with ,christ2 rulest with him2 thy sword is from him2 thou art the image of ,god4 #ej ,victor4 ,utic4 saith of ,victorianus proconsul of ,carthage1 that even to an ,arian persecuting1 usurping tyrant1 ,pro rebus sibi commissis semper fidelissimus habebatur2 and the like of ,sebastian and others1 p4 #dfj4 #ea ,mark vii4 #aj2 x4 #ai4 #eb ,lamprid4 saith of ,alex4 ,severus that1 ,amavis literatos homines1 vehementer eos etiam reformidans1 nequid de se asperum scriberent4 ,universal4 ,histor4 p4 #acb4 ,tiberius bellua luto et sanguine macerata2 sui tegendi peritissimus artifex2 totus tamen posteritatis oculis patuit1 ,deo hypocrisim detractione larv2 plectente4 #ec ,matt4 xviii4 #f2 ,mark ix4 #db2 ,luke xvii4 #b2 ,jude #g-i4 #ed ,sext4 ,aurel4 ,victor1 de ,calig4 ,de quo nescio an decuerit memori prodi1 nisi forte quia juvat de principibus nosse omnia1 ut improbi saltem fam metu talia declinent4 #ee ,they are dangerous passages which ,petrarch hath1 though a good1 learned1 and moderate man4 ,dial4 #di4 ,non tot passim essent domini nec tam late furerent1 nisi populi insanirent et cuique civium pro se charior foret res privata quam publica2 voluptas quam gloria1 pecunia quam libertas1 vita quam virtus--,et statim--,et sane si vel unum patria civem bonum habeat1 malum dominum diutius non habebit4 ,the meaning is too plain2 abundance of the most learned writers have such passages which must be read with caution2 though ,i would draw none to the other extreme4 ,petrarch's #fh ,dial4 and #he ,dial4 de bono domino1 is as smart as the former2 but yet speaketh not all that contra reges1 which he doth contra dominos4 ,however he says that1 ,inter regem et tyrannum non discernunt ,graii1 c4----,so ,sir ,thomas ,more in his ,poems3 ,regibus e multis regnum bene qui reget unum3 vix tamen unus erit1 si tamen unus erit4 ,and that of ,senec4 ,trag4 ult4 ,tantum ut noceat1 cupit esse potens4-- #ef ,bias interrogatus1 quidnam esset difficile8 ,ferre1 inquit1 fortiter mutationem rerum in deterius4 ,laert4 p4 #ee4 #eg ,phil4 iii4 #g1 #h1 #aa1 #ab4 #eh ,univers4 ,hist4 p4 #adj4 ,dicas imperatorem orbis ,epictetum1 ,neronem mancipium3 irrisum esse summo fastigio1 cum servaret dignus1 imperaret indignus2 nullumque esse malum1 quin aliqua boni gutta cordiatus4 #ei ,numb4 xvi4 #fj ,psal4 xii4 #f1 #g2 ,prov4 xvi4 #ah2 xix4 #ac4 #fa ,matt4 vii4 #a-c4 #fb ,object4 ,si id juris orbis obtineat status religionis erit instabilis2 mutato regis animo religio mutabitur4 ,resp4 ,unicum hic solatium in ,divina est providentia2 omnium animos ,deus in potestate sua habet2 sed speciali quodam modo cor regis in manu ,domini4 ,deus et per bonos et per malos reges opus suum operatur4 ,interdum tranquillitas1 interdum tempestas ecclesi utilior4 ,nempe si pius est qui impepat1 si diligens lector sacr ,scriptur1 si assiduus in precibus1 si ,ecclesi ,catholic reverens1 si peritos attente audiens1 multum per ilium proficit veritas4 ,sin distorto est et corrupto judicio1 pejus id ipsi cedit quam ecclesi4 ,nam ipsum grave manet judicium regis ecclesi1 qui ecclesiam inultam non sinet4 ,grotius de ,imper4 p4 #baj4 ,john xviii4 #cf4 #fc ,dicunt ,stoici1 sapientes non modo liberos esse verum et reges3 cum sit regnum imperium nemini obnoxium1 quod de sapientibus solis asseritur4 ,statuere enim oportere principem de bonis et malis2 hc autem malorum scire neminem4 ,similiter ad magistratus1 et judicia et oratoriam solos illos idoneos1 neminemque malorum4 ,laert4 in ,zenone4 #fd ,eam rempublicam optimam dicunt ,stoici1 qu sit mixta ex regno et populari dominatu1 optimorumque potentia4 ,laert4 in ,zenone4 #fe ,bad people make bad governors3 in most places the people are so wilful and tenacious of their sinful customs1 that the best rulers are not able to reform them4 ,yea many a ruler hath cast off his government1 being wearied with mutinous and obstinate people4 ,plato would not meddle with government in ,athens4 ,quia plebs altis institutis et moribus assueverat4 ,laert4 in ,platone4 ,and many other philosophers that were fittest for government1 refused it on the same account1 through the disobedience of the people4 #ff ,of these things see my propositions of the difference of the magistrate's and pastor's power to ,dr4 ,lud4 ,moul4 #fg ,the ,rex sacrorum among the ,romans1 was debarred from exercising any magistracy4 ,plut4 ,rom4 ,quest4 #fc4 #fh ,see ,bilson of ,subject4 p4 #bch1 #bef4 ,princes only be governors in things and causes ecclesiastical2 that is1 with the sword4 ,but if you infer1 ergo1 ,bishops be no governors in those things1 meaning1 no dispensers1 guiders1 nor directors of those things1 your conclusion is larger1 c4 ,so p4 #bef4 #fi ,it was somewhat far that ,carolus ,magnus went to be actual guide of all in his chapel in reading even in all their stops1 as it is at large declared by ,abbas ,usperg4 ,chron4 pag4 #aha4 #gj ,bishop ,bilson1 pag4 #cac4 ,we grant they must rather hazard their lives1 than baptize princes which believe not1 or distribute the ,lord's mysteries to them that repent not1 but give wilful and open signification of impiety1 c4 ,beda ,hist4 ,eccles4 lib4 ii4 c4 #e1 telleth us1 that ,melitus bishop of ,london1 7with ,justus17 was banished by the heirs of king ,sabereth1 because he would not give them the sacrament of the ,lord's supper1 which they would needs have before they were baptized4 #ga ,bishop ,andrews in ,tort4 ,tort4 p4 #chc4 ,cohibeat ,regem ,diaconus1 si cum indignus sit1 idque palam constet1 accedat tamen ad sacramentum3 cohibeat et medicus si ad noxium quid vel insalubre manum admoveat3 cohibeat et equiso inter equitandum adigat equum per locum prruptum1 vel solebrosum1 cui subsit periculum3 etiamne medico8 etiamne equisoni suo subjectus rex8 ,sed de majori potestate loquitur2 sed ea1 ad rem noxiam procul arcendam4 ,qua in re charitatis semper potestas est maxima4 ,here you see what church government is1 and how kings are under it1 and how not1 in ,bishop ,andrews' sense4 #gb ,bilson1 p4 #cii1 saith1 ,the election of bishops in those days belonged to the people1 and not the prince1 and though ,valens by plain force placed ,lucius there1 yet might the people lawfully reject him as no bishop1 and cleave to ,peter their pastor4 #gc ,too many particular laws about little matters breed contention4 ,alex4 ,severus would have distinguished all orders of men by their apparel3 sed hoc ,ulpiano1 et ,paulo displicuit2 dicentibus plurimum rixarum fore1 si faciles essent homines ad injurias4 ,and the emperor yielded to them4 ,lamprid4 in ,alex4 ,severus4 ,lipsius1 ubi leges mult1 ibi lites mult et vita moresque pravi4 ,non mult leges bonos mores faciunt1 sed pauc fideliter servat4 #gd ,n4 ,b4 ,qu habet ,andrews ,tort4 ,tort4 p4 #caj4 ,quando et apud vos dictio juris exterior1 clavis proprie non sit3 eamque vos multis spe mandatis1 qui liacorum in sorte sunt1 exortes sane sacri ordinis universi4 #ge ,lege ,epist4 ,caroli ,calvi ad ,papam inter ,hinc mari ,rhemensis ,epistolas ,cont4 ,pap ,usurpationes4 ,isidor4 ,hispal4 sent4 iii4 cap4 #ea4 ,cognoscant principes seculi1 ,deo debere se rationem reddere propter ecclesiam quam a ,christo tuendam suspiciunt4 ,nam sive augeatur pax et disciplina ecclesi per fideles principes1 sive solvatur1 ille ab eis rationem exigit1 qui eorum potestati suam ecclesiam credidit4 ,leo ,epist4 ad ,leonem ,imp4 ,debes incunctantur advertere1 regiam potestatem1 tibi non solum ad mundi regimen1 sed maxime ad ecclesi prsidium esse collatam4 ,see the judgment of ,jo4 ,parisiensis1 ,franciscus ,victoria1 and ,widdrington in ,grot4 de ,imper4 pag4 #bc4 ,lege ,lud4 ,molini ,discourse of the ,powers of the ,cardinal ,chigi4 #gf ,perjurii pna divina exitium1 humana dedecus4 ,cicero4 ,agesilaus sent thanks to his enemies for their perjury1 as making then no question of their overthrow4 ,perjuri numinis contemptores4 ,plutarch4 ,theodosius execrabatur cum legisset superbiam dominantium1 prcipue perfidos et ingratos4 ,paul4 ,diaconus1 #a4 #b4 #gg ,see the instance of loyalty in ,mascelzer against his own brother ,gildo 7a rebel74 ,paul4 ,diacon4 lib4 iii4 initio4 #gh ,bilson of ,subject1 p4 #bcf4 ,princes have no right to call or confirm preachers1 but to receive such as be sent of ,god1 and give them liberty for their preaching1 and security for their persons3 and if princes refuse so to do1 ,god's labourers must go forward with that which is commanded them from heaven2 not by disturbing princes from their thrones1 nor invading their realms1 as your holy father doth1 and defendeth he may do2 but by mildly submitting themselves to the powers on earth1 and meekly suffering for the defence of the truth1 what they shall inflict4 ,so he4 #gi ,prov4 xvi4 #g4 #hj ,rom4 xiii4 #a-d2 xi4 #cf4 #ha ,si aliquid2 jusserit proconsul1 aliud jubeat imperator1 nunquid dubitatur1 illo contempto1 illi esse serviendum8 ,ergo si aliud imperator1 aliud jubeat ,deus1 quid judicatur8 ,major potestas ,deus3 da veniam ,o imperator4 ,august1 de ,verb4 ,domin4 ,matth4 ,serm4 #f4 #hb ,vetus est verumque dictum1 ,miser est imperator cui vera reticentur4 ,grotius de ,imp4 p4 #bde4 ,principi consule non dulciora1 sed optima2 is one of ,solon's sentences in ,laert4 de ,solon4 ,therefore it is a horrid villany of the ,jesuits1 which is expressed in ,secret4 ,instruct4 in ,arcanis ,jesuit4 p4 #e-h1 #aa4 ,to indulge great men and princes in those opinions and sins which please them1 and to be on that side that their liberty requireth to keep their favour to the society4 ,so ,maffinus1 #a4 iii4 c4 #aa4 in vita ipsius ,loyol4 ,alexander ,severus so greatly hated flatterers1 that ,lampridius saith1 ,siquis caput flexisset aut blandius aliquid dixisset1 uti adulator1 vel abjiciebatur1 si loci ejus qualitas pateretur2 vel ridebatur ingeuti cachinno1 si ejus dignitas graviori subjacere non posset injuri ,venit ad ,attilam post victoriam ,marullus poeta ejus temporis egregius1 compositumque in adulationem carmen recitavit3 in quo ubi ,attila per interpretem cognovit se ,deum et ,divina stirpe ortum vanissime prdicari1 aspernatus sacrileg adulationis impudentiam1 cum autore carmen exuri jusserat4 ,a qua severitate subinde temperavit1 ne scriptores cteri a laudibus ipsius celebrandis terrerentur4 ,callimach4 ,exp4 in ,attila1 p4 #cec4 #hc ,melch4 ,adam4 in vit4 ,barth4 ,pitisci4 #hd ,it was one of the ,roman laws of the twelve tables1 ,justa imperia sunto1 iisque cives modeste ac sine recusatione parento4 #he ,eccl4 ,polit4 lib4 viii4 p4 #bbd4 #hf ,on second thoughts this case is fullier opened afterward4 #hg ,leg4 qu de ,grotio post1 p4 #gca4 #hh ,so ,hollingshed maketh parliaments so mighty as to take down the greatest kings1 c4 #hi ,as ,aug4 ,traj4 the ,antonines1 c4 ,it is confessed that most historians write much for liberty against tyranny4 ,but the heathens do it much more than the christians4 #ij ,langius saith1 that in his own hearing1 ,jodocus ,prses ,senat4 ,mechlin4 ,magna contentione tuebatur1 neminem posse vel unius legis intelligentiam consequi1 qui quicquam sciret in bonis literis1 et addebat1 vix esse tres in orbe qui leges ,csareas intelligerent4 #ia ,read ,bishop ,andrews ,tort4 ,tort41 ,bishop ,bilson of ,christian ,subjection1 ,robert ,abbot1 ,jewel1 ,field1 c41 who will fully show that true church power is no way injurious to kings4 ,de regum authoritate1 quod ex jure divino non sit ,tortus probat3 asseri enim scriptorum sententia communi3 at nec omnium1 nec optimorum4 ,andr4 ,tort4 ,tort4 p4 #chd4 #ib ,just such occasions as papists bring against the reformers1 did the heathens bring against the christians1 as you may see in ,eunapius in desio4 ,at egregii illi viri et bellicosi confusis perturbatisque rebus omnibus debellasse ,deos incruentis quidem1 sed ab avariti crimine non puris manibus gloriabantur1 sacrilegium et impietatis crimen laudi sibi assumentes1 idem postea in sacra loca invexerunt ,monachos1 sic dictos homines quidem specie1 sed vitam turpem porcorum more exigentes1 qui in popatulo infinita et infanda scelere committebant1 quibus tamen pietatis pars videbatur1 sacri loci reverentiam proculcari4 ,o partiality6 #ic ,rom4 xii4 #ag1 #ai1 #bj2 ,luke vi4 #bh-cj2 ,matt4 v4 #ci-da2 ,luke xx4 #be1 #bf4 #id ,le ,blanc in his ,travels1 p4 #hh1 saith of some heathen kings1 ,they are all jealous of our religion1 holding1 that the christians adore one ,god1 great above the rest1 that will not suffer any others2 and that he sets a greater esteem and value upon innocent1 poor1 and simple people1 than upon the rich1 kings and princes2 and that princes had need to preserve to themselves the affections and esteem of their subjects1 to reign with greater ease4 #ie ,so ,bishop ,bilson of ,subject1 p4 #bdc4 ,princes be supreme2 not in respect that all things be subject to their wills1 which were plain tyranny1 not christian authority3 but that all persons within their realms are bound to obey their laws1 or abide their pains4 ,so p4 #bdb4 #if ,the differences are oft among the lawyers which set the commonwealth on fire1 and then they are charged on divines1 e4 g4 ,grotius de ,imper4 p4 #ee4 ,si arma in eos reges sumpta sunt in quos totum populi jus translatum erat1 ac qui proinde non precario sed proprio jure imperabant1 laudari salva pietate non possunt1 quemcunque tandem prtextum aut eventum habuerint4 ,sin alicubi reges tales fuere qui pactis1 sive positivis legibus1 et senatus alicujus aut ordinum decretis astringerentur1 in hos ut summum imperium non obtinent1 arma ex optimatum tanquam superiorum sententia1 sumi1 justis de causis potuerint4 ,multi enim reges1 etiam qui sanguinis jure succedunt1 reges sunt nomine magis quam imperio--,sed fallit imperitos quod illam quotidianam et maxime in oculos incurrentem rerum administrationem1 qu spe in optimatum statu penes unum est1 ab interiore reipublic constitutione non satis discernunt4 ,quod de regibus dixi1 idem multo magis de iis acceptum volo1 qui et re et nomine non reges sed principes fuere1 h4 e4 non summi1 sed primi4 p4 #ed4 #ig ,jactavit caput inter prcisos phanaticos et genitalia sibi devinxit1 c4 ,lamprid4 #ih ,eunapius saith of his master ,chrysanthius1 that when ,julian had made him1 ,primarium pontificem totius illius ditionis1 in munere tamen suo non morose ac superbe se gessit2 junioribus urgendo haud gravis 7sicut plerique omnes in unum consentientes1 callide ferventerque faciundum censebant72 neque christianis molestus admodum3 quippe tanta erat morum in eo lenitas atque simplicitas1 ut per ,lydiam propemodum ignorata fuerit sacrorum in pristinum restitutio4 ,eo factum est1 ut cum priora aliter cecidissent1 nihil innovatum neque mutatio insignis accepta videretur1 sed prter expectationem cuncta placide sapirentur4 ,moderation in a heathen was his benefit4 #ii ,vestra doctrina est1 nisi princeps vobis ex animo sit1 quantumvis legitimus hres sit1 regno excludi1 alium eligi posse4 ,posse dixi8 immo oportere4 ,hc ,clementina vestra fuit4 ,bishop ,andrews of the ,papists1 ,tort4 ,tort4 p4 #cbg4 #ajj ,so p4 #cha1 #chb4 ,if others do but stand on their guard to keep their lives and families from the bloody rage of their enemies1 seeking to put whole towns and provinces of them to the sword1 against all law and reason1 and to disturb the kingdoms in the minority of the right governors3 or if they defend their ancient and christian liberties1 covenanted and agreed on by those princes1 to whom they first submitted themselves1 and ever since confirmed and allowed by the kings that have succeeded3 if in either of these two cases the godly require their right1 and offer no wrong1 impugn not their princes1 but only save their own lives1 you cry1 ,rebellious heretics1 rebellious ,calvinists1 fury1 frenzy1 mutiny2 and ,i know not what4 ,you may pursue1 depose1 and murder princes1 when the bishop of ,rome biddeth you1 and that without breach of duty1 law1 or conscience1 to ,god or man1 as you vaunt1 though neither life nor limbs of yours be touched4 ,we may not so much as beseech princes that we may be used like subjects1 not like slaves2 like men1 not like beasts1 that we may be convented by laws before judges1 not murdered in corners by inquisitors4 ,we may not so much as hide our heads1 nor pull our necks out of the greedy jaws of that ,romish wolf1 but the foam of your unclean mouth is ready to call us by all the names you can devise4 ,so far ,bilson4 #aja ,rom4 xv4 #a-d4 #ajb ,bishop ,bilson ubi sup4 p4 #bei4 ,as bishops ought to discern which is truth before they teach2 so must the people discern who teacheth right before they believe4 ,pag4 #bfa1 #bfb4 ,princes as well as others must yield obedience to bishops speaking the word of ,god2 but if bishops pass their commission1 and speak beside the word of ,god1 what they list1 both prince and people may despise them4 ,see him further1 p4 #bei-bfb1 proving that all have a judicium discretionis4 #ajc ,cicero saith1 that every good man was in his heart1 or as much as in him lay1 one that killed ,csar4 #ajd #a ,pet4 iv4 #ab4 #aje ,luke xiv4 #i1 #cc4 #ajf ,ungebantur reges non per dominum1 sed qui cteris crudeliores existerent1 et paulo post ab unctoribus non pro veri examinatione1 trucidabantar1 aliis electis trucioribus4 ,gildas de exc4 ,brit4 #ajg ,rom4 xiv42 xv4 #a2 ,gal4 vi4 #a-d2 ,james iii4 #ae-ag2 ,tit4 iii4 #b4 #ajh ,luke xx4 #ah2 ,matt4 xxi4 #db1 #dd2 ,acts iv4 #aa2 #a ,pet4 ii4 #g1 #h2 ,zech4 xii4 #c4 #aji ,read the lives of all the philosophers1 orators1 and famous men of ,greece or ,rome1 and try whether the christians or they were more for monarchy4 ,arcesilaus regum neminem magnopere coluit3 quamobrem legatione ad ,antigonum fungens pro patria1 nihil obtinuit4 ,hesich4 in ,arces4 ,it is one of ,thales's sayings in ,laert4 ,quid difficile8 ,regem vidisse tyrannum senem4 ,chrysippus videtur aspernator regum modice fuisse4 ,quod cum tam multa scripserit 7libros #gje47 nulli unquam regi quicquam adscripserit4 ,seneca saith 7,traged4 de ,here4 fur47 perilously1 ,victima haud ulla amplior potest1 magisque opima mactari ,jovi1 ,quam rex iniquus4 ,cicero pro ,milon4 ,non se obstrinxit scelere siquis tyrannum occidat1 quamvis familiarem4 ,et #e4 ,tusc4 ,nulla nobis cum tyrannis societas est1 neque est contra naturam spoliare eum quem honestum est necare4 ,plura habet similia4 #aaj ,see ,bilson of ,subject1 p4 #ebe1 #ebf4 ,proving from ,chrysostom1 ,hilary1 ,origen1 that pastors may use no force or terror1 but only persuasion1 to recover their wandering sheep4 ,bilson1 ibid4 p4 #eda4 ,parliaments have been kept by the king and his barons1 the clergy wholly excluded1 and yet their acts and statutes good3 and when the bishops were present1 their voices from the ,conquest to this day were never negative4 ,by ,god's law you have nothing to do with making laws for kingdoms and commonwealths3 you may teach1 you may not command3 persuasion is your part1 compulsion is the prince's1 c4 ,thus ,bishop ,bilson4 ,so p4 #ceh4 #aaa #a ,pet4 ii4 #af2 ,gal4 v4 #ac2 #b ,pet4 ii4 #ai2 ,gal4 iv4 #bf2 #b ,cor4 iii4 #ag4 #aab ,having spoken of this controversy1 in my ,life of ,faith1 as an easy thing1 in which ,i thought we were really agreed1 while we seemed to differ1 which ,i called a pitiful case1 some brethren 7who say nothing against the truth of what ,i said7 are offended at me as speaking too confidently1 and calling that so easy which ,bishop ,sanderson and so many others did make a greater matter of2 ,i retract the words1 if they be unsuitable either to the matter or the readers3 but as to the matter and the truth of the words1 ,i desire the reader but to consider how easy a case ,mr4 ,p4 maketh of it1 ,eccl4 ,pol4 and how heinous a matter he maketh of our supposed dissent3 and if after all this it shall appear1 that the nonconformists do not at all differ from ,hooker1 ,bilson1 and the generality of the conformists in this point1 let him that is willing to be represented as odious and intolerable to rulers and to mankind1 for that in which we do not differ1 proceed to backbite me for saying that it is a pitiful case2 and pretending that we are agreed4 #aac ,it is not ,mr4 ,humphrey alone that hath written that laws bind not in conscience to obedience which are against the public good4 ,the greatest casuists say the same1 excepting the case of scandal3 he that would see this in them may choose but these two special authors1 ,bapt4 ,fragos4 de ,regimine ,reipublic1 and ,greg4 ,sayrus in his ,clavis ,regia1 and in them he shall find enough more cited4 ,though ,i think some further cautions would make it more satisfactory4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,directions ,,to ,,lawyers ,,about ,,their ,,duty ,,to ,,god4 ,gentlemen1 you need not meet these directions with the usual censures or suspicions1 that divines are busying themselves with the matters of your calling1 which belong not to them1 and which they do not understand2 you shall see that ,i will as much forbear such matters as you can well desire4 ,if your calling be not to be sanctified by serving ,god in it1 and regulating it by his law1 it is then neither honourable nor desirable4 ,but if it be1 permit me very briefly so far to direct you4#aad ,direct4 ,i4 ,take the whole frame of polity together1 and study each part in its proper place1 and know it in its due relation to the rest2 that is1 understand first the doctrine of polity and laws in genere1 and next the universal polity and laws of ,god in specie2 and then study human polity and laws1 as they stand in their due subordination to the polity and laws of ,god1 as the by-laws of corporations do to the general laws of the land4 ,he that understandeth not what polity and law is in genere1 is unlike to understand what divine or human polity or law is in specie2 he that knoweth not what government is1 and what a community1 and what a politic society is1 will hardly know what a commonwealth or church is3 and he that knoweth not what a commonwealth is in genere1 what is its end1 and what its constitutive parts1 and what the efficient causes1 and what a law1 and judgment1 and execution is1 will study but unhappily the constitution or laws of the kingdom which he liveth in4 ,and he that understandeth not the divine dominium et imperium1 as founded in creation1 7and refounded in redemption17 and man's subjection to his absolute ,lord1 and the universal laws which he hath given in nature and ,scripture to the world1 can never have any true understanding of the polity or laws of any kingdom in particular2 no more than he can well understand the true state of a corporation1 or the power of a mayor1 or justice1 or constable1 who knoweth nothing of the state of the kingdom1 or of the king1 or of his laws4 ,what ridiculous discourses would such a man make of his local polity or laws6 ,he knoweth nothing worth the knowing1 who knoweth not that all kings and states have no power but what is derived from ,god1 and subservient to him2 and are all his officers1 much more below him1 than their justices and officers are to them2 and that their laws are of no force against the laws of ,god1 whether of natural or supernatural revelation4 ,and therefore it is most easy to see1 that he that will be a good lawyer must first be a divine2 and that the atheists that deride or slight divinity1 do but play the fools in all their independent broken studies4 ,a man may be a good divine that is no lawyer1 but he can be no good lawyer that understandeth not theology4 ,therefore let the government and laws of ,god have the first and chiefest place in your studies1 and in all your observation and regard4 #a4 ,because it is the ground of human government1 and the fountain of man's power and laws4 #b4 ,because the divine polity is also the end of human policy2 man's laws being ultimately to promote our obedience to the laws of ,god1 and the honour of his government4 #c4 ,because ,god's laws are the measure and bound of human laws2 against which no man can have power4 #d4 ,because ,god's rewards and punishments are incomparably more regardable than man's2 eternal joy or misery being so much more considerable than temporal peace or suffering2 therefore though it be a dishonour to lawyers to be ignorant of languages1 history1 and other needful parts of learning1 yet it is much more their dishonour to be ignorant of the universal government and laws of ,god4#aae ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,be sure that you make not the getting of money to be your principal end in the exercise of your function2 but the promoting of justice1 for the righting of the just1 and the public good2 and therein the pleasing of the most righteous ,god4#aaf ,for your work can be to you no better than your end4 ,a base end doth debase your work4 ,i deny not1 but your competent gain and maintenance may be your lower end1 but the promoting of justice must be your higher end1 and sought before it4 ,the question is not1 ,whether you seek to live by your calling2 for so may the best2 nor yet1 ,whether you intend the promoting of justice2 for so may the worst 7in some degree74 ,but the question is1 ,which of these you prefer8 and which you first and principally intend8 ,he that looketh chiefly at his worldly gain1 must take that gain instead of ,god's reward1 and look for no more than he chiefly intended2 for that is formally no good work1 which is not intended chiefly to please ,god1 and ,god doth not reward the servants of the world2 nor can any man rationally imagine1 that he should reward a man with happiness hereafter1 for seeking after riches here4 ,and if you say that you look for no reward but riches1 you must look for a punishment worse than poverty2 for the neglecting of ,god and your ultimate end1 is a sin that deserveth the privation of all which you neglect2 and leaveth not your actions in a state of innocent indifferency4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be not counsellors or advocates against ,god1 that is1 against justice1 truth1 or innocency4 ,a bad cause would have no patrons1 if there were no bad or ignorant lawyers4 ,it is a dear-bought fee1 which is got by sinning2 especially by such a wilful1 aggravated sin1 as the deliberate pleading for iniquity1 or opposing of the truth4#aag ,judas's gain and ,ahithophel's counsel will be too hot at last for conscience1 and sooner drive them to hang themselves in the review1 than afford them any true content3 as ,st4 ,james saith to them that he calleth to weep and howl for their approaching misery1 ,your riches are corrupted1 and your garments moth-eaten1 your gold and silver is cankered1 and the rust of them shall be a witness against you1 and shall eat your flesh as it were fire3 ye have heaped treasure together for the last days4 ,whatever you say or do against truth1 and innocency1 and justice1 you do it against ,god himself4 ,and is it not a sad case that among professed christians1 there is no cause so bad but can find an advocate for a fee8 ,i speak not against just counsel to a man that hath a bad cause 7to tell him it is bad1 and persuade him to disown it72 nor do ,i speak against you for pleading against excessive penalties or damages2 for so far your cause is good1 though the main cause of your client was bad2 but he that speaketh or counselleth another for the defence of sin1 or the wronging of the innocent1 or the defrauding another of his right1 and will open his mouth to the injury of the just1 for a little money1 or for a friend1 must try whether that money or friend will save him from the vengeance of the universal ,judge 7unless faith and true repentance1 which will cause confession and restitution1 do prevent it74 ,the ,romans called them thieves1 that by fraud1 or plea1 or judgment got unlawful gain1 and deprived others of their right4 ,lampridius saith of ,alexander ,severus1 ,tanti eum stomachi fuisse in eos judices qui furtorum fama laborassent1 etiamsi damnati non essent1 ut si eos casu aliquo videret1 commotione animi stomachi choleram evomeret1 toto vultu inardescente1 ita ut nihil posset loqui4 ,and afterwards1 ,severissimus judex contra fures1 appellans eosdem quotidianorum scelerum reos1 et solos hostes inimicosque reipublic4 ,adding this instance1 ,eum notarium1 qui falsum caus brevem in consilio imperatorio retulisset1 incisis digitorum nervis1 ita ut nunquam posset scribere1 deportavit4 ,and that he caused ,turinus one of his courtiers to be tied in the market-place to a stake1 and choked to death with smoke1 for taking men's money on pretence of furthering their suits with the emperor2 ,prcone dicente1 ,fumo punitur1 qui vendidit fumum4 ,he strictly prohibited buying of offices1 saying1 ,necesse est ut qui emit1 vendat3 ,ego vere nin patiar mercatores potestatum3 quos si patiar1 damnare non possum4 ,the frowns or favour of man1 or the love of money1 will prove at last a poor defence against his justice whom by injustice you offend4#aah ,the poet could say1 ,justum et tenacem propositi virum1 ,non civium ardor prava jubentium ,non vultus instantis tyranni1 ,mente quatit solida3----,horat4 ,but if men would first be just1 it would not be so hard to bring them to do justly2 saith ,plautus1 ,justa autem ab injustis petere insipientia est3 ,quippe illi iniqui jus ignorant neque tenent4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,make the cause of the innocent as it were your own2 and suffer it not to miscarry through your slothfulness and neglect4#aai ,he is a lover of money more than justice1 that will sweat in the cause of the rich that pay him well1 and will slubber over and starve the cause of the poor1 because he getteth little by them4 ,whatever your place obligeth you to do1 let it be done diligently and with your might2 both in your getting abilities1 and in using them4 ,scvola was wont to say1 7ut lib4 ,pandect4 #db4 tit4 refer47 ,jus civile vigilantibus scriptum est1 non dormientibus4 ,saith ,austin1 ,ignorantia judicis plerumque est calamitas innocentis4 ,and as you look every labourer that you hire should be laborious in your work1 and your physician should be diligent in his employment for your health2 so is it as just that you be diligent for them whose cause you undertake1 and where ,god who is the lover of justice doth require it4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be acquainted with the temptations which most endanger you in your place1 and go continually armed against them with the true remedies1 and with christian faith1 and watchfulness1 and resolution4 ,you will keep your innocency1 and consequently your ,god1 if you see to it that you love nothing better than that which you should keep4 ,no man will chaffer away his commodity for any thing which he judgeth to be worse and less useful to him4 ,know well how little friends or wealth will do you in comparison of ,god1 and you will not hear them when they speak against ,god1 ,luke xiv4 #bf2 xvii4 #cc4 ,when one of his friends was importunate with ,p4 ,rutilius to do him an unjust courtesy1 and angrily said1 ,what use have ,i of thy friendship1 if thou wilt not grant my request8 ,he answered him1 ,and what use have ,i of thy friendship1 if for thy sake ,i must be urged to do unjustly8 ,it is a grave saying of ,plutarch1 ,pulchrum quidem est justitia regnum adipisci3 pulchrum etiam regno justitiam anteponere3 nam virtus alterum ita illustrem reddidit1 ut regno dignus judicaretur2 alterum ita magnum ut id contemneret4 ,plut4 in ,lycurg4 et ,numa4 ,but especially remember who hath said1 ,what shall it profit a man to win all the world1 and lose his soul8 ,and that temptations surprise you not1 be deliberate and take time1 and be not too hasty in owning or opposing a cause or person1 till you are well informed2 as ,seneca saith of anger1 so say ,i here1 ,dandum semper est tempus3 veritatem enim dies aperit4 ,potest pna dilata exigi2 cum non potest exacta revocari4 ,it is more than a shame to say1 ,i was mistaken1 when you have done another man wrong by your temerity4#abj #aad ,legum mihi placet autoritas2 sed earum usus hominum nequitia depravatur3 itaque piguit perdiscere1 quo inhoneste uti nollem1 et honeste vix possem1 etsi vellem4 ,petrarch4 in vita sua4 #aae ,male se rectum putat1 qui regulam summ rectitudinis ignorat4 ,ambros4 de ,offic4 #aaf ,it was an ill time when ,petr4 ,bless4 said1 ,officium officialium est hodie jura confundere1 lites suscitare1 transactiones rescindere1 dilationes innectere1 supprimere veritatem1 fovere mendacium1 qustum sequi1 quitatem vendere1 inhiare actionibus1 versutias concinnare4 #aag ,bias fertur in causis orandis summus atque vehementissimus fuisse1 bonam tamen in partem dicendi vim exercere solitum4 ,laert4 p4 #ec4 ,justum est homines justitiam diligere2 non autem justitiam propter homines postponere4 ,gregor4 ,reg4 ,justitia non novit patrem1 vel matrem2 veritatem novit2 personam non novit2 ,deum imitatur4--,cassian4 ,plutarch saith1 that ,callicratidas being offered a great sum of money 7of which he had great need to pay his seamen7 if he would do an unjust act1 refused3 to whom saith ,cleander his counsellor1 ,ego profecto hc accepissem1 si fuissem ,callicratidas4 ,he answered1 ,ego accepissem1 si fuissem ,cleander4 #aah ,facile est justitiam homini justissimo4 #aai ,vix potest negligere1 qui novit quitatem3 nec facile erroris vitio fordescit1 quem doctrina purgaverit4 ,cassiodor4 #abj ,chilon in ,laert4 p4 #dc4 7mihi7 saith1 ,sibi non esse conscium in tota vita ingratitudinis3 una tamen re se modice moveri1 quod cum semel inter amicos illi judicandum esset1 neque contra jus agere aliquid vellet1 persuaserit amico judicium a se provocaret1 ut si nimirum utrumque et legem et amicum servaret4 ,this was his injustice of which he repented4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,physicians4 ,neither is it my purpose to give any occasion to the learned men of this honourable profession1 to say that ,i intermeddle in the mysteries of their art4 ,i shall only tell them1 and that very briefly1 what ,god and conscience will expect from them4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,be sure that the saving of men's lives and health1 be first and chiefly in your intention1 before any gain or honour of your own4 ,i know you may lawfully have respect both to your maintenance and honour2 but in a second place only1 as a far less good than the lives of men4 ,if money be your ultimate end1 you debase your profession1 which1 as exercised by you1 can be no more to your honour or comfort than your own intention carrieth it4 ,it is more the end than the means that ennobleth or debaseth men2 if gain be the thing which you chiefly seek1 the matter is not very great 7to you7 whether you seek it by medicining men or beasts1 or by lower means than either of them4 ,to others indeed it may be a very great benefit1 whose lives you have been a means to save2 but to yourselves it will be no greater than your intention maketh it4 ,if the honouring and pleasing ,god1 and the public good1 and the saving of men's lives1 be really first and highest in your desires1 then it is ,god that you serve in your profession2 otherwise you do but serve yourselves4 ,and take heed lest you here deceive yourselves1 by thinking that the good of others is your end1 and dearer to you than your gain1 because your reason telleth you it is better and ought to be preferred3 for ,god and the public good are not every man's end1 that can speak highly of them1 and say they should be so4 ,if most of the world do practically prefer their carnal prosperity even before their souls1 while they speak of the world as disgracefully as others1 and call it vanity2 how much more easily may you deceive yourselves1 in preferring your gain before men's lives1 while your tongue can speak contemptuously of gain6 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,be ready to help the poor as well as the rich2 differencing them no further than the public good requireth you to do4 ,let not the health or lives of men be neglected1 because they have no money to give you3 many poor people perish for want of means1 because they are discouraged from going to physicians1 through the emptiness of their purses2 in such a case you must not only help them gratis1 but also appoint the cheapest medicines for them4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,adventure not unnecessarily on things beyond your skill1 but in difficult cases persuade your patients to use the help of abler physicians1 if there be any to be had1 though it be against your own commodity4 ,so far should you be from envying the greater esteem and practice of abler men1 and from all unworthy aspersions or detraction1 that you should do your best to persuade all your patients to seek their counsels1 whenever the danger of their lives or health requireth it4 ,for their lives are of greater value than your gain4 ,so abstruse and conjectural is the business of your profession1 that it requireth very high accomplishments to be a physician indeed4 ,if there concur not1 #a4 ,a natural strength of reason and sagacity2 #b4 ,and a great deal of study1 reading1 and acquaintance with the way of excellent men2 #c4 ,and considerable experience of your own1 to ripen all this2 you have cause to be very fearful and cautelous in your practice1 lest you sacrifice men's lives to your ignorance and temerity4 ,and one man that hath all these accomplishments in a high degree1 may do more good than a hundred smatterers3 and when you are conscious of a defect in any of these1 should not reason and conscience command you to persuade the sick to seek out to those that are abler than yourselves8 ,should men's lives be hazarded1 that you may get by it a little sordid gain8 ,it is so great a doubt whether the ignorant1 unexperienced sort of physicians1 do cure or hurt more1 that it hath brought the vulgar in many countries into a contempt of physicians4#aba ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,depend on ,god for your direction and success4 ,earnestly crave his help and blessing in all your undertakings4 ,without this all your labour is in vain4 ,how easy is it for you to overlook some one thing among a multitude that must be seen1 about the causes and cure of diseases2 unless ,god shall open it to you1 and give you a clear discerning1 and a universal observation6 ,and when twenty considerable things are noted1 a man's life may be lost1 for want of your discerning one point more4 ,what need have you of the help of ,god1 to bring the fittest remedies to your memory6 and much more to bless them when they are administered6 as the experience of your daily practice may inform you 7where atheism hath not made men fools74 ,direct4 ,v4 ,let your continual observation of the fragility of the flesh1 and of man's mortality1 make you more spiritual than other men1 and more industrious in preparing for the life to come1 and greater contemners of the vanities of this world4 ,he that is so frequently among the sick1 and a spectator of the dead and dying1 is utterly unexcusable if he be himself unprepared for his sickness or for death4 ,if the heart be not made better1 when you almost dwell in the house of mourning1 it is a bad and deplorate heart indeed4 ,it is strange that physicians should be so much suspected of atheism as commonly they are2 and religio medici should be a word that signifieth irreligiousness3 sure this conceit was taken up in some more irreligious age or country2 for ,i have oft been very thankful to ,god1 in observing the contrary1 even how many excellent1 pious physicians there have been in most countries where the purity of religion hath appeared1 and how much they promoted the work of reformation2 7such as ,crato1 ,platerus1 ,erastus1 and abundance more that ,i might name27 and in this land and age1 ,i must needs bear witness1 that ,i have known as many physicians religious proportionably as of any one profession1 except the preachers of the gospel4 ,but as no men are more desperately wicked1 than those that are wicked after pious education1 and under the most powerful means of their reformation2 so it is very like that those physicians that are not truly good are very bad2 because they are bad against so much light1 and so many warnings2 and from some of these it is like this censorious proverb came4 ,and indeed man's nature is so apt to be affected with things that are unusual1 and to lose all sense of things that are grown common1 that no men have more need to watch their hearts1 and be afraid of being hardened1 than those that are continually under the most quickening helps and warnings4 ,for it is very easy to grow customary and senseless under them2 and then the danger is1 that there are no better means remaining1 to quicken such a stupid1 hardened heart4 ,whereas those that enjoy such helps but seldom1 are not so apt to lose the sense and benefit of them4 ,the sight of a sick or dying man1 doth usually much awaken those that have such sights but seldom2 but who are more hardened than soldiers and seamen1 that live continually as among the dead8 ,when they have twice or thrice seen the field covered with men's carcasses1 they usually grow more obdurate than any others4 ,and this is it that physicians are in danger of1 and should most carefully avoid4 ,but certainly an atheistical or ungodly physician1 is unexcusably blind4 ,to say1 as some do1 that they study nature so much1 that they are carried away from ,god2 is as if you should say1 they study the work so much1 that they forget the workman2 or1 they look so much on the book1 that they overlook the sense2 or1 that they study medicine so much1 that they forget both the patient and his health4 ,to look into nature and not see ,god1 is as to see the creatures1 and not the light by which we see them2 or to see the trees and houses1 and not to see the earth that beareth them4 ,for ,god is the creating1 conserving1 dirigent1 final ,cause of all4 ,of ,him1 and through ,him1 and to ,him1 are all things2 ,he is all in all4 ,and if they know not that they are the subjects of this ,god1 and have immortal souls1 they are ill proficients in the study of nature1 that know no better the nature of man4 ,to boast of their acquisitions in other sciences1 while they know not what a man is1 or what they are themselves1 is little to the honour of their understandings4 ,you that live still as in the sight of death1 should live as in the sight of another world1 and excel others in spiritual wisdom1 and holiness1 and sobriety1 as your advantages by these quickening helps excel4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,exercise your compassion and charity to men's souls1 as well as to their bodies2 and speak to your patients such words as tend to prepare them for their change4 ,you have excellent opportunities1 if you have hearts to take them4 ,if ever men will hear1 it is when they are sick2 and if ever they will be humbled and serious1 it is when the approach of death constraineth them4 ,they will hear that counsel now with patience1 which they would have despised in their health4 ,a few serious words about the danger of an unregenerate state1 and the necessity of holiness1 and the use of a ,saviour1 and the everlasting state of souls1 for aught you know1 may be blest to their conversion and salvation4 ,and it is much more comfortable for you to save a soul1 than cure the body4 ,think not to excuse yourselves by saying1 ,it is the pastor's duty2 for though it be theirs ex officio1 it is yours also ex charitate4 ,charity bindeth every man1 as he hath opportunity1 to do good to all2 and especially the greatest good4 ,and ,god giveth you opportunity1 by casting them in your way2 the priest and ,levite that passed by the wounded man1 were more to be blamed for not relieving him1 than those that never went that way1 and therefore saw him not1 ,luke x4 #cb4 ,and many a man will send for the physician1 that will not send for the pastor3 and many a one will hear a physician that will despise the pastor4 ,as they reverence their landlords1 because they hold their estates from them1 so do they the physician1 because they think they can do much to save their lives4 ,and alas1 in too many places the pastors either mind not such work1 or are insufficient for it2 or else stand at odds and distance from the people2 so that there is but too much need of your charitable help4 ,remember therefore1 that he that converteth a sinner from the error of his way1 shall save a soul from death1 and shall hide a multitude of sins1 ,james v4 #bj4 ,remember that you are to speak to one that is going into another world1 and must be saved now or never6 ,and that all that ever must be done for his salvation must be presently done1 or it will be too late4 ,pity human nature1 and harden not your hearts against a man in his extreme necessity4 ,o speak a few serious words for his conversion 7if he be one that needs them7 before his soul be past your help1 in the world from which there is no return4 #aba ,as overvaluing men's own understandings in religion1 is the ruin of souls and churches2 so overvaluing men's raw1 unexperienced apprehensions in physic costeth multitudes their lives4 ,i know not whether a few able1 judicious1 experienced physicians cure more or the rest kill more4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,directions ,,to ,,schoolmasters ,,about ,,their ,,duty ,,for ,,their ,,children',s ,,souls4 ,passing by all your grammatical employment1 ,i shall only leave you these brief directions1 for the higher and more noble exercises of your profession4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,determine first rightly of your end2 and then let it be continually in your eye1 and let all your endeavours be directed in order to the attainment of it4 ,if your end be chiefly your own commodity or reputation1 the means will be distorted accordingly1 and your labours perverted1 and your calling corrupted1 and embased1 7to yourselves17 by your perverse intentions4 ,see therefore1 #a4 ,that your ultimate end be the pleasing and glorifying of ,god4 #b4 ,and this by promoting the public good1 by fitting youth for public service4 ,and1 #c4 ,forming their minds to the love and service of their ,maker4 #d4 ,and furthering their salvation1 and their welfare in the world4 ,these noble designs will lift up your minds1 to an industrious and cheerful performance of your duties6 ,he that seeketh great and heavenly things1 will do it with great resolution and alacrity2 when any drowsy1 creeping pace1 and deceitful1 superficial labours1 will satisfy him that hath poor and selfish ends4 ,as ,god will not accept your labours as any service of his1 if your ends be wrong1 so he useth not to give so large a blessing to such men's labours as to others4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,understand the excellency of your calling1 and what fair opportunities you have to promote those noble ends2 and also how great a charge you undertake2 that so you may be kept from sloth and superficialness1 and may be quickened to a diligent discharge of your undertaken trust4 #a4 ,you have not a charge of sheep or oxen1 but of rational creatures4 #b4 ,you have not the care of their bodies1 but of their minds2 you are not to teach them a trade to live by only in the world1 but to inform their minds with the knowledge of their ,maker1 and to cultivate their wits1 and advance their reason1 and fit them for the most man-like conversations4 #c4 ,you have them not 7as pastors7 when they are hardened in sin by prejudice and long custom2 but you have the tenderest twigs to bow1 and the most tractable age to tame2 you have paper to write on 7not wholly white1 but that7 which hath the fewest blots and lines to be expunged4 #d4 ,you have them not as volunteers1 but as obliged to obey you1 and under the correction of the rod2 which with tender age is a great advantage4 #e4 ,you have them not only for your auditors in a general lecture1 7as preachers have them at a sermon17 but in your nearest converse1 where you may teach them as particularly as you please1 and examine their profiting1 and call them daily to account4 #f4 ,you have them not once a week1 7as preachers have them17 but all the week long1 from day to day1 and from morning until night4 #g4 ,you have them at that age1 which doth believe their teachers1 and take all upon trust1 before they are grown up to self-conceitedness1 and to contradict and quarrel with their teachers 7as with their pastors they very ordinarily do74 ,all these are great advantages to your ends4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,labour to take pleasure in your work1 and make it as a recreation1 and take heed of a weary or diverted mind4 #a4 ,to this end consider often what is said above2 think on the excellency of your ends1 and of the worth of souls1 and of the greatness of your advantages4 #b4 ,take all your scholars as committed to your charge by ,jesus ,christ2 as if he had said to you1 ,take these whom ,i have so dearly bought1 and train them up for my church and service4#abb #c4 ,remember what good one scholar may do1 when he cometh to be ripe for the service of the church or commonwealth6 ,how many souls some of them may be a means to save6 ,or if they be but fitted for a private life1 what blessings may they be to their families and neighbours6 ,and remember what a joyful thing it will be1 to see them in heaven with ,christ for ever6 ,how cheerfully should such excellent things be sought6 ,if you take pleasure in your work1 it will not only be an ease and happiness to yourselves1 but greatly further your diligence and success4 ,but when men have a base esteem of their employment1 and look at children as so many swine or sheep1 or have some higher matters in their eye1 and make their schools but the way to some preferment1 or more desired life1 then usually they do their work deceitfully1 and any thing will serve the turn1 because they are weary of it1 and because their hearts are somewhere else4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,seeing it is divinity that teacheth them the beginning and the end of all their other studies1 let it never be omitted or slightly slubbered over1 and thrust into a corner2 but give it the precedency1 and teach it them with greater care and diligence1 than any other part of learning2 especially teach them the catechism and the holy ,scriptures4 ,if you think that this is no part of your work1 few wise men will choose such teachers for their children4 ,if you say as some sectaries1 that children should not be taught to speak holy words1 till they are more capable to understand the sense1 because it is hypocrisy1 or taking the name of ,god in vain2 ,i have answered this before1 and showed that words being the signs1 must be learned in order to the understanding of the sense1 or thing that is signified2 and that this is not to use such words in vain1 how holy soever1 but to the proper end for which they are appointed4 ,both in divine and human learning1 the memories of children must first be furnished in order to the furnishing of their understandings afterwards4 ,and this is a chief point of the master's skill1 that time be not lost1 nor labour frustrated4 ,for the memories of children are as capacious as men's of riper age2 and therefore they should be stored early1 with that which will be useful to them afterwards3 but till they come to some maturity of age1 their judgments are not ripe for information about any high or difficult points4 ,therefore teach them betimes the words of catechisms and some chapters of the ,bible2 and teach them the meaning by degrees as they are capable4 ,and make them perceive that you take this for the best of all their learning4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,besides the forms of catechism1 which you teach them1 speak often to them some serious words1 about their souls1 and the life to come1 in such a plain1 familiar manner1 as tendeth most to the awakening of their consciences1 and making them perceive how greatly what you say concerneth them4 ,a little such familiar serious discourse1 in an interlocutory way1 may go to their hearts1 and never be forgotten2 when mere forms alone are lifeless and unprofitable4 ,abundance of good might be done on children1 if parents and schoolmasters did well perform their parts in this4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,take strict account of their spending the ,lord's day6 how they hear1 and what they remember2 and how they spend the rest of the day4 ,for the right spending of that day1 is of great importance to their souls6 ,and a custom of play and idleness on that day1 doth usually debauch them1 and prepare them for much worse4 ,though they are from under your eye on the ,lord's day1 yet if on ,monday they be called to account1 it will leave an awe upon them in your absence4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,pray with them1 and for them4 ,if ,god give not the increase by the dews of heaven1 and shine not on your labours1 your planting and watering will be all in vain4 ,therefore prayer is as suitable a means as teaching1 to do them good2 and they must go together4 ,he that hath a heart to pray earnestly for his scholars1 shall certainly have himself most comfort in his labours2 and it is likely that he shall do most good to them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,watch over them1 by one another1 when they are behind your backs1 at their sports or converse with each other4 ,for it is abundance of wickedness that children use to learn and practise1 which never cometh to their masters' ears2 especially in some great and public schools4 ,they that came thither to learn sobriety and piety of their masters1 do oftentimes learn profaneness1 and ribaldry1 and cursing1 and swearing1 and scorning1 deriding1 and reviling one another1 of their ungracious school-fellows4 ,and those lessons are so easily learnt1 that there are few children but are infected with some such debauchery1 though their parents and masters watch against it2 and perhaps it never cometh to their knowledge4 ,so also for gaming and robbing orchards1 and fighting with one another1 and reading play-books and romances1 and lying1 and abundance other vices which must be carefully watched against4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,correct them more sharply for sins against ,god1 than for their dulness and failing at their books4 ,though negligence in their learning is not to be indulged1 yet smart should teach them especially to take heed of sinning2 that they may understand that sin is the greatest evil4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,especially curb or cashier the leaders of impiety and rebellion1 who corrupt the rest4 ,there are few great schools but have some that are notoriously debauched2 that glory in their wickedness2 that in filthy talking1 and fighting1 and cursing1 and reviling words1 are the infecters of the rest4 ,and usually they are some of the bigger sort1 that are the greatest fighters1 and master the rest1 and by domineering over them1 and abusing them1 force them both to follow them in their sin and to conceal it4 ,the correcting of such1 or expelling them if incorrigible1 is of great necessity to preserve the rest2 for if they are suffered the rest will be secretly infected and undone1 before the master is aware4 ,this causeth many that have a care of their children's souls1 to be very fearful of sending them to great and public schools1 and rather choose private schools that are freer from that danger2 it being almost of as great concernment to children1 what their companions be1 as what their master is4 #abb ,many of the greatest divines have given ,god great thanks for their schoolmasters1 and left their names on record with honour1 as ,calvin did by ,corderius1 ,beza by ,melchior ,volmarius1 c4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,directions ,,for ,,soldiers1 ,,about ,,their ,,duty ,,in ,,point ,,of ,,conscience4 ,though it is likely that few soldiers will read what ,i shall write for them1 yet for the sake of those few that will1 ,i will do as ,john ,baptist did1 and give them some few necessary directions1 and not omit them as some do1 as if they were a hopeless sort of men4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,be careful to make your peace with ,god1 and live in a continual readiness to die4 ,this being the great duty of every rational man1 you cannot deny it to be especially yours1 whose calling setteth you so frequently in the face of death4 ,though some garrison soldiers are so seldom1 if ever1 put to fight1 that they live more securely than most other men1 yet a soldier1 as such1 being by his place engaged to fight1 ,i must fit my directions to the ordinary condition and expectation of men in that employment4 ,it is a most irrational and worse than beastly negligence1 for any man to live carelessly in an unpreparedness for death1 considering how certain it is1 and how uncertain the time1 and how unconceivably great is the change which it inferreth3 but for a soldier to be unready to die1 who hath such special reason to expect it1 and who listeth himself into a state which is so near it1 this is to live and fight like beasts1 and to be soldiers before you understand what it is to be a christian or a man4 ,first1 therefore1 make sure that your souls are regenerate and reconciled unto ,god by ,christ2 and that when you die1 you have a part in heaven2 and that you are not yet in the state of sin and nature3 an unrenewed unsanctified soul is sure to go to hell1 by what death or in what cause soever he dieth4 ,if such a man be a soldier1 he must be a coward or a madman2 if he will run upon death1 when he knoweth not whither it will send him1 yea1 when hell is certainly the next step1 he is worse than mad3 but if he know and consider the terribleness of such a change1 it must needs make him tremble when he thinks of dying4 ,he can be no good soldier that dare not die2 and who can expect that he should dare to die1 who must be damned when he dieth8 ,reason may command a man to venture upon death2 but no reason will allow him to venture upon hell4 ,i never knew but two sorts of valiant soldiers3 the one was boys1 and brutish1 ignorant sots1 who had no sense of the concernments of their souls2 and the other 7who only were truly valiant7 were those that had made such preparations for eternity1 as1 at least1 persuaded them that it should go well with them when they died4 ,and many a debauched soldier ,i have known1 whose conscience hath made them cowards1 and shift or run away when they should venture upon death1 because they knew they were unready to die1 and were more afraid of hell than of the enemy4 ,he that is fit to be a martyr1 is the fittest man to be a soldier3 he that is regenerate1 and hath laid up his treasure and his hopes in heaven1 and so hath overcome the fears of death1 may be bold as a lion1 and ready for any thing1 and fearless in the greatest perils4 ,for what should he fear1 who hath escaped hell1 and ,god's displeasure1 and hath conquered the king of terrors8 ,but fear is the duty and most rational temper of a guilty soul2 and the more fearless such are1 the more foolish and more miserable4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,be sure you have a warrantable cause and call4 ,in a bad cause it is a dreadful thing to conquer1 or to be conquered4 ,if you conquer1 you are a murderer of all that you kill2 if you are conquered and die in the prosecution of your sin1 ,i need not tell you what you may expect4 ,i know we are here upon a difficulty which must be tenderly handled3 if we make the sovereign power to be the absolute and only judge1 whether the soldier's cause and call be good2 then it would follow1 that it is the duty of all the christian subjects of the ,turk1 to fight against ,christianity as such1 and to destroy all christians when the ,turk commandeth it2 and that all the subjects of other lands are bound to invade this or other such christian kingdoms1 and destroy their kings1 whenever their popish or malicious princes or states shall command them2 which being intolerable consequences1 prove the antecedent to be intolerable4 ,and yet on the other side1 if subjects must be the judges of their cause and call1 the prince shall not be served1 nor the common good secured1 till the interest of the subjects will allow them to discern the goodness of the cause4 ,between these two intolerable consequents1 it is hard to meet with a just discovery of the mean4 ,most run into one of the extremes1 which they take to be the less1 and think that there is no other avoiding of the other4 ,the grand errors in this1 and a hundred like cases1 come from not distinguishing aright the case de esse1 from the case de apparere1 or cognoscere1 and not first determining the former1 as it ought1 before the latter be determined4 ,either the cause which subjects are commanded to fight in1 is really lawful to them1 or it is not4 7,say not here importunely1 ,who shall judge8 ,for we are now but upon the question de esse47 ,if it be not lawful in itself1 but be mere robbery or murder1 then come to the case of evidence2 either this evil is to the subject discernible by just means1 or not3 if it be1 ,i am not able for my part to justify him from the sin1 if he do it1 no more than to have justified the three witnesses1 ,dan4 iii4 if they had bowed down to the golden calf1 or ,dan4 vi4 if he had forborne prayer1 or the apostles1 if they had forborne preaching1 or the soldiers for apprehending and crucifying ,christ1 when their superiors commanded them4 ,for ,god is first to be obeyed and feared4 ,but if the evil of the cause be such1 as the subject cannot by just and ordinary means discern1 then must he come next to examine his call2 and a volunteer unnecessarily he may not be in a doubtful cause3 it is so heinous a sin to murder men1 that no man should unnecessarily venture upon that which may prove to be murder for aught he knoweth4 ,but if you ask what call may make such a doubtful action necessary1 ,i answer1 ,it must be such as warranteth it1 either from the end of the action1 or from the authority of the commander1 or both4 ,and from the end of the action1 the case may be made clear1 ,that if a king should do wrong to a foreign enemy1 and should have the worse cause1 yet if the revenge which that enemy seeketh would be the destruction of the king and country1 or religion1 it is lawful and a duty to fight in the defence of them4 ,and if the king should be the assailant1 or beginner1 that which is an offensive war in him 7for which he himself must answer7 may be but a defensive war in the commanded subjects1 and they be innocent3 even on the highway1 if ,i see a stranger provoke another by giving him the first blow1 yet ,i may be bound to save his life from the fury of the avenging party4 ,but whether1 or how far1 the bare command of a sovereign may warrant the subjects to venture in a doubtful cause1 7supposing the thing lawful in itself1 though they are doubtful17 requireth so much to be said to it1 which civil governors may possibly think me too bold to meddle with1 that ,i think it safest to pass it by2 only saying1 that there are some cases in which the ruler is the only competent judge1 and the doubts of the subject are so unreasonable1 that they will not excuse the sin of his disobedience2 and also1 that the degree of the doubt is oft very considerable in the case4 ,but suppose the cause of the war be really lawful in itself1 and yet the subject is in doubt of it1 yea1 or thinketh otherwise2 then is he in the case1 as other erroneous consciences are1 that is1 entangled in a necessity of sinning1 till he be undeceived1 in case his rulers command his service4 ,but which would be the greater sin1 to do it or not1 the ends and circumstances may do much to determine2 but doubtless in true necessity to save the king and state1 subjects may be compelled to fight in a just cause1 notwithstanding that they mistake it for unjust2 and if the subject have a private discerning judgment1 so far as he is a voluntary agent1 yet the sovereign hath a public determining judgment1 when a neglecter is to be forced to his duty4 ,even as a man that thinketh it unlawful to maintain his wife and children1 may be compelled lawfully to do it4 ,so that it is apparent1 that sometimes the sovereign's cause may be good1 and yet an erroneous conscience may make the soldiers' cause bad1 if they are volunteers1 who run unnecessarily upon that which they take for robbery and murder2 and yet that the higher powers may force even such mistakers to defend their country1 and their governors1 in a case of true necessity4 ,and it is manifest that sometimes the cause of the ruler may be bad1 and yet the cause of the soldier good2 and that sometimes the cause may be bad and sinful to them both1 and sometimes good and lawful unto both4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,when you are doubtful whether your cause and call be good1 it is 7ordinarily7 safest to sit still1 and not to venture in so dangerous a case1 without great deliberation and sufficient evidence to satisfy your consciences4 ,neander might well say of ,solon's law1 which punished them that took not one part or other in a civil war or sedition1 ,admirabilis autem illa atque plane incredibilis1 qu honoribus abdicat eum1 qui orta seditione nullam factionem secutus sit4#abc ,no doubt1 he is a culpable neuter that will not defend his governors and his country1 when he hath a call2 but it is so dreadful a thing to be guilty of the blood and calamities of an unjust war1 that a wise man will rather be abused as a neuter1 than run himself into the danger of such a case4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,when necessity forceth you to go forth in a just war1 do it with such humiliation and unwillingness as beseemeth one that is a patient1 a spectator1 and an actor1 in one of the sorest of ,god's temporal judgments4 ,go not to kill men1 as if you went to a cock-fight1 or a bear-baiting4 ,make not a sport of a common calamity2 be not insensible of the displeasure of ,god1 expressed in so great a judgment4 ,what a sad condition is it to yourselves1 to be employed in destroying others6 ,if they be good1 how sad a thought is it1 that you must kill them6 ,if they are wicked1 how sad is it that by killing them you cut off all their hopes of mercy1 and send them suddenly to hell6 ,how sad an employment is it1 to spoil and undo the poor inhabitants where you come6 to cast them into terrors1 to deprive them of that which they have long been labouring for6 to prepare for famine1 and be like a consuming pestilence where you come6 ,were it but to see such desolations1 it should melt you into compassion2 much more to be the executioners yourselves4 ,how unsuitable a work is it to the grace of love6 ,though ,i doubt not but it is a service which the love of ,god1 our country1 and our rulers1 may sometimes justify and command1 yet 7as to the rulers and masters of the business7 it must be a very clear and great necessity that can warrant a war4 ,and1 as to the soldiers1 they must needs go with great regret1 to kill men by thousands1 whom they love as themselves4 ,he that loveth his neighbour as himself1 and blesseth1 and doth good to his persecuting enemy1 will take it heavily to be employed in killing him1 even when necessity maketh it his duty4 ,but the greatest calamity of war is the perniciousness of it to men's souls4 ,armies are commonly that to the soul1 as a city infected with the plague is to the body2 the very nurseries and academies of pride1 and cruelty1 and drunkenness1 and whoredom1 and robbery1 and licentiousness2 and the bane of piety1 and common civility1 and humanity4 ,not that every soldier cometh to this pass2 the hottest pestilence killeth not all2 but oh how hard is it to keep up a life of faith and godliness in an army6 ,the greatness of their business1 and of their fears and cares1 doth so wholly take up their minds and talk1 that there is scarce any room found for the matters of their souls1 though unspeakably greater4 ,they have seldom leisure to hear a sermon1 and less to pray4 ,the ,lord's day is usually taken up in matters that concern their lives1 and therefore can pretend necessity2 so that it must be a very resolute1 confirmed1 vigilant person1 that is not alienated from ,god4 ,and then it is a course of life1 which giveth great opportunity to the tempter1 and advantage to temptations1 both to errors in judgment1 and viciousness of heart and life2 he that never tried it can hardly conceive how difficult it is to keep up piety and innocency in an army4 ,if you will suppose that there is no difference in the cause1 or the ends and accidents1 ,i take it to be much more desirable to serve ,god in a prison1 than in an army2 and that the condition of a prisoner hath far less in it to tempt the foolish1 or to afflict the wise1 than a military4 7,excepting those whose life in garrisons and lingering wars1 doth little differ from a state of peace47 ,i am not simply against the lawfulness of war2 7nor as ,i conceive1 ,erasmus himself1 though he saw the sinfulness of that sort of men2 and use to speak truly of the horrid wickedness and misery of them that thirst for blood1 or rush on wars without necessity27 but it must be a very extraordinary army1 that is not constituted of wolves and tigers1 and is not unto common honesty and piety the same that a stews or whorehouse is to chastity4 ,and oh how much sweeter is the work of an honest physician that saveth men's lives1 than of a soldier1 whose virtue is shown in destroying them6 or a carpenter's1 or mason's1 that adorneth cities with comely buildings1 than a soldier's that consumeth them by fire6#abd ,direct4 ,v4 ,be sure first that your cause be better than your lives1 and then resolve to venture your lives for them4 ,it is the hazarding of your lives1 which in your calling you undertake2 and therefore be not unprepared for it2 but reckon upon the worst1 and be ready to undergo whatever you undertake4 ,a soldier's life is unfit for one that dare not die4 ,a coward is one of the most pernicious murderers2 he verifieth ,christ's saying in another sense1 he that saveth his life shall lose it4 ,while men stand to it1 it is usually but few that die2 because they quickly daunt the enemy1 and keep him on the defensive part2 but when once they rout1 and run away1 they are slain on heaps1 and fall like leaves in a windy autumn4 ,every coward that pursueth them is imboldened by their fear1 and dare run them through1 or shoot them behind1 that durst not so near have looked them in the face2 and maketh it his sport to kill a fugitive1 or one that layeth down his weapons1 that would fly himself from a daring presence4 ,your cowardly fear betrayeth the cause of your king and country2 it betrayeth the lives of your fellow-soldiers1 while the running of a few affrighted dastards1 lets in ruin upon all the rest2 and it casteth away your own lives1 which you think to save4 ,if you will be soldiers1 resolve to conquer or to die4 ,it is not so much skill or strength that conquereth1 as boldness4 ,it is fear that loseth the day1 and fearlessness that winneth it4 ,the army that standeth to it1 getteth the victory1 though they fight never so weakly2 for if you will not run the enemy will4 ,and if the lives of a few be lost by courage1 it usually saveth the lives of many 7though wisdom still is needful in the conduct74 ,and if the cause be not worth your lives1 you should not meddle with it4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,resolve upon an absolute obedience to your commanders1 in all things consistent with your obedience to ,god1 and the sovereign power4 ,disobedience is no where more intolerable than in an army2 where it is often unfit for a soldier to know the reason of his commands2 and where self-conceitedness and wilfulness are inconsistent with their common safety1 and the lives of many may pay for the disobedience of a few4 ,if you cannot obey1 undertake not to be soldiers4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,especially detest all murmurings1 mutinies1 sidings1 and rebellions4 ,for these are to an army like violent fevers to the body1 or like a fire in a city1 and would make an army the greatest plague to their king and country4 ,how many emperors1 kings1 and commanders have lost their dignities and lives1 by the fury of mutinous1 enraged soldiers6 ,and how many kingdoms and other commonwealths have been thus overthrown1 and betrayed into the enemy's hands6 ,and how many thousands and millions of soldiers have thereby lost their lives6 ,in your discontents and murmuring passions1 you may quickly set the house on fire over your heads1 and when you feel your misery repent too late4 ,passion may begin that which fruitless penitence must end4 ,the leaders of mutinies may easily have many fair pretences to inflame an army into discontents3 they may aggravate many seeming injuries2 they may represent their commanders as odious and unworthy1 by putting an ill appearance on their actions3 but in the end it will appear1 that it was their own advancement which they secretly aimed at1 and the destruction of the present government1 or the soldiers' ruin1 which is like to be the effect4 ,a mutinous army is likest hell of any thing ,i know among ,god's creatures1 and next hell1 there is scarce a worse place for their commanders to be in4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,use not your power or liberty to the robbing1 or oppressing1 or injury of any4 ,though military thieves and oppressors may escape the gallows more than others1 they shall come as soon to hell as any4 ,if you plunder1 and spoil1 and tyrannize over the poor people1 under pretence of supplying your own wants1 there is a ,god in heaven that will hear their cries1 and will avenge them speedily1 though you seem to go scot-free for a time4 ,you may take a pride in domineering over others1 and making yourselves lords by violence of other men's estates1 and when you see none that will question you for it1 you may take that which you have most mind to4 ,but the poor and oppressed have a just ,defender1 who hath a severer punishment for you than the sword or gallows6 ,and though he take you not in the very fact1 and his sentence is not presently executed1 yet be certain of it1 that your day is coming4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,take heed lest custom1 and the frequency of ,god's judgments1 do harden your hearts into a reprobate stupidity4 ,many a man that formerly by the sight of a corpse1 or the groanings of the sick1 was awakened to serious thoughts of his latter end1 when he cometh into an army1 and hath often seen the dead lie scattered on the earth1 and hath often escaped death himself1 groweth utterly senseless1 and taketh blockishness to be valour1 and custom maketh such warnings to be of no effect4 ,you can scarce name a more strange and lamentable proof of the maddening and hardening nature of sin6 that men should be most senseless1 when they are in the greatest danger6 and least fear ,god1 when they are among his dreadful judgments6 and least hear his voice1 when his calls are loudest6 and live as if they should not die1 when they look death so often in the face1 and see so many dead before them6 ,that they should be most regardless of their endless life1 when they are nearest it2 and sense itself hath such notable advantage to tell them of all this6 ,what a monstrous kind of sottish stupidity is this6 ,think whither the soul is gone1 when you see the carcass on the earth2 and think where your own must be for ever4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,take heed of falling into drunkenness and sensuality1 though temptations and liberty be never so great4 ,it is too common with soldiers1 because they are oft put to thirst and wants1 to think they may lawfully pour it in1 when they come at it1 without moderation or restraint3 even as many poor men take a gluttonous meal for no sin1 because they have so many days of hunger2 so is it with such soldiers in their drink3 till drunkenness first have wounded their consciences1 and afterwards grow common1 till it have debauched and seared them2 and then they have drowned religion and reason1 and are turned sottish1 miserable brutes4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,if necessity deprive you of the benefits of ,god's public or stated worship1 see that you labour to repair that loss1 by double diligence in those spiritual duties1 which yet you have opportunity for4 ,if you must march or watch on the ,lord's days1 redeem your other time the more4 ,if you cannot hear sermons1 be not without some profitable book1 and often read it2 and let your meditations be holy1 and your discourses edifying4 ,for these you have opportunities1 if you have hearts4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,take heed that command or successes do not puff you up and make you overvalue yourselves1 and incline you to rebel against your governors4 ,what lamentable effects hath ,england lately seen of this6 ,a silly1 half-witted soldier1 if he be but made a captain1 doth carry it as if he were wiser than the preachers1 or the judge6 as if his dignity had added to his wit6 ,when victories have laid the power at men's feet1 and they think now that none is able to control them1 how few are they that abuse not such success to their undoing1 and are not conquered by the pride of their own hearts1 when they have conquered others6 ,how ordinarily do they mis-expound the providence of ,god1 and think he hath put the government into their hands1 because they have the strength2 and from the histories of former successful rebels1 and the fairness of their opportunity1 encourage themselves to rebel1 and think they do but what is their duty6 ,how easily do they justify themselves in those unlawful deeds1 which impartial by-standers see the evil of6 ,and how easily do they quiet their consciences1 when they have but power enough to raise up flatterers1 and to stop the mouth of wholesome reprehension6 ,how lamentably doth prosperity make them drunk1 and sudden advancement overturn their brains6 ,and their greatness1 together with their pride and fury1 preserveth them from the accesses of wisdom1 and of sober men1 that so their malady may have no remedy3 and there1 like a drunken man1 they rave awhile1 and speak big words1 and lay about them1 and glory in the honour of a pestilence1 that they can kill men2 and we must not speak to them1 till their heads are settled1 and they come to themselves1 and that is not usually till the hand of ,god have laid them lower than it found them1 and then perhaps they will again hear reason2 unless pride hath left their souls as desperate as at last it doth their bodies or estates4 ,the experience of this age may stand on record1 as a teacher to future generations1 what power there is in great successes1 to conquer both reason1 religion1 righteousness1 professions1 vows1 and all obligations to ,god and man1 by puffing up the heart with pride1 and thereby making the understanding drunken4 #abc ,neander in ,chron4 p4 #ajd4 #abd ,and though ,i ignore not that it is a much more fashionable and celebrated practice in young gentlemen to kill men1 than to cure them2 and that mistaken mortals think it to be the noblest exercise of virtue1 to destroy the noblest workmanship of nature1 7and indeed in some few cases1 the requisiteness and danger of destructive valour1 may make its actions become a virtuous patriot17 yet when ,i consider the character given of our great ,master and ,exemplar1 that he went about doing good1 and healing all manner of sicknesses--,i cannot but think such an employment worthy of the very noblest of his disciples4 ,mr4 ,boyle's ,experiment4 ,philos4 p4 #cjc1 #cjd4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,directions ,,against ,,murder4 ,tit4 #a4 ,advice against ,murder4 ,though murder be a sin which human nature and interest do so powerfully rise up against1 that one would think besides the laws of nature1 and the fear of temporal punishment1 there should need no other argument against it2 and though it be a sin which is not frequently committed1 except by soldiers2 yet because man's corrupted heart is liable to it1 and because one sin of such a heinous nature may be more mischievous than many small infirmities1 ,i shall not wholly pass by this sin1 which falls in order here before me4 ,i shall give men no other advice against it1 than only to open to them1 #a4 ,the causes2 #b4 ,the greatness2 and #c4 ,the consequents of the sin4 ,i4 ,the causes of murder1 are either the nearest1 or the more radical and remote4 ,the opening of the nearest sort of causes1 will be but to tell you1 how many ways of murdering the world is used to6 ,and when you know the cause the contrary to it is the prevention4 ,avoid these causes1 and you avoid the sin4 #a4 ,the greatest cause of the cruellest murders is unlawful wars4 ,all that a man killeth in an unlawful war1 he murdereth2 and all that the army killeth1 he that setteth them at work by command or counsel1 is guilty of himself4 ,and therefore1 how dreadful a thing is an unrighteous war6 ,and how much have men need to look about them1 and try every other lawful way1 and suffer long1 before they venture upon war6 ,it is the skill and glory of a soldier1 when he can kill more than other men4 ,he studieth it2 he maketh it the matter of his greatest care1 and valour1 and endeavour2 he goeth through very great difficulties to accomplish it2 this is not like a sudden or involuntary act4 ,thieves and robbers kill single persons2 but soldiers murder thousands at a time3 and because there is none at present to judge them for it1 they wash their hands as if they were innocent1 and sleep as quietly as if the avenger of blood would never come4 ,oh what devils are those counsellors and incendiaries to princes and states1 who stir them up to unlawful wars6 #b4 ,another cause and way of murder1 is by the pride and tyranny of men in power2 when they do it easily1 because they can do it2 when their will and interest is their rule1 and their passion seemeth a sufficient warrant for their injustice4 ,it is not only ,neros1 ,tiberiuses1 ,domitians1 c4 that are guilty of this crying crime2 but oh6 what man that careth for his soul1 had not rather be tormented a thousand years1 than have the blood-guiltiness of a famous1 applauded ,alexander1 or ,csar1 or ,tamerlane1 to answer for6 ,so dangerous a thing is it to have power to do mischief1 that ,uriah may fall by a ,david's guilt1 and ,crispus may be killed by his father ,constantine4 ,oh what abundance of horrid murders do the histories of almost all empires and kingdoms of the world afford us6 ,the maps of the affairs of ,greeks and ,romans1 of ,tartarians1 ,turks1 ,russians1 ,germans1 of heathens and infidels1 of papists and too many protestants1 are drawn out with too many purple lines1 and their histories written in letters of blood4 ,what write the christians of the infidels1 the orthodox of the ,arians1 7,romans1 or ,goths1 or ,vandals17 or the most impartial historians of the mock-catholics of ,rome1 but blood1 blood1 blood4 ,how proudly and loftily doth a tyrant look1 when he telleth the oppressed innocent that displeaseth him1 ,sirrah1 ,i will make you know my power6 ,take him1 imprison him1 rack him1 hang him6 ,or as ,pilate to ,christ1 ,john xix4 #aj1 ,knowest thou not that ,i have power to crucify thee1 and have power to release thee8 ,i will make you know that your life is in my hand3 heat the furnace seven times hotter1 ,dan4 iii4 ,alas1 poor worm6 hast thou power to kill8 ,so hath a toad1 or adder1 or mad dog1 or pestilence1 when ,god permitteth it4 ,hast thou power to kill8 ,but hast thou power also to keep thyself alive8 and to keep thy corpse from rottenness and dust8 and to keep thy soul from paying for it in hell8 or to keep thy conscience from worrying thee for it to all eternity8 ,with how trembling a heart and ghastly look wilt thou at last hear of this1 which now thou gloriest in6 ,the bones and dust of the oppressed innocents1 will be as great and honourable as thine2 and their souls perhaps in rest and joy1 when thine is tormented by infernal furies4 ,when thou art in ,nebuchadnezzar's glory1 what a mercy were it to thee1 if thou mightest be turned out among the beasts1 to prevent thy being turned out among the devils6 ,if killing and destroying be the glory of thy greatness1 the devils are more honourable than thou2 and as thou agreest with them in thy work and glory1 so shalt thou in the reward4 #c4 ,another most heinous cause of murder is1 a malignant enmity against the godly1 and a persecuting1 destructive zeal4 ,what a multitude of innocents hath this consumed6 ,and what innumerable companies of holy souls are still crying for vengeance on these persecutors6 ,the enmity began immediately upon the fall1 between the woman's and the serpent's seed4 ,it showed itself presently in the two first men that were born into the world4 ,a malignant envy against the accepted sacrifice of ,abel1 was able to make his brother to be his murderer4 ,and it is usual with the devil1 to cast some bone of carnal interest also between them1 to heighten the malignant enmity4 ,wicked men are all covetous1 voluptuous1 and proud2 and the doctrine and practice of the godly1 doth contradict them and condemn them3 and they usually espouse some wicked interest1 or engage themselves in some service of the devil1 which the servants of ,christ are bound in their several places and callings to resist4 ,and then not only this resistance1 though it be but by the humblest words or actions1 yea1 the very conceit that they are not for their interest and way1 doth instigate the befooled world to persecution4 ,and thus an ,ishmael and an ,isaac1 an ,esau and a ,jacob1 a ,saul and a ,david1 cannot live together in peace2 ,gal4 iv4 #bi1 ,but as then he that was born after the flesh1 persecuted him that was born after the ,spirit1 even so it is now4 ,saul's interest maketh him think it just to persecute ,david2 and religiously he blesseth those that furthered him2 #a ,sam4 xxiii4 #ba1 ,blessed be ye of the ,lord1 for ye have compassion on me4 ,he justifieth himself in murdering the priests1 because he thought that they helped ,david against him2 and ,doeg seemeth but a dutiful subject1 in executing his bloody command1 #a ,sam4 xxii4 ,and ,shimei thought he might boldly curse him1 #b ,sam4 xvi4 #g1 #h4 ,and he could scarce have charged him with more odious sin1 than to be ,a bloody man1 and a man of ,belial4 ,if the prophet speak against ,jeroboam's political religion1 he will say1 ,lay hold on him1 #a ,kings xiii4 #d4 ,even ,asa will be raging wrathful1 and imprison the prophet that reprehendeth his sin1 #b ,chron4 xvi4 #aj4 ,ahab will feed ,micaiah in a prison with the bread and water of affliction1 if he contradict him1 #a ,kings xxii4 #bg4 ,and even ,jerusalem killed the prophets1 and stoned them which were sent to gather them under the gracious wing of ,christ1 ,matt4 xxiii4 #cg4 ,which of the prophets did they not persecute8 ,acts vii4 #eb4 ,and if you consider but what streams of blood since the death of ,christ and his apostles1 have been shed for the sake of ,christ and righteousness1 it will make you wonder1 that so much cruelty can consist with humanity1 and men and devils should be so like4 ,the same man1 as ,paul1 as soon as he ceaseth to shed the blood of others1 must look in the same way to lose his own4 ,how many thousands were murdered by heathen ,rome in the ten persecutions6 and how many by the ,arian emperors and kings6 and how many by more orthodox princes in their particular distastes6 ,and yet how far hath the pretended vicar of ,christ outdone them all6 ,how many hundred thousands of the ,albigenses1 ,waldenses1 and ,bohemians1 hath the papal rage consumed6 ,two hundred thousand the ,irish murdered in a little space1 to outgo the thirty or forty thousand which the ,french massacre made an end of6 ,the sacrifices offered by their fury in the flames1 in the ,marian persecution here in ,england1 were nothing to what one day hath done in other parts4 ,what volumes can contain the particular histories of them8 ,what a shambles was their inquisition in the ,low ,countries6 ,and what is the employment of it still8 ,so that a doubting man would be inclined to think1 that papal ,rome is the murderous ,babylon1 that doth but consider1 ,how drunken she is with the blood of the saints1 and the martyrs of ,jesus2 and that the blood of saints will be found in her1 in her day of trial1 ,rev4 xvii4 #f2 xviii4 #bd4 ,if we should look over all the rest of the world1 and reckon up the torments and murders of the innocent1 7in ,japan1 and most parts of the world1 wherever ,christianity came17 it may increase your wonder1 that devils and men are still so like4 ,yea1 though there be as loud a testimony in human nature against this bloodiness1 as almost any sin whatsoever2 and though the names of persecutors always stink to following generations1 how proudly soever they carried it for a time2 and though one would think a persecutor should need no cure but his own pride1 that his name may not be left as ,pilate's in the creed1 to be odious in the mouths of the ages that come after him2 yet for all this1 so deep is the enmity1 so potent is the devil1 so blinding a thing is sin1 and interest1 and passion1 that still one generation of persecutors doth succeed the others2 and they kill the present saints1 while they honour the dead ones1 and build them monuments1 and say1 ,if we had lived in the days of our fathers1 we would not have been partakers with them in the prophets' blood4 ,read well ,matt4 xxiii4 #bi1 to the end4 ,what a sea of righteous blood hath malignity and persecuting zeal drawn out6 #d4 ,another cause of murder is1 rash and unrighteous judgment2 when judges are ignorant1 or partial1 or perverted by passion1 or prejudice1 or respect of persons3 but though many an innocent hath suffered this way1 ,i hope among christians1 this is one of the rarest causes4 #e4 ,another way of murder is by oppression and uncharitableness2 when the poor are kept destitute of necessaries to preserve their lives3 though few of them die directly of famine1 yet thousands of them die of those sicknesses which they contract by unwholesome food4 ,and all those are guilty of their death1 either that cause it by oppression1 or that relieve them not when they are able and obliged to it1 ,james v4 #a-e4 #f4 ,another way and cause of murder is1 by thieves and robbers1 that do it to possess themselves of that which is another man's3 when riotousness or idleness hath consumed what they had themselves1 and sloth and pride will not suffer them to labour1 nor sensuality suffer them to endure want1 then they will have it by right or wrong1 whatever it cost them4 ,god's laws or man's1 the gallows or hell1 shall not deter them2 but have it they will1 though they rob and murder1 and are hanged and damned for it4 ,alas6 how dear a purchase do they make6 ,how much easier are their greatest wants1 than the wrath of ,god1 and the pains of hell6 #g4 ,another cause of murder is1 guilt and shame4 ,when wicked people have done some great disgraceful sin1 which will utterly shame them or undo them if it be known1 they are tempted to murder them that know it1 to conceal the crime and save themselves4 ,thus many a whoremonger hath murdered her that he hath committed fornication with2 and many a whore hath murdered her child 7before the birth or after7 to prevent the shame4 ,but how madly do they forget the day1 when both the one and the other will be brought to light6 ,and the righteous ,judge will make them know1 that all their wicked shifts will be their confusion1 because there is no hiding them from him4 #h4 ,another cause is1 furious anger1 which mastereth reason1 and for the present makes them mad2 and drunkenness1 which doth the same4 ,many a one hath killed another in his fury or his drink2 so dangerous is it to suffer reason to lose its power1 and to use ourselves to a ,bedlam course6 ,and so necessary is it1 to get a sober1 meek1 and quiet spirit1 and mortify and master these turbulent and beastly vices4 #i4 ,another cause of murder is1 malice and revenge4 ,when men's own wrongs or sufferings are so great a matter to them1 and they have so little learned to bear them1 that they hate that man that is the cause of them1 and boil with a revengeful desire of his ruin4 ,and this sin hath in it so much of the devil1 that those that are once addicted to it1 are almost wholly at his command4 ,he maketh witches of some1 and murderers of others1 and wretches of all6 who set themselves in the place of ,god1 and will do justice as they call it for themselves1 as if ,god were not just enough to do it4 ,and so sweet is revenge to their furious nature1 7as the damning of men is to the devil17 that revenged they will be1 though they lose their souls by it2 and the impotency and baseness of their spirits is such1 that they say1 ,flesh and blood is unable to bear it4 #aj4 ,another cause of murder is1 a wicked impatience with near relations1 and a hatred of those that should be most dearly loved4 ,thus many men and women have murdered their wives and husbands1 when either adulterous lust hath given up their hearts to another1 or a cross1 impatient1 discontented mind1 hath made them seem intolerable burdens to each other2 and then the devil that destroyed their love and brought them thus far1 will be their teacher in the rest1 and show them how to ease themselves1 till he hath led them to the gallows1 and to hell4 ,how necessary is it to keep in the way of duty1 and abhor and suppress the beginnings of sin6 #aa4 ,and sometimes covetousness hath caused murder1 when one man desireth another man's estate4 ,thus ,ahab came by ,naboth's vineyards to his cost4 ,and many a one desireth the death of another1 whose estate must fall to him at the other's death4 ,thus many a child in heart is guilty of the murder of his parents1 though he actually commit it not2 yea1 a secret gladness when they are dead1 doth show the guilt of some such desires while they were living2 and the very abatement of such moderate mourning1 as natural affection should procure1 7because the estate is thereby come to them as the heirs17 doth show that such are far from innocent4 ,many a ,judas for covetousness hath betrayed another2 many a false witness for covetousness hath sold another's life2 many a thief for covetousness hath taken away another's life1 to get his money2 and many a covetous landlord hath longed for his tenant's death1 and been glad to hear of it2 and many a covetous soldier hath made a trade of killing men for money4 ,so true is it1 ,that the love of money is the root of all evil2 and therefore is one cause of this4 #ab4 ,and ambition is too common a cause of murder1 among the great ones of the world4 ,how many have despatched others out of the world1 because they stood in the way of their advancement6 ,for a long time together it was the ordinary way of rising1 and dying1 to the ,roman and ,greek emperors2 for one to procure the murder of the emperor1 that he might usurp his seat1 and then to be so murdered by another himself2 and every soldier that looked for preferment by the change1 was ready to be an instrument in the fact4 ,and thus hath even the ,roman seat of his mock-holiness1 for a long time and oft received its successors1 by the poison or other murdering of the possessors of the desired place4 ,and alas1 how many thousands hath that see devoured to defend its universal empire1 under the name of the spiritual headship of the church6 ,how many unlawful wars have they raised or cherished1 even against christian emperors and kings6 ,how many thousands have been massacred6 how many assassinated1 as ,henry the ,third1 and ,henry the ,fourth1 of ,france6 besides those that fires and inquisitions have consumed3 and all these have been the flames of pride4 ,yea1 when their fellow-sectaries in ,munster1 and in ,england1 7the anabaptists and seekers17 have catched some of their proud disease1 it hath worked in the same way of blood and cruelty4 ,but besides these twelve great sins1 which are the nearest cause of murder1 there are many more which are yet greater1 and deeper in nature1 which are the roots of all2 especially these3 #a4 ,the first cause is1 the want of true belief of the word of ,god1 and the judgment and punishment to come1 and the want of the knowledge of ,god himself3 atheism and infidelity4 #b4 ,hence cometh the want of the true fear of ,god1 and subjection to his holy laws4 #c4 ,the predominance of selfishness in all the unsanctified1 is the radical inclination to murder1 and all the injustice that is committed4 #d4 ,and the want of charity1 or loving our neighbour as ourselves1 doth bring men near to the execution1 and leaveth little inward restraint4 ,by all this you may see how this sin must be prevented4 7,and let not any man think it a needless work4 ,thousands have been guilty of murder that once thought themselves as far from it as you47 #a4 ,the soul must be possessed with the knowledge of ,god1 and the true belief of his word and judgment4 #b4 ,hereby it must be possessed of the fear of ,god1 and subjection to him4 #c4 ,and the love of ,god must mortify the power of selfishness4 #d4 ,and also must possess us with a true love to our neighbours1 yea1 and enemies for his sake4 #e4 ,and the twelve forementioned causes of murder will be thus destroyed at the root4 ,,ii4 ,and some further help it will be to understand the greatness of this sin4 ,consider therefore1 #a4 ,it is an unlawful destroying1 not only a creature of ,god1 but one of his noblest creatures upon earth6 even one that beareth 7at least1 the natural7 image of ,god4 ,gen4 ix4 #e1 #f1 ,and surely1 your blood of your lives will ,i require2 at the hand of every beast will ,i require it2 and at the hand of man2 at the hand of every man's brother will ,i require the life of man4 ,whoso sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his blood be shed2 for in the image of ,god made he man4 ,yea1 ,god will not only have the beast slain that killeth a man1 but also forbiddeth there the eating of blood1 verse #d1 that man might not be accustomed to cruelty4 #b4 ,it is the opening a door to confusion1 and all calamity in the world2 for if one man may kill another without the sentence of the magistrate1 another may kill him2 and the world will be like mastiffs or mad dogs1 turned all loose on one another1 kill that kill can4 #c4 ,if it be a wicked man that is killed1 it is the sending of a soul to hell1 and cutting off his time of repentance1 and his hopes4 ,if it be a godly man1 it is a depriving of the world of the blessing of a profitable member1 and all that are about him of the benefits of his goodness1 and ,god of the service1 which he was here to have performed4 ,these are enough to infer the dreadful consequents to the murderer1 which are such as these4 ,,iii4 #a4 ,it is a sin which bringeth so great a guilt1 that if it be repented of1 and pardoned1 yet conscience very hardly doth ever attain to peace and quietness in this world2 and if it be unpardoned1 it is enough to make a man his own executioner and tormentor4 #b4 ,it is a sin that seldom escapeth vengeance in this life3 if the law of the land take not away their lives1 as ,god appointeth1 ,gen4 ix4 #f1 ,god useth to follow them with his extraordinary plagues1 and causeth their sin to find them out2 so that the bloodthirsty man doth seldom live out half his days4 ,the treatises purposely written on this subject1 and the experience of all ages1 do give us very wonderful narratives of ,god's judgments1 in the detecting of murderers and bringing them to punishment4 ,they go about awhile like ,cain1 with a terrified conscience1 afraid of every one they see1 till seasonable vengeance give them their reward1 or rather send them to the place where they must receive it4 #c4 ,for it is eternal torment1 under the wrath of ,god1 which is the final punishment which they must expect 7if very great repentance1 and the blood of ,christ1 do not prevent it74 ,there are few ,i think that by shame and terror of conscience1 are not brought to such a repentance for it1 as ,cain and ,judas had1 or as a man that hath brought calamity on himself2 and therefore wish they had never done it1 because of their own unhappiness thereby 7except those persecutors or murderers that are hardened by error1 pride1 or power72 but this will not prevent the vengeance of ,god in their damnation3 it must be a deep repentance proceeding from the love of ,god and man1 and the hatred of sin1 and sense of ,god's displeasure for it1 which is only found in sanctified souls6 ,and alas1 how few murderers ever have the grace to manifest any such renovation and repentance6 ,tit4 #b4 ,advice against ,self-murder4 ,though self-murder be a sin which nature hath as strongly inclined man against1 as any sin in the world that ,i remember1 and therefore ,i shall say but little of it2 yet experience telleth us1 that it is a sin that some persons are in danger of1 and therefore ,i shall not pass it by4 ,the prevention of it lieth in the avoiding of these following causes of it4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,the commonest cause is prevailing melancholy1 which is near to madness2 therefore to prevent this sad disease1 or to cure it if contracted1 and to watch them in the mean time1 is the chief prevention of this sin4 ,though there be much more hope of the salvation of such1 as want the use of their understandings1 because so far it may be called involuntary1 yet it is a very dreadful case1 especially so far as reason remaineth in any power4 ,but it is not more natural for a man in a fever to thirst and rave1 than for melancholy1 at the height1 to incline men to make away themselves4 ,for the disease will let them feel nothing but misery and despair1 and say nothing1 but1 ,i am forsaken1 miserable1 and undone6 ,and not only maketh them weary of their lives1 7even while they are afraid to die17 but the devil hath some great advantage by it1 to urge them to do it2 so that if they pass over a bridge1 he urgeth them to leap into the water2 if they see a knife1 they are presently urged to kill themselves with it2 and feel1 as if it were1 something within them importunately provoking them1 and saying1 ,do it1 do it now2 and giving them no rest4 ,insomuch1 that many of them contrive it1 and cast about secretly how they may accomplish it4 ,though the cure of these poor people belong as much to others' care as to their own1 yet so far as they yet can use their reason1 they must be warned1 #a4 ,to abhor all these suggestions1 and give them not room a moment in their minds4 ,and1 #b4 ,to avoid all occasions of the sin1 and not to be near a knife1 a river1 or any instrument which the devil would have them use in the execution4 ,and1 #c4 ,to open their case to others1 and tell them all1 that they may help to their preservation4 #d4 ,and especially to be willing to use the means1 both physic1 and satisfying counsel1 which tend to cure their disease4 ,and if there be any rooted cause in the mind that was antecedent to the melancholy1 it must be carefully looked to in the cure4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,take heed of worldly trouble and discontent2 for this also is a common cause4 ,either it suddenly casteth men into melancholy1 or without it of itself overturneth their reason1 so far as to make them violently despatch themselves2 especially1 if it fall out in a mind where there is a mixture of these two causes3 #a4 ,unmortified love to any creature4 #b4 ,and an impotent and passionate mind2 their discontent doth cause such unquietness1 that they will furiously go to hell for ease4 ,mortify therefore first your worldly lusts1 and set not too much by any earthly thing3 if you did not foolishly overvalue yourselves1 or your credit1 or your wealth or friends1 there would be nothing to feed your discontent3 make no greater a matter of the world than it deserveth1 and you will make no such great matter of your sufferings4 ,and1 #b4 ,mortify your turbulent passions1 and give not way to ,bedlam fury to overcome your reason4 ,go to ,christ1 to beg and learn to be meek and lowly in spirit1 and then your troubled minds will have rest1 ,matt4 xi4 #bh1 #bi4 ,passionate women1 and such other feeble-spirited persons1 that are easily troubled and hardly quieted and pleased1 have great cause to bend their greatest endeavours to the curing of this impotent temper of mind1 and procuring from ,god such strengthening grace1 as may restore their reason to its power4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,and sometimes sudden passion itself1 without any longer discontent1 hath caused men to make away themselves4 ,mortify therefore and watch over such distracting passions4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,take heed of running into the guilt of any heinous sin4 ,for though you may feel no hurt from it at the present1 when conscience is awakened1 it is so disquieting a thing1 that it maketh many a one hang himself4 ,some grievous sins are so tormenting to the conscience1 that they give many no rest1 till they have brought them to ,judas's or ,ahithophel's end4 ,especially take heed of sinning against conscience1 and of yielding to that for fear of men1 which ,god and conscience charge you to forbear4 ,for the case of many a hundred as well as ,spira1 may tell you into what calamity this may cast you4 ,if man be the master of your religion1 you have no religion2 for what is religion1 but the subjection of the soul to ,god1 especially in the matters of his worship2 and if ,god be subjected to man1 he is taken for no-god4 ,when you worship a god that is inferior to a man1 then you must subject your religion to the will of that man4 ,keep ,god and conscience at peace with you1 if you love yourselves1 though thereby you lose your peace with the world4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,keep up a believing foresight of the state which death will send you to4 ,and then if you have the use of reason1 hell at least will hold your hands1 and make you afraid of venturing upon death4 ,what repentance are you like to have1 when you die in the very act of sin8 and when an unmortified lust or love of the world1 doth hurry you to the halter by sinful discontent8 and what hope of pardon without repentance8 ,how exceeding likely therefore is it1 that whenever you put yourselves out of your present pain and trouble you send your souls to endless torments6 ,and will it ease you to pass from poverty or crosses into hell8 ,or will you damn your souls1 because another wrongeth you8 ,oh the madness of a sinner6 ,who will you think hath wronged you most1 when you feel hell-fire8 ,are you weary of your lives1 and will you go to hell for ease8 ,alas1 how quickly would you be glad to be here again1 in a painfuller condition than that which you were so weary of6 yea1 and to endure it a thousand years6 ,suppose you saw hell before your eyes1 would you leap into it8 ,is not time of repentance a mercy to be valued8 ,yea1 a little reprieve from endless misery is better than nothing4 ,what need you make haste to come to hell8 ,will it not be soon enough1 if you stay thence as long as you can8 ,and why will you throw away your hopes1 and put yourselves past all possibility of recovery1 before ,god put you so himself8 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,understand the wonders of mercy revealed1 and bestowed on mankind in ,jesus ,christ2 and understand the tenor of the covenant of grace4 ,the ignorance of this is it that keepeth a bitter taste upon your spirits2 and maketh you cry out1 ,forsaken and undone2 when such miracles of mercy are wrought for your salvation4 ,and the ignorance of this is it that maketh you foolishly cry out1 ,there is no hope2 the day of grace is past2 it is too late2 ,god will never show me mercy6 ,when his word assureth all that will believe it1 that whoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins1 shall have mercy1 ,prov4 xxviii4 #ac4 ,and if we confess our sins1 he is faithful and just to forgive1 #a ,john i4 #i4 ,and that whoever will1 may freely drink of the waters of life1 ,rev4 xxii4 #ag4 ,and that whoever believeth in him1 shall not perish1 but have everlasting life1 ,john iii4 #af4 ,i have no other hope of my salvation1 but that gospel which promiseth pardon and salvation unto all1 that at any time repent and turn to ,god by faith in ,christ3 and ,i dare lay my salvation on the truth of this1 that ,christ never rejected any sinner1 how great soever1 that at any time in this life was truly willing to come to him1 and to ,god by him4 ,he that cometh unto me ,i will in no wise cast out1 ,john vi4 #cg4 ,but the malicious devil would fain make ,god seem odious to the soul1 and representeth love itself as our enemy1 that we might not love him6 ,despair is such a part of hell1 that if he could bring us to it1 he would think he had us half in hell already3 and then he would urge us to despatch ourselves1 that we might be there indeed1 and our despair might be uncurable4 ,how blind is he that seeth not the devil in all this6 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,directions ,,for ,,the ,,forgiving ,,of ,,enemies1 ,,and ,,those ,,that ,,injure ,,us2 ,,against ,,wrath1 ,,and ,,malice1 ,,and ,,revenge1 ,,and ,,persecution4 ,it is not only actual murder which is forbidden in the sixth commandment1 but also all inordinate wrath1 and malice1 and desires of revenge1 and injuring the person of our neighbour or our enemy3 for so the ,prophet and ,judge of the church hath himself expounded it1 ,matt4 v4 #ba1 #bb4 ,anger hath a hurting inclination1 and malice is a fixed anger1 and revenge is the fruit of both or either of them4 ,he that will be free from injurious actions1 must subdue the wrath and malice which is their cause4 ,heart murders and injuries must be carefully rooted up2 ,for out of the heart proceed all evil thoughts and murders1 c4 ,matt4 xv4 #ai4 ,this is the fire of hell on which an evil tongue is set1 ,jam4 iii4 #f4 ,and this must be quenched if you would be innocent4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,see ,god in your neighbour1 and love him for that of ,god which is upon him4 ,if he be holy1 he hath the moral image of ,god4 ,if he be unholy1 he hath his natural image as he is a man4 ,he is not only ,god's creature1 but his reasonable creature1 and the lord of his inferior works3 and art thou a child of ,god1 and yet canst not see him1 and love him in his works8 ,without ,god he is nothing1 whom thou art so much offended with3 and though there be somewhat in him which is not of ,god1 which may deserve thy hatred1 yet that is not his substance or person3 hate not1 or wrong not that which is of ,god4 ,it would raise in you such a reverence1 as would assuage your wrath1 if you could but see ,god in him that you are displeased with4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,to this end observe more the good which is in your neighbour1 than the evil4 ,malice overlooketh all that is good and amiable1 and can see nothing but that which is bad and detestable3 it hearkeneth more to them that dispraise and open the faults of others1 than to those that praise them and declare their virtues3 nor that good and evil must be confounded2 but the good as well as the evil must be acknowledged4 ,we have more use ourselves for the observation of their virtues than of their faults2 and it is more our duty3 and were it never so little good that is in them1 the right observing of it1 at least would much diminish your dislike4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,learn but to love your neighbour as yourself1 and this will make it easy to you both to forbear him and forgive him4 ,with yourself you are not apt to be so angry4 ,against yourself you bear no malice1 nor desire no revenge that shall do you hurt4 ,as you are angry with yourself penitently for the faults you have committed1 but not so as to desire your own destruction1 or final hurt2 but with such a displeasure as tendeth to your recovery2 so also must you do by others4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,to this end be sure to mortify your selfishness4 ,for it is the inordinate respect that men have to themselves1 which maketh them aggravate the faults of all that are against them1 or offend them4 ,be humble and self-denying1 and you will think yourselves so mean and inconsiderable1 that no fault can be very great1 nor deserve much displeasure1 merely as it is against you4 ,a proud1 self-esteeming man is easily provoked1 and hardly reconciled without great submission2 because he thinketh so highly of himself1 that he thinketh heinously of all that is said or done against him2 and he is so over-dear to himself1 that he is impatient with his adversary4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be not your own judge in cases of settled malice or revenge2 but let some impartial1 sober by-stander be the judge4 ,for a selfish1 passionate1 distempered mind1 is very unlike to judge aright4 ,and most men have so much of these diseases1 that they are very unfit to be judges in their own case4 ,ask first some wise1 impartial man1 whether it be best for thee to be malicious and revengeful against such a one that thou thinkest hath greatly wronged thee1 or rather to love him and forgive him4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,take time to deliberate upon the matter1 and do nothing rashly in the heat of passion against another4 ,wrath and malice will vanish1 if you bring the matter into the light1 and use but those effectual considerations which will show their sinfulness and shame2 ,i shall therefore next here set down some such considerations1 as are most powerful to suppress them4 ,consid4 ,i4 ,remember first1 ,that whoever hath offended you1 hath offended ,god by greater injuries1 and if ,god forgive him the greater1 why should not you forgive the less8 ,the same fault which he did against you1 is a greater crime as against ,god than as against you4 ,and many a hundred more hath he committed4 ,it is a small matter to displease such a worm as man1 in comparison of the displeasing of ,almighty ,god2 and should not his children imitate their heavenly ,father8 ,doth he remit the pains of hell1 and cannot you forbear your passionate revenge8 ,let me ask you1 whether you desire that ,god should forgive him his sins or not8 7both that and all the rest which he hath committed37 if you say1 no1 you are devilish and inhuman1 who would not have ,god forgive a sinner2 if you say1 yea1 you condemn1 yea1 and contradict yourselves1 while you say you would have ,god forgive him1 and yet yourselves will not forgive him4 7,i speak not of necessary correction1 but revenge47 ,consid4 ,,ii4 ,consider also that you have much more yourselves to be forgiven by ,god1 or you are undone for ever4 ,there is no comparison between other men's offences against you1 and your offences against ,god1 either for the number of them1 or the greatness1 or the desert4 ,dost thou owe to ,god ten thousand talents1 and wilt thou lay hold on thy brother for a hundred pence8 ,see then thy doom1 ,matt4 xviii4 #cd2 the tormentors shall exact thy debt to ,god4 ,doth it beseem that man to aggravate or revenge his little injuries1 who deserveth damnation1 and forfeiteth his soul every day and hour8 and hath no hope of his own salvation1 but by the free forgiveness of all his sins8 ,consid4 ,,iii4 ,either thou art thyself a member of ,christ or not4 ,if not1 thou art yet under the guilt of all the sins that ever thou didst commit4 ,and doth it beseem that man to be severe and revengeful against others1 that must forever be damned for his own transgressions1 if a speedy conversion do not prevent it8 ,sure you have somewhat else to think on1 than of your petty injuries from men6 ,but if thou be indeed a member of ,christ1 thy sins are all pardoned by the price of thy ,redeemer's blood6 ,and canst thou feel the sweetness of so great a mercy1 and not feel a strong obligation on thee to forgive thy brother8 ,must ,christ be a sacrifice for thy offences8 and must thy brother1 who offended thee1 be sacrificed to thy wrath8 ,consid4 ,,iv4 ,thou art not forgiven of ,god1 if thou dost not forgive4 ,for1 #a4 ,if ever the love of ,god and the blood of ,christ had come in power upon thy heart1 they would undoubtedly have caused thee to forgive thy brother4 #b4 ,yea1 ,god hath made thy forgiving others to be a condition1 without which he will not finally or plenarily forgive thee4 ,thou hast no warrant to pray or hope for pardon upon any lower terms2 but ,forgive us our trespasses1 as we forgive them that trespass against us2 for if ye forgive not men their trespasses1 neither will your ,father forgive your trespasses1 ,matt4 vi4 #ad1 #ae4 ,likewise1 saith ,christ1 shall my heavenly ,father do also unto you1 7even deliver you to the tormentors17 if from your hearts ye forgive not every one his brother their trespasses1 ,matt4 xviii4 #ce4 ,for he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy1 and mercy rejoiceth against judgment1 ,james ii4 #ac4 ,consid4 ,v4 ,remember also that you have need of forgiveness from others1 as well as they have need of it from you4 ,have you wronged none8 ,have you provoked none8 ,have you not passions which must be pardoned8 and a nature which must be borne with8 ,can so corrupt a creature as man is1 be no annoyance to those he liveth with8 ,sure all the sins which burden yourself1 and displease the ,lord1 must needs be some trouble to all about you3 and he that needeth pardon1 is obliged the more to pardon others4 ,consid4 ,,vi4 ,nay1 it is the unhappiness of all mankind1 that their corruptions will in some measure be injurious to all that they have to do with2 and it is impossible for such distempered sinners to live together1 and not by their mistakes1 or selfishness1 or passions1 to exercise the patience and forbearance of each other4 ,therefore you must either be malicious and revengeful against all mankind1 or else against none on such accounts as are common to all4 ,consid4 ,,vii4 ,observe also how easily you can forgive yourselves1 though you do a thousand-fold more against yourselves1 than ever any enemy did4 ,it is not their wrongs or offences against you that you are in any danger of being damned for2 you shall not suffer for their sins1 but for your own4 ,in the day of judgment1 it is not your sufferings from others1 but your own offences against ,god1 that will be charged upon you3 and if ever you be undone1 it will be by these4 ,men or devils can never do that against you1 which by every sin you do against yourselves4 ,no robber1 no oppressor1 no persecutor1 no deceiver1 can ever hurt you so much as you hurt yourselves4 ,and yet how gently do you take it at your own hands6 ,how easily do you pardon it to yourselves6 ,how lovingly do you think of yourselves6 ,so far are you from malice or revenge against yourselves1 that you can scarce endure to hear plainly of your sins6 but are more inclined to bear malice against those that do reprove you4 ,judge whether this be equal dealing1 and loving your neighbours as yourselves8 ,consid4 ,,viii4 ,consider how great a crime it is1 for a worm to usurp the authority of ,god1 and censure him for not doing justice1 and to presume to anticipate his judgment1 and take the sword as it were out of his hands1 as all do that will be their own avengers4 ,it is the magistrate1 and not you1 that beareth the sword of public justice2 and what he doth not1 ,god will do in his time and way4 ,dearly beloved1 avenge not yourselves1 but rather give place unto wrath2 for it is written1 ,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith the ,lord4 ,therefore if thine enemy hunger1 feed him2 if he thirst1 give him drink2 for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head4 ,be not overcome of evil1 7that is1 the evil that is done against you17 but overcome evil with good1 ,rom4 xii4 #ai-ba4 ,he that becometh a revenger for himself1 doth by his actions as it were say to ,god1 ,thou art unjust1 and dost not do me justice1 and therefore ,i will do it for myself4 ,and shall such an impatient1 blaspheming atheist go unpunished8 ,consid4 ,,ix4 ,consider how much fitter ,god is than you1 to execute revenge and justice on your enemies4 ,he hath the highest authority1 and you have none3 he is impartial and most just1 and you are unrighteous and perverted by selfishness and partiality4 ,he is eternal and omniscient1 and seeth to the end1 and what will be the consequent2 and therefore knoweth the fittest season and degree2 but you are short-sighted creatures1 that see no further than the present day1 and know not what will be to-morrow1 and therefore may be ignorant of a hundred things1 which would stop you and change your counsel if you had foreseen them4 ,he is most wise and good1 and knoweth what is fit for every person1 and how to do good with as little hurt as may be in the doing of it2 but you are ignorant of yourselves1 and blinded by interest and passion1 and are so bad yourselves1 that you are inclined to do hurt to others4 ,at least1 for aught you know1 you may miscarry in your passion1 and come off with guilt and a wounded conscience2 but you may be sure that ,god will not miscarry1 but will do all in perfect wisdom1 and righteousness1 and truth4 ,consid4 ,x4 ,do you not understand that your passion1 malice1 and revenge1 #a4 ,do hurt yourselves much more than they can hurt another1 and1 #b4 ,much more than any other can hurt you8 ,would you be revenged on another2 and will you therefore hurt yourselves8 ,the stone of reproach which you cast at him1 doth fly back into your face1 and wound yourselves4 ,do you feel that the fire of passion and malice are like a scorching fever1 which overthrow your health and quietness1 and fill you full of restlessness and pain8 ,and will you do this against yourselves1 because another hath abused you8 ,did not he that offended you do enough against you8 ,if you would have more1 why are you offended with him8 ,if you would not have more1 why do you inflict it on yourselves8 ,if you love disquietness1 why do you complain of him that doth disquiet you8 ,if you do not1 why do you disquiet yourselves8 and that much more than he can do8 ,he that wrongeth you toucheth but your estates1 or bodies1 or names2 it may be it is but by a blast of wind1 the words of his mouth2 and will you therefore wound yourselves at the very heart8 ,god hath locked up your heart from others2 none can touch that but yourselves4 ,their words1 their wrongs cannot reach your hearts1 unless you open them the door1 yea1 unless it be your own doing4 ,will you take the dagger which pierced but your skin1 and pierce your own hearts with it1 because another so much wronged you8 ,if you do1 blame no one for it so much as yourselves2 blame them for touching your estates or names1 but blame yourselves for all that is at your hearts4 ,and if you might desire another's hurt1 it is folly to hurt yourselves much more1 and to do a greater mischief to yourselves1 that so you may do a less to him4 ,if you rail at him1 or slander or defame him1 you touch but his reputation2 if you trouble him at law1 you touch but his estate2 if you beat him1 it reacheth but to his flesh2 but the passion and guilt is a fire in your own hearts2 and the wrath of ,god which you procure1 doth fall upon your souls for ever6 ,i have heard but of a few that have said openly1 ,i am contented to be damned1 so ,i may but be avenged2 but many thousands speak it by their deeds4 ,and oh how just is their damnation1 who will run into hell that they may hurt another6 ,even as ,i have heard of some passionate wives and children1 who have hanged themselves1 or cut their throats1 to be revenged on their husbands or parents by grieving them4 ,consid4 ,,xi4 ,remember that malice and hurtfulness are the special sins and image of the devil4 ,all sin is from him as the tempter2 but some sins are so eminently his own1 that they may be called the nature and image of the devil2 and those are principally1 rebellion against ,god1 malignity or enmity to good1 pride or self-exaltation1 lying and calumny1 and malice1 hurtfulness1 and murder2 these are above the sins of mere sensuality or carnality1 and most properly denominate men 7in whom they prevail7 the serpent's seed4 ,i speak but as ,christ himself hath spoken1 ,john viii4 #dd1 to those that were esteemed the wisest and most 7ceremoniously7 religious of those times3 ,ye are of your father the devil1 and the lusts of your father ye will do4 ,he was a murderer from the beginning1 and abode not in the truth1 because there is no truth in him4 ,when he speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own3 for he is a liar1 and the father of it4 ,and what pity is it that a man that should bear the image of ,god1 should be transformed as it were into an incarnate devil1 by being like to ,satan1 and bearing his image6 ,consid4 ,,xii4 ,the person that you are angry with1 is either a child of ,god1 or of the devil1 and one that must live either in heaven or hell4 ,if he be a child of ,god1 will not his ,father's interest and image reconcile you to him8 ,will you hate and hurt a member of ,christ8 ,if you have any hope of being saved yourselves1 are you not ashamed to think of meeting him in heaven1 whom you hated and persecuted here on earth8 ,if there were any shame and grief in heaven1 it would overwhelm you there with shame and grief1 to meet those in the union of those blessed joys1 whom you hated and abused4 ,believe unfeignedly that you must dwell with them for ever in the dearest intimacy of eternal love1 and you cannot possibly rage against them1 nor play the devils against those1 with whom you must live in unity before ,god4 ,but if they be wicked men1 and such as must be damned1 7as malice will make you easily believe17 are they not miserable enough already1 in being the slaves of sin and ,satan8 ,and will they not be miserable time enough and long enough in hell8 ,do you thirst to have them tormented before the time8 ,o cruel men6 ,o devilish malice6 ,would you wish them more punishment than hell-fire8 ,can you not patiently endure to see a poor sinner have a little prosperity and ease1 who must lie in everlasting flames8 ,but the truth is1 malicious men are ordinarily atheists1 and never think of another world2 and therefore desire to be the avengers of themselves1 because they believe not that there is any ,god to do it1 or any future judgment and execution to be expected4 ,consid4 ,,xiii4 ,and remember how near both he and you are to death and judgment1 when ,god will judge righteously betwixt you both4 ,there are few so cruelly malicious1 but if they both lay dying they would abate their malice and be easily reconciled1 as remembering that their dust and bones will lie in quietness together1 and malice is a miserable case to appear in before the ,lord4 ,why then do you cherish your vice1 by putting away the day of death from your remembrance8 ,do you not know that you are dying8 ,are a few more days so great a matter with you1 that you will therefore do that because you have a few more days to live1 which else you durst not do or think of8 ,o hearken to the dreadful trumpet of ,god1 which is summoning you all to come away2 and methinks this should sound a retreat to the malicious1 from persecuting those with whom they are going to be judged4 ,god will shortly make the third1 if you will needs be quarrelling6 ,unless it be mastiff dogs or fighting cocks1 there are scarce any creatures but will give over fighting1 if man or beast do come upon them that would destroy or hurt them both4 ,consid4 ,,xiv4 ,wrathful and hurtful creatures are commonly hated and pursued by all2 and loving1 gentle1 harmless1 profitable creatures1 are commonly beloved4 ,and will you make yourselves like wild beasts or vermin1 that all men naturally hate and seek to destroy8 ,if a wolf1 or a fox1 or an adder do but appear1 every man is ready to seek the death of him1 as a hurtful creature1 and an enemy to mankind2 but harmless creatures no one meddleth with 7unless for their own benefit and use73 so if you will be malicious1 hurtful serpents1 that hiss1 and sting1 and trouble others1 you will be the common hatred of the world1 and it will be thought a meritorious work to mischief you2 whereas if you will be loving1 kind1 and profitable1 it will be taken to be men's interest to love you1 and desire your good4 ,consid4 ,,xv4 ,observe how you unfit yourselves for all holy duties1 and communion with ,god1 while you cherish wrath and malice in your hearts4 ,do you find yourselves fit for meditation1 conference1 or prayer while you are in wrath8 ,i know you cannot3 it both undisposeth you to the duty1 and the guilt affrighteth you1 and telleth you that you are unfit to come near to ,god4 ,as a fever taketh away a man's appetite to his meat1 and his disposition to labour1 so doth wrath and malice destroy both your disposition to holy duties1 and your pleasure in them4 ,and conscience will tell you that it is so terrible to draw near ,god in such a case1 that you will be readier 7were it possible7 to hide yourselves as ,adam and ,eve1 or fly as ,cain1 as not enduring the presence of ,god4 ,and therefore the ,common-prayer book1 above all other sins1 enableth the pastor to keep away the malicious from the sacrament of communion2 and conscience maketh many that have little conscience in any thing else1 that they dare not come to that sacrament1 while wrath and malice are in their breasts3 and ,christ himself saith1 ,if thou bring thy gift unto the altar1 and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee2 leave there thy gift before the altar1 and go thy way1 first be reconciled to thy brother1 and then come and offer thy gift4 ,agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him1 lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge1 and the judge deliver thee to the officer1 and thou be cast into prison1 c4 ,matt4 v4 #bc-be4 ,consid4 ,,xvi4 ,and your sin is aggravated1 in that you hinder the good of those that you are offended with1 and also provoke them to add sin to sin1 and to be as furious and uncharitable as yourselves4 ,if your neighbour be not faulty1 why are you so displeased with him8 ,if he be1 why will you make him worse8 ,will you bring him to amendment by hatred or cruelty8 ,do you think one vice will cure another8 ,or is any man like to hearken to the counsel of an enemy8 or to love the words of one that hateth him8 ,is malice and fierceness an attractive thing8 ,or rather is it not the way to drive men further from their duty1 and into sin1 by driving them from you who pretend to reform them by such unlikely1 contrary means as these8 ,and as you do your worst to harden them in their faults1 and to make them hate whatever you would persuade them to2 so at present you seek to kindle in their breasts the same fire of malice or passion which is kindled in yourselves4 ,as love is the most effectual way to cause love2 so passion is the most effectual cause of passion1 and malice is the most effectual cause of malice1 and hurting another is the powerfullest means to provoke him to hurt you again if he be able2 and weak things are ofttimes able to do hurt1 when injuries boil up their passions to the height1 or make them desperate4 ,if your sinful provocations fill him also with rage1 and make him curse1 or swear1 or rail1 or plot revenge1 or do you a mischief1 you are guilty of this sin1 and have a hand in the damnation of his soul1 as much as in you lieth4 ,consid4 ,,xvii4 ,consider how much fitter means there are at hand to right yourself1 and attain any ends that are good1 than by passion1 malice1 or revenge4 ,if your end be nothing but to do mischief1 and make another miserable1 you are to the world as mad dogs1 and wolves1 and serpents to the country2 and they that know you1 will be as glad when the world is rid of you1 as when an adder or a toad is killed4 ,but if your end be only to right yourselves1 and to reclaim your enemy1 or reform your brother1 fury and revenge is not the way4 ,god hath appointed governors to do justice in commonwealths and families1 and to those you may repair1 and not take upon you to revenge yourselves4 ,and ,god himself is the most righteous ,governor of all the world1 and to him you may confidently refer the case1 when magistrates and rulers fail you2 and his judgment will be soon enough and severe enough4 ,and if you would rather have your neighbour reclaimed than destroyed1 it is love and gentleness that is the way1 with peaceable convictions1 and such reasonings as show that you desire his good4 ,overcome him with kindness1 if you would melt him into repentance1 and heap coals of fire on his head4 ,if thy enemy hunger1 feed him2 if he thirst1 give him drink3 this is overcoming evil with good 7and not by beastly fury to overcome him72 but when you are drawn to sinful passion and revenge1 you are overcome of evil1 ,rom4 xii4 #ai-ba4 ,if you would do good1 it must be by good1 and not by evil4 ,consid4 ,,xviii4 ,remember also how little you are concerned in the words or actions of other men towards you1 in comparison of your carriage to yourselves and them4 ,you have greater matters to mind1 than your little sufferings by them2 even the preserving of your innocency and your peace with ,god4 ,it is your own actions1 and not theirs1 that you must answer for4 ,you shall not be condemned for suffering wrong1 but for doing wrong you may4 ,all their injuries against you make you not the less esteemed of ,god1 and therefore diminish not your felicity3 it is themselves that they mortally wound1 even to damnation1 if they impenitently oppress another3 keep yourselves and you keep your salvation1 whatever others do against you4 ,consid4 ,,xix4 ,remember that injuries are your trials and temptations2 ,god trieth you by them1 and ,satan tempteth you by them4 ,god trieth your love1 and patience1 and obedience2 that you may be perfect as your heavenly ,father is perfect1 and may be indeed his children1 while you love your enemies1 and bless them that curse you1 and do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you1 ,matt4 v4 #dd1 #de2 and being tried you may receive the crown of life1 ,james i4 #c1 #d1 #ab4 ,and ,satan on the other side is at work1 to try whether he can draw you by injuries to impatiency1 and to hatred1 malice1 revenge1 or cruelty1 and so damn your souls by the hurting of your bodies4 ,and when you foreknow his design1 will you let him overcome8 ,hear every provoking word that is given you1 and every injury that is done unto you1 as if a messenger from ,satan were sent to buffet you1 or to speak that provoking language in his name2 and as if he said to you1 ,i come from the devil to call thee all that is naught and to abuse thee1 and to try whether ,i can thus provoke thee to passion1 malice1 railing1 or revenge1 to sin against ,god and damn thy soul4 ,if you knew one came to you from the devil on this errand1 tell me how you would entertain him4 ,and do you not know that this is indeed the case8 ,fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer3 behold1 the devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried1 and ye shall have tribulation ten days2 be thou faithful to the death and ,i will give thee a crown of life1 ,rev4 ii4 #aj4 ,as trying imprisonments1 so all other trying injuries are from the devil by ,god's permission1 whoever be his instruments2 and will you be overcome by him when you foreknow the end of his attempts8 ,consid4 ,,xx4 ,lastly1 set before you the example of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 see whether he was addicted to wrath and malice1 hurtfulness or revenge4 ,if you will not imitate him1 you are none of his disciples2 nor will he be your ,saviour4 ,a serious view of the holy pattern of love1 and meekness1 and patience1 and forgiveness1 which is set before us in the life of ,christ1 is a most powerful remedy against malice and revenge2 and will cure it1 if any thing will cure it4 ,phil4 ii4 #e-g1 ,let this mind be in you1 which was also in ,christ ,jesus1 who being in the form of ,god1--yet made himself of no reputation1 and took upon him the form of a servant4 #a ,pet4 iv4 #a1 ,forasmuch then as ,christ hath suffered in the flesh1 arm yourselves likewise with the same mind4 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ai-be1 ,for this is thankworthy1 if a man for conscience toward ,god1 endure grief1 suffering wrongfully2 for what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults1 ye shall take it patiently3 but if when ye do well and suffer for it1 ye take it patiently1 this is acceptable with ,god4 ,for even hereunto were ye called2 because ,christ also suffered for us1 leaving us an ensample that ye should follow in his steps2 who did no sin1 neither was guile found in his mouth2 who when he was reviled1 reviled not again2 when he suffered1 he threatened not1 but committed it to him that judgeth righteously4 ,think not to live and reign with ,christ1 if you will not follow him1 and suffer with him4 ,it is impudent presumption1 and not faith1 to look to be like the saints in glory1 while you are like the devil in malice and cruelty4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,cases ,,resolved ,,about ,,forgiving ,,injuries ,,and ,,debts1 ,,and ,,about ,,self-,,defence1 ,,and ,,seeking ,,right ,,by ,,law ,,or ,,otherwise4 ,the cases about forgiving1 and revenging1 are many1 and some of them difficult3 ,i shall resolve those of ordinary use in our practice1 and pass by the rest4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is a man bound to forgive all injuries and damages that are done him8 ,if not1 what injuries be they which every man is obliged to forgive8 ,answ4 ,to both these questions ,i briefly answer1 #a4 ,we must distinguish between a crime or sin against ,god1 and the common good2 and an injury or damage to ourselves4 #b4 ,and between public justice and private revenge4 #c4 ,and between those damages which fall upon myself only1 and those that by me redound to others1 7as wife or children1 c47 #d4 ,and between the remitting of a punishment1 and the remitting of reparations of my loss4 #e4 ,and between the various punishments to be remitted4 ,he that will confound any of these shall sooner deceive himself and others1 than resolve the doubts4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,it frequently falleth out1 that it is not in our power to remit the penalty of a crime2 no1 not the temporal penalty4 ,for this is a wrong to ,god the universal ,governor1 and ,god only can forgive it1 and man no further than ,god hath commissioned him4 ,murder1 whoredom1 drunkenness1 swearing1 c4 as they are sins against ,god1 the magistrate is bound to punish1 and private men to endeavour it by the magistrate4 ,and if it may be said1 that the sovereign ruler of a nation hath power to forgive such crimes1 the meaning is no more than this3 #a4 ,that as to the species of these sins1 if he do forgive the temporal punishment which in his office he should have inflicted1 yet no human power can question him for it1 because he hath none on earth above him2 but yet ,god will question him1 and show him that he had no power to dispense with his laws1 nor disoblige himself from his duty4 #b4 ,and that in some cases an individual crime may be forgiven by the magistrate as to the temporal punishment1 even where the ends of the law and government require it2 but this must not be ordinary4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,it is not always in the power of the magistrate to remit the temporal punishment of heinous crimes1 against the common good4 ,because it is ordinarily necessary to the common good that they be punished2 and his power is for the common good1 and not against it4 ,the enemies of the public peace must by punishment be restrained4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,much less is it in the power of a private man to remit a penalty to be inflicted by a magistrate4 ,and what ,i say of magistrates1 holdeth of parents1 and other governors1 cteris paribus1 according to the proportion of their authority4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,i may by just means exact satisfaction for damages to myself1 in my reputation or estate1 when the ends of christianity1 even the honour of ,god1 and the public good1 and the benefit of men's souls1 require it2 that is1 when ,i only vindicate these by lawful means1 as they are the talents which ,god hath committed to me for his service1 and for which he will call me to account4 ,it may fall out that the vindicating of a minister's or other christian's name from a slander1 may become very needful for the interest and honour of religion1 and for the good of many souls4 ,and if ,i have an estate which ,i resolve to use for ,god1 and a thief or a deceiver take it from me1 who will do no good with it but hurt1 ,i may be bound to vindicate it2 that ,i may be enabled to do good1 and may give ,god a comfortable account of my stewardship2 besides the suppressing of thievery and deceit1 as they are against the common good4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,when my estate is not entirely my own1 but wife or child or any other is a sharer in it1 it is not wholly in my power to remit any debt or damage out of it1 but ,i must have the consent of them that are joint-owners2 unless ,i be intrusted for them4 ,prop4 ,,vi4 ,if ,i be primarily obliged to maintain wife and children1 or any others1 with my estate1 ,i am bound on their behalf to use all just means to vindicate it from any that shall injuriously invade it2 otherwise ,i am guilty of their sufferings whom ,i should maintain2 ,i may no more suffer a thief than a dog to go away with my children's meat4 ,prop4 ,,vii4 ,and as ,i must vindicate my estate for others to whom ,i am intrusted to administer it by ,god1 so must ,i for myself also1 so far as ,god would have me use it myself4 ,for he that hath charged me to provide for my family1 requireth also that ,i famish not myself2 and he hath required me to love my neighbour but as myself2 and therefore as ,i am bound to vindicate and help my neighbour if a thief or oppressor would rob him1 7according to my place and power17 so must ,i do also for myself4 ,in all these seven cases ,i am not obliged to forgive4 ,but on the other side1 in all these cases following1 ,i am bound to forgive and let go my right4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,as the church may declare to penitent sinners1 the remission of the eternal punishment1 so may it remit the temporal punishment of excommunication1 to the penitent2 yea1 this they are obliged by ,christ to do1 ministerially1 as under him4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,when the repentance and satisfaction of the sinner is like to conduce more to the public good1 and the honour of ,god1 and other ends of government1 than his punishment would do1 a private man may not be obliged to prosecute him before the magistrate1 and the magistrate hath power to forgive him as to the penalty which it belongeth to him to inflict4 7,though this may not extend to the remitting of crimes ordinarily and frequently1 nor to the remitting of some sort of heinous crimes at all2 because this cannot attain the ends of government as aforesaid47 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,all personal wrongs1 so far as they are merely against myself1 and disable me not from my duty to ,god and my neighbour1 ,i may and must forgive3 for my own interest is put more in my own power2 and here it is that ,i am commanded to forgive4 ,if you say that ,i am bound to preserve my own life and soul as much as another's2 ,i answer1 it is true1 ,i am bound to preserve my own and another's ultimately for the service and glory of ,god2 and ,god's interest in me ,i cannot remit or give away4 ,as there is no obligation to duty but what is originally from ,god1 so there is none but what is ultimately for ,god1 even to please and glorify him4 ,object4 ,but if this be all1 ,i shall forgive no wrongs2 for there is none which doth not some way hinder me in my duty4 ,answ4 ,yes1 there may be many to your body1 your estate1 and name1 which yet may be no disablement or hinderance to you1 except you make it so yourself3 as if you receive a box on the ear1 or be slandered or reviled where none heareth it but yourself1 or such as will make no evil use of it1 or if a little be diminished injuriously out of a superfluous estate1 or so as to be employed as well as you would have done4 #b4 ,but ,i further answer this objection in the next propositions4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,if my patient suffering a personal injury1 which somewhat hindereth me from my duty1 be like to be as great a service to ,god1 or to do more good1 than by that duty ,i should do1 ,i ought to pass by and forgive that injury2 because then ,god's interest obligeth me not to vindicate my right4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,if when ,i am injured1 and thereby disabled from doing some good which ,i should else have done1 ,i am not able by seeking reparation or the punishment of the person1 to recover my capacity1 and promote the service of ,god1 ,i am bound to pass by and remit that injury4 7,i speak not of the criminal part1 but the injury as such2 for a man may be bound to bring a thief to punishment1 on the account of ,god's honour1 and the common good1 though else he might forgive the injury to himself47 ,prop4 ,,vi4 ,if it be probable that he that defraudeth me of my estate1 will do more good with it than ,i should have done1 ,i am not bound to vindicate it from him for my own interest 7though as he is criminal1 and the crime is hurtful1 as an ill example1 to the common good1 so ,i may be bound to it74 ,nay1 were it not for the said criminal respect1 ,i am bound rather to let him take it1 than to vindicate it by any such means as would break charity1 and do more hurt than good4 ,prop4 ,,vii4 ,if ,i am absolutely trusted with the person or estate of another1 ,i may so far forgive the wrongs done to that other1 upon sufficient reasons1 as well as against myself4 ,prop4 ,,viii4 ,a private man may not usurp the magistrate's power1 or do any act which is proper to his office1 nor yet may he break his laws1 for the avenging of himself2 he may use no other means than the law of ,god and his sovereign do allow him4 ,therefore he may not rail1 or revile1 or slander1 or rob1 or strike1 or hurt any1 7unless in case of defence1 as afterward17 nor take any other prohibited course4 ,prop4 ,,ix4 ,no rigour or severity must be used to right myself1 where gentler means may probably do it2 but the most harmless way must first be tried4 ,prop4 ,x4 ,in general1 all wrongs1 and debts1 and damages1 must be forgiven1 when the hurt is like to be greater1 which will come by our righting ourselves1 than that which by forbearance we shall sustain2 and all must be forgiven where ,god's law or man's forbiddeth us not to forgive4 ,therefore a man that will here know his duty1 must conduct his actions by very great prudence 7which if he have not himself1 he must make use of a guide or counsellor73 and he must be able to compare the evil which he suffereth with the evil which will in probability follow his vindication1 and to discern which of them is the greater2 or else he can never know how far and when he may and must forgive4 ,and herein he must observe1 #a4 ,that hurt that cometh to a man's soul is greater than the hurt that befalleth the body2 and therefore if my suing a man at law be like to hurt his soul by uncharitableness1 or to hurt my own1 or the souls of others1 by scandal or disturbances1 ,i must rather suffer any mere bodily injuries1 than use that means2 but if yet greater hurt to souls would follow that bodily suffering of mine1 the case is then altered the other way4 ,so if by forgiving debts or wrongs1 ,i be liker to do more good to the soul of him whom ,i forgive1 or others1 than the recovery of my own1 or the righting of myself1 is like any way to equal1 ,i am obliged to forgive that debt or wrong4 #b4 ,the good or hurt which cometh to a community or to many1 is 7cteris paribus7 to be more regarded than that which cometh to myself or any one alone4 ,because many are of more worth than one2 and because ,god's honour 7cteris paribus7 is more concerned in the good of many than of one4 ,therefore ,i must not seek my own right to the hurt of many1 either of their souls or bodies1 unless some greater good require it4 #c4 ,the good or hurt of public persons1 magistrates1 or pastors1 is 7cterisc paribus7 of more regard than the good or hurt of single men3 therefore 7cteris paribus7 ,i must not right myself to the dishonour or hurt of governors2 7no1 though ,i were none of their charge or subjects27 because the public good is more concerned in their honour or welfare than in mine4 ,the same may be said of persons by their gifts and interests more eminently serviceable to ,god and the common good than ,i am4 #d4 ,the good or hurt of a near relation1 of a dear friend1 of a worthy person1 is more to be regarded by me1 cteris paribus1 than the good or hurt of a vile1 unworthy person1 or a stranger4 ,and therefore the ,israelites might not take usury of a poor brother1 which yet they might do of an alien of another land6 ,the laws of nature and friendship may more oblige me to one than to another1 though they were supposed equal in themselves4 ,therefore ,i am not bound to remit a debt or wrong to a thief1 or deceiver1 or a vile person1 when a nearer or worthier person would be equally damnified by his benefit4 ,and thus far1 7if without any partial self-love a man can justly estimate himself17 he may not only as he is nearest himself1 but also for his real worth1 prefer his own commodity before the commodity of a more unworthy and unserviceable person4 #e4 ,another man's necessities are more regardable than our own superfluities2 as his life is more regardable than our corporal delights4 ,therefore it is a great sin for any man to reduce another to extremity1 and deprive him of necessaries for his life1 merely to vindicate his own right in superfluities1 for the satisfaction of his concupiscence and sensual desires4 ,if a poor man steal to save his own or his children's lives1 and the rich man vindicate his own1 merely to live in greater fulness or gallantry in the world1 he sinneth both the sin of sensuality and uncharitableness 7but how far for the common good he is bound to prosecute the thief as criminal1 is a case which depends on other circumstances74 ,and this is the most common case1 in which the forgiving of debts and damages is required in ,scripture1 viz4 ,when the other is poor and we are rich1 and his necessities require it as an act of charity 7and also the former case1 when the hurt by our vindication is like to be greater than our benefit will countervail74 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what is the meaning of those words of ,christ1 ,matt4 v4 #ch-db1 ,ye have heard that it hath been said1 ,an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth3 but ,i say unto you1 that ye resist not evil2 but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek1 turn to him the other also2 and if any man will sue thee at the law1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloak also2 and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile1 go with him two3 give to him that asketh thee2 and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away8 ,answ4 ,the meaning of the text is this3 as if he had said1 ,because you have heard that magistrates are required to do justice exactly between man and man1 and to take an eye for an eye1 c4 therefore you may perhaps believe those teachers who would persuade you that for any man to exact this satisfaction1 is no fault3 but ,i tell you that duties of charity must be performed1 as well as justice must be done2 and though it must be the magistrate's duty to do you this justice1 it is not your duty always to require it1 but charity may make the contrary to be your duty4 ,therefore ,i say unto you1 overvalue not the concernments of your flesh1 nor the trifles of this world2 but if a man abuse you1 or wrong you in these trifles1 make no great matter of it1 and be not presently inflamed to revenge1 and to right yourselves2 but exercise your patience and your charity to him that wrongeth you1 and by an habituated stedfastness herein1 be ready to receive another injury with equal patience1 yea many such1 rather than to fly to an unnecessary vindication of your right4 ,for what if he give you another stroke8 ,or what if he also take your cloak8 ,or what if he compel you to go another mile for him8 ,let him do it2 let him take it2 how small is your hurt6 ,what inconsiderable things are these6 ,your resistance and vindication of your right may violate charity and peace1 and inflame his passion1 and kindle your own1 and hurt both your souls1 and draw you into other sins1 and cost you dearer than your right was worth3 whereas your patience1 and yieldingness1 and submission1 and readiness to serve another1 and to let go your own for peace and charity1 may shame him or melt him1 and prevent contention1 and keep your own and the public peace1 and may show the excellency of your holy religion1 and win men's souls to the love of it1 that they may be saved4 ,therefore instead of exacting or vindicating your utmost right1 set light by your corporal sufferings and wrongs1 and study and labour with all your power to excel in charity1 and to do good to all1 and to stoop to any service to another1 and humble yourselves1 and exercise patience1 and give and lend according to your abilities1 and pretend not justice against the great duties of charity and patience4 ,so that here is forbidden both violent and legal revenge for our corporal abuses1 when the law of charity or patience is against it3 but this disobligeth not magistrates to do justice1 or men to seek it1 in any of the cases mentioned in the seven first propositions4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,am ,i bound to forgive another1 if he ask me not forgiveness8 ,the reason of the question is1 because ,christ saith1 ,luke xvii4 #c1 #d1 ,if thy brother trespass against thee1 rebuke him3 and if he repent1 forgive him2 and if he trespass against thee seven times in a day1 and seven times in a day turn again to thee1 saying1 ,i repent1 thou shalt forgive him4 ,answ4 ,in the resolving of this1 while some have barely affirmed1 and others denied1 for want of distinguishing1 they have said worse than nothing4 ,it is necessary that we distinguish1 #a4 ,between the forgiving of an enemy1 and of a stranger1 and of a neighbour1 and of a brother1 as such4 #b4 ,between the several penalties to be remitted 7as well as revenges to be forborne74 ,and so briefly the case must be thus resolved4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,an enemy1 a stranger1 and a neighbour1 as such1 must be forgiven 7in the cases before asserted7 though they ask not forgiveness1 nor say1 ,i repent3 for1 #a4 ,many other scriptures absolutely require it4 #b4 ,and forgiving them as such1 is but the continuing them in our common charity1 as men1 or neighbours2 that is1 our not endeavouring to ruin them1 or do them any hurt1 and our hearty desiring and endeavouring their good1 according to their capacities or ours2 and thus far we must forgive them4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,a brother also must be thus far forgiven1 though he say not1 ,i repent2 that is1 we must love him as a man1 and wish and endeavour his good to our power4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,a brother as a brother1 is not to be so forgiven1 as to be restored to our estimation and affection1 and usage of him as a brother1 either in spiritual account1 or intimate special love and familiarity1 as long as he is impenitent in his gross offences2 and that is1 till he turn again and say1 ,i repent4 ,a natural brother is still to be loved as a natural brother4 ,for that kind of love dependeth not on his honesty or repentance4 ,but1 #a4 ,a brother in a religious sense1 #b4 ,or a bosom1 familiar friend1 are both unfit for to be received in these capacities1 till they are penitent for gross offences2 therefore the church is not to pardon the impenitent1 in point of communion1 nor particular christians to pardon them in their esteem and carriage2 nor am ,i bound to take an unfit person to be my bosom friend to know my secrets3 therefore if either of these offend1 ,i must not forgive them1 that is1 by forgiveness continue them in the respect and usage of this brotherhood1 till they repent2 and this 7first especially7 is the brother mentioned in the text4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,is it lawful to sue a brother at law8 ,the reason of the question is1 from the words of the apostle ,paul1 #a ,cor4 vi4 #g1 ,there is utterly a fault among you1 because ye go to law one with another4 ,why do ye not rather take wrong8 why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded8 ,answ4 #a4 ,distinguish betwixt going to law before heathens1 or other enemies to the christian religion1 and before christian magistrates4 #b4 ,between going to law in malice for revenge1 and going merely to seek my right1 or to seek the suppression and reformation of sin4 #c4 ,between going to law when you are bound to forgive1 and when you are not4 #d4 ,and between going to law in haste and needlessly1 and going to law as the last remedy1 in case of necessity1 when other means fail4 #e4 ,and between going to law when the hurt is like to be greater than the benefit1 and going to law when it is likely to do good4 ,there is a great deal of difference between these cases4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,christians must rather suffer wrong1 than go to law before the enemies of religion1 when it is like to harden them1 and to bring christianity into contempt4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,it is not lawful to make law and justice the means of private unlawful revenge2 nor to vent our malice1 nor to oppress the innocent4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,whenever ,i am bound to forgive the trespass1 wrong1 or debt1 then it is unlawful to seek my own at law4 ,for that is not forgiving4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,there are many other remedies which must first be tried 7ordinarily7 before we go to law4 ,as1 #a4 ,to rebuke our neighbour for his wrong1 and privately to desire necessary reparations4 #b4 ,to take two or three to admonish him2 or to refer the matter to arbitrators 7or in some cases to a lot74 ,and if any make law their first remedy needlessly1 while the other means should first be used1 it is a sin4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,it is not lawful to go to law-suits1 when prudence may discern that the hurt which may come by it1 will be greater than the benefit2 7either by hardening the person1 or disturbing ourselves1 or scandalizing others against religion1 or drawing any to ways of unpeaceableness and revenge1 c47 ,the foreseen consequences may overrule the case4 ,but on the other side1 ,prop4 ,i4 ,it is lawful to make use of christian judicatories1 so it be done in a lawful manner2 yea1 and in some cases1 of the judicatories of infidels4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,the suppressing of sin1 and the defending of the innocent1 and righting of the wronged1 being the duty of governors1 it is lawful to seek these benefits at their hands4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,in cases where ,i am not obliged to forgive1 7as ,i have showed before some such there be17 ,i may justly make use of governors as the ordinance of ,god4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,the order and season is when ,i have tried other means in vain2 when persuasion or arbitration will do no good1 or cannot be used with hope of success4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,and the great condition to prove it lawful is1 when it is not like to do more hurt than good1 either directly of itself1 or by men's abuse2 when religion1 or the soul of any man1 or any one's body1 or estate1 or name1 is not like to lose more than my gain1 or any other benefits1 will compensate2 when all these concur1 it is lawful to go to law4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,is it lawful to defend my person1 life1 or estate against a thief1 or murderer1 or unjust invader1 by force of arms8 ,answ4 ,you must distinguish1 #a4 ,between such defence as the law of the land alloweth1 and such as it forbiddeth4 #b4 ,between necessary and unnecessary actions of defence4 ,prop4 ,i4 ,there is no doubt but it is both lawful and a duty to defend ourselves by such convenient means as are likely to attain their end1 and are not contrary to any law1 of ,god or man4 ,we must defend our neighbour if he be assaulted or oppressed1 and we must love our neighbour as ourselves4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,this self-defence by force1 is then lawful1 when it is necessary1 and other more gentle means have been uneffectual1 or have no place 7supposing still that the means be such as the law of ,god or man forbiddeth not74 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,and it is necessary to the lawfulness of it1 that the means be such as in its nature is like to be successful1 or like to do more good than harm4 ,but on the other side1 ,prop4 ,i4 ,we may not defend ourselves by any such force as either the laws of ,god or our rulers1 thereto authorized by him1 shall forbid4 ,for1 #a4 ,the laws are made by such as have more power over our lives1 than we have over them ourselves4 #b4 ,and they are made for the good of the commonwealth2 which is to be preferred before the good or life of any single person4 ,and whatever selfish infidels say1 both nature and grace do teach us to lay down our lives1 for the welfare of the church or state1 and to prefer a multitude before ourselves4 ,therefore it is better to be robbed1 oppressed1 or killed1 than to break the peace of the commonwealth4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,therefore a private man may not raise an army to defend his life against his prince1 or lawful governor4 ,perhaps he might hold his hands if personally he went about to murder him1 without the violation of the public peace2 but he cannot raise a war without it4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,we may not do that by blood or violence1 which might be done by persuasion1 or by any lawful1 gentle means3 violence must be used1 even in defence1 but in case of true necessity4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,when self-defence is like to have consequents so ill1 as the saving of ourselves cannot countervail1 it is then unlawful finis gratia1 and not to be attempted4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,therefore if self-defence be unlikely to prevail1 our strength being inconsiderable1 and when the enemy is but like to be the more exasperated by it1 and our sufferings like to be the greater2 nature and reason teach us to submit1 and use the more effectual 7lawful7 means4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,is it lawful to take away another's life1 in the defending of my purse or estate8 ,answ4 #a4 ,you must again distinguish between such defence as the law of the land alloweth1 and such as it forbiddeth4 #b4 ,between what is necessary1 and what is unnecessary4 #c4 ,between a life less worth than the prize which he contendeth for1 and a life more worth than it1 or than mine own4 #d4 ,between the simple defence of my purse1 and the defence of it and my life together4 #e4 ,between what ,i do with purpose and desire1 and what ,i do unwillingly through the assailant's temerity or violence4 #f4 ,and between what ,i do in mere defence1 and what ,i do to bring a thief or robber unto legal punishment4 ,and so ,i answer1 ,prop4 ,i4 ,you may not defend your purse1 or your estate1 by such actions1 as the law of the land forbiddeth2 7unless it go against the law of ,god27 because it is to be supposed1 that it is better a man's estate or purse be lost1 than law and public order violated4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,you may not 7against an ordinary thief or robber7 defend your purse with the probable hazard of his life1 if a few good words1 or other safe and gentle means1 which you have opportunity to use1 be like to serve turn without such violence4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,if it might be supposed that a prince1 or other person of great use and service to the commonwealth1 should in a frolic1 or otherwise1 assault your person for your estate or purse1 it is not lawful to take away his life by a defensive violence1 if you know it to be he2 because 7though in some countries the law might allow it you1 yet7 finis gratia it is unlawful2 because his life is more necessary to the common good than yours4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,if a pilfering thief would steal your purse1 without any violence which hazardeth your life1 7ordinarily17 you may not take away his life in the defending of it4 ,because it is the work of the magistrate to punish him by public justice1 and your defence requireth it not4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,all this is chiefly meant1 of the voluntary1 designed taking away of his life2 and not of any lawful action1 which doth it accidentally against your will4 ,on the other side1 ,prop4 ,i4 ,if the law of the land allow you to take away a man's life in the defending of your purse1 it removeth the scruple1 if the weight of the matter also do allow it3 because it supposeth1 that the law taketh the offender to be worthy of death1 and maketh you in that case the executioner of it4 ,and if1 indeed1 the crime be such as deserveth death1 you may be the executioner when the law alloweth it4 ,prop4 ,,ii4 ,and this is more clear1 when the robber for your money doth assault your life1 or is like for aught you see to do it4 ,prop4 ,,iii4 ,and when gentler means will not serve the turn1 but violence is the only remedy which is left you1 which is like to avail for your defence4 ,prop4 ,,iv4 ,and when the person is a vile offender1 who is rather a plague and burden to the commonwealth than any necessary member of it4 ,prop4 ,v4 ,if you desire not1 and design not his death1 but he rush upon it himself in his fury1 while you lawfully defend your own1 the case is yet less questionable4 ,prop4 ,,vi4 ,if a thief have taken your purse1 though you may not take away his life after to recover it1 7because it is of less value17 nor yet in revenge 7because that belongeth not to private men72 yet if the law require or allow you to pursue him to bring him to a judicial trial1 if you kill him while he resisteth1 it is not your sin2 because you are but suppressing sin in your place1 according to the allowance of the law4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,may ,i kill or wound another in the defence or vindication of my honour1 or good name8 ,answ4 ,no3 not by private assault or violence2 but if the crime be so great1 that the law of the land doth punish it with death1 if that law be just1 you may in some cases seek to bring the offender to public justice2 but that is rare1 and otherwise you may not do it4 ,for1 #a4 ,it belongeth only to the magistrate1 and not to you1 to be the avenger4 #b4 ,and killing a man can be no meet defence against calumny or slander2 for if you will kill a man for prevention1 you kill the innocent2 if you kill him afterwards1 it is no defence1 but an unprofitable revenge1 which vindicateth not your honour1 but dishonoureth you more4 ,your patience is your honour1 and your bloody revenge doth show you to be so like the devil1 the destroyer1 that it is your greatest shame4 #c4 ,it is odious pride which maketh men overvalue their reputation among men1 and think that a man's life is a just compensation to them for their dishonour6 ,such bloody sacrifices are fit to appease only the bloodthirsty spirit6 ,but what is it that pride will not do and justify8 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,special ,,directions ,,to ,,escape ,,the ,,guilt ,,of ,,persecuting4 ,,determining ,,also ,,the ,,case ,,about ,,liberty ,,in ,,matters ,,of ,,religion4 ,though this be a subject which the guilty cannot endure to hear of1 yet the misery of persecutors1 the blood1 and groans1 and ruins of the church1 and the lamentable divisions of professed christians1 do all command me not to pass it by in silence2 but to tell them the truth1 whether they will hear1 or whether they will forbear2 though they were such as ,ezek4 iii4 #g-i1 #aa4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,if you would escape this dreadful guilt1 understand well what persecution is4 ,else you may either run into it ignorantly1 or oppose a duty as if it were persecution4 ,the verb persequor is often taken in a good sense1 for no more than continuato motu vel ad extremum sequor2 and sometimes for the blameless prosecution of a delinquent2 but we take it here as the ,english word persecute is most commonly taken1 for inimico affectu insequor1 a malicious or injurious hurting or persecuting another1 and that for the sake of religion or righteousness4 ,for it is not common injuries which we here intend to speak of4 ,three things then go to make up persecution4 #a4 ,that it be the hurting of another1 in his body1 liberty1 relations1 estate1 or reputation4 #b4 ,that it be done injuriously1 to one who deserveth it not1 in the particular which is the cause4 #c4 ,that it be for the cause of religion or of righteousness1 that is1 for the truth of ,god which we hold or utter2 or for the worship of ,god which we perform2 or for obedience to the will of ,god revealed in his laws4 ,this is the cause on the sufferer's part1 whatever is intended by the persecutor4 ,there are divers sorts of persecutions4 ,as to the principles of the persecutors3 #a4 ,there is a persecution which is openly professed to be for the cause of religion2 as heathens and ,mahometans persecute christians as christians4 ,and there is a hypocritical persecution when the pretended cause is some odious crime1 but the real cause is men's religion1 or obedience to ,god4 ,this is the common persecution1 which nominal christians exercise on serious christians1 or on one another4 ,they will not say that they persecute them because they are godly or serious christians1 but that is the true cause2 for if they will but set them above ,god1 and obey them against ,god1 they will abate their persecution4 ,many of the heathens thus persecuted the christians too1 under the name of ungodly1 and evil-doers2 but the true cause was1 because they obeyed not their commands in the worshipping of their idol gods4 ,so do the papists persecute and murder men1 not as professors of the truth1 7which is the true cause17 but under the name of heretics and schismatics1 or rebels against the pope1 or whatever their malice pleaseth to accuse them of4 ,and profane1 nominal christians seldom persecute the serious and sincere directly by that name1 but under some nickname which they set upon them1 or under the name of hypocrites1 or self-conceited1 or factious persons1 or such like4 ,and if they live in a place1 and age1 where there are many civil wars or differences1 they are sure to fetch some odious name or accusation thence3 which side soever it be that they are on1 or if they meddle not on any side1 they are sure by every party whom they please not1 to hear religion loaded with such reproaches as the times will allow them to vent against it4 ,even the papists who take this course with protestants1 it seems by ,acosta are so used themselves1 not by the heathens1 but by one another1 yea1 by the multitude1 yea1 by their priests4 ,for so saith he1 speaking of the parish priests among the ,indians1 having reproved their dicing1 carding1 hunting1 idleness4 ,lib4 iv4 cap4 #ae4 p4 #djd1 #dje4 ,itaque is cui pastoralis ,indorum cura committitur1 non solum contra diaboli machinas et natur incentiva pugnare debet2 sed jam etiam confirmat hominum consuetudini et tempore et turba prpotenti sese objicere2 et ad excipienda invidorum ac malevolorum tela forte pectus opponere2 qui siquid a profano suo instituto abhorrentem viderint2 proditorem1 hypocritam1 hostem clamant3 that is1 ,he therefore to whom the pastoral care of the ,indians is committed1 must not only fight against the engines of the devil1 and the incentives of nature2 but also now must object or set himself against the confirmed custom of men1 which is grown very powerful both by time1 and by the multitude2 and must valiantly oppose his breast1 to receive the darts of the envious and malevolent1 who if they see any thing contrary to their profane fashion 7or breeding7 cry out1 ,a traitor1 a hypocrite1 an enemy4 ,it seems then that this is a common course4 #b4 ,persecution is either done in ignorance or knowledge4 ,the commonest persecution is that which is done in ignorance and error2 when men think a good cause to be bad1 or a bad cause to be good1 and so persecute truth while they take it to be falsehood1 or good while they take it to be evil1 or obtrude by violence their errors for truths1 and their evils as good and necessary things4 ,thus ,peter testifieth of the ,jews1 who killed the ,prince of life2 ,acts iii4 #ac1 #ad1 #ag1 ,i know that through ignorance you did it1 as did also your rulers4 ,and ,paul2 #a ,cor4 ii4 #h1 ,which none of the princes of this world knew2 for had they known it1 they would not have crucified the ,lord of glory4 ,and ,christ himself saith1 ,john xvi4 #c1 ,these things will they do unto you1 because they have not known the ,father1 nor me4 ,and ,paul saith of himself1 ,acts xxvi4 #i1 ,i thought verily with myself1 that ,i ought to do many things contrary to the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 which thing ,i also did1 c4 ,and1 #a ,tim4 i4 #ac1 that it was ignorantly in unbelief1 that he was a blasphemer1 a persecutor1 and injurious4 ,and on the other side1 some persecute truth and goodness while they know it to be so4 ,not because it is truth or goodness1 but because it is against their carnal1 worldly interest and inclination4 ,as the conscience of a worldling1 a drunkard1 a whoremonger1 beareth witness against his sin while he goeth on in it2 so ofttimes doth the conscience of the persecutor2 and he hath secret convictions1 that those whom he persecuteth are better and happier than himself4 #c4 ,as to the cause1 sometimes persecution is for ,christianity and godliness in the gross1 or for some great essential point2 and sometimes it is only for some particular truth or duty1 and that perhaps of a lower nature1 so small or so dark1 that it is become a great controversy1 whether it be truth or error1 duty or sin4 ,in some respects it is more comfortable to the persecuted1 and more heinous in the persecutor1 that the suffering be for the greatest things4 ,for this leaveth no doubt in the mind1 whether our cause be good or not2 and this showeth that the persecutor's mind is most alien from ,god and truth2 but in some other respect1 it is an aggravation of the sin of the persecutor1 and of the comfort of the persecuted1 when it is for smaller truths and duties4 ,for it is a sign of great uncharitableness and cruelty1 when men can find in their hearts to persecute others for little things2 and it is a sign of a heart that is true to ,god1 and very sincere1 when we will rather suffer any thing from man1 than renounce the smallest truth of ,god1 or commit the smallest sin against him1 or omit the smallest duty1 when it is a duty4 #d4 ,sometimes persecution is directly for religion2 that is1 for matters of professed faith or worship3 and sometimes it is for a civil or a common cause2 yet still it is for our obedience to ,god1 7or else it is not the persecution which we speak of17 though the matter of it be some common or civil thing3 as if ,i were persecuted merely for giving to the poor1 or helping the sick1 or for being loyal to my prince1 and to the laws1 or for doing my duty to my parents1 or because ,i will not bear false witness1 or tell a lie1 or subscribe a falsehood1 or any such like2 this is truly persecution1 whatever the matter of it be1 as long as it is truly for obeying ,god that we undergo the suffering4 ,i omit many other less considerable distributions3 and also those afflictions which are but improperly called persecutions 7as when a man is punished for a fault in a greater measure than it deserveth4 ,this is injustice but not persecution1 unless it be his religion and obedience to ,god1 which is the secret cause of it74 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,understand well the greatness of the sin of persecution1 that you may be kept in a due fear of being tempted to it4 ,here therefore ,i shall show you how great a sin it is4 #a4 ,persecution is a fighting against ,god3 so it is called ,acts v4 #ci4 ,and to fight against ,god1 is odious malignity1 and desperate folly4 #a4 ,it is venomous malignity1 for a creature to fight against his ,creator1 and a sinner against his ,redeemer who would save him2 and for so blind a worm to rise up against the wisdom of the all-knowing ,god6 and for so vile a sinner to oppose the ,fountain of love and goodness6 #b4 ,and what folly can be greater1 than for a mole to reproach the sun for darkness8 or a lump of earth to take up arms against the ,almighty1 terrible ,god8 ,art thou able to make good thy cause against him8 or to stand before him when he is offended1 and chargeth thee with sin8 ,hear a ,pharisee2 ,and now ,i say unto you1 refrain from these men1 and let them alone2 for if this counsel or this work be of men1 it will come to nought3 but if it be of ,god1 ye cannot overthrow it2 lest haply ye be found even to fight against ,god1 ,acts v4 #ch1 #ci4 ,or hear ,christ himself2 ,i am ,jesus1 whom thou persecutest2 it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks1 ,acts ix4 #d1 #e2 with bare feet or hands to beat the thorns6 ,how unmeet a match is man for ,god6 ,he needeth not so much as a word to take away thy soul1 and crush thee to the lowest hell4 ,his will alone can lay thee under thy deserved pains4 ,canst thou conquer the ,almighty ,god8 ,wilt thou assault the power which was never overcome1 or storm ,jehovah's throne or kingdom8 ,first try to take down the sun1 and moon1 and stars from the firmament1 and to stop the course of the rivers1 or of the sea2 and to rebuke the winds1 and turn night into day1 and winter into summer1 and decrepid age into vigorous youth4 ,attempt not greater matters till thou hast performed these2 it is a greater matter than any of these1 to conquer ,god1 whose cause thou fightest against4 ,hear him again2 ,isa4 xlv4 #i1 ,woe unto him that striveth with his ,maker6 let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth4 ,shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it1 ,what makest thou8 or thy work1 ,he hath no hands8 ,and ,isaiah xlv4 #b4 ,who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle8 ,i would go through them1 ,i would burn them together1 ,isa4 xxvii4 #d4 ,woe to the man that is not content to go to fight with men1 but chooseth the most dreadful ,god to be his enemy6 ,it had been better for thee1 that all the world had been against thee4 #b4 ,persecution opposeth the gracious design of our ,redeemer1 and hindereth his gospel1 and work of mercy to the world1 and endeavoureth the ruin of his kingdom upon earth4 ,christ came to save men1 and persecutors raise up their power against him1 as if they envied salvation to the world4 ,and if ,god have made the work of man's redemption the most wonderful of all his works which ever he revealed to the sons of men1 you may easily conceive what thanks he will give them that resist him in so high and glorious a design4 ,if you could pull the stars out of the firmament1 or hinder the motions of the heavens1 or deny the rain to the thirsty earth1 you might look for as good a reward for this1 as for opposing the merciful ,redeemer of the world1 in the blessed work of man's salvation4 #c4 ,persecution is a resisting or fighting against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,saith ,stephen to the ,jews1 ,ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears2 ye do always resist the ,holy ,ghost3 as your fathers did1 so do ye1 ,acts vii4 #ea4 ,if you silence the ministers who are the means by which the ,spirit worketh1 in the illuminating and sanctifying of souls1 ,acts xxvi4 #ag1 #ah2 or if you afflict men for those holy duties1 which the ,spirit of ,god hath taught them to perform1 or would force men from that which the ,spirit of ,christ is sent to draw them to2 this is to raise war against that ,spirit1 into whose name you were yourselves baptized4 #d4 ,persecution endeavoureth the damnation of men's souls1 either by depriving them of the preaching of the gospel which should save them1 or by forcing them upon that sin for which ,god will condemn them4 ,yea1 the banishing or silencing of one faithful preacher1 may conduce to the damnation of many hundreds6 ,if it be said1 that others who are set up in their stead may save men's souls as well as they1 ,i answer1 #a4 ,god seldom1 if ever1 did qualify supernumeraries for the work of the ministry6 ,many a nation hath had too few1 but ,i never read of any nation that had too many1 who were well qualified for that great and difficult work1 no1 not from the days of ,christ till now6 ,so that if they are all fit men1 there are none of them to be spared2 but all are too few1 if they conjoin their greatest skill and diligence4 ,christ biddeth us pray the ,lord of the harvest1 to send forth more labourers into his harvest2 but never biddeth us pray to send out fewer1 or to call any in that were but tolerably fitted for the work4 #b4 ,many persecutors banish all preachers of the gospel1 and set up no other to do the service which they were called to4 ,and it is rarely seen1 that any who can find in their hearts to cast out any faithful ministers of ,christ1 have hearts to set up better1 or any that are competent1 in their stead2 but it is ordinarily seen1 that when the judgment is so far depraved1 as to approve of the casting out of worthy men2 it is also so far depraved as to think an ignorant1 unskilful1 heartless1 or scandalous sort of ministers1 to be as fit to save men's souls as they4 ,and how many poor congregations in the eastern and western churches 7nay1 how many thousands7 have ignorant1 ungodly1 sensual pastors1 who are such unsavoury salt1 as to be unfit for the land1 or for the dunghill6 whilst men are extinguishing the clearest lights1 or thrusting them into obscurity1 ,matt4 v4 #ac-ae2 ,luke xiv4 #ce4 #c4 ,and there may be something of suitableness between a pastor and the flock1 which may give him advantage to be more profitable to their souls1 than another man of equal parts4 #d4 ,and1 though ,god can work by the weakest means1 yet ordinarily we see that his work upon men's souls is so far moral1 as that he usually prospereth men according to the fitness of their labours to the work6 ,and some men have far more success than others4 ,he that should expel a dozen or twenty of the ablest physicians out of ,london1 and say1 ,there are enough left in their steads1 who may save men's lives as well as they1 might1 notwithstanding that assertion1 be found guilty of the blood of no small numbers4 ,and as men have sometimes an aversion to one sort of food1 7as good as any to another man17 and as this distemper is not laudable2 and yet he that would force them to eat nothing else but that which they so abhor1 were liker to kill them than to cure them2 so is it with the souls of many4 ,and there are few who have any spiritual discerning and relish1 but have some special sense of what is helpful or hurtful to their souls1 in sermons1 books1 and conference1 which a stander-by is not so fit to judge of as themselves4 ,so that it is clear1 that persecution driveth men towards their damnation6 ,and1 oh how sad a case it is1 to have the damnation of one soul to answer for6 7,which is worse than the murdering of many bodies47 ,much more to be guilty of the perdition of a multitude6 #e4 ,persecution is injustice1 and oppression of the innocent6 ,and what a multitude of terrible threatenings against this sin1 are found throughout the holy ,scriptures6 ,doth a man deserve to be cruelly used1 for being faithful to his ,god1 and for preferring him before man8 and for being afraid to sin against him8 or for doing that which ,god commandeth him1 and that upon pain of greater sufferings than man can inflict upon him8 ,is it not his ,saviour that hath said1 ,fear not them that can kill the body1 and after that have no more that they can do2 but fear him who after he hath killed1 hath power to cast into hell3 yea1 ,i say unto you1 fear him4 ,though christianity was once called1 ,a sect which every where was spoken against1 ,acts xxviii4 #bb2 and ,paul was accused as a pestilent fellow1 and a mover of sedition among the people1 ,acts xxiv4 #e2 and ,christ was crucified as a usurper of the crown2 yet innocency shall be innocency still1 in spite of malice and lying accusations2 because ,god will be the final ,judge1 and will bring all secret things to light1 and will justify those whom injustice hath condemned1 and will not call them as slandering tongues have called them4 ,yea1 the consciences of the persecutors are often forced to say1 as they did of ,daniel1 ,dan4 vi4 #e1 ,we shall not find any occasion against this ,daniel1 except we find it against him concerning the law of his ,god4 ,and therefore the net which they were fain to lay for him1 was a law against his religion1 or prayers to ,god2 for a law against treason1 sedition1 swearing1 drunkenness1 fornication1 c4 would have done them no service6 ,and yet they would fain have aspersed him there1 ver4 #d4 ,jer4 xxii4 #ac1 ,woe to him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness6 c4 ,isa4 xxxiii4 #a1 ,woe to thee that spoilest1 and thou wast not spoiled6 ,isa4 v4 #bj1 ,woe to them that call evil good1 and good evil6 ,jer4 ii4 #cd1 ,in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents4 ,prov4 vi4 #af1 #ag1 ,hands that shed innocent blood1 the ,lord doth hate1 c4 #f4 ,persecution maketh men likest unto devils1 and maketh them his most notable servants in the world4#abe ,many wicked men may neglect that duty which they are convinced they should do4 ,but to hate it1 and malice men that do it1 and seek their ruin2 this1 if any thing1 is work more beseeming a devil than a man4 ,these are the commanders in the armies of the devil1 against the cause and kingdom of the ,lord6 ,john viii4 #db1 #dd4 ,and accordingly shall they speed4 #g4 ,persecution is an inhuman1 disingenuous sin1 and showeth an extinction of the light of nature4 ,a good-natured man1 if he had no grace at all1 would abhor to be cruel1 and to oppress his brethren2 and that merely because they are true to their consciences1 and obey their ,god1 while they do no hurt to any others4 ,if they had deserved execution1 an ingenuous nature would not be forward to be their executioner2 much more when they deserve encouragement and imitation3 it is no honour to be numbered with bloodthirsty men4 #h4 ,it is a sin that hath so little of commodity1 honour1 or pleasure to invite men to it1 that maketh it utterly without excuse1 and showeth1 that the serpentine nature is the cause1 ,gen4 iii4 #ae4 ,what get men by shedding the blood of innocents1 or silencing the faithful preachers of the gospel8 ,what sweetness could they find in cruelty1 if a malicious nature made it not sweet8 #i4 ,it is a sin which men have as terrible warnings against from ,god1 as any sin in the world1 that ,i can remember4 #a4 ,in ,god's threatenings4 #b4 ,in sad examples1 and judgments in this life1 even on posterity4 #c4 ,and in the infamy that followeth the names of persecutors1 when they are dead4 #a4 ,how terrible are those words of ,christ1 ,matt4 xviii4 #f1 ,but whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me1 it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck1 and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea4 ,how terrible is that character which ,paul giveth of the ,jews2 #a ,thess4 ii4 #ae1 #af1 ,who both killed the ,lord ,jesus1 and their own prophets1 and have persecuted us3 and they please not ,god1 and are contrary to all men2 forbidding us to speak to the gentiles that they might be saved1 to fill up their sins alway2 for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost4 ,such terrors against persecutors are so common through the ,scriptures1 that it would be tedious to recite them4 #b4 ,and for examples1 the captivity first1 and afterwards the casting off of the ,jews1 may serve instead of many4 #b ,chron4 xxxvi4 #af1 ,but they mocked the messengers of ,god1 and despised his words1 and misused his prophets1 until the wrath of the ,lord arose against his people1 till there was no remedy4 ,and of the casting off1 see ,matt4 xxiii4 #cg1 #ch1 ,o ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 thou that killest the prophets1 and stonest them that are sent unto thee1 how oft would ,i have gathered thy children together1 as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 and ye would not6 ,behold1 your house is left unto you desolate----4 ,and ver4 #cd-cf1 ,behold1 ,i send unto you prophets1 and wise men1 and scribes2 and some of them ye shall kill and crucify1 and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues1 and persecute them from city to city3 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth1 from the blood of righteous ,abel unto the blood of ,zacharias son of ,barachias1 whom ye slew between the temple and the altar4 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,all these things shall come on this generation4 ,to give you the particular examples of ,god's judgments against persecutors1 and their posterity after them1 would be a voluminous work2 you may find them in the holy ,scriptures1 and the church's ,martyrologies4 #c4 ,and by a marvellous providence1 ,god doth so overrule the tongue of fame1 and the pens of historians1 and the thoughts of men1 that commonly the names of persecutors stink when they are dead2 yea1 though they were never so much honoured and flattered while they were alive6 ,what odious names are the names of ,pharaoh1 ,ahab1 ,pilate1 ,herod1 ,nero1 ,domitian1 ,dioclesian1 c46 ,what a name hath the ,french massacre left on ,charles the ,ninth6 and the ,english persecution on ,queen ,mary6 ,and so of others throughout the world4 ,yea1 what a blot leaveth it on ,asa1 ,amaziah1 or any that do but hurt a prophet of the ,lord6 ,the eleventh chapter of the ,hebrews1 and all the ,martyrologies that are written to preserve the name of the witnesses of ,christ1 are all the records of the impiety and the perpetual shame of those by whom they suffered4 ,even learning1 and wisdom1 and common virtue1 have got that estimation in the nature of man1 that he that persecuteth but a ,seneca1 a ,cicero1 a ,demosthenes1 or a ,socrates1 hath irrecoverably wounded his reputation to posterity1 and left his name to the hatred of all succeeding ages4 ,prov4 x4 #g1 ,the memory of the just is blessed1 but the name of the wicked shall rot4 #d4 ,the persecution of godliness as such in ministers or private christians1 is one of the most visible undoubted marks of one that is yet unsanctified1 and in a state of sin and condemnation2 for it showeth most clearly the predominancy of the serpentine nature in the persecutor4 ,though ,asa in a peevish fit may imprison the prophet1 and those christians that are engaged in a sect or party1 may in a sinful zeal be injurious to those of the contrary party2 and yet there may remain some roots of uprightness within2 yet he that shall set himself to hinder the gospel1 and the serious practice of godliness in the world1 and to that end hinder or persecute the preachers1 and professors1 and practisers of it1 hath the plainest mark of a child of the devil1 and the most visible brand of the wrath of ,god upon his soul1 of any sort of men on earth4 ,if there might be any hope of grace in him1 that at present doth but neglect or disobey the gospel1 and doth not himself live a godly life1 7as indeed there is not17 yet there can be no possibility that he should have grace at that present1 who hateth and opposeth it2 and that he should be justified by the gospel who persecuteth it2 and that he should be a godly man1 who setteth himself against the godly1 and seeketh to destroy them4 #aj4 ,and it is a far more heinous sin in a professed christian1 than in an infidel or heathen4 ,for these do according to the darkness of their education1 and the interest of their party1 and the principles of their own profession4 ,but for a professed christian to persecute christianity1 and one that professeth to believe the gospel1 to persecute the preachers and serious practisers of the doctrine of the gospel2 this is so near that sin which is commonly said to be the unpardonable sin against the ,holy ,ghost1 that it is not easy to perceive a difference2 and if ,i did consent to that description of the unpardonable sin1 ,i should have little hope of the conversion of any one of these4 ,but1 however1 they make up such a mixture of hypocrisy1 and impiety1 and cruelty1 as showeth them to exceed all ordinary sinners1 in malignity and misery4 ,they are a self-condemned sort of men2 out of their own mouths will ,god condemn them4 ,they profess themselves to believe in ,god1 and yet they persecute those that serve him3 they dare not speak against the preaching and practising of the doctrine of godliness1 directly1 and in plain expressions2 and yet they persecute them1 and cannot endure them6 ,they fight against the interest and law of ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 when they have in baptism vowed themselves unto his service4 ,of all men on earth1 these men will have least to say for their sin1 or against their condemnation4 #aa4 ,lastly1 ,remember that ,christ taketh all that is done by persecutors against his servants for his cause1 to be done as to himself1 and will accordingly in judgment charge it on them4 ,so speaketh he to ,saul1 ,acts ix4 #e1 #f1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why persecutest thou me8--,i am ,jesus1 whom thou persecutest4 ,and ,matt4 xxv4 #da-df1 even to them that did not feed1 and clothe1 and visit1 and relieve them1 he saith1 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these1 ye did it not to me4 ,what then will he say to them that impoverished and imprisoned them8 ,remember1 that it is ,christ reputatively1 whom thou dost hate1 deride1 and persecute4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,if you would escape the guilt of persecution1 the cause and interest of ,christ in the world must be truly understood4 ,he that knoweth not that holiness is ,christ's end1 and ,scripture is his word and law1 and that the preachers of the gospel are his messengers1 and that preaching is his appointed means1 and that sanctified believers are his members1 and the whole number of them are his mystical body2 and all that profess to be such1 are his visible body1 or kingdom in the world2 and that sin is the thing which he came to destroy1 and the devil1 the world1 and the flesh1 are the enemies which he causeth us to conquer2 ,i say1 he that knoweth not this1 doth not know what christianity or godliness is1 and therefore may easily persecute it in his ignorance4 ,if you know not1 or believe not1 that serious godliness in heart and life1 and serious preaching and discipline to promote it1 are ,christ's great cause and interest in the world1 you may fight against him in the dark1 whilst ignorantly you call yourselves his followers4 ,if the devil can but make you think that ignorance is as good as knowledge1 and pharisaical formality1 and hypocritical shows1 are as good as spiritual worship1 and rational service of ,god2 and that seeming and lip-service is as good as seriousness in religion2 and that the strict and serious obeying of ,god1 and living as we profess1 according to the principles of our religion1 is but hypocrisy1 pride1 or faction 7that is1 that all are hypocrites who will not be hypocrites1 but seriously religious73 ,i say1 if ,satan can bring you once to such erroneous1 malignant thoughts as these1 no wonder if he make you persecutors4 ,o value the great blessing of a sound understanding6 for if error blind you1 7either impious error1 or factious error17 there is no wickedness so great1 but you may promote it1 and nothing so good and holy1 but you may persecute it1 and think all the while that you are doing well4 ,john xvi4 #b1 ,they shall put you out of the synagogues2 yea1 the time cometh1 that whosoever killeth you1 will think that he doth ,god service4 ,what prophet so great1 or saint so holy1 that did not suffer by such hands8 ,yea1 ,christ himself was persecuted as a sinner1 that never sinned4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,and 7if you would escape the guilt of persecution7 the cause and interest of ,christ must be highest in your esteem1 and preferred before all worldly1 carnal interests of our own4 ,otherwise the devil will be still persuading you1 that your own interest requireth you to suppress the interest of ,christ2 for the truth is1 the gospel of ,christ is quite against the interest of carnality and concupiscence2 it doth condemn ambition1 covetousness1 and lust2 it forbiddeth those sins on pain of damnation1 which the proud1 and covetous1 and sensual love1 and will not part with2 and therefore it is no more wonder to have a proud man1 or a covetous man1 or a lustful1 voluptuous man to be a persecutor1 than for a dog to fly in his face who takes his bone from him4 ,if you love your pride1 and lust1 and pleasures1 better than the gospel1 and a holy life1 no marvel if you be persecutors2 for these will not well agree together3 and though sometimes the providence of ,god may so contrive things1 that an ambitious hypocrite may think that his worldly interest requireth him to seem religious1 and promote the preaching and practice of godliness2 this is but seldom1 and usually not long4 ,for he cannot choose but quickly find that ,christ is no patron of his sin1 and that holiness is contrary to his worldly lusts4 ,therefore if you cannot value the cause of godliness above your lusts and carnal interests1 ,i cannot tell you how to avoid the guilt of persecution1 nor the wrath and vengeance of ,almighty ,god4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,yea1 though you do prefer ,christ's interest in the main1 you must carefully take heed of stepping into any forbidden way1 and espousing any interest of your own or others1 which is contrary to the laws or interest of ,christ4 ,otherwise in the defence or prosecution of your cause1 you will be carried into a seeming necessity of persecuting before you are aware4 ,this hath been the ruin of multitudes of great ones in the world4 ,when ,ahab had set himself in a way of sin1 the prophet must reprove him2 and then he hateth and persecuteth the prophet1 because he prophesied not good of him1 but evil4#abf ,when ,jeroboam thought that his interest required him to set up calves at ,dan and ,bethel1 and to make priests for them of the basest of the people1 the prophet must speak against his sin2 and then he stretcheth out his hand against him1 and saith1 ,lay hold on him4 ,if ,asa sin1 and the prophet tell him of it1 his rage may proceed to imprison his reprover4#abg ,if ,amaziah sin with the idolaters1 the prophet must reprove him1 and he will silence him1 or smite him4 ,and silenced he is1 and what must follow8 #b ,chron4 xv4 #af1 ,the king said to him1 ,art thou made of the king's counsel8 ,forbear3 why shouldst thou be smitten8 7,this seemeth to be gentle dealing47 ,then the prophet forbore and said1 ,i know that ,god hath determined to destroy thee1 because thou hast done this1 and hast not hearkened to my counsel4 ,if ,pilate do but hear1 ,if thou let this man go1 thou art not ,csar's friend1#abh he thinketh it is his interest to crucify ,christ3 as ,herod thought it his interest to kill him1 and therefore to kill so many other infants1 when he heard of the birth of a king of the ,jews4 ,because of an ,herodias and the honour of his word1 ,herod will not stick to behead ,john the ,baptist2 and another ,herod will kill ,james with the sword1 and imprison ,peter1 because he seeth that it pleaseth the ,jews4#abi ,instances of this desperate sin are innumerable4 ,there is no way so common1 by which ,satan hath engaged the rulers of the world against the kingdom of ,jesus ,christ1 and against the preachers of his gospel1 and the people that obey him1 than by persuading them as ,haman did ,ahasuerus1 ,esther iii4 #h1 #i1 ,there is a certain people scattered abroad1 and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom1 and their laws are diverse from all people1 neither keep they the king's laws3 therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them2 if it please the king1 let it be written that they may be destroyed4 ,when once the devil hath got men1 by error or sensuality1 to espouse an interest that ,christ is against1 he hath half done his work3 for then he knoweth1 that ,christ or his servants will never bend to the wills of sinners1 nor be reconciled to their wicked ways1 nor take part with them in a sinful cause4 ,and then it is easy for ,satan to persuade such men1 that these precise preachers and people are their enemies1 and are against their interest and honour1 and that they are a turbulent1 seditious sort of people1 unfit to be governed 7because they will not be false to ,god1 nor take part with the devil1 nor be friends to sin74 ,when once ,nebuchadnezzar hath set up his golden image1 he thinks he is obliged in honour to persecute them that will not bow down1 as refractory persons that obey not the king4 ,when ,jeroboam is once engaged to set up his calves1 he is presently engaged against those that are against them2 and that is against ,god1 and all his servants4 ,therefore as rulers love their souls1 let them take heed what cause and interest they espouse4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,to love your neighbours as yourselves1 and do as you would be done by1 is the infallible means to avoid the guilt of persecution4 ,for charity suffereth long1 and is kind1 it envieth not1 it is not easily provoked1 it thinketh no evil1 rejoiceth not in iniquity1 but rejoiceth in the truth2 it beareth all things1 believeth all things1 hopeth all things1 endureth all things1 #a ,cor4 xiii4 #d-g4 ,love worketh no ill to his neighbour2 therefore love is the fulfilling of the law1 ,rom4 xiii4 #aj4 ,and if it fulfil the law1 it wrongeth no man4 ,when did you see a man persecute himself8 imprison1 banish1 defame1 slander1 revile1 or put to death himself 7if he were well in his wits78 ,never fear persecution from a man that loveth his neighbour as himself1 and doth as he would be done by1 and is not selfish and uncharitable4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,pride also must be subdued1 if you would not be persecutors4 ,for a proud man cannot endure to have his word disobeyed1 though it contradict the word of ,god3 nor can he endure to be reproved by the preachers of the gospel2 but will do as ,herod with ,john the ,baptist1 or as ,asa1 or ,amaziah1 by the prophets6 ,till the soul be humble1 it will not bear the sharp remedies which our ,saviour hath prescribed1 but will persecute him that would administer them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,passion must be subdued1 and the mind kept calm1 if you would avoid the guilt of persecution4 ,asa was in a rage when he imprisoned the prophet 7a fit work for a raging man74 ,and ,nebuchadnezzar was in a rage and fury when he commanded the punishment of the three witnesses1 ,dan4 iii4 #ac4 ,the wrath of man worketh not the will of ,god1 ,jam4 i4 #bj4 ,the nature of wrathfulness tendeth to hurting those you are angry with4 ,and wrath is impatient1 and unjust1 and will not hear what men can say1 but rashly passeth unrighteous sentence4 ,and it blindeth reason1 so that it cannot see the truth4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,and hearkening to malicious backbiters and slanderers1 and favouring the enemies of godliness in their calumnies1 will engage men in persecution ere they are aware4 ,for when the wicked are in the favour and at the ear of rulers1 they have opportunity to vent those false reports1 which they never want a will to vent6 ,and any thing may be said of men behind their backs1 with an appearance of truth1 when there is none to contradict it4 ,if ,haman may be heard1 the ,jews shall be destroyed1 as not being for the king's profit1 nor obedient to his laws4 ,if ,sanballat and ,tobiah may be heard1 the building of the walls of ,jerusalem shall signify no better than an intended rebellion4 ,they are true words1 though to some ungrateful1 which are spoken by the ,holy ,ghost1 ,prov4 xxix4 #ab1 ,if a ruler hearken to lies1 all his servants are wicked 7for they will soon accommodate themselves to so vicious a humour74 ,prov4 xxv4 #d1 #e1 ,take away the dross from the silver1 and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer4 ,take away the wicked from before the king1 and his throne shall be established in righteousness4 ,if the devil might be believed1 ,job was one that served ,god for gain1 and might have been made to curse him to his face4 ,and if his servants may be believed1 there is nothing so vile which the best men are not guilty of4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,take heed of engaging yourselves in a sect or faction4 ,for when once you depart from catholic charity1 there groweth up instead of it1 a partial respect to the interest of that sect to which you join2 and you will think that whatsoever doth promote that sect1 doth promote christianity2 and whatever is against that sect1 is against the church or cause of ,god4 ,a narrow1 sectarian1 separating mind1 will make all the truths of ,god give place to the opinions of his party2 and will measure the prosperity of the gospel in the world1 by the prosperity of his party1 as if he had forgot that there are any more men on the face of the earth1 or thought ,god regarded none but them4 ,he will not stick to persecute all the rest of the church of ,christ1 if the interest of his sect require it4 ,when once men incorporate themselves into a party1 it possesseth them with another spirit1 even with a strange uncharitableness1 injustice1 cruelty1 and partiality6 ,what hath the christian world suffered by one sect's persecuting another1 and faction rising up in fury to maintain its own interest1 as if it had been to maintain the being of all religion6 ,the bloodthirsty papists1 whose inquisition1 massacres1 and manifold murders1 have filled the earth with the blood of innocents1 is a sufficient testimony of this4 ,and still here among us they seem as thirsty of blood as ever1 and tell us to our faces1 that they would soon make an end of us1 if we were in their power3 as if the two hundred thousand lately murdered in so short a time in ,ireland1 had rather irritated than quenched their thirst4 ,and all faction naturally tendeth to persecution4 ,own not therefore any dividing opinions or names2 maintain the unity of the body of ,christ 7not of the body of the pope74 ,let christian and catholic1 be all your titles1 as to your religion4 ,mark those that cause divisions and offences1 and avoid them1 ,rom4 xvi4 #ag4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,to this end1 overvalue not any private or singular opinions of your own or others4 ,for if once spiritual pride and ignorance of your own weakness1 hath made you espouse some particular opinion as peculiarly your own2 you will dote on the brats of your own brains1 and will think your conceits to be far more illuminating and necessary than indeed they are2 as if men's sincerity lay in the embracing of them1 and their salvation on the receiving of them6 ,and then you will make a party for your opinion1 and will think all that are against it deserve to be cast out1 as enemies to reformation1 or to the truth of ,god1 or to the church4 ,and perhaps twenty years after1 experience may bring you to your wits1 and make you see either the falsehood or the smallness of all those points which you made so great a matter of2 and then what comfort will you have in your persecutions8 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,obey not the solicitations of selfish1 passionate disputers4 ,bishops and divines falling out among themselves1 and then drawing princes to own their quarrels1 when they find their arguments will not serve1 hath been the distraction1 division1 and ruin of the christian world4 ,and he that falleth in with one of the parties1 to bear out that by the ruin of the other1 is lost himself in their contentions4 ,would rulers let wrangling bishops and disputers alone1 and never lend them their swords to end their differences1 unless the substance of religion be endangered1 they would be weary of quarrelling1 and would chide themselves friends1 and no such tragical consequents would follow1 as do when the sword interposeth to suppress the discountenanced party1 and to end their syllogisms and wranglings in blood4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,take heed lest an uncharitable1 hurting spirit do prevail1 under the name of holy zeal4 ,as it did with ,james and ,john1 when they would have fire from heaven to have revenged the contempt of their ministry3 to whom ,christ saith1 ,ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of1 ,luke ix4 #ee4 ,the difference between a christian zeal1 and an envious1 contentious1 censorious1 hurtful zeal1 is excellently described by the apostle ,james1 chap4 iii4 throughout4 ,where envying and strife is1 there is confusion1 and every evil work4 ,the wisdom from above is first pure1 then peaceable1 gentle1 easy to be entreated1 full of mercy and good works1 without partiality and hypocrisy4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,the catholic church1 and particular churches1 and our communion with each1 must be distinguished2 and a man must not be cast out of our catholic communion1 because by some tolerable difference he is uncapable of communion with some particular church4 ,if a man be impenitent in any heresy or sin1 which is contrary to the common nature of christianity or godliness1 and so unfit for catholic communion1 he is to be cast out of christian communion3 but if some particular church do impose any unnecessary doctrine or practice1 and he dare not approve it1 or join in it 7be it right or wrong72 yea1 or if he withdraw himself from one church1 through the badness of the minister1 or through any falling out between them1 and join to another that hath a minister more suitable to his case2 these are not crimes to be punished with ejection from catholic communion4 ,he that is not fit for communion with some one particular church1 may be fit for communion with many others1 that give him no such occasion of difference or distaste4 ,without catholic principles persecution will not be avoided4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,let church union and communion be laid upon none but catholic terms1 which are possible and fit for all to be agreed in4#acj ,common reason will tell any impartial man1 that there can be no more effectual engine to divide the churches1 and raise contentions and persecutions1 than to make laws for church communion1 requiring such conditions as it is certain the members cannot consent to4 ,if any man knew that my opinion is against the doctrine of transubstantiation1 or of the ,dominican's predetermination1 and he would make a law1 that no man shall have communion with that church who subscribeth not to these1 he unavoidably excludeth me 7unless ,i be such a beast1 as to believe nothing soundly1 and therefore to say any thing74 ,if ever the churches agree1 and christians be reconciled1 it must be by leaving out all dividing impositions1 and requiring nothing as necessary to communion1 which all may not rationally be expected to consent in4 ,now these catholic principles of communion must be such as these4 #a4 ,such points of faith only as constitute christianity1 and which every upright christian holdeth2 and therefore only such as are contained in our baptismal covenant or profession1 which maketh us christians2 and not those other which only some stronger christians believe or understand2 because the weak are not to be cast out of the family of ,christ4 #b4 ,such points as the primitive churches did agree in1 and not innovations1 which they never practised or agreed in2 for they are our pattern1 and were better than we2 and no more can be necessary to our concord and communion1 than was to theirs4#aca #c4 ,such points as all the church hath some time or other at least agreed in2 for what reason can we have to think that the churches should now agree in that1 which they never hitherto agreed in4 #d4 ,such points as all the true christians in the world are now agreed in2 for otherwise we shall exclude some true christians from our christian communion4 #e4 ,no points of worship1 much less of modes and circumstances1 which are not necessary1 and more necessary to the church's good1 than is the communion of all those persons1 who by dissenting are like to be separated or cast out1 and whose omission would not do more hurt1 than this separation and division is like to do4 #f4 ,especially no such things must be made necessary to communion1 as the most conscientious are ordinarily fearful of and averse to1 and may be forborne without any great detriment to godliness4 ,object4 ,but1 it will be said1 that catholic communion indeed requireth no more than you say2 but particular churches may require more of their members1 for that may be necessary or fit for a member of this particular church1 which is not so to all4 ,answ4 ,catholic communion is that which all christians and churches have with one another1 and the terms of it are such as all christians may agree in4 ,catholic communion is principally existent and exercised in particular churches 7as there is no existent christianity or faith1 which existeth not in individual christians74 ,therefore if one particular church may so narrow the door of its communion1 then another and another1 and every one may do so2 if not by the same particular impositions1 yet by some other of the like nature2 for what power one church hath herein1 others have2 and then catholic communion will be scarce found existent externally in the world3 but a mere catholic christian would be denied communion in every particular church he cometh to4 ,and how do you hold catholic communion1 when you will admit no mere catholic christian as such to your communion1 but only such as supererogate according to your private church terms8 #b4 ,but grant that every church may impose more upon its members1 it must be only that which is necessary to those common things which all agree in2 and then the necessity will be discernible to all sober-minded persons1 and will prevent divisions2 as it is necessary that he that will communicate with our churches1 do join with them in the same translation of ,scripture1 and version of the ,psalms1 and under the same pastor1 as the rest of the church doth3 for here the church cannot use variety of pastors1 translations1 versions1 c4 to fit the variety of men's humours2 there is an evident necessity1 that if they will be one society1 they must agree in the same1 in each of these4 ,therefore when the church hath united in one1 if any man refuse that one person or way which the church is necessarily united in1 he refuseth communion with that church1 and the church doth not excommunicate him6 ,but if that church agree on things hurtful or unnecessary1 as necessary to its communion1 it must bear the blame of the separations itself6 #c4 ,and grant yet that some churches cannot admit such scrupulous persons to her communion as dare not join in every punctilio1 circumstance1 or mode2 it doth not follow that those persons must therefore be excommunicated1 or forbidden to worship ,god among themselves1 without that which they scruple2 or to join in or with a congregation which imposeth no such things upon them4 ,persecution will unavoidably come in1 upon such domineering1 narrow terms as those4 ,the man is a christian still1 though he scruple one of our modes or ceremonies1 and is capable of catholic communion4 ,and if private and little inconveniences shall be thought a sufficient cause1 to forbid all such the public worshipping of ,god1 on pretence that in one nation there must not be variety of modes1 this is a dividing principle1 and not catholic1 and plungeth men into the guilt of persecution4 ,it was not so in the churches of the ,roman empire4 ,in the days of ,basil1 his church and that at ,neocsarea differed2 and ordinarily1 several bishops used several forms of prayer and worship1 in their several churches1 without offence4 ,and further1 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,different faults must have different penalties2 and excommunication or forbidding men all public worship of ,god1 must not be the penalty of every dissent4 ,is there no smaller penalty sufficient1 if a doubtful subscription or ceremony be scrupled1 than to silence ministers therefore from preaching the gospel1 or excommunicating men1 and forbidding them to worship ,god at all except they can do this8 ,this is the highest ecclesiastical penalty that can be laid on men for the greatest heresy or crime4 ,doubtless there are lesser punishments that may suffice for lesser faults4 ,direct4 ,,xvii4 ,every friend of ,christ and the church1 must choose such penalties for ministers and private christians1 who offend1 as are least to the hinderance of the gospel1 or hurtful to the people's souls4 ,therefore silencing ministers is not a fit penalty for every fault which they commit6 ,the providence of ,god 7as ,i said before7 hath furnished the world with so few that are fit for that high and sacred work1 that no man can pretend that they are supernumeraries1 or unnecessary1 and that others may be substituted to the church's profit3 for the number is so small1 that all are much too few2 and so many as are silenced1 so many churches 7either the same or others7 must be unsupplied or ill supplied4 ,and ,god working ordinarily by means1 we may conclude1 that silencing of such preachers1 doth as plainly tend to men's damnation1 as the prohibiting of physicians doth to their death1 and more4 ,and it is not the part of a friend1 either of ,god or men1 to endeavour the damnation of one soul1 much less of multitudes1 because a minister hath displeased him4 ,if one man must pay for another man's sins1 let it be a pecuniary mulct1 or the loss of a member1 rather than the loss of his soul4 ,it is more merciful every time a minister offendeth1 to cut off a hand or an arm of some of his flock1 than to say to him1 ,teach them no more the way to salvation1 that so they may be damned4 ,if a father offend1 and his children must needs pay for all his faults1 it is better to beat the children1 or maim them1 than forbid him to feed them1 when there is none else to do it1 and so to famish them4 ,what reason is there that men's souls should be untaught1 because a minister hath offended8 ,i know still1 those men that care not for their own souls1 and therefore care as little for others1 will say1 ,what if the people have but a reader1 or a weak1 ignorant1 lifeless preacher8 doth it therefore follow that the people must be damned8 ,i answer1 ,no3 no more than it followeth that the city that hath none but women physicians must die of their sicknesses1 or that they that live only upon grass or roots must famish4 ,nature may do more to overcome a disease without a physician in one than in another4 ,some perhaps are converted already1 and have the law written in their hearts1 and are taught of ,god1 and can make shift to live without a teacher2 but for the rest1 whose diseases need a skilful1 diligent physician1 whose ignorance and impenitence extremely need a skilful1 diligent1 lively teacher1 he that depriveth them of such1 doth take the probable course to damn them6 ,and it is the same course which the devil himself would take2 and he partly knoweth what tendeth to men's damnation6 ,he that knoweth what a case the heathen1 infidel1 ,mahometan world is in for want of teachers2 and what a case the ,greek church1 the ,muscovites1 the ,abassines1 ,syrians1 ,armenians1 papists1 and most of the christians of the world are in1 for want of able1 skilful1 godly pastors1 will lay his hand on his mouth1 and meddle with such reasonings as these no more4 ,object4 ,but by this device you will have the clergy lawless1 or1 as the papists1 exempt them from the magistrate's punishments1 for fear of depriving the people of instruction4 ,answ4 ,no such matter3 it is the contrary that ,i am advising2 ,i would have them punished more severely than other men1 as their sins are more aggravated than other men's4 ,yea1 and ,i would have them silenced when it is meet1 and that is in two cases3 viz4 ,if they commit such capital crimes1 as ,god and man would have punished with death1 it is fit they die 7and then they are silenced73 for in this case it is supposed that their lives 7by their impunity7 are like to do more hurt than good4 #b4 ,if their heresy1 insufficiency1 scandal1 or any fault whatever1 do make them more hurtful than profitable to the church1 it is fit they be cast out4 ,if their ministry be not like to do more good than their faults to do harm1 let them be silenced6 ,but if it be otherwise1 then let them be punished in their bodies or purses1 rather than the people's souls should suffer4 ,the laws have variety of penalties for other men6 ,will none of those suffice for ministers8 ,but alas6 what talk ,i of their faults8 ,search all church history1 and observe whether in all ages ministers have not been silenced rather for their duties than their faults2 or1 for not subscribing to some unnecessary opinion or imposition of a prevailing party2 or about some wrangling controversies which church disturbers set afoot6 ,there is many a poor minister would work in ,bridewell1 or be tied to shovel the streets all the rest of the week1 if he might but have liberty to preach the gospel6 ,and would not such a penalty be sufficient for a dissent in some unnecessary point8 ,as it is not every fault that a magistrate is deposed for by the sovereign1 but such as make him unfit for the place1 so is it also with the ministers4 ,direct4 ,,xviii4 ,malignity and profaneness must not be gratified or encouraged4 ,it must be considered1 how the carnal mind is enmity against ,god2 for it is not subject to his law1 nor can be2 and that enmity is put between the woman's and the serpent's seed2#acb and that the whole business of the world is but the prosecution of the war between the armies of ,christ and ,satan2 and that malignity inclineth the ungodly world to slander and reproach the servants of the ,lord2 and they are glad of any opportunity to make them odious1 or to exasperate magistrates against them2 and that their silencing and fall is the joy of the ungodly4 ,and if there be any civil differences or sidings1 the ungodly rabble will take that side1 be it right or wrong1 which they think will do most to the downfal of the godly1 whom they hate4 ,therefore besides the merits of the particular cause1 a ruler that regardeth the interest of the gospel1 and men's salvation1 must have some care that the course which he taketh against godly ministers and people1 when they displease him1 be such as doth not strengthen the hands of evil-doers1 nor harden them1 increase them1 or make them glad4 ,i do not say1 that a ruler must be against whatever the ungodly part is for2 or that he must be for that which the major part of godly men are for 7,i know this is a deceitful rule74 ,but yet that which pleaseth the malignant rabble1 and displeaseth or hurteth the generality of godly men1 is so seldom pleasing to ,god1 that it is much to be suspected4 ,direct4 ,,xix4 ,the substance of faith1 and the practice of godliness1 must be valued above all opinions1 and parties1 and worldly interests2 and godly men accounted1 as they are1 7cteris paribus17 the best members both of church and state4 ,if rulers once knew the difference between a saint and a sensualist1 a vile person would be contemned in their eyes1 and they would honour them that fear the ,lord1 ,psal4 xv4 #d4 ,and if they honoured them as ,god commandeth them1 they would not persecute them2 and if the promoting of practical godliness were their design1 there were little danger of their oppressing those that must be the instruments of propagating it1 if ever it prosper in the world4 ,direct4 ,,xx4 ,to this end1 remember the near and dear relation which every true believer standeth in to ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,they are called by ,god1 ,his peculiar treasure1--his jewels1--his children1--the members of ,christ1--the temples of the ,holy ,ghost2--,god dwelleth in them by love1 and ,christ by faith1 and the ,spirit by all his sanctifying gifts4#acc ,if this were well believed1 men would more reverence them on ,god's account1 than causelessly to persecute them4 ,he that toucheth you1 toucheth the apple of my eye1 ,zech4 ii4 #h4 ,direct4 ,,xxi4 ,look not so much on men's infirmities1 as to overlook or make light of all that is good in them4 ,but look as much at the good as at the evil2 and then you will see reason for lenity1 as well as for severity2 and for love and tenderness1 rather than for hatred and persecution2 and you will discern that those may be serviceable to the church1 in whom blinded malice can see nothing worthy of honour or respect4 ,direct4 ,,xxii4 ,estimate and use all lesser matters1 as means to spiritual worship and practical holiness4 ,if there be any thing of worth in controversies1 and ceremonies1 and such other matters of inferior rank1 it is as they are a means to the power of godliness1 which is their end4 ,and if once they be no otherwise esteemed1 they will not be made use of against the interest of godliness1 to the silencing of the preachers1 and persecuting the professors of it4 ,direct4 ,,xxiii4 ,remember that the understanding is not free 7save only participative1 as it is subject to the will74 ,it acteth of itself per modum natur1 and is necessitated by its object 7further than as it is under the power of the will74 ,a man cannot hold what opinion he would himself1 nor be against what he would not have to be true2 much less can he believe as another man commandeth him4 ,my understanding is not at my own command2 ,i cannot be of every man's belief that is uppermost4 ,evidence1 and not force1 is the natural means to compel the mind2 even as goodness1 and not force1 is the natural means to win men's love4 ,it is as wise a thing to say1 ,love me1 or ,i will kill thee2 as to say1 ,believe me1 or ,i will kill thee4 ,direct4 ,,xxiv4 ,consider that it is essential to religion1 to be above the authority of man 7unless as they subserve the authority of ,god74 ,he that worshippeth a ,god that is subject to any man1 must subject his religion to that man4 7,but this is no religion1 because it is no ,god whom he worshippeth47 ,but if the ,god whom ,i serve be above all men1 my religion or service of him must needs be also above the will of men4 ,direct4 ,,xxv4 ,consider that an obedient disposition towards ,god's law1 and a tender conscience which feareth in the smallest matter to offend him1 is a substantial part of holiness1 and of great necessity to salvation4 ,it is part of the excellency of the soul1 and therefore to be greatly encouraged by governors4 ,to drive this out of the world1 is to drive out godliness1 and make men rebels against their ,maker4 ,and nothing is more certain1 than that the violent imposing of unnecessary1 disputable things in the worship of ,god1 doth unavoidably tend either to debauch the conscience1 and drive men from their obedience to ,god1 or to destroy them1 or undo them in the world3 for it is not possible1 that all conscionable persons should discern the lawfulness of all such disputable things4 ,direct4 ,,xxvi4 ,remember that such violence in doubtful matters1 is the way to set up the most debauched atheists1 and consequently to undo church and commonwealth4 ,for whatever oaths or subscriptions you require1 he that believeth not that there is a ,god or a devil1 a heaven or a hell1 will yield to all1 and make no more of perjury or a lie1 than to eat a bit of bread6 ,if you cast out all ministers that will not swear or subscribe this or that form about things doubtful1 you will cast out never an atheist or debauched infidel by it4 ,all that have no conscience1 will be kept in2 and all that are true to ,god and their conscience1 if they think it is sin which you require of them1 will be cast out4 ,and whither this tendeth1 you may easily foresee4 ,direct4 ,,xxvii4 ,remember that if by force you do prevail with a man to go against his conscience1 you do but make him dissemble and lie4 ,and if hypocrites be not hateful to you1 why do you cry out so much against hypocrites 7where you cannot prove your accusation78 ,but if they be so hateful1 why do you so eagerly make men hypocrites8 ,whatever their tongues may say1 you can scarce believe yourselves1 that prisons or fire will change men's judgments in matters of faith and duty to ,god4 ,direct4 ,,xxviii4 ,consider not only whether the thing which you impose be sin in itself1 but also what it is to him that thinketh it a sin4 ,his own doubting conscience may make that a sin to him1 which is no sin to another4 ,and he that doubteth1 7whether such or such a meat be lawful17 is condemned if he eat1 because he eateth not of faith3 for whatsoever is not of faith is sin1 ,rom4 xiv4 #bc4 ,and is it like to be damnation to him that doth it against his conscience8 ,and will you drive on any man towards damnation8 ,destroy not him with thy meat for whom ,christ died1 ,rom4 xiv4 #ae2 #a ,cor4 viii4 #aa4 ,if it be objected1 ,that then there will be no government1 if every man must be left to his own conscience4 ,i answer1 ,that the ,holy ,ghost did not fear such objectors1 when he laid down this doctrine here expressed4 #a4 ,it is easy to distinguish between things necessary and things unnecessary4 #b4 ,and between great penalties and small4 ,and first1 ,it followeth not that a man must be left to his own conscience in every thing1 because he must be so in some things4 ,in things necessary1 as it is a sin to do them doubtingly1 so it may be a greater sin to leave them undone2 7as for a man to maintain his family1 or defend his king1 or hear the word of ,god1 c47 ,he that can say1 ,my conscience is against it1 must not be excused from a necessary duty3 and he that can say1 ,my conscience bids me do it1 must not be excused in a sin4 ,but yet the apostle knew what he said1 when he 7that was a greater church governor than you7 determined the case of mutual forbearance1 as in ,rom4 xiv4 and xv4 and #a ,cor4 viii4 ,secondly1 ,and he is not wholly left to himself1 who is punished with a small penalty for a small offence3 for if a man must be still punished more1 as long as he obeyeth ,god and his conscience1 before men1 an honest man must not be suffered to live4 ,for he will certainly do it to the death4 ,direct4 ,,xxix4 ,remember the wonderful variety of men's apprehensions1 which must be supposed in all laws6 ,men's faces are scarce more various and unlike1 than their understandings are3 for besides that nature hath diversified intellects as well as faces1 the diversity and unlikeness is much increased by variety of educations1 company1 representations1 accidents1 cogitations1 and many other causes4 ,it is wiser to make laws1 that all men shall take the same physic1 or eat only the same meat1 or that all shoes shall be of a size1 and all clothes of the same bigness1 upon supposition that all men's health1 or appetite1 or feet1 or bodies1 are alike2 than to make laws that all men shall agree 7or say that they agree7 in every opinion1 circumstance1 or ceremony1 in matters of religion4 ,direct4 ,,xxx4 ,remember especially1 that most christians are ignorant1 and of weak understandings1 and not able to make use of all the distinctions and subtleties which are needful1 to bring them over to your mind in doubtful and unnecessary things4 ,therefore the laws which will be the means of peace1 must suppose this weakness and ignorance of most subjects6 ,and how convenient it is1 to say to a poor1 ignorant christian1 ,know this1 or profess this or that1 which the ablest1 godly pastors themselves are not agreed in1 or else thou shalt be imprisoned or banished1 ,i leave to equal men to judge4 ,direct4 ,,xxxi4 ,human infirmities must be supposed in the best and strongest christians4 ,all have their errors and their faults2 divines themselves as well as others4 ,therefore either some errors and faults must be accounted tolerable1 or else no two persons must tolerate one another in the world1 but kill on till the strongest only shall survive4 ,brethren1 if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye which are spiritual1 restore such a one in the spirit of meekness1 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ1 ,gal4 vi4 #a1 #b4 ,and if the strong must be borne with themselves1 then they that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak1 and not to please themselves2 but every one to please his neighbour for his good to edification2 for even ,christ pleased not himself1 c4 ,rom4 xv4 #a-c4 ,and him that is weak in the faith we must receive2 but not to doubtful disputations1 ,rom4 xiv4 #a4 ,direct4 ,,xxxii4 ,the pastors must not be impatient under the abuses which they receive from weak or distempered brethren4 ,we must excel others in patience1 and meekness1 and forbearance1 as much as we do in knowledge1 and in other graces4 ,if the nurse or mother will take every word or action of the child1 as if it were the injury of an enemy1 there will be no preservation of the family in peace6 ,if children cry1 or fight1 or chide1 or make any foul or troublesome work1 the mother will not therefore turn them out of doors1 or use them like strangers1 but remember that it is her place and duty to bear with that weakness which she cannot cure4 ,the proud impatience of the pastors hath frequently brought them into the guilt of persecution1 to the alienating of the people's hearts1 and the distraction and division of the churches3 when poor1 distempered persons are offended with them1 and it may be revile them1 and call them seducers1 or antichristian1 or superstitious1 or what their pride and passion shall suggest3 or if some weak ones raise up some erroneous opinions1 alas6 many pastors have no more wit1 or grace1 or pity1 than presently to be rough with them1 and revile them again1 and seek to right themselves by ways of force1 and club down every error and contention2 when they should overcome them by evidence of truth1 and by meekness1 patience1 and love4 7,though there be place also for severity1 with turbulent1 implacable1 impenitent heretics47 ,direct4 ,,xxxiii4 ,time of learning and overcoming their mistakes1 must be allowed to those that are misinformed4 ,we must not turn those of the lower forms out of ,christ's school1 because they learn not as much as those of the higher forms in a few weeks or years4 ,the ,holy ,ghost teacheth those who for the time might have been teachers of others1 and yet had need to be taught the first principles1 ,heb4 v4 #aa1 #ab4 ,he doth not turn them out of the church for their non-proficiency4 ,and where there is ignorance there will be error4 ,direct4 ,,xxxiv4 ,some inconveniences must be expected and tolerated1 and no perfect order or concord expected here on earth4 ,it is not good reasoning to say1 ,if we suffer these men1 they will cause this or that disorder or inconvenience3 but you must also consider whither you must drive it1 if you suffer them not2 and what will be the consequents4 ,he that will follow his conscience to a prison1 will likely follow it to death4 ,and if nothing but death1 or prison1 or banishment can restrain them from what they take to be their duty1 it must be considered how many must be so used2 and whether 7if they were truly faulty7 they deserve so much3 and if they do1 yet whether the evils of the toleration or of the punishment are like to be the greater4 ,peace and concord will never be perfect1 till knowledge and holiness be perfect4 ,direct4 ,,xxxv4 ,you may go farther in restraining than in constraining2 in forbidding men to preach against approved doctrines or practices of the church1 than in forcing them to preach for them1 or to subscribe or speak their approbation or assent3 if they be not points or practices of great necessity1 a man may be fit for the ministry and church communion1 who meddleth not with them1 but preacheth the wholesome truths of the gospel1 and lets them alone4 ,and1 because no duty is at all times a duty1 a sober man's judgment will allow him to be silent at many an error1 when he dare not subscribe to or approve the least4 ,but if here any proud and cruel pastors shall come in with their lesser1 selfish incommodities1 and say1 if they do not approve of what we say and do1 they will secretly foment a faction against us2 ,i should answer them1 that as good men will foment no faction1 so if such proud1 impatient1 turbulent men1 will endure none that subscribe not to all their opinions1 or differ from them in a circumstance or a ceremony1 they shall raise a greater faction 7if they will call it so7 against themselves1 and make the people look on them as tyrants and not as pastors2 and they shall see in the end1 when they have bought their wit by dear experience1 that they have but torn the church in pieces1 by preventing divisions by carnal means1 and that they have lost themselves1 by being over-zealous for themselves2 and that doctrine and love are the instruments of a wise shepherd1 that loveth the flock1 and understands his work4 ,direct4 ,,xxxvi4 ,distinguish between the making of new laws or articles of belief1 and the punishing of men for the laws already made4 ,and think not that we must have new laws or canons1 every time the old ones are broken2 or that any law can be made which can keep itself from being broken4 ,perverseness in this error hath brought the church to the misery which it endureth4 ,god hath made a universal law sufficient for the universal church1 in matters of faith and holy practice2 leaving it to men to determine of necessary circumstances which were unfit for a universal law3 and if the sufficiency of ,god's law were acknowledged in men's practices1 the churches would have had more peace3 but when particular countries have their particular volumes of articles1 confessions1 liturgies1 and ,i know not what else to be subscribed to1 and none must preach that will not say1 or write1 or swear1 ,that he believeth all this to be true and good1 and nothing in it to be against the word of ,god1 this engine racks the limbs of the churches all to pieces4 ,and then what is the pretence for this epidemical calamity8 ,why no better than this1 ,every heretic will subscribe to the ,scriptures1 and take it in his own sense4 ,and what followeth8 ,must we needs therefore have new laws which heretics will not subscribe to1 or which they cannot break8 ,it is the commendation of ,god's law1 as fit to be the means of unity1 that all are so easily agreed to it in terms1 and therefore would agree in the sense if they understood it4 ,but they will not do so by the laws of men3 all or many heretics in the primitive times1 would profess assent to the church's creed2 no doubt in a corrupt and private sense2 but the churches therefore did not make new creeds2 till about three hundred years after ,christ1 they began to put in some particular words to obviate heretics1 which ,hilary complained of as the cause of all their divisions6 ,and what if heretics will subscribe to all you bid them1 and take it in their own corrupted sense8 ,must you therefore be still making new laws and articles1 till you meet with some which they cannot misunderstand1 or dare not thus abuse8 ,what if men will misinterpret and break the laws of the land8 ,must they be made new till none can mis-expound or violate them8 ,sure there is a wiser way than this3 ,god's word containeth in sufficient expressions1 all that is necessary to be subscribed to3 require none therefore to subscribe to any more 7in matters of faith or holy practice72 but if you think any articles need a special interpretation1 let the church give her sense of those articles2 and if any man preach against that sense1 and corrupt the word of ,god which he hath subscribed1 let his fault be proved1 and let him be admonished and censured as it deserves3 censured1 ,i say1 not for not subscribing more than ,scripture1 but for corrupting the ,scriptures to which he hath subscribed1 or breaking ,god's laws which he promised to observe4 ,direct4 ,,xxxvii4 ,the good of men1 and not their ruin1 must be intended in all the discipline of the church3 or the good of the church1 when we have but little hope of theirs4 ,if this were done1 it would easily be perceived1 that persecution is an unlikely means to do good by4 ,direct4 ,,xxxviii4 ,neither unlimited liberty in matters of religion must be allowed1 nor unnecessary force and rigour used1 but tolerable differences and parties must be tolerated1 and intolerable ones by the wisest means suppressed4 ,and to this end1 by the counsel of the most prudent1 peaceable divines1 the tolerable and the intolerable must be statedly distinguished6 ,and those that are only tolerated must be under a law for their toleration1 prescribing them their terms of good behaviour2 and those that are approved1 must moreover have the countenance and maintenance of the magistrate3 and if this were done1 #a4 ,the advantage of the said encouragement from governors1 #b4 ,with the regulation of the toleration1 and the magistrates' careful government of the tolerated1 would prevent both persecution1 and most of the divisions and calamities of the church4 ,thus did the ancient christian emperors and bishops3 7and was their experience nothing87 ,the ,novatians 7as good and orthodox men7 were allowed their own churches and bishops even in ,constantinople1 at the emperor's nose4 ,especially if it be made the work of some justices1 #a4 ,to judge of persons to be tolerated1 and grant them patents1 #b4 ,and to overrule them and punish them when they deserve it3 no other way would avoid so many inconveniences4 ,direct4 ,,xxxix4 ,the things intolerable are these two3 #a4 7,not the believing1 but7 the preaching and propagating of principles contrary to the essentials of godliness or christianity1 or government1 justice1 charity1 or peace4 #b4 ,the turbulent1 unpeaceable management of those opinions which in themselves are tolerable4 ,if any would preach against the articles of the creed1 the petitions of the ,lord's prayer1 or any of the ten commandments1 he is not to be suffered2 and if any that are orthodox do in their separated meetings1 make it their business to revile at others1 and destroy men's charity1 or to stir men up to rebellion or sedition1 or contempt of magistracy2 none of this should be endured4 ,as for those libertines that under the name of liberty of conscience do plead for a liberty of such vicious practices1 and in order thereto would prove that the magistrate hath nothing to do in matters of religion1 ,i have preached and wrote so much against them1 whilst that error reigned1 and ,i find it so unseasonable now the constitution of things looks another way1 that ,i will not weary myself and the reader with so unnecessary a task as to confute them4 ,only ,i shall say1 that ,rom4 xiii4 telleth us that rulers are a terror to them that do evil2 and that heretics and turbulent firebrands do evil2 therefore rulers should be a terror to them2 and that if all things are to be done to the glory of ,god1 and his interest is to be set highest in the world1 then magistrates and government are for the same end2 and if no action which we do1 is of so base a nature1 as ultimately to be terminated in the concernments of the flesh1 much less is government so vile a thing1 when rulers are in ,scripture called gods1 as being the officers of ,god4 ,direct4 ,,xl4 ,remember death1 and live together as men that are near dying1 and must live together in another world4 ,the foolish expectation of prosperity and long life1 is it which setteth men together by the ears4 ,when ,ridley and ,hooper were both in prison1 and preparing for the flames1 their contentions were soon ended1 and ,ridley repented of his persecuting way4 ,if the persecutors and persecuted were shut up together in one house that hath the plague1 in the time of this lamentable contagion1 it is two to one but they would be reconciled4 ,when men see that they are going into another world1 it takes off the edge of their bitterness and violence2 and the apprehensions of the righteous judgment of ,god1 doth awe them into a patience and forbearance with each other4 ,can you persecute that man on earth1 with whom you look to dwell in heaven8 7,but to restrain a man from damning souls1 by heresy or turbulency1 or any such course1 my conscience would not forbid it me if ,i were dying47 ,direct4 ,,xli4 ,let the proud themselves1 who will regard no higher motives1 remember how fame and history will represent them to posterity when they are dead4 ,there is no man that desireth his name should stink and be odious to future generations3 there is nothing that an ambitious man desireth more1 than a great surviving name4 ,and will you knowingly and wilfully then expose it to perpetual contempt and hatred8 ,read over what history you please1 and find out the name of one persecutor if you can1 that is not now a word of ignominy1 and doth not rot1 as ,god hath threatened6 ,if you say1 that it is only in the esteem of such as ,i1 or the persecuted party2 neither your opinion shall be judge nor mine2 but the opinion and language of historians1 and of the wisest men1 who are the masters of fame4 ,certainly that report of holy ,scripture and history which hath prevailed1 will still prevail2 and while there are wise1 and good1 and merciful men in the world1 the names and manners of the foolish1 and wicked1 and cruel will be odious1 as they continue at this day4 ,i have wrote these directions to discharge my duty1 for those that are willing to escape the guilt of so desperate a sin2 but not with any expectation at all1 that it should do much good with any considerable number of persecutors2 for they will not read such things as these2 and ,god seldom giveth professed christians over to this sin1 till they have very grievously blinded their minds1 and hardened their hearts1 and by malignity and obstinacy are prepared for his sorest judgments2 and ,i know that whoever will live godly in ,christ ,jesus 7it is not said1 who professeth to believe in ,christ ,jesus1 but1 to live godly7 shall suffer persecution1 and that the cross must still be the passage to the crown4#acd #abe ,dmones ex hominibus fieri quidam opinati sunt1 perpetua criminum licentia1 c4 ,quod ut forte tolerabiliter dictum sit1 malarum voluntatem similitudo efficit1 qua homo malus atque in malis obstinatus pene dmonem quat4 ,petrarch4 de ,injusto ,domin4 #abf #a ,kings xxii4 #h1 #bg2 xiii4 #b1 #d4 #abg #b ,chron4 xvi4 #aj4 #abh ,john xix4 #ab4 #abi ,matt4 ii4 #af-ah2 xiv4 #f-i2 ,mark vi4 #ai1 #ba1 #bb2 ,acts i4 #b-d4 #acj ,see my ,treatise of a ,true ,catholic1 and ,catholic ,church4 #aca ,see ,vincent4 ,lirinens4 #acb ,rom4 viii4 #g1 #h2 ,gen4 iii4 #ae4 #acc ,exod4 xix4 #e2 #a ,pet4 ii4 #i2 ,tit4 ii4 #ad2 #b ,cor4 vi4 #af-ah2 ,mal4 iii4 #ag1 #ah2 ,eph4 iii4 #ag2 #a ,cor4 iii4 #af2 #b ,tim4 i4 #ad2 #a ,john iv4 #ae1 #af4 #acd #b ,tim4 iii4 #aa1 #ab2 ,matt4 v4 #aa1 #ab2 ,luke xiv4 #bf1 #cc4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,directions ,,against ,,scandal ,,as ,,given4 ,scandal being a murdering of souls1 is a violation of the general law of charity1 and of the sixth commandment in particular4 ,in handling this subject1 ,i shall1 #a4 ,show you what is true scandal given to another4 #b4 ,what things go under the name of scandal1 which are not it1 but are falsely so named4 #c4 ,what are the particular ways and sorts of scandal4 #d4 ,the greatness of this sin4 #e4 ,directions to avoid it4 ,sidenote3 ,scandal what it is4 ,i4 ,i shall not need to stand upon the etymology of the word scandal2 whether it come from 1 claudico1 as ,erasmus thought1 or from 1 curvum1 c4 ,martinius1 ,stephanus1 ,lyserus1 c4 have sufficiently done it1 whither ,i refer you4 ,as for the sense of the word1 it is past doubt1 that the ordinary use of it in ,scripture is for a stumblingblock for a man to fall upon1 or a trap to insnare a man2 and in the ,old ,testament it is often used for a stumbling-stone1 on which a man may fall into any corporal calamity1 or a snare to hurt or ruin a man in the world2 7as ,exod4 x4 #g2 #a ,sam4 xviii4 #ba2 xxv4 #ca2 ,psal4 cxix4 #afe2 ,ezek4 vii4 #ai1 ,sept47 ,but in the ,new ,testament1 7which speaketh more of spiritual hurts17 it is taken for a stumblingblock or temptation1 by which a man is in danger of falling into sin1 or spiritual loss1 or ruin1 or dislike of godliness1 or any way to be turned from ,god1 or hindered in a religious1 holy way2 7and if sometimes it be taken for grieving or troubling1 it is as it hereby thus hindereth or insnareth27 so that to scandalize1 is sometimes taken for the doing of a blameless action1 from which another unjustly taketh occasion to fall1 or sin1 or be perverted3 but when it signifieth a sin1 7as we take it in this place17 then to scandalize is1 by something unlawful of itself1 or at least unnecessary1 which may occasion the spiritual hurt or ruin of another4 #a4 ,the matter is either something that is simply sinful1 7and then it is a double sin17 or something indifferent or unnecessary1 and then it is simply the sin of scandal4 #b4 ,it must be that which may occasion another's fall1 ,i say1 occasion2 for no man can forcibly cause another man to sin1 but only occasion it1 or tempt him to it1 as a moral cause4 ,sidenote3 ,what is not scandal1 that is by many so called4 ,,ii4 ,by this you may see1 #a4 ,that to scandalize1 is not merely to displease or grieve another2 for many a man is displeased1 through his folly and vice1 by that which tendeth to his good2 and many a man is tempted 7that is1 scandalized7 by that which pleaseth him2 when ,christ saith1 ,if thy right eye or hand offend 7or scandalize7 thee1 pluck it out1 or cut it off1 c4 ,matt4 v4 he doth not1 by offending1 mean displeasing1 or grieving2 for by so offending it may profit us2 but he plainly meaneth1 ,if it draw thee to sin2 or else he had never added1 ,that it is better to enter maimed into life1 than having two eyes or hands to be cast into hell6 ,that is1 in a word1 ,thy damnation is a greater hurt than the loss of hand or eye1 and therefore if there were no other way to avoid it1 this would be a very cheap way4 ,so pedem offendere in lapidem1 is to stumble upon a stone4 ,the most censorious and humorous sort of men1 have got a notion1 that whatever offendeth or displeaseth them is scandalous6 ,and they think that no man must do any thing which grieveth or displeaseth them1 lest he be guilty of scandal2 and by this trick whoever can purchase impatience and peevishness enough1 to be always displeased with the actions of others1 shall rule the world4 ,but the truth is1 the ordinary way of scandalizing these men is by pleasing them4 ,i will give you one instance of scandal in ,scripture1 which may help this sort of people better to understand it1 ,gal4 ii4 #aj-af4 ,peter there giveth true scandal to the ,jews and gentiles2 he walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel1 but laid a stumblingblock before the ,jews and gentiles2 and this was not by displeasing the ,jews1 but by pleasing them4 ,the ,jews thought it a sin to eat with the gentiles1 and to have communion with uncircumcised men4 ,peter knew the contrary1 but for fear of them of the circumcision1 lest they should be offended at him as a sinner1 he withdrew and separated himself4 ,this scandal tended to harden the ,jews in their sinful separation1 and to seduce the gentiles into a conceit of the necessity of circumcision2 and ,barnabas was carried away with the dissimulation4 ,here you may see1 that if any think it a sin in us to have communion in such or such congregations1 with such persons1 in such worship1 which ,god alloweth us not to separate from1 it is a sin of scandal in us to separate to avoid these men's offence4 ,we scandalize them and others1 even by pleasing them1 and by avoiding that which they falsely called scandalous4 ,and if we would not scandalize them1 we must do that which is just1 and not by our practice hide the sound doctrine1 which is contrary to their separating error4 #b4 ,and it is as apparent that to scandalize another1 is not 7as is vulgarly imagined by the ignorant7 to do that which is commonly reputed sinful1 or which hath the appearance of a sin1 or which will make a man evil thought of or spoken of by others2 yet commonly when men say1 ,this is a scandalous action1 they mean1 it is an action which is reproachful or of evil report as a sin4 ,and therefore in our ,english speech it is common to say of one that slandereth another1 that he raised a scandal of him4 ,but this is not the meaning of the word in ,scripture3 materially indeed scandal may consist in any such thing which may be a stumblingblock to another2 but formally it is the tempting of another1 or occasioning his fall1 or ruin1 or hurt1 which is the nature of scandalizing4 ,and this is done more seldom by committing open1 disgraceful sins1 and doing that which will make the doer evil spoken of2 for by that means others are the more assisted against the temptation of imitating him2 but scandal is most commonly found in those actions1 which are under least reproach among men1 or which have the most plausible appearance of good in them1 when they are evil6 ,for these are apter to deceive and overthrow another4 #c4 ,and it is also apparent1 that it is no sinful scandalizing to do a duty or necessary action1 which ,i have not power to forbear1 though ,i know that another will be offended1 or fall by it into sin4 ,if ,god have made it my duty1 even at this time1 ,i must not disobey him1 and omit my duty1 because another will make it an occasion of his sin4 ,it must be either a sinful or an indifferent action that is scandal1 or something that is in my power to do or to forbear2 yet this must be added1 that affirmatives binding not ad semper1 to all times1 and no duty being a duty at every moment1 it may oft fall out1 that that which else would have been my duty at this time1 may become at this time no duty but a sin1 by the evil consequents which ,i may foresee1 as if another man will make it an occasion of his fall4 ,so that this may oblige me to defer a duty to a fitter time and place4 ,for all such duties as have the nature of a means1 are never duties when they cross the interest of their chief ends1 and make against that which they are used to effect4 ,and therefore here christian prudence1 foreseeing consequents1 and weighing the good and evil together1 is necessary to him that will know a duty from a sin1 and a scandal from no scandal4 ,sidenote3 ,the sorts of scandalizing4 ,,iii4 ,the several ways of scandalizing are these following3 #a4 ,scandal is either intended or not intended1 either that which is done maliciously of set purpose1 or that which is done through negligence1 carelessness1 or contempt4 ,some men do purposely contrive the fall or ruin of another2 and this is a devilish aggravation of the sin3 and some do hurt to others while they intend it not2 yet this is far from excusing them from sin2 for it is voluntary as an omission of the will1 though not as its positive choice3 that is called voluntary which the will is chargeable with1 or culpable of2 and it is chargeable with its omissions1 and sluggish neglects of the duty which it should do4 ,those that are careless of the consequent of their actions1 and contemn the souls of other men1 and will go their own way1 come of it what will1 and say1 ,let other men look to themselves1 are the commonest sort of scandalizers2 and are as culpable as a servant that would leave hot water or fire when the children are like to fall into it2 or that would leave straw or gunpowder near the fire1 or would leave open the doors1 though not of purpose to let in the thieves4 #b4 ,scandal is that which tendeth to another's fall1 either directly or indirectly1 immediately or remotely4 ,the former may easily be foreseen2 but the latter requireth a large foreseeing1 comparing understanding2 yet this kind of scandal also must be avoided2 and wise men that would not undo men's souls while they think no harm1 must look far before them1 and foresee what is like to be the consequent of their actions at the greatest distance and at many removes4 #c4 ,scandals also are aptitudinal or actual3 many things are apt to tempt and occasion the ruin of another1 which yet never attain so bad an end1 because ,god disappointeth them2 but that is no thanks to them that give the scandal4 #d4 ,scandal also as to the means of it1 is of several sorts4 #a4 ,by doctrine4 #b4 ,by persuasion4 #c4 ,by alluring promises4 #d4 ,by threats4 #e4 ,by violence4 #f4 ,by gifts4 #g4 ,by example4 #h4 ,by omission of duties1 and by silence3 by all these ways you may scandalize4 #a4 ,false doctrine is directly scandalous2 for it seduceth the judgment1 which then misguideth the will1 which then misruleth the rest of the faculties4 ,false doctrine1 if it be in weighty1 practical points1 is the pernicious plague of souls and nations4 #b4 ,also the solicitations of seducers and of tempting people are scandalous1 and tend to the ruin of souls2 when people have no reason to draw a man to sin1 they weary him out by tedious importunity4 ,and many a one yields to the earnestness1 or importunity1 or tediousness of a persuasion1 who could easily resist it if it came only with pretence of reason4 #c4 ,alluring promises of some gain or pleasure that shall come by sin1 is another scandal which doth cause the fall of many4 ,the course that ,satan tried with ,christ1 ,all this will ,i give thee1 was but the same which he found most successful with sinners in the world4 ,this is a bait which sinners will themselves hunt after1 if it be not offered them4 ,judas will go to the ,pharisees with a ,what will ye give me1 and ,i will deliver him unto you8 ,peter saith of the scandalous heretics of his time1 ,they allure through the lust of the flesh1 through much wantonness1 those that were clean escaped from them who live in error2 while they promise them liberty1 they themselves are the servants of corruption1 #b ,pet4 ii4 #ah1 #ai4 #d4 ,threatenings also and scorns are scandals1 which frighten unbelieving souls into sin4 ,thus ,rabshakeh thought to prevail with ,hezekiah4 ,thus ,nebuchadnezzar ,dan4 iii4 thought to have drawn those three worthies to idolatry4 ,thus the ,pharisees thought to have frightened the apostles from preaching any more in the name of ,christ1 ,acts iv4 #ag1 #ba4 ,thus ,saul thought to have perverted the disciples1 by breathing out threatenings against them1 ,acts ix4 #a4 #e4 ,and what words will not do1 the ungodly think to do by force2 and it enrageth them1 that any should resist their wills1 and that their force is patiently endured4 ,what cruel torments1 what various sorts of heavy sufferings1 have the devil and his instruments devised1 to be stumblingblocks to the weak1 to affright them into sin6 #f4 ,gifts also have blinded the eyes of some who seemed wise3 ,as oppression maketh a wise man mad1 so a gift destroyeth the heart1 ,eccles4 vii4 #g4 ,what scandals have preferments proved to the world1 and how many have they ruined6 ,few are able to esteem the reproach of ,christ to be greater riches than the treasures of the world4 #g4 ,and evil examples are the commonest sort of scandals3#ace not as they offend1 or grieve1 or are apparently sinful2 but as they seem good1 and therefore are temptations to the weak to imitate them4 ,so apt are men to imitation1 especially in evil1 that they will do what they see another do1 without examining whether it be justifiable or not4 ,especially if it be the example either of great men1 or of learned men1 or of men reputed eminently godly1 or of a multitude1 any of these the people are apt to imitate3 this therefore is the common way of scandal4 ,when people do that which is evil as if it were good1 and thereby draw the ignorant to think it good1 and so imitate them4 ,or else when they do that which is lawful itself1 in such a manner as tendeth to deceive another1 and draw him to that which is indeed unlawful2 or to hinder him in any thing that is good4 #h4 ,lastly1 ,even silence and omissions also may be scandalous1 and draw another into error and sin4 ,if by silence you seem to consent to false doctrine1 or to wicked works1 when you have opportunity to control them1 hereby you draw others to consent also to the sin3 or if you omit those public or private duties1 which others may be witnesses of1 you tempt them to the like omission1 and to think they are no duties1 but indifferent things3 for in evil they will easily rest in your judgment1 and say that you are wiser than they2 but they are not so ductile and flexible to good4 #e4 ,scandals also are distinguishable by the effects2 which are such as these3 #a4 ,some scandals do tempt men to actual infidelity1 and to deny or doubt of the truth of the gospel4 #b4 ,some scandals would draw men but into some particular error1 and from some particular truth1 while he holds the rest4 #c4 ,some scandals draw men to dislike and distaste the way of godliness2 and some to dislike the servants of ,god4 #d4 ,some scandals tend to confound men1 and bring them to utter uncertainties in religion4 #e4 ,some tend to terrify men from the way of godliness4 #f4 ,some only stop them for a time1 and discourage or hinder them in their way4 #g4 ,some tend to draw them to some particular sin4 #h4 ,and some to draw them from some particular duty4 #i4 ,and some tend to break and weaken their spirits1 by grief or perplexity of mind4 #aj4 ,and as the word is taken in the ,old ,testament1 the snares that malicious men lay to entrap others in their lives1 or liberties1 or estates1 or names1 are called scandals4 ,and all these ways a man may sinfully scandalize another4 ,and that you may see that the scandal forbidden in the ,new ,testament1 is always of this nature1 let us take notice of the particular texts where the word is used4 ,and first1 to scandalize is used actively in these following texts3 in ,matt4 v4 before cited1 and in the other evangelists citing the same words1 the sense is clear2 that the offending of a hand or eye1 is not displeasing1 nor seeking of ill report2 but hindering our salvation by drawing us to sin4 ,so in ,matt4 xviii4 #h2 and ,mark ix4 #db1 #dc1 where the sense is the same4 ,in ,matt4 xvii4 #bg1 ,lest we should offend them1 c4 is not only1 lest we displease them1 but lest we give them occasion to dislike religion1 or think hardly of the gospel1 and so lay a stumblingblock to the danger of their souls4 ,so ,matt4 xviii4 #f1 and ,mark ix4 ,whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me1 c4 that is1 not who shall displease them1 but whoso by threats1 persecutions1 cruelties1 or any other means1 shall go about to turn them from the faith of ,christ1 or stop them in their way to heaven1 or hinder them in a holy life3 though these two texts seem nearest to the denied sense1 yet that is not indeed their meaning4 ,so in ,john vi4 #f1 ,doth this offend you8 that is1 doth this seem incredible to you1 or hard to be believed1 or digested8 ,doth it stop your faith1 and make you distaste my doctrine8 ,so #a ,cor4 viii4 #ac1 ,if meat scandalize my brother2 our translators have turned it1 ,if meat make my brother to offend4 ,so it was not displeasing him only1 but tempting him to sin1 which is the scandalizing here reproved4 ,view also the places where the word scandal is used4 ,matt4 xiii4 #da1 1 ,all scandals1 translated1 ,all things that offend1 doth not signify ,all that is displeasing2 but all temptations to sin1 and hinderances or stumblingblocks that would have stopped men in the ways to heaven4 ,so in ,matt4 xvi4 #bc1 7a text as like as any to be near the denied sense2 yet indeed17 ,thou art a scandal to me1 7translated an offence17 doth not only signify1 ,thou displeasest me1 but1 ,thou goest about to hinder me in my undertaken office1 from suffering for the redemption of the world2 it was an aptitudinal scandal1 though not effectual4 ,so ,matt4 xvii4 #g1 ,it must be that scandals come1 7translated offences17 that is1 that there be many stumblingblocks set before men in their way to heaven4 ,so ,luke xvii4 #a1 to the same sense4 ,and ,rom4 ix4 #cc1 ,i lay in ,zion a stumbling-stone1 and a rock of scandal1 7translated offence17 that is1 such as will not only be displeasing1 but an occasion of utter ruin to the unbelieving1 persecuting ,jews2 according to that of ,simeon1 ,luke ii4 #cd1 ,this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in ,israel4 ,rom4 xi4 #i1 ,let their table be made a snare1 a trap1 and a stumblingblock4 ,the ,greek word doth not signify a displeasure only1 but an occasion of ruin4 ,so ,rom4 xiv4 #ac1 expoundeth itself1 ,that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall into his brother's way4 ,the ,greek word is1 or a scandal4 ,this is the just exposition of the word in its ordinary use in the ,new ,testament4#acf ,so ,rom4 xvi4 #ag1 ,mark them which cause divisions and scandals1 7translated offences17 that is1 which lay stumblingblocks in the way of christians1 and would trouble them in it1 or turn them from it4 ,so #a ,cor4 i4 #bc1 ,to the ,jews a stumblingblock1 that is1 a scandal1 7as the ,greek word is17 as before expounded4 ,so ,gal4 v4 #aa1 ,the scandal of the cross1 translated the offence1 doth signify not the bare reproach1 but the reproach as it is the trial and stumblingblock of the world1 that maketh believing difficult4 ,so #a ,john ii4 #aj1 ,there is no scandal in him1 translated1 no occasion of stumbling4 ,these are all the places that ,i remember where the word is used4 ,the passive verb 1 to be scandalized1 is often used4 ,as ,matt4 xi4 #f1 ,blessed is he that is not scandalized1 7translated1 offended in me17#acg that is1 who is not distasted with my person and doctrine through carnal prejudices2 and so kept in unbelief3 there were many things in the person1 life1 and doctrine of ,christ1 which were unsuitable to carnal reason and expectation4 ,these men thought them to be hard and strange1 and could not digest them1 and so were hindered by them from believing3 and this was being offended in ,christ4 ,so in ,matt4 xiii4 #eg1 and ,mark vi4 #c1 ,they were offended in1 or at him2 that is1 took a dislike or distaste to him for his words4 ,and ,matt4 xiii4 #ba1 ,when persecution ariseth1 by and by they are offended2#ach that is1 they stumble and fall away3 and ,matt4 xv4 #ab1 ,the ,pharisees were offended1 7or scandalized1#aci7 that is1 so offended as to be more in dislike of ,christ4 ,and ,matt4 xxiv4 #aj1 ,then shall many be offended1 7or scandalized17 that is1 shall draw back and fall away from ,christ4 ,and ,matt4 xxvi4 #ca1 #cc2 ,mark xiv4 #bg1 #bi1 ,all ye shall be offended because of me1 c4 ,though all men shall be offended 7or scandalized7 yet will ,i never be scandalized2 that is1 brought to doubt of ,christ1 or to forsake him1 or deny him1 or be hindered from owning their relation to him4 ,so ,john xvi4 #a1 ,these things have ,i spoken that ye should not be offended2 that is1 that when the time cometh1 the unexpected trouble may not so surprise you1 as to turn you from the faith1 or stagger you in your obedience or hope4 ,rom4 xiv4 #ba1 doth exactly expound it2 ,it is good neither to eat flesh1 or drink wine1 or any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth1 or is scandalized1 7or offended17 or made weak3 it is a making weak4 ,so #b ,cor4 xi4 #bi1 ,who is offended2 that is1 stumbled1 or hindered1 or ready to apostatize4 ,so much for the nature and sorts of scandal4 ,,iv4 ,you are next to observe the aggravations of this sin4 ,which briefly are such as these3 #a4 ,scandal is a murdering of souls2 it is a hindering of men's salvation1 and an enticing or driving them towards hell4 ,and therefore in some respect worse than murder1 as the soul is better than the body4 #b4 ,scandal is a fighting against ,jesus ,christ1 in his work of man's salvation4 ,he came to seek and to save that which was lost2 and the scandalizer seeketh to lose and destroy that which ,christ would seek and save4 #c4 ,scandal robbeth ,god of the hearts and service of his creatures2 for it is a raising in them a distaste of his people1 and word1 and ways1 and of himself3 and a turning from him the hearts of those that should adhere unto him4 #d4 ,scandal is a serving of the devil1 in his proper work of enmity to ,christ1 and perdition of souls2 scandalizers do his work in the world1 and propagate his cause and kingdom4 ,v4 ,the means of avoiding the guilt of scandal1 are as followeth4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,mistake not 7with the vulgar7 the nature of scandal1 as if it lay in that offending men1 which is nothing but grieving or displeasing them2 or in making yourselves to be of evil report2 but remember that scandal is that offending men1 which tempteth them into sin from ,god and godliness1 and maketh them stumble and fall1 or occasioneth them to think evil of a holy life4 ,it is a pitiful thing to hear religious persons plead for the sin of man-pleasing1 under the name of avoiding scandal2 yea1 to hear them set up a usurped dominion over the lives of other men1 and all by the advantage of the word scandal misunderstood4 ,so that all men must avoid whatever a censorious person will call scandalous1 when he meaneth nothing else himself by scandal1 than a thing that is of evil report1 with such as he4 ,yea1 pride itself is often pleaded for by this misunderstanding of scandal2 and men are taught to overvalue their reputations1 and to strain their consciences to keep up their esteem1 and all under pretence of avoiding scandal2 and in the mean time they are really scandalous1 even in that action by which they think they are avoiding it4 ,i need no other instance1 than the case of unwarrantable separation4 ,some will hold communion with none but the rebaptized2 some think an imposed liturgy is enough to prove communion with such a church unlawful 7at least in the use of it72 and almost every sect do make their differences a reason for their separating from other churches4 ,and if any one would hold communion with those that they separate from1 they presently say1 ,that it is scandalous to do so1 and to join in any worship which they think unlawful3 and by scandal they mean no more1 but that it is among them of evil report1 and is offensive or displeasing to them4 ,whereas indeed the argument from scandal should move men to use such communion1 which erroneous1 uncharitable1 dividing men do hold unlawful4 ,for else by avoiding that communion ,i shall lay a stumblingblock in the way of the weak2 ,i shall tempt him to think that a duty is a sin1 and weaken his charity1 and draw him into a sinful separation1 or the neglect of some ordinances of ,god1 or opportunities of getting good4 ,and it is this temptation which is indeed the scandal4 ,this is before proved in the instance of ,peter1 ,gal4 ii4 who scandalized or hardened the ,jews1 by yielding to a sinful separation from the gentiles1 and fearing the censoriousness of the ,jews1 whom he sought to please2 and the offending of whom he was avoiding1 when he really offended them1 that is1 was a scandal1 or temptation to them4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,he that will escape the guilt of scandal1 must be no contemner of the souls of others1 but must be truly charitable1 and have a tender love to souls4 ,that which a man highly valueth1 and dearly loveth1 he will be careful to preserve1 and loth to hurt4 ,such a man will easily part with his own rights1 or submit to losses1 injuries1 or disgrace1 to preserve his neighbour's soul from sin4 ,whereas a despiser of souls will insist upon his own power1 and right1 and honour1 and will entrap and damn a hundred souls1 rather than he will abate a word1 or a ceremony1 which he thinks his interest requireth him to exact4 ,tell him that it will insnare men's souls in sin1 and he is ready to say as the ,pharisees to ,judas1 ,what is that to us8 ,see thou to that4 ,a dog hath as much pity on a hare1 or a hawk on a partridge1 as a carnal1 worldly1 ambitious ,diotrephes1 or an ,elymas1 hath of souls4 ,tell him that it will occasion men to sin1 to wound their consciences1 to offend their ,god1 it moveth him no more than to tell him of the smallest incommodity to himself3 he will do more to save a horse or a dog of his own1 than to save another's soul from sin4 ,to lay snares in their way1 or to deprive them of the preaching of the gospel1 or other means of their salvation1 is a thing which they may be induced to1 by the smallest interest of their own2 yea1 though it be but a point of seeming honour4 ,and therefore when carnal1 worldly men do become the disposers of matters of religion1 it is easy to see what measure and usage men must expect2 yea1 though they assume the office and name of pastors1 who should have the most tender1 fatherly care of the souls of all the flocks1 yet will their carnal inclinations and interests engage them in the work of wolves1 to entrap1 or famish1 or destroy ,christ's sheep4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,also you must be persons who value your own souls1 and are diligently exercised in saving them from temptations2 or else you are very like to be scandalizers and tempters of the souls of others4 ,and therefore when such a man is made a church governor as is unacquainted with the renewing work of grace1 and with the inward government of ,christ in the soul1 what devilish work is he like to make among the sheep of ,christ1 under the name of government6 ,what corrupting of the doctrine1 worship1 or discipline of ,christ6 ,what inventions of his own to insnare men's consciences6 and driving them on1 by armed force1 to do that which1 at least to them1 is sin1 and which can never countervail the loss1 either of their souls1 or of the church1 by such disturbances6 ,how merciless will he be1 when a poor member of ,christ shall beg of him but to have pity on his soul6 and tell him1 ,i cannot do this1 or swear this1 or subscribe this1 without the guilt of a deliberate sin2 and ,i cannot sin without displeasing ,god1 and hindering my salvation4 ,he that dare wilfully sin himself1 and make it his deliberate choice1 and dare play away his own salvation1 at the poorest game that the devil will invite him to1 and will sell his own soul at the basest price1 even for a little pelf1 or pleasure1 or high titles1 for so short a time1 certainly this man is unlike to be very tender of the souls of others1 or to stick at scandalizing and insnaring them1 or to care any more to murder souls1 than a butcher doth to kill a hog3 ,judas's heart will make them sell their ,lord1 or his flock1 at ,judas's price2 and prepare themselves for ,judas's reward4 ,and hence it is1 that the carnal seed1 even within the church1 hath ordinarily persecuted the spiritual seed4 ,for saith ,paul1 ,as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the ,spirit1 even so it is now1 ,gal4 iv4 #bi4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,to be well acquainted with the methods of ,satan1 and the way of particular temptations1 is a great help against your scandalizing others4 ,he that seeth the devil as the principal in each temptation1 and knoweth in what manner he engageth his instruments to carry on his work1 and whither all this tendeth at the last1 will scarce be willing to serve such a master in so bad a work4 ,remember that scandalizers and tempters of others1 and hinderers of men's salvation1 are the servants of the devil1 and are executing his malice1 for the damnation of their brethren's souls4 ,and what reward can they expect for such a work from such a master8 ,the devil useth them but as men do ferrets1 whose mouths are sealed1 because they must not partake of the prey2 but only bring it to their master's hand4 ,live in a constant watchful resistance of temptations yourselves1 and you will have no mind to the drudgery of tempting others4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,set not yourselves upon any worldly1 ambitious design4 ,for the love of the riches and honours of the world1 will not only engage you in a course of sinning1 but also make it seem your interest1 to make others as bad and miserable as yourselves1 and to drive them on to serve your interests by their sin4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,take heed lest a fleshly inclination do draw you to the love of fleshly pleasures4 ,and that your minds be not set upon the pleasing of your fancies1 sense1 or appetite2 either in meat1 or drink1 or clothes1 or dwellings1 or recreations1 or any such delights3 if once the love of these grow strong1 it will conquer your reason1 and seduce it into libertinism1 and make you think that a voluptuous1 flesh-pleasing life1 7so it be not by gross disgraced sins17 is but the lawful use of the creature1 which ,christ hath purchased not only for our necessity1 but for our delight2 and that the contrary opinion is but the too much rigour of such as understand not their christian liberty4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,be not rashly and ignorantly zealous in soliciting and importuning others to your private opinions1 before you are certain that they are of ,god4 ,oh what abundance of zeal and labour hath many a man laid out1 to make others of his mind1 in the points of antinomianism1 anabaptism1 separation1 popery1 c4 thinking that the saving of their souls had lain upon it2 and at last they find1 that as they erred themselves1 so all their labour was but to scandalize the weak1 and lay a stumblingblock in their way to heaven6 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,never persuade any man 7much less compel him7 to any thing unnecessary1 which he taketh to be a sin 7whatever you take it for yourselves74 ,for if he judge it a sin1 it is a sin to him4 ,no man can innocently do that which he thinketh is forbidden him of ,god4 ,and shall a thing unnecessary be preferred before the saving of a soul8 yea1 before the souls of thousands1 as by many merciless men it is8 ,indeed1 if there be an antecedent necessity1 7as well as a lawfulness in the thing17 and such a necessity as is not in your power to take away1 then the doing it will be his sin1 and the not doing it his greater sin2 and the greater sin is greatliest to be avoided 7but by convenient means74 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,remember the charge which you have of the souls of one another4 ,though you be not magistrates or pastors2 7for their care of souls is so unquestionable and so great1 that scandal in them is like parents murdering their own children27 yet no private man must say as ,cain1 ,am ,i my brother's keeper8 ,every man is bound to do his best for the saving of his neighbour2 much more to forbear infecting1 seducing1 scandalizing1 and destroying him4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,keep up a special tenderness of the weak4 ,so doth ,god himself1 and so must we4 ,he gathereth the lambs with his arms1 c4 ,isa4 xl4 #aa4 ,if his infants cry he doth not therefore knock out their brains1 or turn them out of doors4 ,nor doth he say1 they are not his children1 for every ignorance or peevish passion which they are guilty of4 ,christ doth not turn men out of his school1 because they want knowledge4 ,for why then will he have little children come8 ,and what do they come for1 but to learn8 ,he doth not hate his new-born babes1 but feedeth and nurseth them with a special tenderness2 and he hath commanded and communicated the like tenderness to his ministers2 who must not be weak with the weak1 and froward with the froward1 but in meekness and patience must bear with the weak1 and endure their bitterest censures and requitals4 ,for the servant of the ,lord must not strive1 but be gentle to all men1 apt to teach1 patient1 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves1 c4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #bd1 #be4 ,and if they are long learning before they come to the knowledge of the truth1 they are not therefore to be cast off4 ,he that can read ,rom4 xiv4 and xv42 #a ,cor4 xii4 #ab2 viii42 ,gal4 vi42 and yet can be so merciless and cruel1 as to cast men out of the ministry or church1 or to ruin them1 for tolerable weakness1 which ,god hath so earnestly charged us to bear with in our brethren1 either he doth not understand what he readeth1 or not believe it1 or hath somewhat else which he more regardeth at his heart1 than the authority or love of ,god4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,do not censure every man to be wilful or obstinate1 who is not of your opinion1 when he hath heard your reasons1 how clear soever they may seem to you4 ,alas6 how many things are there besides wilful obstinacy1 to hinder one man from being as wise as another6 ,if a few times repeating over the reasons of an opinion1 is enough to implant it in all the hearers1 why do your children go so long to school1 and after that to the universities8 ,and why are you so long preaching to all your parishioners8 ,sure you preach not novelties to them as long as you live6 ,and yet thirty or forty years' painful preaching1 even of the same fundamentals of religion1 shall leave many ignorant of them in the best of parishes in the land4 ,there must be a right and ripe disposition in the hearers1 or else the clearest reasoning may be uneffectual4 ,a disused or unfurnished mind1 that hath not received all the truths which are presupposed to those which you deliver1 or hath not digested them into a clear understanding1 may long hear the truest reasons1 and never apprehend their weight4 ,there is need of more ado than a bare unfolding of the truth1 to make a man receive it in its proper evidence4 ,perhaps he hath been long prepossessed with contrary opinions1 which are not easily rooted out4 ,or if he be but confident of the truth of some one opinion1 which is inconsistent with yours1 no wonder if he cannot receive that which is contrary to what he so verily believeth to be the truth4 ,there is a marvellous variety of men's apprehensions1 of the same opinions or reasons1 as they are variously represented to men1 and variously pondered1 and as the natural capacity of men is various1 and as the whole course of their lives1 their education1 company1 and conversation1 have variously formed their minds4 ,it is like the setting together all the parts of a watch when it is in pieces2 if any one part of many be misplaced1 it may necessitate the misplacing of those that follow1 without any wilful obstinacy in him that doth it4 ,if in the whole frame of sacred truth1 there be but some one misunderstood1 it may bring in other mistakes1 and keep out many truths1 even from an honest1 willing mind4 ,and who is there that can say1 he is free from error8 ,have not you perceived in yourselves1 that the truths which you heard a hundred times over1 to little purpose1 when you were children1 were received more convincingly and satisfyingly when you were men8 ,and that you have found a delightful clearness in some points on a sudden1 which before you either resisted1 or held with little observation or regard8 ,and yet it is common with the scandalizers of souls1 to cry out against all that conform not to their opinions and will1 as soon as they have heard their reasons1 that they are stubborn1 and refractory1 and wilful1 and factious1 and so turn from arguments to clubs2 as if they had never known themselves or others1 nor how weak and dark the understandings of almost all men are4 ,but they shall have judgment without mercy1 who show no mercy4 ,and when their own errors shall all be opened to them by the ,lord1 they will be loth they should all be imputed to their wilful obstinacy4 ,and perhaps these very censorious men1 may prove themselves to have been on the wrong side2 for pride and uncharitableness are usually erroneous4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,engage not yourselves in an evil cause4 ,for if you do1 it will engage you to draw in others2 you will expect your friends should take your part1 and think as you think1 and say as you say2 though it be never so much against truth or righteousness4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,speak not rashly against any cause or persons before you are acquainted with them2 or have well considered what you say4 ,especially take heed how you believe what a man of any sect in religion doth speak or write against his adversaries of a contrary sect4 ,if experience had not proved it in our days1 beyond contradiction1 it would seem incredible how little men are to be believed in this case1#adj and how the false reports will run among the people of the sect1 against those whom the interest of their opinion and party engageth them to misrepresent6#ada ,think not that you are excusable for receiving or venting an ill report1 because you can say1 ,he was an honest man that spoke it2 for many that are otherwise honest1 do make it a part of their honesty to be dishonest in this4 ,they think they are not zealous enough for those opinions which they call their religion1 unless they are easy in believing and speaking evil of those that are the adversaries of it4 ,when it may be upon a just trial1 all proveth false2 and then all the words which you ignorantly utter against the truth1 or those that follow it1 are scandals or stumblingblocks to the hearers1 to turn them from it1 and make them hate it4#adb ,i am not speaking against a just credulity2 there must be human belief1 or else there can be no human converse2 but ever suspect partiality in a party4 ,for the interest of their religion is a more powerful charm to the consciences of evil speakers1 than personal interest or bribes would be4 ,how many legends tell us this1 how easily some men counted godly1 have been prevailed with to lie for ,god6 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,take heed of mocking at a religious life2 yea1 or of breaking any jests or scorns at the weaknesses of any in religious exercises1 which may possibly reflect upon the exercises themselves4 ,many a thousand souls have been kept from a holy life1 by the scorns of the vulgar1 that speak of it as a matter of derision or sport4 ,reading the ,scriptures1 and holy conference1 and prayer1 and instructing our families1 and the holy observation of the ,lord's day1 and church discipline1 are commonly the derision of ungodly persons1 who can scorn that which they can neither confute nor learn2 and weak people are greatly moved by such senseless means4 ,a mock or jeer doth more with them than an argument2 they cannot endure to be made a laughing-stock4 ,thus was the name of the crucified ,god the derision of the heathens1 and the scandal of the world1 both ,jews and gentiles4 ,and there is scarce a greater scandal or stumblingblock at this day1 which keepeth multitudes from heaven1 than when the devil can make it either a matter of danger or of shame to be a christian1 or to live a holy1 mortified life4 ,persecution and derision are the great successful scandals of the world4 ,and therefore seeing men are so apt to be turned off from ,christ and godliness1 never speak unreverently or disrespectfully of them4 ,it is a profane and scandalous course of some1 that if a preacher have but an unhandsome tone or gesture they make a jest of it1 and say1 ,he whined1 or he spoke through the nose1 or some such scorn they cast upon him2 which the hearers quickly apply to all others1 and turn to a scorn of preaching1 or prayer1 or religion itself3 or if men differ from each other in opinion in matters of religion1 they are presently inclined to deride them for something in their worshipping of ,god6 ,and while they deride a man as an anabaptist1 as an independent1 as a presbyterian1 as prelatical1 they little know what a malignant tincture it may leave upon the hearer's mind1 and teach carnal persons to make a jest of all alike4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,impute not the faults of men to ,christ1 and blame not religion for the faults of them that sin against it4 ,this is the malignant trick of ,satan1 and his blinded instruments3 if a hypocrite miscarry1 or if a man that in all things else hath walked uprightly1 be overthrown by a temptation in some odious sin1 they presently cry out1 ,these are your professors6 your religious people6 that are so precise1 and pure1 and strict6 ,try them1 and they will appear as bad as others6 ,if a ,noah be once drunk1 or a ,lot be overthrown thereby1 or a ,david commit adultery and murder1 or a ,peter deny his master1 or a ,judas betray him1 they presently cry out1 ,they are all alike6 and turn it to the scorn of godliness itself4 ,unworthy beasts6 ,as if ,christ's laws were therefore to be scorned1 because men break them6 and obedience to ,god were bad1 because some are disobedient6 ,hath ,christ forbidden the sins which you blame1 or hath he not8 ,if he have not1 blame them not1 for they are no sins2 if he have1 commend the justness and holiness of his laws4 ,either the offenders you blame1 did well or ill4 ,if they did well1 why do you blame them8 ,if they did ill1 why do you not commend religion1 and the ,scripture which condemneth them8 ,either it is best for all men to live in such sins as those which these lapsed persons or hypocrites committed1 or it is not4 ,if it be1 why are you offended with them for that which you allow8 ,if it be not1 why do you soothe up the wicked in their sins1 and excuse an ungodly life1 because of the falls of such as seem religious8 ,there is no common ingenuity in this1 but malicious spite against ,god and holiness 7of which more in the next chapter74 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,make not use of civil quarrels to lay an odium upon religion4 ,it is ordinary with ungodly1 malicious men1 to labour to turn the displeasure of rulers against men of integrity2 and if there be any broils or civil wars1 to snatch any pretence1 how false soever1 to call them traitors and enemies to government4 ,if it be but because they are against a usurper1 or because some fanatic persons 7whom they oppose7 have behaved themselves rebelliously or disobediently2 a holy life 7which is the greatest friend to loyalty7 must be blamed for all4 ,and all is but to gratify the devil in driving poor souls from ,god and holiness4 ,direct4 ,,xvii4 ,when you think it your duty to speak of the faults of men that profess a godly life1 lay the blame only on the person1 but speak as much and more in commendations of godliness itself2 and commend that which is good in them1 while you discommend that which is evil4 ,is their praying bad8 ,is their instructing their families1 and sanctifying the ,lord's day1 bad8 ,is their fearing sin1 and obeying ,god1 bad8 ,if not1 why do you not say as much to commend them for these1 or at least to commend these in themselves1 as you do to discommend them for their faults8 ,why do you not fear lest the hearers should be drawn to dislike a godly life by your disgracing persons accounted godly8 and therefore warn them to think never the worse of godliness for this8 ,you that give the poison1 should in reason give an antidote1 if it be not your design to poison souls4 ,is it really your design by speaking against men accounted godly1 to draw the hearers to the hatred of godliness1 or is it not8 ,if it be1 you are incarnate devils3 if it be not1 why do you endeavour it1 by making odious the persons1 under the name of professors and godly men8 ,and why do you not speak more to draw people to a godly life8 and to imitate them in that which is good1 while they disclaim them in that which is evil8 ,direct4 ,,xviii4 ,be especially tender of the reputations of those1 that the souls of men have most dependence on3 as the preachers of the gospel1 and the eminentest men for knowledge and religiousness4#adc ,not that ,i desire that sin should be the better thought of for being theirs1 or that evil should be called good in any2 but experience hath told the world since ,god and the devil had their several ways and servants upon earth1 that it hath been the devil's most usual successful course1 to wound religion through the sides of the religious1 and to blame the persons1 when he would turn men from the way6 ,for he knoweth that religious persons have their faults1 and in them his malice may find somewhat to fasten on2 but religion hath no fault1 and malice itself is seldom so impudent1 as to speak directly against a holy1 heavenly life4 ,but the way is to make those disgraceful and odious1 who are noted to lead such a life2 and then secretly to infer1 ,if those that seem godly be no better1 you need not be godly1 you are as well as you are4 ,this religion is but a fantasy2 a needless1 if not a troublesome1 hurtful thing4 ,seeing therefore that the devil hath no blow at religion1 so fair as by striking at the persons of the preachers and professors of it1 every friend of ,christ must be acquainted with his design1 and must not serve him in it1 but counter-work him1 and preserve the reputation even of the persons of the religious3 not so much in charity to them1 but for the people's souls1 and the honour of ,christ4 ,direct4 ,,xix4 ,let all that preach and profess the gospel1 and a godly life1 be sure that they live according to their profession2 that the name of ,god be not evil spoken of among the wicked through their misdoings1 ,rom4 ii4 ,it was the aggravation of ,david's sin which ,god would not quite forgive1 that he made the enemies of the ,lord blaspheme1 #b ,sam4 xii4 #ad4 ,servants must count their masters worthy of all honour1 that the name of ,god and his doctrine be not blasphemed1 #a ,tim4 vi4 #a4 ,the duties of good women are particularly named by the apostle1 ,tit4 ii4 #c-e1 with this motive to the practice of them1 ,that the word of ,god be not blasphemed4 ,obedience to government is commanded with this motive1 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ae1 ,for so is the will of ,god1 that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men4 ,and ver4 #aa1 #ab1 ,dearly beloved1 ,i beseech you1 as strangers and pilgrims1 abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul3 having your conversation honest among the gentiles1 that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers1 they may by your works which they shall behold1 glorify ,god in the day of visitation4 ,and it was the aggravation of the heretics' sin1 that many shall follow their pernicious ways1 by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of1 #b ,pet4 ii4 #b4 ,oh then1 how carefully should ministers and all that are godly walk6 ,the blind world cannot read the gospel in itself1 but only as it is exemplified by the lives of men3 they judge not of the actions of men by the law1 but of the law of ,god by men's actions6 ,therefore the saving or damning of men's souls1 doth lie much upon the lives of the professors of religion2 because their liking or disliking a holy life doth depend upon them4 ,saith ,paul of young women1 ,i will that--they give no occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully2 for some are already turned aside after ,satan1 #a ,tim4 v4 #ad1 #ae4 ,hence it is1 that even the appearance of evil is so carefully to be avoided1 by all that fear ,god1 lest others be drawn by it to speak evil of godliness4 ,every scandal 7truly so called7 is a stab to the soul of him that is scandalized1 and a reproachful blot to the christian cause4 ,i may say of the faults of christians1 as ,plutarch doth of the faults of princes1 ,a wart or blemish in the face is more conspicuous and disgraceful than in other parts4 ,direct4 ,,xx4 ,let no pretence of the evil of hypocrisy make you so contented with your secret innocency1 as to neglect the edification and satisfaction of your neighbours4 ,when it is only your own interest that is concerned in the business1 then it is no matter whether any man be acquainted with any good that you do2 and it is a very small matter how they judge1 or what they say of you2 the approbation of ,god alone is enough4 ,no matter who condemneth you1 if he justify you4 ,but when the vindication of your innocency1 or the manifestation of your virtue1 is necessary to the good of your neighbours' souls1 or to the honour of your sacred profession1 the neglect of it is not sincerity1 but cruelty4 #ace ,heb4 xi4 #bf4 #acf ,so ,rev4 ii4 #ad4 ,balaam did 1 lay a scandal1 or stumblingblock before the ,israelites2 that is1 a temptation to sin4 #acg ,luke vii4 #bc4 #ach ,mark vi4 #c4 #aci ,mark iv4 #ag4 #adj ,psal4 cxix4 #fi4 #ada ,vix equidem credar4 ,sed cum sint prmia falsi ,nulla2 ratam debet testis habere fidem4 ,ovid4 #adb ,rom4 iii4 #g1 #h2 ,james iii4 #ad2 ,job xiii4 #g1 #h4 #adc ,ita comparatum est ut virtutem non suspiciamus1 neque ejus imitand studio corripimur nisi eum in quo ea conspicitur1 summo honore et amore prosequamur4 ,plutar4 in ,cat4 ,utic4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,directions ,,against ,,scandal ,,taken1 ,,or ,,an ,,aptness ,,to ,,receive ,,hurt1 ,,by ,,the ,,words ,,or ,,deeds ,,of ,,others4 ,it was not only an admonition1 but a prophecy of ,christ1 when he said1 ,woe to the world because of offences6 ,it must be that offences come4 ,and1 ,blessed is he that is not offended or scandalized in me4 ,he foreknew that the errors and misdoings of some1 would be the snare and ruin of many others2 and that1 when damnable heresies arise1 many will follow their pernicious ways1 by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of1 #b ,pet4 i4 #b4 ,like men in the dark1 where if one catch a fall1 he that comes next him falls upon him4 ,there are four sorts of persons that use to be scandalized or hurt by the sins of others4 #a4 ,malignant enemies of ,christ and godliness1 who are partly hardened in their malice1 and partly rejoiced at the dishonour of religion1 and insult over those that give the offence1 or take occasion by it to blaspheme or persecute4 #b4 ,some that are more equal1 and hopeful1 and in greater possibility of conversion1 who are stopped by it in their desires1 and purposes1 and attempts of a godly life4 #c4 ,unsound professors1 or hypocrites1 who are turned by scandals from the way of godliness1 which they seemed to walk in4 #d4 ,weak christians1 who are troubled and hindered in their way of piety1 or else drawn into some particular error or sin1 though they fall not off4 ,so that the effects of scandal may be reduced to these two3 ,i4 ,the perverting of men's judgments1 to dislike religion1 and think hardly either of the doctrine or practice of ,christianity4 ,,ii4 ,the imboldening of men to commit particular sins1 or to omit particular duties2 or at least the troubling and hindering them in the performance3 against which1 ,i shall first give you distinctly some meditative directions1 and then some practical directions against them both together4 ,i4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,consider what an evident sign it is of a very blind or malicious soul1 to be so apt to pick quarrels with ,god and godliness1 because of the sins of other men4 ,love thinketh not ill of those we love3 ill will and malice are still ready to impute whatever is amiss to those whom they hate4 ,enmity is contentious and slanderous2 and will make a crime of virtue itself1 and from any topic fetch matter of reproach4 ,there is no witness seemeth incredible to it1 who speaketh any thing that is evil of those they hate4 ,an argument a baculo ad verbera is sufficient4 ,thus did the heathens by the primitive christians2 and will you do thus by ,god8 ,will you terrify your own consciences1 when they shall awake1 and find such an ugly serpent in your bosom1 as malice and enmity against your ,maker and ,redeemer8 ,it is the nature of the devil1 even his principal sin4 ,and will you not only wear his livery1 but bear his image1 to prove that he is your father8 and by community of natures1 to prove that you must also have a communion with him in condemnation and punishment8 ,and doth not so visible a mark of devilism upon your souls1 affright you1 and make you ready to run away from yourselves8 ,nothing but devilish malice can charge that upon ,god or godliness1 which is done by sinners against his laws4 ,would you use a friend thus8 ,if a murder were done1 or a slander raised of you1 or your house were fired1 or your goods stolen1 would you suspect your friend of it8 or any one that you honoured1 loved1 or thought well of8 ,you would not certainly1 but rather your enemy1 or some lewd and dissolute persons that were most likely to be guilty4 ,you are blinded by malice1 if you see not how evident a proof of your devilish malice this is1 to be ready1 when men that profess religion do any thing amiss1 to think the worse of godliness or religion for it6 ,the cause of this suspicion is lodged in your own hearts4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,remember that this was the first temptation1 by which the devil overthrew mankind1 to persuade them to think ill of ,god1 as if he had been false to his word1 and had envied them their felicity4 ,ye shall not surely die3 for ,god doth know that in the day ye eat thereof1 then your eyes shall be opened1 and ye shall be as gods1 knowing good and evil1 ,gen4 iii4 #d1 #e4 ,and will you not be warned by the calamity of all the world1 to take heed of thinking ill of ,god1 and of his word1 and of believing the devil's reports against him8 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,consider that to think ill of ,god1 is to think him to be a devil2 and to think ill of godliness1 is to take it to be wickedness3 and can man be guilty of a more devilish crime8 ,nay1 is it not worse than the devil that tempteth you to it can commit4 ,to be ,god is to be good1 even the infinite1 eternal1 perfect good1 in whom is no evil1 nor none can be4 ,to be a devil1 is to be evil1 even the chief that do evil1 and would draw others so to do4 ,it is not an ugly shape in which a painter doth represent the devil1 which showeth us his ugliness indeed3 an enemy of godliness is liker to him than that picture3 it is his sinfulness against ,god1 which is his true deformity4 ,therefore to suspect ,god to be evil1 is to suspect him to be the devil1 so horrid a blasphemy doth this sin partake of4 ,and if godliness be bad1 then he that is the author and end of it cannot be good4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,consider what horrible blindness it is to impute men's faults to ,god1 who is the greatest adversary to sin in all the world1 and who will most severely punish it1 and to godliness1 which is perfectly its contrary4 ,there is no angel in heaven so little to be suspected to be the friend of sin as ,god4 ,creatures are mutable in themselves2 angels have the innocent imperfection of creatures2 saints on earth have a culpable imperfection through the remainder of sin4 ,if you had only suspected these1 you might have had some pretence for it2 but to quarrel with ,god or godliness1 is madder than to think that light is the cause of darkness4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,and think what extremity of injury and injustice this is to ,god1 to blame him or his laws for those sins of men which are committed against him and his laws4 ,who is it that sin is committed against but ,god8 ,is it not he that made the laws1 which it is the transgression of8 ,are not those laws1 think you1 strict enough against it8 ,is it not their strictness which such as you dislike8 ,were they laws that would give you leave to be worldly1 sensual1 and proud1 you would never quarrel with them2 and yet you charge men's sins on these laws1 because they are so strict against them4 ,do you impute sin to ,god1 because he will judge men for it to hell-fire1 and cast them for ever out of his glorious presence into misery8 ,o cursed impudence6 ,how righteous is ,god in condemning such malicious souls6 ,tell us if you can1 would you have had ,god to have forbidden sin more strictly8 or condemned it more severely8 or punished it more terribly8 ,if you would1 you pray for greater vengeance than hell upon yourselves6 ,woe to you1 when he executeth but so much as he hath already threatened6 ,shall the crime of rebels be imputed to the king1 against whom they rebel8 ,if a thief shall rob you1 or a servant deceive you1 or a son despise you1 is he just that will so much increase your injury1 as to lay the blame of all upon yourselves8 ,you will say1 ,it is not ,god that we are offended with4 ,but if it be at a holy life1 it is at ,god2 for what is godliness1 but the loving1 and serving1 and obeying ,god8 ,if you say1 that it is not godliness neither2 why then do you distaste or speak against a godly life on this occasion8 ,if you say1 ,it is these hypocrites only that we dislike3 what do you dislike them for8 ,is it for their virtue or their vices8 ,if it be for their sins1 why then do you not speak and do more against sin1 in yourselves and others8 ,we will concur with you to the utmost in opposing sin wherever it be found4 ,if it be their hypocrisy that you blame1 persuade yourselves and other men to be sincerely godly4 ,how would you have hypocrisy avoided8 ,by an open profession to serve the devil8 or by sincerity in serving ,god8 ,if the latter1 why then do you think evil of the most serious obedience to ,god8 ,alas6 all christian countries are too full of hypocrites4 ,every one that is baptized1 and professeth ,christianity1 is a saint or a hypocrite6 ,all drunken1 covetous1 ambitious1 sensual1 unclean christians1 are hypocrites1 and not christians indeed4 ,and these hypocrites can quietly live a worldly1 fleshly life1 and never lament their own hypocrisy1 nor their perfidious violating their baptismal vow4 ,but if one that seemeth diligent for his soul1 prove a hypocrite1 or fall into any scandalous sin1 here they presently make an outcry2 not to call the man from his sin1 but to make a godly1 diligent life seem odious to all1 by telling men1 ,these are your godly men4 ,it is godliness that they quarrel with1 while they pretend only to find fault with sin4 ,why else do not you find fault with the same sin equally in all8 or1 at least1 persuade men by such examples to be less sinful1 and more watchful1 and not to be less religious and more loose8 ,tell me truly of any one that is more against sin than ,god1 or any thing more contrary to it than godliness and true religion1 or any men that do more against it than the most religious1 and then ,i will join with you in preferring those4 ,till then1 remember how you condemn yourselves1 when you condemn them that are better than yourselves4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,think what a foolish1 audacious thing it is to set yourselves against your ,god and ,judge4 ,will you accuse him of evil1 because men do evil8 ,are you fit to judge him8 ,are guilty worms either wise or just enough for such an attempt1 or strong enough to bear it out8 ,what do you but set your faces against heaven1 and profess rebellion against ,god1 when you blame his laws and government1 and think the obeying and serving him to be evil8 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,consider what cruelty it is to yourselves1 to turn the faults of others to your ruin1 which should be your warning to avoid the like4 ,if another man sin1 will you not only do so too1 but be the more averse to repentance and reformation8 ,will you cut your throat1 because another cut his finger1 or did so before you8 ,why should you do yourselves such mischief8 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,remember that this was the design of the devil in tempting religious people to sin1 not only to destroy them1 but to undo you and others by their falls4 ,if he can make you think the worse of religion1 he hath his design and will2 he hath killed many at a blow4 ,yea1 perhaps the sinner may repent1 and be forgiven1 when you that are driven from repentance and godliness by the scandal1 may be damned4 ,and will you so far gratify the devil1 in the wilful destruction of yourselves8 ,sin is contagious2 and this is your catching of the infection1 if it prevail to drive you further from ,god4 ,and thus this plague devoureth multitudes4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,he that will think ill of godliness for men's sins1 shall never want occasion of such offence1 nor such temptations to fly from ,god4 ,if you are so foolish or malignant1 as to pick quarrels with ,god and godliness for men's faults1 7which nothing but ,god and godliness can reform17 you may set up your standard of defiance against heaven1 and see what you will get by it in the end4 ,for ,god will not remove all occasion of your scandal4 ,there ever have been and will be hypocrites in the church on earth4 ,noah's ark had a ,ham2 ,abraham's family had an ,ishmael1 and ,isaac's an ,esau1 and ,david's an ,absalom1 and ,christ's a ,judas4 ,the falls of good men are cited in ,scripture1 to admonish you to take heed4 ,noah1 ,lot1 ,david1 ,joseph's brethren1 c4 have left a mark behind them where they fell1 that you may take a safer way4 ,if you will make all such the occasion of your malignity1 you turn your medicine into your poison1 and choose hell because some others choose it1 or because some stumbled in the way to heaven4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and for those who are imboldened in sin1 because they see their superiors or religious men commit it1 or read that ,david1 ,noah1 ,peter1 c4 fell1 let them consider1 ,direct4 ,i4 ,that it is rule1 and not example1 that you must chiefly live by4 ,do the laws of ,god by which you must be judged1 allow of sin8 ,if they do1 then fear it not4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,is not the example of ,christ much better than a sinner's8 ,if you will follow examples1 follow the best1 even that which was given you purposely to imitate4 ,the greatest and most learned man is fallible1 and the most religious is not wholly free from sin3 sincerity writeth after a perfect copy1 though it cannot reach it4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,consider that sin is not the better1 but the worse1 for being committed by a religious1 a great1 or a learned man4 ,their place1 their knowledge1 and profession aggravateth it4 ,and shall that imbolden you which ,god most hateth8 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,and consider that when he that falleth by a surprise1 doth rise again by repentance1 and is pardoned1 those that are hereby imboldened to sin deliberately and impenitently1 shall be condemned4 ,you may sin with ,david or ,peter when you will1 but you cannot rise with them by true repentance1 without that grace which you wilfully resist and forfeit4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,lastly1 ,consider that the best men1 and the greatest1 are the most dangerous tempters1 when they mislead us4 ,a ,david was a stronger temptation to ,bathsheba1 than another man could have been4 ,a ,peter might sooner mislead ,barnabas1 and others1 into a sinful dissimulation and separation1 than another could have done4 ,therefore do not think that where your danger is greatest1 your venturousness should be most4 ,practical ,directions against ,offence and ,hurt by others4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,lay well your foundation1 and understand the nature and reasons of religion2 and then you will be so far from disliking it for the errors and falls of others1 that it will be written upon your minds1 as with a beam of the sun1 ,that there can be no reason against obeying ,god1 and against the careful securing of our salvation4 ,this will be the first and undoubted principle1 which nothing in the world can make you question4 ,whatever scandals1 persecutions1 or sufferings may attend a holy life1 you will still be past doubt that there is no other way2 no other eligible1 no other tolerable1 no other rational1 or that will lead to happiness4 ,whatever falls out in the world1 if the most great1 or learned1 or religious fall away1 it will not make you question1 ,whether a man be a living creature1 nor whether the sun be light1 nor whether two and two be four4 ,no more should it make you question1 ,whether ,god be better than the creature1 heaven than earth1 or a life of holiness than a life of sin4 ,you will say as ,peter1 ,lord1 whither should we go8 thou hast the words of eternal life1 ,john vi4 #fh4 ,whatever scandals are given1 or whatever befall the church1 or if all the disciples of ,christ forsake him1 this remaineth as sure as that the earth is under us1 that there is no other way than holiness1 for a wise man once to take into his thoughts4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,get once a sincere love to ,god and a holy life1 and then no scandals will make you jealous of it1 nor think of looking any other way4 ,it is want of true and hearty love1 that maketh you so easily taken off4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,to this end1 know religion by experience2 and this will put you past all doubt of his goodness4 ,he that never tasted sugar1 may be persuaded by argument that it is not sweet1 or may think it bitter when he seeth another spit it out2 and he that knoweth godliness but by looking on1 or hearsay1 may thus be drawn to think it bad2 but so will not he that hath truly tried it3 ,i mean not only to try what it is to hear1 and read1 and pray2 but what it is to be humble1 holy1 and heavenly1 both in heart and life4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,when you see any man sin1 be sure you do that duty which it calls you to4 ,every fall that you see of others doth call you to see the odiousness of sin 7as you will do when you see a drunkard spewing1 or a thief at the whipping-post74 ,and it calleth you to search for and lament the root of such sin in yourselves1 and to set your watch more strictly upon such a warning2 and it calls you to compassionate the sinner1 and if you have hope and opportunity to endeavour his recovery4 ,if you will conscionably do this duty which is your own1 you will be the less in danger of hurt by scandal4 ,it is duty that must help to prevent infection4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be watchful among all men1 high and low1 learned or unlearned1 good and bad4 ,venture not blindly upon the singular opinion of any men whatsoever2 nor into any new unproved way4 ,remember that all men are a temptation to others2 and therefore be armed and watch against such temptation4 ,know well what it is1 that is the peculiar temptation1 which the quality of those that you have to do with1 layeth before you4 ,spend no day or hour in any company1 good or bad1 without a wise and careful vigilancy4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,be as little as you can in scandalous and tempting company4 ,presume not to touch pitch1 and promise yourselves to escape defilement4 ,especially fly from two sorts of scandals4 ,first1 ,the discourses and societies of heretical or schismatical men1 who speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them1 ,acts xx4 #cj4 ,those that presume to run into such snares1 and think their own understanding and stability are sufficient to preserve them1 do show by their pride that they are near a fall1 #a ,cor4 x4 ,secondly1 ,the company of sensual persons1 at stage-plays1 gaming1 inordinate plays1 and wanton dalliance4 ,for this is to bring your tinder and gunpowder to the fire2 and the less you fear it1 the greater is your danger4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,look more at the good that is in others1 than at their faults and falls4 ,the fly that will fall on none but the galled1 ulcerous place1 doth feed accordingly4 ,is a professor of religion covetous1 drunk1 or other ways scandalous8 ,remember that it is his covetousness or drunkenness that is bad4 ,reprove that1 and fly from it1 and spare not2 but religion is good2 let that therefore be commended and imitated4 ,leave the carrion to dogs and crows to feast upon2 but do you choose out the things that are commendable1 and mind1 and mention1 and imitate those4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,lastly1 ,think and speak as much against the sin and danger of taking scandal1 as against the sin and danger of giving it4 ,when others cry out1 ,these are your religious people1 do you cry out as much against their malignity and madness1 who will dislike or reproach religion for men's sins2 which is to blame the law-makers or laws1 because they are broken2 or to fall out with health1 because many that once were in health fall sick2 or to find fault with eating1 because some are lean2 or with clothing1 because some are cold4 ,open to yourselves and others1 what a wicked and perilous thing this is1 to fall out with godliness1 because some are ungodly that seem godly4 ,many cry out against scandal1 that never think what a heinous sin it is to be scandalized1 or to suffer men's sins to be a scandal to you2 and to be the worse1 because that others are so bad4 ,no one must differ from them in an opinion1 or a fashion of apparel1 or in a mode or form of worship1 but some are presently scandalized2 not knowing that it is a greater sin in them to be scandalized1 than in the other by such means 7supposing them to be faulty7 to give them the occasion4 ,do you know what it is to be scandalized or offended in the ,scripture sense8 ,it is not merely to be displeased1 or to dislike another's actions 7as is before said72 but it is to be drawn into some sin1 or hindered from some duty1 or stopped in the course of religion1 or to think the worse of truth1 or duty1 or a godly life1 because of other men's words or actions3 and do you think him a good christian1 and a faithful or constant friend to godliness1 who is so easily brought to quarrel with it8 or is so easily turned from it1 or hindered in it8 ,some peevish1 childish persons are like sick stomachs1 that no meat can please2 you cannot dress it so curiously1 but they complain that it is naught1 or this aileth it1 or that aileth it1 when the fault is in themselves2 or like children1 or sick persons1 that can scarce be touched but they are hurt3 do you think that this sickliness or curiosity in religion is a credit to you8 ,this is not the tenderness of conscience which ,god requireth1 to be easily hurt by other men's differences or faults4 ,as it is the shame of many ladies and gentlewomen1 to be so curious and troublesomely neat1 that no servant knoweth how to please them2 so is it in religion a sign of your childish folly1 and worse1 to be guilty of such proud curiosity1 that none can please you who are not exactly of your mind and way4 ,all men must follow your humours in gestures1 fashions1 opinions1 formalities1 and modes1 or else you are troubled1 and offended1 and scandalized2 as if all the world were made to please and humour you6 or you were wise enough1 and great and good enough1 to be the rule of all about you6 ,desire and spare not1 that yourselves and all men should please ,god as exactly as is possible4 ,but if the want of that exactness in doubtful things1 or a difference in things disputable and doubtful among true christians1 do thereupon abate or hinder your love or estimation of your brethren1 or communion with them1 or any other christian duty1 or tempt you into censoriousness or contempt of your brethren1 or to schism1 persecution1 or any other sin2 it is you that are the great offenders1 and you that are like to be the sufferers2 and have cause to lament that sinful aptness to be thus scandalized4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,directions ,,against ,,soul ,,murder1 ,,and ,,partaking ,,of ,,other ,,men',s ,,sins4 ,the special directions given part iii4 chap4 xxii4 to parents and masters1 will in this case be of great use to all others2 but because it is here seasonable to speak of it further1 under the sixth commandment1 and the matter is of the greatest consequence1 ,i shall1 #a4 ,tell you how men are guilty of soul murder4 #b4 ,and then give you some general directions for the furthering of men's salvation4 #c4 ,and next give you some special directions for christian exhortation and reproofs4 ,first1 ,men are guilty of soul murder by all these ways4 #a4 ,by preaching false soul-murdering doctrine4 ,such as denieth any necessary point of faith1 or holy living2 such as is opposite to a holy life1 or to any particular necessary duty2 such as maketh sin to be no sin2 which calls good evil1 and evil good2 which putteth darkness for light1 and light for darkness4 #b4 ,by false application of true doctrine1 indirectly reflecting upon and disgracing that holiness of life1 which in terms they preach for2 by prevarication undermining that cause which their office is appointed to promote2 as they do1 who purposely so describe any vice1 that the hearers may be drawn to think that strict and godly practices are either that sin itself1 or but a cloak to hide it4 #c4 ,by bringing the persons of the most religious into hatred1 by such false applications1 reflections1 or secret insinuations1 or open calumnies2 making men believe that they are all but hypocrites1 or schismatics1 or seditious1 or fanatical1 self-conceited persons6 ,which is usually done either by impudent slanders raised against some particular men1 and so reflected on the rest2 or by the advantage of factions1 controversies1 or civil wars2 or by the falls of any professors1 or the crimes of hypocrites2 whereupon they would make the world believe that they are all alike2 as if ,christ's family were to be judged of by ,peter's fall or ,judas's falsehood4 ,and the odious representation of godly men doth greatly prevail to keep others from godliness1 and is one of the devil's most successful means1 for the damnation of multitudes of souls4 #d4 ,the disgrace of the persons of the preachers of the gospel1 doth greatly further men's damnation4 ,for when the people think their teachers to be hypocrites1 covetous1 proud1 and secretly as bad as others1 they are very like to think accordingly of their doctrine1 and that all strict religion is but hypocrisy1 or at least to refuse their help and counsels4 ,even ,plutarch noted1 that ,it so comes to pass that we entertain not virtue1 nor are rapt into a desire of imitating it1 unless we highly honour and love the person in whom it is discerned4 ,and if they see or think the preacher himself to be of a loose1 and careless1 and licentious life1 they will think that the like is very excusable in themselves2 and that his doctrine is but a form of speech1 which his office bindeth him to say2 but is no more to be regarded by them than by himself4 ,two ways is men's damnation thus promoted4 #a4 ,by the ill lives of hypocritical1 ungodly preachers1 who actually bring their own persons into disgrace1 and thereby also the persons of others1 and consequently their sacred work and function4 #b4 ,by wicked preachers and people1 who through a malignant hatred of those that are abler and better than themselves1 and an envy of their reputation1 do labour to make the most zealous and faithful preachers of the gospel1 to be thought the most hypocritical1 or erroneous1 or factious and schismatical4 #e4 ,the neglect of ministerial duties is a common cause of sin1 and of men's damnation4 ,when they that take the charge of souls1 are either unable or unwilling to do their office2 when they teach them too seldom1 or too unskilfully1 in an unsuitable manner2 not choosing that doctrine which they most need1 or not opening it plainly and methodically in a fitness to their capacities1 or not applying it with necessary seriousness and urgency to the hearers' state4 ,when men preach to the ungodly who are near to damnation1 in a formal pace1 like a schoolboy saying his lesson1 or in a drowsy1 reading tone1 as if they came to preach them all asleep1 or were afraid of wakening them4 ,when they speak of sin1 and misery1 and ,christ1 of heaven and hell1 as if by the manner they came to contradict the matter1 and to persuade men that there are no such things4 ,the same mischief followeth the neglect of private1 personal inspection4 ,when ministers think that they have done all1 when they have said a sermon1 and never make conscience of labouring personally to convince the ungodly1 and reclaim offenders1 and draw sinners to ,god1 and confirm the weak4 ,and the omission 7much more the perversion and abuse7 of sacred discipline1 hath the like effects4 ,when the keys of the church are used to shut out the good1 or not used when they ought1 to rebuke or shut out the impenitent wicked ones2 nor to difference between the precious and the vile2 it hardeneth multitudes in their ungodliness1 and persuadeth them that they are really of the same family of ,christ as the godly are1 and have their sins forgiven1 because they are partakers of the same holy sacraments4 7,not knowing the difference between the church mystical and visible1 nor between the judgment of ministers and of ,christ himself47 #f4 ,parents' neglect of instructing children1 and other parts of holy education1 is one of the greatest causes of the perdition of mankind1 in all the world3 but of this elsewhere4 #g4 ,magistrates' persecution or opposition to religion1 or discountenancing those that preach it1 or most seriously practise it1 tendeth to deceive some1 who over-reverence the judgment of superiors1 and to affright others from the obedience of ,god4 #h4 ,yea1 the negligence of magistrates1 masters1 and other superiors1 omitting the due rebuke of sinners1 and due correction of the offenders1 and the due encouragement of the good1 is a great cause of the wickedness and damnation of the world4 #i4 ,but above all1 when they make laws for sin1 or for the contempt1 or dishonour1 or suppression of religion1 or the serious practice of it2 this buildeth up ,satan's kingdom most effectually1 and turneth ,god's ordinance against himself3 thousands under infidel and ungodly princes1 are conducted by obedience to damnation2 and their rulers damn them as honourably as the physician killed his patients1 who boasted that he did it secundum artem1 according to the rules of art4 #aj4 ,the vulgar example of the multitude of the ungodly1 is a great cause of men's impiety and damnation4 ,they must be well resolved for ,god and holiness1 who will not yield to the major vote1 nor be carried down the common stream1 nor run with the rabble to excess of riot4 ,when christianity is a sect which is every where spoken against1 it proveth so narrow a way1 that few have a mind to walk in it4 ,men think that they are at least excusable1 for not being wiser and better than the multitude4 ,singularity in honour1 or riches1 or strength1 or health1 is accounted no crime2 but singularity in godliness1 is1 at least1 thought unnecessary4 ,what6 will you be wiser than all the town1 or1 than such and such superiors8 is thought a good reprehension of godliness1 where it is rare2 even by them who hereby conclude their superiors1 or all the town1 to be wiser than ,god4 #aa4 ,also the vulgar's scorning and deriding godliness1 is a common cause of murdering souls3 because the devil knoweth1 that there cannot one word of solid reason be brought against the reason of ,god1 and so against a holy life2 he therefore teacheth men to use such weapons as they have4 ,a dog hath teeth1 and an adder hath a sting1 though they have not the weapons of a man4 ,a fool can laugh1 and jeer1 and rail2 and there is no great wit or learning necessary1 to smile1 or grin1 or call a man a puritan1 or precisian1 or heretic1 or schismatic1 or any name which the malice of the age shall newly coin4 ,mr4 ,robert ,bolton largely showeth how much the malignity of his age did vent itself against godliness1 by the reproachful use of the word1 puritan4 ,when reason can be bribed to take the devil's part1 7either natural or literate reason17 he will hire it at any rate2 but when it cannot1 he will make use of such as he can get4 ,barking or hissing may serve turn1 where talking and disputing cannot be procured4 ,drum and trumpets in an army1 serve the turn instead of oratory1 to animate cowards1 and drown the noise of dying men's complaints and groans4 ,thousands have been mocked out of their religion and salvation at once1 and jeered into hell1 who now know whether a scorn1 or the fire of hell1 be the greater suffering4 ,as tyrants think that the greatest1 and ablest1 and wisest men1 must either be drawn over to their party or destroyed2 so the tyrant of hell1 who ruleth in the children of disobedience1 doth think that if reason1 learning1 and wit1 cannot be hired to dispute for him against ,god1 they are to be suppressed1 silenced1 and disgraced2 which the noise of rude clamours and foolish jeers is fit enough to perform4 #ab4 ,also idle1 senseless prating against religion as a needless thing1 doth serve turn to deceive the simple2 ignorant people1 who converse with no wiser men1 are ordinarily taken with the silly cavils of a drunken sot1 who hath but a little more volubility or looseness of tongue than his companions4 ,it would make one's head and heart ache1 to hear with what reverend nonsense one of them will talk against the doctrines or practices of godliness1 and how submissively the tractable herd receiveth and consenteth to his documents6 #ac4 ,also it tendeth much to the helping of ,satan1 and murdering of souls1 to keep up the reputation of the most ungodly1 and to keep down the reputation of the good4 ,the devil knoweth that sin itself is such a thing1 as few men can love barefaced1 or commend2 and that goodness or holiness is such a thing1 as few men can hate1 or at least condemn1 in its proper name and colours4 ,therefore he seeketh to make the reputation of the persons serve to promote or hinder the cause which he is for or against4 ,he that is ashamed to say of drunkenness or whoredom1 that they are good and honest practices1 dare yet say of drunkards and whoremongers1 ,they are very honest men2 and by their reputation take off some of the odiousness of the sin1 and reconcile the hearers to it4 ,and he that cannot for shame say of the forbearing of sin1 and living a holy life1 in heavenly contemplation1 prayer1 and obedience1 that these are hypocrisy1 schism1 or sedition1 covetousness1 deceit1 and pride2 yet dare say of the person who practiseth them1 that he is as covetous1 deceitful1 proud1 hypocritical1 schismatical1 or seditious1 as any others who make no profession of religion4 ,and the devil knoweth1 that though good doctrine hath no mixture of evil1 nor ,christ himself any blemish or spot1 yet the best persons are so faulty or defectible1 that an ill report of them is less incredible1 there being too much matter to raise a suspicion on4 ,and through their sides1 it is easiest to wound the doctrine or holiness which they profess4 #ad4 ,also persuading sinners to do evil1 and dissuading them from a godly life1 is another way of murdering souls4 ,the devil's temptations are most by instruments2 he hath his preachers as well as ,christ2 and it were well if they did not overgo us in earnestness1 frequency1 and constancy4 ,where is there a poor soul that is moved by ,god to turn and live1 but the devil hath some at hand to drive them from it8 by persuading them that it is needless1 and that all is well with them1 and telling them some dismal stories of a holy life4 #ae4 ,another way of soul murder1 is by laying baits of deceit and sin before the sinner3 as men destroy rats and mice by baits1 and sweetened poison2 or catch fishes or birds by covering their death with something which they most love2 so doth the devil and his instruments destroy souls3 the baits of a pleasant cup1 or pleasant company1 or pleasant meats1 or pleasant sports1 or plays1 or games2 a feast1 a tavern1 an alehouse1 a whore1 a stage-play1 a romance1 a pair of cards or dice1 can do the deed4 ,if he can possibly1 he will prove it a thing lawful2 if he cannot1 he will prove it a venial sin2 if that cannot be1 he will drown consideration1 and stop the mouth of reason and conscience1 and cry1 ,drive on4 ,some have yet higher baits than these1 lordships and lands1 dominion and honour1 to choke their souls4 #af4 ,also an honest name for sin1 and a dishonest name for duty to ,god1 doth serve the turn for many men's perdition4 ,to call drunkenness1 good fellowship1 or1 to take a cup2 and gluttony1 good housekeeping2 and voluptuousness1 recreation or pastime2 and pride1 the maintaining of their honour2 and worldliness1 good husbandry2 and prodigality1 liberality2 and lust and whoredom1 love1 and having a mistress2 and oppression1 the seeking of their due2 and perfidious dissimulation1 courtship2 and jeering1 wittiness4 ,these1 and more such1 are traps for souls4 ,and of the same use is the calling of duties by names of vice1 which tend to make them odious or contemptible4 #ag4 ,also the flattering of sinners1 and praising them in their sin1 is a soul-murdering encouragement to them in ill-doing2 and great sinners seldom want such enemies4 #ah4 ,an obedient readiness to all that wicked superiors command1 is an encouragement to them to proceed in mischief4 ,if parents or masters command their inferiors to spend the ,lord's day in dancing1 or other unlawful exercises2 or bid them steal1 or lie1 or forbid them to worship ,god2 those that obey them1 do harden them in their sin4 ,as ,daniel and the three witnesses had done the king1 if they had obeyed him4#add #ai4 ,also when those that have power to hinder sin1 and further godliness1 do not do it4 ,when they either give men leave to sin1 or forbear their duty when they should restrain it4 ,he that stands by1 and seeth his neighbour robbed or murdered1 and doth not what he can to save him1 is guilty of the sin1 and the sufferer's hurt4 #bj4 ,silence1 when we are obliged to reprove a sinner1 or to instruct the ignorant1 or exhort the obstinate1 or any way speak for men's salvation1 is injurious to their souls1 and maketh us partakers of their sin4 ,soul murder may be done by bare omissions4 #ba4 ,opposing magistrates1 ministers1 or any others1 in the discharge of their duty for godliness1 or against sin1 is an act of hostility against ,god1 and men's salvation4 #bb4 ,an unnecessary occasioning of sin1 or doing that needlessly1 which we may foresee that by accident another will destroy himself by1 is to be guilty of his sin and destruction2 as he is that would sell poison to him1 that he might foresee would kill himself with it2 or lend fire to his neighbour1 who he knoweth will burn his house with it4 ,but of this before1 in the chapter of scandal4 #bc4 ,they that are guilty of schisms or church divisions1 are murderers of souls2 by depriving them of that means 7the concord and harmony of believers7 which ,god hath appointed for men's conviction and salvation2#ade and by setting up before them the greatest scandal1 to bring religion into contempt1 and debilitate the godly4 #bd4 ,those also that mourn not for the sins of the times1 and confess them not to ,god1 and pray not against them1 and pray not for the sinners when they ought1 are thus guilty4#adf #be4 ,and so are they that secretly rejoice in sin1 or consent to it1 or approve it when it is done2 which if they manifest1 it is pernicious to others also4 #bf4 ,lastly1 ,a coldness or indifferency in the doing of our duty against sin1 without just zeal1 and pity to the sinner1 and reverence to the truth1 is a way of guilt1 and hurteth others4 ,to reprove sin1 as ,eli did his sons2 or to speak against it lightly as between jest and earnest1 is the way to make the sinner think that it is a small or jesting matter4 ,to persuade men to conversion or a godly life1 without a melting love and pity to their souls1 and without the reverence of ,god1 and seriousness of mind1 which the nature and weight of the thing requireth1 is the way to harden them in their sin and misery4 ,all these ways may a man be guilty1 first1 of the sin1 and secondly1 the perdition of another4 ,but here 7on the negative part7 take notice of these things following4 ,sidenote3 ,how we are not guilty of other men's sin or ruin4 #a4 ,that properly no man doth partake of the same formal1 numerical sin1 which is another's2 noxa caput sequitur4 ,the sin is individuated and informed by the individual will of the offender4 ,it is not possible that another man's sin should be properly and formally mine1 unless ,i were individually and formally that same man1 and not another4 ,if two men set their hands to the same evil deed1 they are distinct causes and subjects of the distinct formal guilt2 though con-causes1 and partial causes of the effect3 so that it is only by multiplication that we make the sin or guilt of another to become the matter of sin to us1 the form resulting from ourselves4 #b4 ,all men that are guilty of the sin and damnation of other men1 are not equally guilty2 not only as some are pardoned upon repentance1 and some remain impenitent and unpardoned2 but as some contribute wilfully to the mischief1 and with delight1 and in a greater measure2 and some only in a small degree1 by an oversight1 or small omission1 or weak performance of a duty1 by mere infirmity or surprise4 #c4 ,all that do not hinder sin1 or reprove it1 are not guilty of it2 no more than all that do not punish it2 but those only that have power and opportunity1 and so are called by ,god to do it4 #d4 ,if another man will sin1 and destroy his soul1 by the occasion of my necessary duty1 ,i must not cease my duty to prevent such men's sin or hurt2 else one or other will by their perverseness1 excuse me from almost all the duty which ,i should do4 ,i must not cease praying1 hearing1 sacraments1 nor withdraw from church communion1 because another will turn it to his sin2 else ,satan should use the sin of others to frustrate all ,god's worship4 ,yet ,i must add1 that many things cease to be a duty1 when another will be so hurt by them4 #e4 ,i am not guilty of all men's sins1 which are committed in my presence2 no1 though ,i know beforehand that they will sin4 ,for my calling or duty may lead me into the presence of those1 that ,i may foreknow will sin4 ,wicked men sin in all that they do1 and yet it followeth not1 that ,i must have nothing to do with them4 ,many a failing which is his sin1 may a minister or church be guilty of1 even in that public worship of ,god1 which yet ,i am bound to be present at4 ,but of all these somewhat is said before1 chap4 xii4 #add ,dan4 iii41 vi4 #ade ,john xvii4 #ba1 #be4 #adf ,ezek4 ix4 #d2 ,zeph4 iii4 #ag1 #ah4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,general ,,directions ,,for ,,the ,,furthering ,,of ,,the ,,salvation ,,of ,,others4 ,the great means which we must use for the salvation of our neighbours are1 ,direct4 ,i4 ,sound doctrine3 let those who are their instructors1 inculcate the wholesome principles of godliness2 which are1 self-denial1 mortification1 the love of ,god and man1 the hopes of heaven1 universal1 absolute obedience to ,god2 and all this by faith in ,jesus ,christ1 according to the holy ,scriptures4 ,instead of novelties1 or vain janglings1 and perverse disputings1 teach them these principles here briefly named1 over and over a hundred times2 open these plainly1 till they are well understood4 ,there are the necessary1 saving things2 this is the doctrine which is according to godliness1 which will make sound christians1 of sound judgments1 sound hearts1 sound conversations1 and sound consciences6 ,god sanctifieth his chosen ones by these truths4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,therefore do your best to help others to the benefit of able and faithful pastors and instructors4 ,a fruitful soil is not better for your seed1 nor a good pasture for your horse or cattle1 nor wholesome diet for yourselves1 than such instructors are for your neighbours' souls4 ,if you love them1 you should be more desirous to help them to good teachers1 or plant them under a sound and powerful ministry1 than to procure them any worldly benefits4 ,one time or other the word may prevail with them4 ,it is hopeful to be still in mercy's way4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,the concord of their teachers among themselves1 is a great help to the saving of the flock4 ,that they all may be one1 as thou ,father art in me1 and ,i in thee1 that they also may be one in us2 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me1 ,john xvii4 #ba1 #be4 ,concord much furthereth reverence and belief2 and consequently men's salvation 7so it be a holy concord74 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,the concord also of godly1 private christians hath the same effect4 ,when the ignorant see here a sect and there a sect1 and hear them condemning one another1 it teacheth them to contemn them all1 and think contemptibly of piety itself2 but concord layeth an awe upon them4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,the blameless1 humble1 loving1 heavenly lives of christians1 is a powerful means of winning souls4 ,preach therefore every one of you1 by such a conversation to all your neighbours1 whom you desire to save4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,keep those whom you would save in a humble1 patient1 learning posture2 and keep them from proud wranglings1 and running after novelties and sects4 ,the humble learner takes root downward1 and silently groweth up to wisdom2 but if once they grow self-conceited1 they turn to wranglings1 and place their religion in espoused1 singular opinions1 and in being on this or that side or church2 and fall into divided congregations1 where the business is to build up souls by destroying charity1 and teaching sectaries to overvalue themselves1 and despise dissenters2 till at last they run themselves out of breath1 and perhaps fall out with all true religion4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,do what you can to place them in good families1 and when they are to be married1 to join them to such as are fit to be their helpers4 ,in families and relations of that sort1 people are so near together1 and in such constant converse1 that it will be very much of the help or hinderance of their salvation4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,keep them also as much as is possible in good company1 and out of bad1 seducing company2 especially those that are to be their familiars4 ,the world's experience telleth us what power company hath1 to make men better or worse3 and what a great advantage it is to work any thing on men's minds1 to have interest in them1 and intimacy with them2 especially with those that are yet to receive their deepest impressions4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,keep them from the most dangerous baits1 opportunities1 and temptations to sensuality4 ,withdraw the tinder and gunpowder from the fire4 ,there is no curing a drunkard ordinarily in an alehouse or tavern1 nor a fornicator while he is near the objects of his lust1 nor a glutton at a full1 enticing table4 ,set them at a farther distance from the danger1 if you would have them safe4 ,nemo diu tutus periculo proximus4 ,senec4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,take the advantage of their personal afflictions1 or any other notable warnings that are near them4 ,keep them oft in the house of mourning1 where death may be as in their sight2 and keep them out of the house of foolish mirth4 ,the time of sickness is an awakening time1 and powerfully openeth the ear to counsel4 ,the sight of the dead or dying persons1 the hearing of sick men's wishes and complaints1 the sight of graves and dead men's bones1 7if not too oft to make it customary17 doth often force the most foolish and obstinate to some man-like1 profitable thoughts2 when the noise of foolish mirth and sports1 at rabble-meetings1 stage-plays1 and ,may-games1 riotings1 or immoderate1 rude1 or tempting plays1 do kill all sober1 saving motions1 and undispose the mind to all that is good4 ,though seasonable and useful delights are lawful1 yet such as are unseasonable1 immoderate1 insnaring1 scandalous1 or unprofitable1 are pernicious and poison to the soul4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,engage them in the reading of the holy ,scriptures1 and of such books of practical divinity1 as do at once most plainly acquaint them with the principles of religion1 and piercingly set them home upon the conscience2 that judgment and affection1 head and heart1 may be edified at once4 ,such suitable books may be daily their companions2 and it is a great advantage to them1 that they may have a powerful sermon when they please1 and read over the same things as oft as the frailty of their memories do require4 ,such private1 innocent companions have saved many a soul4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,engage them in a constant course of prayer 7whether it be with a book1 or form1 or without1 according to the parts and condition of the person74 ,for the often approaching to ,god in so holy a work1 will affright or shame a man from sin1 and stir him up to serious thoughts of his salvation1 and engage him to a godly life4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,if you would have all these means effectual to men's conversion and salvation1 show them all hearty love and kindness1 and do them all the good you can4 ,men are naturally more easily sensible of the good of their bodies1 than of their souls2 and a kindness to the body is thankfully received1 and may prepare them to receive a greater benefit4 ,what you are unable to do for them yourselves1 solicit those that are able to do2 or1 if you cannot do that neither1 at least show your pity and good-will4 ,love is the most powerful preacher in the world4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,be sure that you have no fallings out or quarrels with any that you would do good upon4 ,and to that end1 usually it is the best way1 to have as little to do with them in buying and selling1 or any worldly matters1 where mine and thine may come in competition1 as possibly you can3 or1 if you cannot avoid it1 you must be content to part with somewhat of your right1 and suffer some wrongs1 for fear of hurt to your neighbour's soul4 ,even godly persons1 yea1 parents and children1 brethren and sisters1 usually fall out about mine and thine4 ,and when self-interest hath bred the quarrel1 they usually think ill of the person who is supposed to injure them2 and then they are made uncapable of receiving any spiritual good by him1 and if he seem religious they are oft alienated from religion for his sake4 ,and all unconverted persons are selfish1 and usually look that you should fulfil their desires1 and suit yourselves to their interest1 without respect to right or wrong1 or to your own sufferings6 ,yet such as these must be pitied and helped2 and therefore it is usually best to avoid all chaffering or worldly dealings with them1 lest you lose them4 ,and when that cannot be1 you must judge a little departing from your own right1 to be a very cheap price to procure the good of a neighbour's soul4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,see that in matters of religion you neither run too far from such men in things lawful1 nor yet do any thing sinful in compliance with them4 ,by concurring with them in any sin1 you will harden them1 and hinder their conversion2 and so you will by singular or violent opposition in things indifferent4 ,those persons are quite mistaken1 who think that godly men must go as far from the ungodly as ever they can1 in lawful things2 and say1 ,the ungodly do thus1 and therefore we must do otherwise4 ,paul was of another mind and practice1 when he circumcised ,timothy1 and became all things to all men1 to save some4 ,to place religion in things indifferent1 and to cry out against lawful things as sinful1 or to fly from others by needless singularities1 is a great cause of the hardening and perdition of multitudes1 turning their hearts against religion1 and making them think that it is but unnecessary scruple1 and that religious persons are but self-conceited1 brain-sick people1 that make to themselves a duty of their superstition1 and condemn all that be not as humorous as they4 ,lay not such stumblingblocks before any whose souls you desire to save4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,special ,,directions ,,for ,,christian ,,conference1 ,,exhortation1 ,,and ,,reproof4 ,tit4 #a4 ,motives to ,christian ,conference and ,exhortation4 ,the right use of speech being a duty of so great importance1 as ,i have before showed about the government of the tongue2 and it being a way of communication1 by which we are all obliged to exercise our love to one another1 even in the greatest matter1 the saving of souls2 ,i shall first endeavour to persuade them to this duty1 who make too little conscience of it2 and that by these following considerations4 ,motive ,i4 ,consider that it is the exercise of our humanity3 reason and speech do difference us from brutes4 ,if by being reasonable we are men1 then by using reason we live as men2 and the first communicative use of reason is by speech3 by thinking1 we exercise reason for ourselves2 by speaking1 we exercise it 7first7 for others4 ,therefore if our reason be given us for the highest uses to ourselves1 7to know ,god and eternal life1 and the means thereto17 then certainly our speech is also given us for the same highest uses1 by way of communication unto others4 ,use therefore your tongues to those noble ends for which they were given you4 ,use them as the tongues of men1 to the ends which human nature is created for4 ,motive ,,ii4 ,there is no subject so sublime and honourable for the tongue of man to be employed about1 as the matters of ,god1 and life eternal4 ,children will talk of childish toys1 and countrymen talk of their corn and cattle1 and princes and statesmen look down on these with contemptuous smiles1 as much below them3 but crowns and kingdoms are incomparably more below the business of a holy soul6 ,the higher subjects philosophers treat of1 the more honourable 7if well done7 are their discourses4 ,but none is so high as ,god and glory4 ,motive ,,iii4 ,it is the most profitable subject to the hearers4 ,a discourse of riches1 at the most1 can but direct them how to grow rich2 a discourse of honours usually puffeth up the minds of the ambitious3 and if it could advance the auditors to honour1 the fruit would be a vanity little to be desired4 ,but a discourse of ,god1 and heaven1 and holiness1 doth tend to change the hearers' minds into the nature of the things discoursed of3 it hath been the means of converting and sanctifying many a thousand souls4 ,as learned discourses tend to make men learned in the things discoursed of1 so holy discourses tend to make men holy4 ,for as natural generation begetteth not gold or kingdoms1 but a man2 so speech is not made to communicate to others 7directly7 the wealth1 or health1 or honours1 or any extrinsical things which the speaker hath2 but to communicate those mental excellencies which he is possessed of4 ,prov4 xvi4 #ba1 #bb1 ,the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning4 ,understanding is a well-spring of life to him that hath it4 ,prov4 x4 #ac1 #ba1 ,in the lips of him that hath understanding1 wisdom is found4--,the lips of the righteous feed many4 ,prov4 xv4 #g1 ,the lips of the wise disperse knowledge2 but the heart of the foolish doth not so4 ,prov4 xx4 #ae1 ,there is gold1 and a multitude of rubies2 but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel4 ,prov4 x4 #bj1 ,the tongue of the just is as choice silver2 the heart of the wicked is little worth4 ,motive ,,iv4 ,holy discourse is also most profitable to the speaker himself4 ,grace increaseth by the exercise4 ,even in instructing others and opening truth1 we are ofttimes more powerfully led up to further truth ourselves1 than by solitary studies4 ,for speech doth awaken the intellectual faculty1 and keepeth on the thoughts in order1 and one truth oft inferreth others1 to a thus excited and prepared mind4 ,and the tongue hath a power of moving on our hearts2 when we blow the fire to warm another1 both the exercise and the fire warm ourselves3 it kindleth the flames of holy love in us1 to declare the praise of ,god to others2 it increaseth a hatred of sin in us1 to open its odiousness to others4 ,we starve ourselves1 when we starve the souls which we should cherish4 ,motive ,v4 ,holy and heavenly discourse is the most delectable4 ,i mean in its own aptitude1 and to a mind that is not diseased by corruption4 ,that which is most great1 and good1 and necessary1 is most delectable4 ,what should best please us1 but that which is best for us8 and best for others8 and best in itself8 ,the excellency of the subject maketh it delightful6 ,and so doth the exercise of our graces upon it3 and serious conference doth help down the truth into our hearts1 where it is most sweet4 ,besides that nature and charity make it pleasant to do good to others4 ,it can be nothing better than a subversion of the appetite by carnality and wickedness1 that maketh any one think idle jests1 or tales1 or plays1 to be more pleasant than spiritual1 heavenly conference2 and the talking of riches1 or sports1 or lusts1 to be sweeter than to talk of ,god1 and ,christ1 and grace1 and glory4 ,a holy mind hath a continual feast in itself in meditating on these things1 and the communicating of such thoughts to others1 is a more common1 and so a more pleasant feast4 ,motive ,,vi4 ,our faithfulness to ,god obligeth us to speak his praise1 and to promote his truth1 and plead his cause against iniquity4 ,hath he given us tongues to magnify his name1 and set before us the admirable frame of all the world1 to declare his glory in8 ,and shall we be backward to so sweet and great a work8 ,how precious and useful is all his holy word6 ,what light1 and life1 and comfort may it cause6 ,and shall we bury it in silence8 ,what company can we come into almost1 where either the barefaced committing of sin1 or the defending of it1 or the opposition of truth or godliness1 or the frigidity of men's hearts towards ,god1 and supine neglect of holy things1 do not call to us1 if we are the servants of ,god1 to take his part2 and if we are the children of light1 to bear our testimony against the darkness of the world2 and if we love ,god1 and truth1 and the souls of men1 to show it by our prudent1 seasonable speech8 ,is he true to ,god1 and to his cause1 that will not open his mouth to speak for him8 ,motive ,,vii4 ,and how precious a thing is an immortal soul1 and therefore not to be neglected6 ,did ,christ think souls to be worth his mediation1 by such strange condescension1 even to a shameful death8 ,did he think them worth his coming into flesh to be their teacher8 ,and will you not think them worth the speaking to8 ,motive ,,viii4 ,see also the greatness of your sin1 in the negligence of unfaithful ministers4 ,it is easy to see the odiousness of their sin1 who preach not the gospel1 or do no more than by an hour's dry and dead discourse1 shift off the serious work which they should do1 and think they may be excused from all personal oversight and helping of the people's souls all the week after4 ,and why should you not perceive that a dumb1 private christian is also to be condemned1 as well as a dumb minister8 ,is not profitable conference your duty1 as well as profitable preaching is his8 ,how many persons condemn themselves1 while they speak against unfaithful pastors6 being themselves as unfaithful to families and neighbours1 as the other are to the flock6 ,motive ,,ix4 ,and consider how the cheapness of the means1 doth aggravate the sin of your neglect1 and show much unmercifulness to souls4 ,words cost you little2 indeed alone1 without the company of good works1 they are too cheap for ,god to accept of4 ,but if a hypocrite may bring so cheap a sacrifice1 who is rejected1 what doth he deserve that thinketh it too dear8 ,what will that man do for ,god1 or for his neighbour's soul1 who will not open his mouth to speak for them8 ,he seemeth to have less love than that man in hell1 ,luke xvi4 who would so fain have had a messenger sent from another world1 to have warned his brethren1 and saved them from that place of torment4 ,motive ,x4 ,your fruitful conference is a needful help to the ministerial work4 ,when the preacher hath publicly delivered the word of ,god to the assembly1 if you would so far second him1 as in your daily converse to set it home on the hearts of those that you have opportunity to discourse with1 how great an assistance would it be to his success6 ,though he must teach them publicly1 and from house to house1 ,acts xx4 #bj1 yet is it not possible for him to be so frequent and familiar in daily conference with all the ignorant of the place1 as those that are still with them may be4 ,you are many1 and he is but one1 and can be but in one place at once4 ,your business bringeth you into their company1 when he cannot be there4 ,o happy is that minister who hath such a people1 who will daily preach over the matter of his public sermons in their private conference with one another6 ,many hands make quick work4 ,this would most effectually prevail against the powers of darkness1 and cast out ,satan from multitudes of miserable souls4 ,motive ,,xi4 ,yea1 when ministers are wanting1 through scarcity1 persecution1 or unfaithfulness and negligence1 the people's holy1 profitable conference would do much towards the supplying of that want4 ,there have few places and ages of the world been so happy1 but that learned1 able1 faithful pastors have been so few1 that we had need to pray to the ,lord of the harvest to send forth more4 ,and it is nothing unusual to have those few silenced or hindered from the preaching of the gospel1 by the factions or the malignity of the world6 ,and it is yet more common to have ignorant or ungodly persons in that office1 who betray the people's souls by their usurpation1 impiety1 or slothfulness4 ,but if in all such wants1 the people that fear ,god would do their part in private conference1 it would be an excellent supply4 ,ministers may be silenced from public preaching1 when you cannot be silenced from profitable discourse4 ,motive ,,xii4 ,it is a duty that hath many great advantages for success4 #a4 ,you may choose your season2 if one time be not fit1 you may take another4 #b4 ,you may choose the person1 whom you find to have the greatest necessity or capacity1 and where your labour is likeliest to take4 #c4 ,you may choose your subject1 and speak of that which you find most suitable4 ,there is no restraint nor imposition upon you1 to hinder your liberty in this4 #d4 ,you may choose your arguments by which you would enforce it4 #e4 ,interlocutory conference keepeth your auditors attentive1 and carrieth them on along with you as you go4 ,and it maketh the application much more easy1 by their nearness and the familiarity of the discourse2 when sermons are usually heard but as an insignificant sound1 or words of course4 #f4 ,you may at your pleasure go back and repeat those things which the hearer doth not understand1 or doth forget2 which a preacher in the pulpit cannot do without the censure of the more curious auditors4 #g4 ,you may perceive by the answers of them whom you speak to1 what particulars you need most to insist on1 and what objections you should most carefully resolve2 and when you have satisfied them1 and may proceed4 ,all which it is hard for a minister to do in public preaching2 and is it not a great sin to neglect such an advantageous duty8 ,motive ,,xiii4 ,and it should somewhat encourage you to it1 that it is an unquestionable duty1 when many other are brought into controversy4 ,ministers preach under the regulation of human laws and canons1 and it is a great controversy with many1 whether they shall preach1 when they are silenced or forbidden by their superiors2 but whether you may speak for ,god and for men's salvation in your familiar conference1 no man questioneth1 nor doth any law forbid it4 ,motive ,,xiv4 ,hath not the fruitful conference of others1 in the days of your ignorance1 done good to you8 ,have you not been instructed1 convinced1 persuaded1 and comforted by it8 ,what had become of you1 if all men had let you alone1 and passed you by1 and left you to yourselves8 ,and doth not justice require that you do good to others1 as others have done to you1 in the use of such a tried means8 ,motive ,,xv4 ,consider how forward the devil's servants are to plead his cause6 ,how readily and fiercely will an ignorant1 drunken sot pour out his reproaches and scorns against religion6 and speak evil of the things which he never understood6 ,how zealously will a papist1 or heretic1 or schismatic1 promote the interest of his sect1 and labour to proselyte others to his party6 ,and shall we be less zealous and serviceable for ,christ1 than the devil's servants are for him8 and do less to save souls1 than they will do to damn them8 ,motive ,,xvi4 ,nay1 in the time of your sin and ignorance1 if you have not spoken against religion1 nor taught others to curse1 or swear1 or speak in ribald1 filthy language1 yet1 at least1 you have spent many an hour in idle1 fruitless talk8 ,and doth not this now oblige you to show your repentance by more fruitful conference8 ,will you since your conversion speak as unprofitably as you did before8 ,motive ,,xvii4 ,holy conference will prevent the guilt of foolish1 idle talk4 ,men will not be long silent1 but will talk of somewhat1 and if they have not profitable things to talk of1 they will prate of vanity4 ,all the foolish chat1 and frothy jests1 and scurrilous ribaldry1 and envious backbiting1 which taketh up men's time1 and poisoneth the hearers1 is caused by their want of edifying discourse1 which should keep it out4 ,the rankest wits and tongues will have most weeds1 if they be not cultivated and taught to bear a better crop4 ,motive ,,xviii4 ,your tongues will be instrumental to public good or public hurt4 ,when filthy1 vain1 and impious language is grown common1 it will bring down common plagues and judgments6 ,and if you cross not the custom1 you seem to be consenters1 and harden men in their sin4 ,but holy conference may1 at least1 show that some partake not of the evil1 and may free them from the plague1 if they prevail not with others so far as to prevent it4 ,then they that feared the ,lord spake often one to another3 and the ,lord hearkened1 and heard it1 and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the ,lord1 and thought upon his name4 ,and they shall be mine1 saith the ,lord of hosts1 in that day when ,i make up my jewels2 and ,i will spare them1 as a man spareth his own son that serveth him1 ,mal4 iii4 #af1 #ag4 ,motive ,,xix4 ,consider what great necessity there is every where of fruitful1 edifying speech4 #a4 ,in the multitude of the ignorant2 and the greatness of their ignorance4 #b4 ,the numbers of the sensual and obstinate4 #c4 ,the power of blindness1 and of every sin3 what root it hath taken in the most of men4 #d4 ,the multitude of baits which are every where before them4 #e4 ,the subtilty of ,satan and his instruments in tempting4 #f4 ,the weakness and unconstancy of man1 that hath need of constant solicitation4 #g4 ,the want of holy1 faithful pastors1 which maketh private men's diligence the more necessary4 ,and in such necessity to shut up our mouths1 is to shut up the bowels of our compassion1 when we see our brother's need2 and how then doth the love of ,god dwell in us8 #a ,john iii4 #ag4 ,to withhold our exhortation1 is as the withholding of corn from the poor in a time of famine1 which procureth a curse1 ,prov4 xi4 #bf4 ,and though in this case men are insensible of their want1 and take it not ill to be passed by1 yet ,christ that died for them will take it ill4 ,motive ,,xx4 ,lastly1 ,consider how short a time you are like to speak2 and how long you must be silent4 ,death will quickly stop your breath1 and lay you in the dark1 and tell you that all your opportunities are at an end4 ,speak now1 for you have not long to speak4 ,your neighbours' lives are hastening to an end1 and so are yours2 they are dying and must hear no more1 7till they hear their doom17 and you are dying and must speak no more2 and they will be lost for ever if they have not help3 pity them then1 and call on them to foresee the final day2 warn them now1 for it must be now or never3 there is no instructing and admonishing them in the grave4 ,those sculls which you see cast up1 had once tongues which should have praised their ,creator and ,redeemer1 and have helped to save each other's souls2 but now they are tongueless4 ,it is a great grief to us that are now here silenced1 that we used not our ministry more laboriously and zealously while we had time4 ,and will it not be so with you1 when death shall silence you1 that you spake not for ,god while you had a tongue to speak8 ,let all these considerations stir up all that ,god hath taught a holy language1 to use it for their ,master's service while they may1 and to repent of sinful silence4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,christian ,conference and ,edifying ,speech4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,the most necessary direction for a fruitful tongue is to get a well-furnished mind1 and a holy heart1 and to walk with ,god in holiness yourselves3 for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak4 ,that which you are fullest of1 is readiest to come forth4 #a4 ,spare for no study or labour to get understanding in the things of ,god3 it is a weariness to hear men talk foolishly of any thing1 but no where so much as about divine and heavenly things4 ,a wise christian instructed to the kingdom of ,god1 hath a treasury in his mind1 out of which he can bring forth things new and old1 ,matt4 xiii4 #eb4 ,go from the presence of a foolish man1 when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge1 ,prov4 xiv4 #g4 #b4 ,get all that holiness in yourselves1 to which you would persuade another4 ,there is a strange communicating power in the course of nature1 for every thing to produce its like4 ,learning and good utterance is very helpful2 but it is holiness that is aptest to beget holiness in others4 ,words which proceed from the love of ,god1 and a truly heavenly mind1 do most powerfully tend to breed in others that love of ,god and heavenly-mindedness4 #c4 ,live in the practice of that which you would draw your neighbour to practise4 ,a man that cometh warm from holy meditation1 or fervent prayer1 doth bring upon his heart a fulness of matter1 and an earnest desire1 and a fitness to communicate that good to others1 which he himself hath felt4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,especially see that you soundly believe yourselves what you are to speak to others4 ,he that hath secret infidelity at his heart1 and is himself unsatisfied whether there be a heaven and hell1 and whether sin be so bad and holiness so necessary as the ,scripture speaks1 will speak but heartlessly of them to another2 but if we believe these things1 as if we saw them with our eyes1 how heartily shall we discourse of them6 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,keep a compassionate sense of the misery of ignorant1 ungodly1 impenitent souls4 ,think what a miserable bondage of darkness and sensuality they are in2 and that it is light that must recover them3 think oft how quickly they must die1 and what an appearance they must make before the ,lord1 and how miserable they must be for ever1 if now they be not convinced and sanctified6 ,and sure this will stir up your bowels to pity them1 and make you speak4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,subdue foolish shame or bashfulness1 and get a holy fortitude of mind4 ,remember what a sin it is to be ashamed of such a ,master1 and such a cause and work1 which all would be glad to own at last2 and that when the wicked are not ashamed of the service of the devil1 and the basest works4 ,and remember that threatening1 ,whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation1 of him also shall the ,son of man be ashamed1 when he cometh in the glory of his ,father with the holy angels1 ,mark viii4 #ch4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be always furnished with those particular truths which may be most useful in this service4 ,study to do your work 7in your degree7 as ministers study to do theirs2 who are not contented with the habitual furniture of their minds1 but they also make particular preparations for their particular work4 ,if you are to go into the field to your labour1 you will take those tools with you by which it must be done3 so do when you go abroad among any that you may do good to1 and be not unfurnished for edifying discourse4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,speak most of the greatest things1 7the folly of sin1 the vanity of the world1 the certainty and nearness of death and judgment1 the overwhelming weight of eternity1 the necessity of holiness1 the work of redemption1 c47 and choose not the smaller matters of religion to spend your time upon 7unless upon some special reason74 ,among good men that will not lose their time on vanity1 the devil too oft prevaileth1 to make them lose it by such religious conference1 as is little to edification1 that greater matters may be thereby thrust out2 such as ,paul calleth ,vain janglings1 and doting about questions which engender strife1 and not godly edifying3 as about their several opinions or parties1 or comparing one preacher or person with another1 or such things as tend but little to make the hearers more wise1 or holy1 or heavenly4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,suit all your discourse to the quality of your auditors4 ,that which is best in itself1 may not be best for every hearer4 ,you must vary both your subject and manner of discourse1 #a4 ,according to the variety of men's knowledge3 the wise and the foolish must not be spoken to alike4 #b4 ,according to the variety of their moral qualities3 one may be very pious1 and another weak in grace1 and another only teachable and tractable1 and another wicked and impenitent1 and another obstinate and scornful4 ,these must not be talked to with the same manner of discourse4 #c4 ,according to the variety of particular sins which they are inclined to2 which in some is pride1 in some sensuality1 lust1 or idleness1 in some covetousness1 and in some an erroneous zeal against the church and cause of ,christ4 ,every wise physician will vary his remedies1 not only according to the kind of the disease1 but according to its various accidents1 and the complexion also of the patient4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,be sure to do most where you have most authority and obligation4 ,he that will neglect and slight his family1 relations1 children1 and servants1 who are under him1 and always with him1 and yet be zealous for the conversion of strangers1 doth discover much hypocrisy1 and showeth1 that it is something else than the love of souls1 or sense of duty1 which carrieth him on4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,never speak of holy things1 but with the greatest reverence and seriousness you can4 ,the manner as well as the matter is needful to the effect4 ,to talk of sin and conversion1 of ,god and eternity1 in a common1 running1 careless manner1 as you speak of the men1 and the matters of the world1 is much worse than silence1 and tendeth but to debauch the hearers1 and bring them to a contempt of ,god and holiness4 ,i remember myself1 that when ,i was young1 ,i had sometime the company of one ancient godly minister1 who was of weaker parts than many others1 but yet did profit me more than most2 because he would never in prayer or conference speak of ,god1 or the life to come1 but with such marvellous seriousness and reverence1 as if he had seen the majesty and glory which he talked of4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,take heed of inconsiderate1 imprudent passages1 which may mar all the rest1 and give malignant auditors advantage of contempt and scorn4 ,many honest christians1 through their ignorance1 thus greatly wrong the cause they manage 7,i would ,i might not say1 many ministers74 ,too few words is not so bad1 as one such imprudent1 foolish word too much4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,condescend to the weak1 and bear with their infirmity4 ,if they give you foolish answers1 be not angry and impatient with them2 yea1 or if they perversely cavil and contradict4 ,for the servant of the ,lord must not strive1 but be gentle to all men1 apt to teach1 patient1 in meekness instructing opposers1 if ,god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth1 #b ,tim4 ii4 #bd1 #be4 ,he is a foolish physician that cannot bear the words of a phrenetic or delirant patient4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,when you are among those that can teach you1 be not so forward to teach as to learn4 ,be not eager to vent what you have to say1 but desirous to hear what your betters have to say4 ,questions in such a case should be most of your part3 it requireth great skill and diligence to draw that out of others1 which may profit you2 and be not impatient if they cross your opinions1 or open your ignorance4 ,yea1 those that you can teach in other things1 yet in some things may be able to add much to your knowledge4 ,tit4 #c4 ,special ,directions for ,reproof and ,exhortation for the good of others4 ,this duty is so great1 that ,satan hindereth it with all his power1 and so hard1 that most men quite omit it 7unless an angry reproach may go for christian exhortation73 and some spoil it in the management2 and some proud1 censorious persons mistake the exercise of their pride and passion1 for the exercise of a charitable christian duty2 and seem to be more sensible of their neighbour's sin and misery1 than of their own4 ,therefore that you miscarry not in so needful a work1 ,i shall add these following directions4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,be sure first that your reproof have a right end2 and then let the manner be suited to that end4 ,if it be to convince and convert a soul1 it must be done in a manner likely to prevail2 if it be only to bear down the argument of a deceiver1 to preserve the standers-by1 to vindicate the honour of ,god and godliness1 and to dishonour sin1 and to disgrace an obstinate factor for the devil1 then another course is fit4 ,therefore resolve first1 by the quality of the cause and person1 what must be your end4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,be sure that you reprove not that as a sin1 which is no sin2 either by mistaking the law or the fact4 ,to make duties and sins of our own opinions and inventions1 and then to lay out our zeal on these1 and censure or reprove all that think not as hardly of such things as we2 this is to make ourselves the objects of the hearers' pity2 and not to exercise just pity towards others6 ,such reproofs deserve reproof2 for they discover great ignorance1 and pride1 and self-conceitedness1 and very much harden sinners in their way2 and make them think that all reproof is but the vanity of fantastical hypocrites4 ,in some cases with a child1 or servant1 or private friend1 or for prevention1 we may speak of faults upon hearsay or suspicion2 but it must be as of things uncertain1 and as a warning rather than a reproof4 ,in ordinary reproof1 you must understand the case before you speak2 it is a shame to say after1 ,i thought it had been otherwise4 ,such an erroneous reproof is worse than none4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,choose not the smallest sins to reprove1 nor the smallest duties to exhort them to4 ,for that will make them think that all your zeal is taken up with little matters1 and that there is no great necessity of regarding you2 and conscience will be but little moved by your speech3 when greater things will greatly and more easily affect men4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,stop not 7with unregenerate men7 in the mention of particular sins or duties2 but make use of particulars to convince them of a state of sin and misery4 ,it is easy to convince a man that he is a sinner2 and when that is done1 he is never the more humbled or converted3 for he will tell you1 that all are sinners2 and therefore he hopeth to speed as well as you4 ,but you must make him discern his sinful state1 and show him the difference between a penitent sinner1 and an impenitent2 a converted sinner1 and an unconverted2 a justified1 pardoned sinner1 and an unjustified1 unpardoned one2 or else you will do him but little good4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,suit the manner of your reproof to the quality of the person4 ,it is seldom that a parent1 master1 or superior1 must be reproved by a private inferior2 and when it is done1 it must be done with great submission and respect4 ,an angry1 peevish person must be dealt with tenderly1 as you handle thorns2 but a duller1 sottish person1 must be more earnestly and warmly dealt with4 ,so also a greater sin must be roughly handled1 or with greater detestation1 than a less4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,take a fit season4 ,not when a man is in drink1 or passion1 or among others where the disgrace will vex and harden him2 but in secret between him and you 7if his conversion be your end74 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,do all in love and tender pity4 ,if you convince not the hearer that you do it in unfeigned love1 you must 7usually7 expect to lose your labour2 because you make not advantage of his self-love1 to promote your exhortations3 therefore the exhorting way should be more frequent than the reproving way2 for reproof disgraceth and exasperateth1 when the same thing contrived into an exhortation may prevail4#adg ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,therefore be as much or more in showing the good which you would draw them to1 as the evil which you would turn them from4 ,for they are never savingly converted1 till they are won to the love of ,god and holiness2 therefore the opening of the riches of the gospel1 and the love of ,god1 and the joys of heaven1 must be the greatest part of your treaty with a sinner4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,and labour so to help him to a true understanding of the nature of religion1 that he may perceive that it is not only a necessary but a pleasant thing4 ,all love delights3 it is the slander and misrepresentation of godliness by the devil1 the world1 and the flesh1 which maketh mistaken sinners shun it4 ,the way to convert them1 and win their hearts to it1 is to make them know how good and pleasant it is1 and to confute those calumnies4 ,direct ,x4 ,yet always insert the remembrance of death1 and judgment1 and hell4 ,for the drowsy mind hath need to be awakened2 and love worketh best when fear subserveth it4 ,it is hard to procure a serious audience and consideration of things from hardened hearts1 if the sight of death and hell do not help to make them serious4 ,danger which must be escaped1 must be known and thought on4 ,these things put weight and power into your speech4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,do all as with divine authority2 and therefore have ready some plain texts of ,scripture for the duty and against the sin you speak of4#adh ,show them where ,god himself hath said it4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,seasonable expostulations1 putting themselves to judge themselves in their answer1 hath a convincing and engaging force4 ,as when you show them ,scripture1 ask them1 ,is not this the word of ,god8 ,do you not believe that it is true8 ,do you think he that wrote this1 knoweth not better than you or ,i8 c4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,put them on speedy practice1 and prudently engage them to it by their promise4 ,as if you speak to a drunkard1 draw him to promise you to come no more 7at least1 of so long a time7 into an alehouse2 or not drink ale or wine but by the consent of his wife1 or some sober1 household friend1 who may watch over him4 ,engage the voluptuous1 the unchaste1 and gamester1 to forsake the company which insnareth them4 ,engage the ungodly to read the ,scripture1 to frequent good company1 to pray morning and night 7with a book or without1 as they are best able74 ,their promise may bring them to such a present change of practice1 as may prepare for more4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,if you know any near you1 who are much fitter than yourselves1 and liker to prevail1 procure them to attempt that which you cannot do successfully4#adi ,at least when sinners perceive that it is not only one man's opinion1 it may somewhat move them to reverence the reproof4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,put some good book into their hands1 which is fitted to the work which you would have done4 ,and get them to promise you seriously to read it over1 and consider it2 as if it be for the conversion of a careless sinner1 ,mr4 ,whateley's1 or ,mr4 ,swinnock's ,treatise of ,regeneration2 or some other treatise of repentance and conversion4 ,if it be for one that is prejudiced against a strict religious life1 ,mr4 ,allen's ,vindication of ,godliness4 ,if it be an idle1 voluptuous person1 who wasteth precious time in plays or needless recreations1 in gaming or an idle life1 ,mr4 ,whateley's sermon1 called ,the ,redemption of ,time4 ,if it be a prayerless person1 ,dr4 ,preston's ,saint's ,daily ,exercise3 if it be a drunkard1 ,mr4 ,harris's ,drunkard's ,cup3 and for many reigning1 particular sins1 a book called ,solomon's ,prescription against the ,plague3 for directions in the daily practice of godliness1 ,the ,practice of ,piety1 or ,mr4 ,thomas ,gouge's ,directions1 c4 ,such books may speak more pertinently than you can2 and be as constant food to their sober thoughts1 and so may further what you have begun4 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,when you cannot speak1 or where your speaking prevaileth not1 mourn for them2 and earnestly pray for their recovery4#aej ,a sad countenance of ,nehemiah remembered ,artaxerxes of his duty4 ,a sigh or a tear for a miserable sinner1 may move his heart1 when exhortation will not4 ,he hath a heart of stone1 who will have no sense of his condition1 when he seeth another weeping for him4 ,quest4 ,but is it always a duty to reprove or exhort a sinner8 ,how shall ,i know when it is my duty1 and when it is not8 ,answ4 ,it is no duty in any of these cases following4 #a4 ,in general1 ,when you have sufficient reason to judge1 that it will do more harm than good1 and will not attain its proper end2 for ,god hath not appointed us to do hurt under pretence of duty2 it is no means which doth cross the end which it should attain4 ,as prayer and preaching may be a sin1 when they are like to cross their proper end2 so also may reproof be4 #b4 ,therefore it must not be used when it apparently hindereth a greater good4 ,as we may not pray or preach when we should be quenching a fire in the town1 or saving a man's life3 so when reproof doth exclude some greater duty or benefit1 it is unseasonable1 and no duty at that time4 ,christ alloweth us to forbear the casting of pearls before swine1 or giving that which is holy to dogs1 because of these two reasons forementioned1 ,it is no means to the contemptuous1 and they will turn again and all to rend us4#aea ,much more1 if he be some potent enemy of the church1 who will not only rend us1 but the church itself1 if he be so provoked3 reproving him then is not our duty4 #c4 ,particularly1 ,when a man is in a passion or drunk usually it is no season to reprove him4 #d4 ,nor when you are among others1 who should not be witnesses of the fault1 or the reproof2 or whose presence will shame him1 and offend him 7except it be only the shaming of an incorrigible or malicious sinner which you intend74 #e4 ,nor when you are uncertain of the fact which you would reprove1 or uncertain whether it be a sin4 #f4 ,or when you have no witness of it1 7though you are privately certain17 with some that will take advantage against you as slanderers1 a reproof may be omitted4 #g4 ,and when the offenders are so much your superiors1 that you are like to have no better success than to be accounted arrogant2 a groan or tears is then the best reproof4 #h4 ,when you are so utterly unable to manage a reproof1 that imprudence or want of convincing reason1 is like to make it a means of greater hurt than good4 #i4 ,when you foresee a more advantageous season1 if you delay4 #aj4 ,when another may be procured to do it with much more advantage1 which your doing it may rather hinder4 ,in all these cases1 that may be a sin1 which at another time may be a duty4 ,but still remember1 first1 ,that pride1 and passion1 and slothfulness1 is wont to pretend such reasons falsely1 upon some slight conjectures1 to put by a duty4 ,secondly1 ,that no man must account another a dog or swine1 to excuse him from this duty1 without cogent evidence4 ,and it is not every wrangling opposition1 nor reproach and scorn1 which will warrant us to give a man up as remediless1 and speak to him no more2 but only such1 #a4 ,as showeth a heart utterly obdurate1 after long means4 #b4 ,or will procure more suffering to the reprover1 than good to the offender4 #c4 ,that when the thing is ordinarily a duty1 the reasons of our omission must be clear and sure1 before they will excuse us4#aeb ,quest4 ,must we reprove infidels or heathens8 ,what have we to do to judge them that are without8 ,answ4 ,not to the ends of excommunication1 because they are not capable of it1#aec which is meant #a ,cor4 v4 ,but we must reprove them1 first1 ,in common compassion to their souls4 ,what were the apostles and other preachers sent for1 but to call all men from their sins to ,god8 ,secondly1 ,and for the defence of truth and godliness1 against their words1 or ill examples4 #adg #b ,thess4 iii4 #ae2 #b ,cor4 ii4 #d2 ,gal4 vi4 #a2 #b ,tim4 ii4 #be2 #a ,thess4 v4 #ac4 #adh ,col4 iii4 #af4 #adi ,ezek4 xxxiii4 xxxiv42 ,gal4 vi4 #a2 ,tit4 ii4 #d4 #aej ,ezek4 ix4 #d2 #b ,pet4 ii4 #g1 #h4 #aea ,prov4 ix4 #g1 #h2 ,matt4 vii4 #f4 #aeb ,gen4 xx4 #cf2 ,job xiii4 #ac2 ,heb4 xiii4 #bb2 #b ,pet4 i4 #ac2 #b ,tim4 ii4 #be1 #bf4 #aec ,deut4 xxii4 #a4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,directions ,,for ,,keeping ,,peace ,,with ,,all ,,men4 ,peace is so amiable to nature itself1 that the greatest destroyers of it do commend it2 and those persons in all times and places1 who are the cause that the world cannot enjoy it1 will yet speak well of it1 and exclaim against others as the enemies of peace2 as if there were no other name but their own sufficient to make their adversaries odious4 ,as they desire salvation1 so do the ungodly desire peace2 which is with a double error2 one about the nature of it1 and another about the conditions and other means4 ,by peace they mean1 the quiet1 undisturbed enjoyment of their honours1 wealth1 and pleasures2 that they may have their lusts and will without any contradiction2 and the conditions on which they would have it are1 the compliance of all others with their opinions and wills1 and humble submission to their domination1 passions1 or desires4 ,but peace is another thing1 and otherwise to be desired and sought4 ,peace in the mind is the delightful effect of its internal harmony1 as peace in the body is nothing but its pleasant health1 in the natural position1 state1 action1 and concord of all the parts1 the humours1 and spirits3 and peace in families1 neighbourhoods1 churches1 kingdoms1 or other societies1 is the quietness and pleasure of their order and harmony2 and must be attained and preserved by these following means4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,get your own hearts into a humble frame2 and abhor all the motions of pride and self-exalting4 ,a humble man hath no high expectations from another2 and therefore is easily pleased or quieted4 ,he can bow and yield to the pride and violence of others1 as the willow to the impetuous winds4 ,his language will be submissive2 his patience great2 he is content that others go before him2 he is not offended that another is preferred4 ,a low mind is pleased in a low condition4 ,but pride is the gunpowder of the mind1 the family1 the church1 and state2 it maketh men ambitious1 and setteth them on striving who shall be the greatest4 ,a proud man's opinion must always go for truth1 and his will must be a law to others1 and to be slighted or crossed seemeth to him an unsufferable wrong4 ,and he must be a man of wonderful compliance1 or an excellent artificer in man-pleasing and flattery1 that shall not be taken as an injurious undervaluer of him3 he that overvalueth himself1 will take it ill of all that do not also overvalue him4 ,if you 7forgetfully7 go before him1 or overlook him1 or neglect a compliment1 or deny him something which he expected1 or speak not honourably of him1 much more if you reprove him1 and tell him of his faults1 you have put fire to the gunpowder1 you have broke his peace1 and he will break yours if he can4 ,pride broke the peace between ,god and the apostate angels2 but nothing unpeaceable must be in heaven2 and therefore by self-exalting they descended into darkness2 and ,christ by self-humbling ascended unto glory4 ,it is a matter of very great difficulty to live peaceably in any family1 church1 or society with any one that is very proud4 ,they expect so much of you1 that you can never answer all their expectations1 but will displease them by your omissions1 though you neither speak or do any thing to displease them4 ,what is it but the lust of pride which causeth most of the wars and bloodshed throughout the world8 ,the pride of two or three men1 must cost many thousands of their subjects the loss of their peace1 estates1 and lives4 ,delirant reges1 plectuntur ,achivi4 ,what were the conquests of those emperors1 ,alexander1 ,csar1 ,tamerlane1 ,mahomet1 c4 but the pernicious effects of their infamous pride2 which like gunpowder taking fire in their breasts1 did blow up so many cities and kingdoms1 and call their villanies by the name of valour1 and their murders and robberies by the name of war8 ,if one man's pride do swell so big1 that his own kingdom cannot contain it1 the peace of as much of the world as he can conquer is taken to be but a reasonable sacrifice to this infernal vice4 ,the lives of thousands1 both subjects and neighbours1 7called enemies by this malignant spirit17 must be cast away1 merely to make this one man the ruler of the rest1 and subdue the persons of others to his will4 ,who perhaps when he hath done1 will say that he is no tyrant1 but maketh the bonum publicum his end2 and is kind to men against their wills2 and killeth1 and burneth1 and depopulateth countries1 for men's corporal welfare2 as the papists poison1 and burn1 and butcher men for the saving of souls4 ,cuncta ferit dum cuncta timet1 desvit in omnes4 ,they are the turbines1 the hurricanes or whirlwinds of the world1 whose work is to overturn and ruin4 ,tantum ut noceat cupit esse potens4 ,whether they burn and kill by right or wrong is little of their inquiry2 but how many are killed8 and how many have submitted to their pride and wills8 ,as when ,q4 ,flavius complained that he suffered innocently1 ,valerius answered him1 ,non sua re interesse1 dummodo periret3 ,that was nothing to his business or concernment so he did but perish3 which was plainer dealing than these glorious conquerors used1 but no whit worse4 ,he that cannot command the putrid humours out of his veins1 nor the worms out of his bowels1 nor will be able shortly to forbid them to crawl or feed upon his face1 will now damn his soul and shed men's blood1 to obtain the predomination of his will4 ,and when he hath conquered many1 he hath but made him many enemies1 and may find1 that in tot populis vix una fides4 ,a quiet man can scarce with all his wit tell how to find a place where he may live in peace1 where pride and cruelty will not pursue him1 or the flames of war will not follow him and find him out2 and perhaps he may be put to say as ,cicero of ,pompey and ,csar1 ,quem fugiam scio2 quem sequar nescio4 ,and if they succeed by conquest1 they become to their subjects almost as terrible as to their enemies4 ,so that he that would approach them with a petition for justice1 must do it as ,augustus spake to a fearful petitioner1 as if he did assem dare elephanto2 or as if they dwelt in the inaccessible light1 and must be served as ,god with fear and trembling4 ,and those that flatter them as glorious conquerors1 do but stir up the fire of their pride1 to make more ruins and calamities in the earth1 and do the work of a raging pestilence4 ,as an ,athenian orator said to the men of ,athens1 when they would have numbered ,alexander with the gods1 ,cavete ne dum clum liberaliter donetis1 terram et domicilia propria amittatis3 ,take heed while you so liberally give him heaven1 lest he take away your part of earth4 ,and when their pride hath consumed and banished peace1 what have they got by it8 ,that which a ,themistocles1 after trial1 would prefer a grave to1 ,si una via ad solium duceret1 altera ad sepulchrum4--,that which ,demosthenes preferred banishment before4 ,that which the wisest philosophers refused at ,athens1 ,the great trouble of government4 ,inexpertus ambit2 expertus odit4 ,cyneas asked ,pyrrhus when he was preparing to invade the ,romans1 ,what shall we do when we have conquered the ,romans8 ,he answered1 ,we will go next to ,sicily4 ,and what shall we do when ,sicily is conquered8 said he3 ,pyrrhus said1 ,we will go next to ,africa4 ,and what shall we do next8 said the other3 ,why then1 said he1 we will be quiet1 and merry1 and take our ease4 ,and1 said ,cyneas1 if that be last and best1 why may we not do so now8 ,it is for quietness and peace that such pretend to fight and break peace2 but they usually die before they obtain it 7as ,pyrrhus did72 and might better have permitted peace to stand1 than pull it down to build it better4 ,as one asked an old man at ,athens1 ,why they called themselves philosophers8 who answered1 ,because we seek after wisdom4 ,saith he1 ,if you are but seeking it at this age1 when do you think to find it8 ,so ,i may say to the proud warriors of the world1 ,if so many men must be killed1 and so many conquered in seeking peace1 when will it that way be found8 ,but perhaps they think that their wisdom and goodness are so great1 that the world cannot be happy unless they govern it3 but what could have persuaded them to think so1 but their pride8 ,nihil magis gris prodest1 quam ab eo curari a quo voluerint3 saith ,seneca4 ,patients must choose their own physicians4 ,men use to give them but little thanks1 who drench them with such benefits1 and bring them to the potion of peace so hot1 that the touch of the cup must burn their lips1 and who in goodness cut the throats of one part1 that their government may be a blessing to the survivors4 ,in a word1 it is pride that is the great incendiary of the world1 whether it be found in high or low4 ,it will permit no kingdom1 family1 or church to enjoy the pleasant fruits of peace4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,if you would be peaceable1 be not covetous lovers of the world1 but be contented with your daily bread4 ,hungry dogs have seldom so great plenty of meat1 as to content them all1 and keep them from falling out about it4 ,if you over-love the world1 you will never want occasions of discord3 either your neighbour selleth too dear1 or buyeth too cheap of you1 or over-reacheth you1 or gets before you1 or some way or other doth you wrong2 as long as he hath any thing which you desire1 or doth not satisfy all your expectations4 ,ambitious and covetous men must have so much room1 that the world is not wide enough for many of them3 and yet1 alas6 too many of them there are3 and therefore they are still together by the ears1 like boys in the winter nights1 when the bedclothes are too narrow to cover them2 one pulleth1 and another pulleth1 and all complain4 ,you must be sure that you trespass not in the smallest measure1 nor encroach on the least of his commodities1 that you demand not your own1 nor deny him any thing that he desireth1 nor get any thing which he would have himself1 no nor ever give over feeding his greedy expectations1 and enduring his injustice and abuse1 if you will live peaceably with a worldly-minded man4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,if you will be peaceable1 love your neighbours as yourselves4 ,love neither imagineth1 nor speaketh1 nor worketh any hurt to others3 it covereth infirmities2 it hopeth all things2 it endureth all things1 #a ,cor4 xiii4 #g4 ,selfishness and want of love to others1 causeth all the contentions in the world4 ,you can bear with great faults in yourselves1 and never fall out with yourselves for them2 but with your neighbours you are quarrelling for those that are less6 ,do you fall out with another because he hath spoken dishonourably or slightly of you1 or slandered you1 or some way done you wrong8 ,you have done a thousand times worse than all that against yourselves1 and yet can bear too patiently with yourselves6 ,if another speak evil of you1 he doth not make you evil3 it is worse to make you bad than to call you so3 and this you do against yourselves4 ,doth your neighbour wrong you in your honour or estate8 ,but he endangereth not your soul6 he doth not forfeit your salvation6 he doth not deserve damnation for you1 nor make your soul displeasing to ,god6 ,but all this you do against yourselves1 7even more than all the devils in hell do17 and yet you are too little offended with yourselves4 ,see here the power of blind self-love6 ,if you loved your neighbours as yourselves1 you would agree as peaceably with your neighbours almost as with yourselves4 ,love them more1 and you will bear more with them1 and provoke them less4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,compose your minds to christian gentleness and meekness1 and suffer not passion to make you either turbulent and unquiet to others1 or impatient and troublesome to yourselves4 ,a gentle and quiet mind hath a gentle1 quiet tongue4 ,it can bear as much wrong as another can do 7according to its measure72 it is not in the power of ,satan2 he cannot at his pleasure send his emissary1 and by injuries or foul words1 procure it to sin2 but a passionate person is frequently provoking or provoked4 ,a little thing maketh him injurious to others2 and a little injury from others disquieteth himself4 ,he is daily troubling others or himself1 or both4 ,coals of fire go from his lips3 it is his very desire to provoke and vex those that he is angry with3 his neighbour's peace and his own are the fuel of his anger1 which he consumeth in a moment4 ,to converse with him and not provoke him1 is a task for such as are eminently meek and self-denying3 he is as the leaves of the asp tree1 that never rest1 unless the day be very calm4 ,the smallest breath of an angry tongue1 can shake him out of his tranquillity1 and turn him into an ague of disquietness4 ,the sails of the wind-mill are scarce more at the wind's command1 than his heart and tongue are at the command of ,satan2 he can move him almost when he please4 ,bid but a neighbour speak some hard speeches of him1 or one of his family neglect or cross him1 and he is presently like the raging sea1 whose waves cast up the mire and dirt4 ,an impatient man hath no security of his own peace for an hour3 any enemy or angry person can take it from him when they please4 ,and being troubled1 he is troublesome to all about him4 ,if you do not in patience possess your souls1 they will be at the mercy of every one that hath a mind to vex you4 ,remember then that no peace can be expected without patience2 nor patience without a meek and gentle mind4 ,remember the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit1 is of great price in the sight of ,god1 #a ,pet4 iii4 #d4 ,and that the wisdom from above is first pure1 and then peaceable1 gentle1 and easy to be entreated1 ,james iii4 #ag4 ,and that the ,eternal ,wisdom from above1 hath bid you learn of him to be meek and lowly in spirit as ever you would find rest to your souls1 ,matt4 xi4 #bh1 #bi4 ,and he that loseth his own peace is likest to break the peace of others4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be careful to maintain that order of government and obedience1 which is appointed of ,god for the preservation of peace1 in families1 churches1 and commonwealths4 ,if you will break this vessel1 peace will flow out and be quickly spilt4 ,what peace in schools1 but by the authority of the schoolmaster8 or in armies1 but by the authority of the general8 ,if an unwise and ungodly governor do himself violate the foundations and boundaries of peace1 and either weakly or wilfully make dividing laws1 no wonder if such wounds do spend the vital blood and spirits of that society3 it being more in the power of the governors than of the subject1 to destroy peace or to preserve it4 ,and if the subjects make not conscience of their duty to their superiors1 the banks of peace will soon be broken down1 and all will be overwhelmed in tumult and confusion4 ,take heed therefore of any thing that tendeth to subvert government3 disobedience or rebellion seldom wanteth a fair pretence2 but it more seldom answereth the agent's expectation4 ,it usually pretendeth the weaknesses1 miscarriages1 or injurious dealings of superiors2 but it as usually mendeth an inconvenience with a mischief4 ,it setteth fire on the house to burn up the rats and mice that troubled it4 ,it must be indeed a grievous malady that shall need such a mischief for its remedy4 ,certainly it is no means of ,god's appointment4 ,take heed therefore of any thing which would dissolve these bonds4 ,entertain not dishonourable thoughts of your governors1 and receive not1 nor utter any dishonourable words against them1 if they be faulty open not their shame3 their honour is their interest1 and the people's too2 without it they will be disabled for effectual government4 ,when subjects1 or servants1 or children are saucily censorious of superiors1 and make themselves judges of all their actions1 even those which they do not understand1 and when they presume to defame them1 and with petulant tongues to cast contempt upon them1 the fire is begun1 and the sacred bonds of peace are loosed4 ,when superiors rule with piety1 justice1 and true love to their subjects1 and inferiors keep their place and rank1 and all conspire the public good1 then peace will nourish1 and not till then4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,avoid all revengeful and provoking words4 ,when the poison of asps is under men's lips1 7,rom4 iii4 #ac17 no wonder if the hearers' minds that are not sufficiently antidoted against it1 fester4 ,death and life are in the power of the tongue1 ,prov4 xviii4 #ba4 ,when the tongue is as a sword1 yea1 a sharp sword1 7,psal4 lvii4 #d17 and when it is purposely whetted1 7,psal4 lxiv4 #c17 no marvel if it pierce and wound them that are unarmed4 ,but by long forbearing a prince is persuaded1 and a soft tongue breaketh the bone1 ,prov4 xxv4 #ae4 ,a railer is numbered with those that a christian must not eat with1 #a ,cor4 v4 ,for christianity is so much for peace1 that it abhorreth all that is against it4 ,our ,lord when he was reviled1 reviled not again1 and in this was our example1 #a ,pet4 ii4 #ba1 #bc4 ,a scorning1 railing1 reproachful tongue1 is set 7as ,james saith1 iii4 #f47 on fire of hell1 and it setteth on fire the course of nature2 even persons1 families1 churches1 and commonwealths4 ,many a ruined society may say by experience1 ,behold1 how great a matter a little fire kindleth1 ,james iii4 #e4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,engage not yourselves too forwardly or eagerly in disputes1 nor at any time without necessity3 and when necessity calleth you1 set an extraordinary watch upon your passions4 ,though disputing is lawful1 and sometimes necessary to defend the truth1 yet it is seldom the way of doing good to those whom you dispute with3 it engageth men in partiality1 and passionate1 provoking words1 before they are aware2 and while they think they are only pleading for the truth1 they are militating for the honour of their own understandings4 ,they that will not stoop to hear you as learners1 while you orderly open the truth in its coherent parts1 will hardly ever profit by your contendings1 when you engage a proud person to bend all his wit and words against you4 ,the servant of the ,lord must not strive1 but be gentle to all men1 apt to teach1 c4 #b ,tim4 ii4 #bd4aed ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,have as little to do with men1 in matters which their commodity is concerned in1 as you can4 ,as in chaffering1 or in any other thing where mine and thine is much concerned3 for few men are so just as not to expect that which others account unjust2 and the nearest friends have been alienated hereby4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,buy peace at the price of any thing which is not better than it4 ,not with the loss of the favour of ,god1 or of our innocency1 or true peace of conscience1 or with the loss of the gospel1 or ruin of men's souls2 but you must often part with your right for peace1 and put up wrongs in word or deed4 ,money must not be thought too dear to buy it1 when the loss of it will be worse than the loss of money1 to yourselves or those that you contend with4 ,if a soul be endangered by it1 or societies ruined by it1 it will be dear-bought money which is got or saved by such means4 ,he is no true friend of peace1 that will not have it except when it is cheap4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,avoid censoriousness2 which is the judging of men or matters that you have no call to meddle with1 and the making of matters worse than sufficient proof will warrant you4 ,be neither busy-bodies1 meddling with other men's matters1 nor peevish aggravaters of all men's faults4 ,judge not1 that ye be not judged2 for with what measure you mete1 it shall be measured to you again1 ,matt4 vii4 #a1 #b4 ,you shall be censured1 if you will censure3 and if ,christ be a true discerner of minds1 it is they that have beams in their own eyes1 who are the quickest perceivers of the motes in others4 ,censorious persons are the great dividers of the church1 and every where adversaries to peace2 while they open their mouths wide against their neighbours1 to make the worst of all that they say and do1 and thus sow the seeds of discord amongst all4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,neither talk against men behind their backs1 nor patiently hearken to them that use it4 ,though the detecting of a dangerous enemy1 or the prevention of another's hurt1 may sometimes make it a duty to blame them that are absent2 yet this case1 which is rare1 is no excuse to the backbiter's sin4 ,if you have any thing to say against your neighbour1 tell it him in a friendly manner to his face1 that he may be the better for it3 if you tell it only to another1 to make him odious1 or hearken to backbiters that defame men secretly1 you show that your business is not to do good1 but to diminish love and peace4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,speak more of the good than of the evil which is in others4 ,there are none so bad1 as to have no good in them3 why mention you not that8 which is more useful to the hearer1 than to hear of men's faults4 ,but of this more afterwards4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,be not strange1 but lovingly familiar with your neighbours4 ,backbiters and slanders1 and unjust suspicions1 do make men seem that to one another1 which when they are acquainted1 they find is nothing so3 among any honest1 well-meaning persons1 familiarity greatly reconcileth4 ,though indeed there are some few so proud and fiery1 and bitter enemies to honest peace1 that the way to be at peace with them is to be far from them1 where we may not be remembered by them3 but it is not so with ordinary neighbours or friends that are fallen out1 nor differing christians3 it is nearness that must make them friends4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,affect not a distance and sour singularity in lawful things4 ,come as near them as you can1 as they are men and neighbours2 and take it not for your duty to run as from them1 lest you run into the contrary extreme4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,be not over-stiff in your own opinions1 as those that can yield in nothing to another4 ,nor yet so facile and yielding as to betray or lose the truth4 ,it greatly pleaseth a proud man's mind1 when you seem to be convinced by him1 and to change your mind upon his arguments1 or to be much informed and edified by him2 but when you deny this honour to his understanding1 and contradict him1 and stiffly maintain your opinion against him1 you displease and lose him2 and indeed a wise man should gladly learn of any that can teach him more2 and should most easily of any man let go an error1 and be most thankful to any that will increase his knowledge3 and not only in errors to change our minds1 but in small and indifferent things to submit by silence1 beseemeth a modest1 peaceable man4 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,yet build not peace on the foundation of impiety1 injustice1 cruelty1 or faction2 for that will prove but the way to destroy it in the end4 ,traitors1 and rebels1 and tyrants1 and persecutors1 and ambitious1 covetous clergymen1 do all pretend peace for their iniquity3 but what peace with ,jezebel's whoredoms6 ,satan's kingdom is supported by a peace in sin2 which ,christ came to break that he might destroy it3 while this strong man armed keepeth his house1 his goods are in peace1 till a stronger doth bind him1 overcome him1 and cast him out4 ,deceitful1 sinful means of peace1 have been the grand engine of ,satan and the papal clergy1 by which they have banished and kept out peace so many ages from most of the christian world4 ,impiis me diis ecclesi paci consulere1 was one of the three means which ,luther foretold would cast out the gospel4 ,where perjury1 or false doctrine1 or any sin1 or any unjust or inconsistent terms1 are made the condition of peace1 men build upon stubble and briers1 which ,god will set fire to1 and soon consume1 and all that peace will come to nought4 ,directions for church peace ,i have laid down before2 to which ,i must refer you4 #aed #a ,tim4 vi4 #d-f4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,directions ,,against ,,all ,,theft ,,and ,,fraud1 ,,or ,,injurious ,,getting ,,and ,,keeping ,,that ,,which ,,is ,,another',s1 ,,or ,,desiring ,,it4 ,he that would know what theft is1 must know what propriety is2 and it is that plenary title to a thing1 by which it is called our own2 it is that right to any thing as mine1 by which ,i may justly have it1 possess it1 use it1 and dispose of it4 ,this dominion or propriety is either absolute 7and that belongeth to none but ,god7 or subordinate1 respective1 and limited 7which is the only propriety that any creature can have74 ,which is such a right which will hold good against the claim of any fellow-creature1 though not against ,god's4 ,and among men there are proprietors or owners which are principal1 and some who are but dependent1 subordinate1 and limited4 ,the simple propriety may remain in a landlord or father1 who may convey to his tenant or his child a limited1 dependent propriety under him4 ,injuriously to deprive a man of this propriety1 or of the thing in which he hath propriety1 is the sin which ,i speak of in this chapter2 which hath no one name1 and therefore ,i express it here by many4 ,whether it be theft1 robbery1 cozenage1 extortion1 or any other way of depriving another injuriously of his own2 these general directions are needful to avoid it4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,love not the world1 nor the things that are in the world1 #a ,john ii4 #ae4 ,cure covetousness1 and you will kill the root of fraud and theft4 ,as a drunkard would easily be cured of his drunkenness1 if you could cure him of his thirst and love to drink2 so an extortioner1 thief1 or deceiver1 would easily be cured of their outward sin1 if their hearts were cured of the disease of worldliness4 ,the love of money is the root of all this evil4 ,value these things no more than they deserve4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,to this end1 acquaint your hearts with the greater riches of the life to come2 and then you will meet with true satisfaction4 ,the true hopes of heaven will cure your greedy desires of earth4 ,you durst not then forfeit your part in that perpetual blessedness1 for the temporal supply of some bodily want3 you durst not with ,adam part with ,paradise for a forbidden bit2 nor as ,esau profanely sell your birthright for a morsel4 ,it is the unbelief and contempt of heaven1 which maketh men venture it for the poor commodities of this world4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be contented to stand to ,god's disposal2 and suffer not any carking1 discontented thoughts to feed upon your hearts4 ,when you suffer your minds to run all day long upon your necessities and straits1 the devil next tempteth you to think of unlawful courses to supply them4 ,he will show you your neighbour's money1 or goods1 or estates1 and tell you how well it would be with you if this were yours2 he showed ,achan the golden wedge2 he told ,gehazi how unreasonable it was that ,naaman's money and raiment should be refused3 he told ,balaam of the hopes of preferment which he might have with ,balak2 he told ,judas how to get his thirty pieces2 he persuaded ,ananias and ,sapphira1 that it was but reasonable to retain part of that which was their own4 ,nay1 commonly it is discontents and cares which prepare poor wretches for those appearances of the devil1 which draweth them to witchcraft for the supplying of their wants4 ,if you took ,god for your ,god1 you would take him for the sufficient disposer of the world1 and one that is fitter to measure out your part of earthly things than you yourselves3 and then you would rest in his wisdom1 will1 and fatherly providence2 and not shift for yourselves by sinful means4 ,discontentedness of mind1 and distrust of ,god1 are the cause of all such frauds and injuries4 ,trust ,god1 and you will have no need of these4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,remember what promises ,god hath made for the competent supply of all your wants4 ,godliness hath the promise of this life and of that to come3 all other things shall be added to you1 if you seek first ,god's kingdom and the righteousness thereof1 ,matt4 vi4 #cc4 ,they that fear the ,lord shall want nothing that is good1 ,psal4 xxxvii4 ,all things shall work together for good to them that love ,god1 ,rom4 viii4 #bh4 ,let your conversation be without covetousness1 and be content with such things as ye have2 for he hath said1 ,i will never leave thee nor forsake thee1 ,heb4 xiii4 #e4 ,live by faith on these sufficient promises1 and you need not steal4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,overvalue not the accommodation and pleasure of the flesh1 and live not in the sins of gluttony1 drunkenness1 pride1 gaming1 or riotous courses1 which may bring you into want1 and so to seek unlawful maintenance4 ,he that is a servant to his flesh cannot endure to displease it1 nor can bear the want of any thing which it needeth4 ,but he that hath mastered and mortified his flesh1 can endure its labour and hunger1 yea1 and death too if ,god will have it so4 ,large revenues will be too little for a fleshly-minded person2 but a little will serve him that hath brought it under the power of reason4 ,magna pars libertatis est bene moratus venter1 saith ,seneca3 a well-nurtured1 fair-conditioned belly is a great part of a man's liberty1 because an ill-taught and ill-conditioned belly is one of the basest slaveries in the world4 ,as a philosopher said to ,diogenes1 ,if thou couldst flatter ,dionysius1 thou needest not eat herbs2 but saith ,diogenes1 ,if thou couldst eat herbs1 thou needest not flatter ,dionysius3 he took this for the harder task3 so the thief and deceiver will say to the poor1 ,if you could do as we do1 you need not fare so hardly2 but a contented poor man may better answer him and say1 ,if you could fare hardly as ,i do1 you need not deceive or steal as you do4 ,a proud person1 that cannot endure to dwell in a cottage1 or to be seen in poor or patched apparel1 will be easily tempted to any unlawful way of getting1 to keep him from disgrace1 and serve his pride4 ,a glutton whose heaven is in his throat1 must needs fare well1 however he come by it3 a tippler must needs have provision for his guggle1 by right or by wrong4 ,but a humble man and a temperate man can spare all this1 and when he looketh on all the proud man's furniture1 he can bless himself as ,socrates did in a fair1 with1 ,quam multa sunt quibus ipse non egeo6 ,how many things be there which ,i have no need of6 ,and he can pity the sensual desires which others must needs fulfil2 even as a sound man pitieth another that hath the itch1 or the thirst of a sick man in a fever1 that crieth out for drink4 ,as ,seneca saith1 ,it is vice and not nature which needeth much3 nature1 and necessity1 and duty are contented with a little4 ,but he that must have the pleasure of his sin1 must have provision to maintain that pleasure4 ,quench the fire of pride1 sensuality1 and lust1 and you may spare the cost of fuel1 ,rom4 xiii4 #ac1 #ad2 viii4 #ac4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,live not in idleness or sloth2 but be laborious in your callings1 that you may escape that need or poverty which is the temptation to this sin of theft4 ,idleness is a crime which is not to be tolerated in christian societies4 #b ,thess4 ii4 #f1 #h1 #aj1 #ab1 ,now we command you1 brethren1 in the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly1 and not after the tradition which he received of us3 for ye know how ye ought to follow us2 for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you1 neither did we eat any man's bread for nought2 but worked with labour and travail night and day1 that we might not be chargeable to any of you2 not because we have not power1 but to make ourselves an ensample to you to follow us2 for when we were with you1 this we commanded you1 that if any would not work1 neither should he eat3 for we hear that there are some among you that walk disorderly1 working not at all1 but are busy-bodies2 now them that are such1 we command and exhort by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that with quietness they work and eat their own bread4 ,eph4 iv4 #bh1 ,let him that stole1 steal no more1 but rather let him labour1 working with his hands the thing that is good1 that he may have to give to him that needeth4 ,he that stealeth to maintain his idleness1 sinneth that he may sin2 and by one sin getteth provision for another3 you see here that you are bound not only to work to maintain yourselves1 but to have to give to others in their need4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,keep a tender conscience1 which will do its office1 and not suffer you to sin without remorse4 ,a seared1 senseless conscience will permit you to lie1 and steal1 and deceive1 and will make no great matter of it1 till ,god awaken it by his grace or vengeance4 ,hence it is that servants can deceive their masters1 or take that which is not allowed them1 and buyers and sellers over-reach one another1 because they have not tender consciences to reprove them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,remember always that ,god is present1 and none of your secrets can be hid from him4 ,what the better are you to deceive your neighbour or your master1 and to hide it from their knowledge1 as long as your ,maker and ,judge seeth all8 when it is he that you most wrong1 and with him that you have most to do1 and he that will be the most terrible avenger6 ,what blinded atheists are you1 who dare do that in the presence of the most righteous ,god1 which you durst not do if men beheld you6 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,forget not how dear all that must cost you1 which you gain unlawfully4 ,the reckoning time is yet to come4 ,either you will truly repent or not2 if you do1 it must cost you remorse and sorrow1 and shameful confession1 and restitution of all that you have got amiss2 and is it not better to forbear to swallow that morsel1 which must come up again with heartbreaking grief and shame8 ,but if you repent not unfeignedly1 it will be your damnation2 it will be opened in judgment to your perpetual confusion1 and you must pay dear for all your gain in hell4 ,never look upon the gain therefore1 without the shame and damnation which must follow4 ,if ,achan had foreseen the stones1 and ,gehazi the leprosy1 and ,ahab the mortal arrow1 and ,jezebel the licking of her blood by dogs1 and ,judas the hanging or precipitation1 and ,ananias and ,sapphira the sudden death1 or any of them the after misery1 it might have kept them from their pernicious gain4 ,usually even in this life1 a curse attendeth that which is ill gotten1 and bringeth fire among all the rest4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,if you are poor1 consider well of the mercy which that condition may bring you1 and let it be your study how to get it sanctified to your good4 ,if men understood and believed that ,god doth dispose of all for the best1 and make them poor to do them good1 and considered what that good is which poverty may do them1 and made it their chief care to turn it thus to their gain1 they would not find it so intolerable a thing1 as to seek to cure it by fraud or thievery4 ,think what a mercy it is1 that you are saved from those temptations to over-love the world1 which the rich are undone by4 ,and that you are not under those temptations to intemperance1 and excess1 and pride as they are3 and that you have such powerful helps for the mortification of the flesh1 and victory over the deceiving world4 ,improve your poverty1 and you will escape these sins4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,if you are but willing to escape this sin1 you may easily do it by a free confession to those whom you have wronged or are tempted to wrong4 ,he that is not willing to forbear his sin1 is guilty before ,god1 though he do forbear it4 ,but if you are truly willing1 it is easy to abstain4 ,do not say1 that you are willing till necessity pincheth you or you see the bait2 for if you are so1 you may easily prevent it at that time when you are willing4 ,if ever you are willing indeed1 take that opportunity1 and if you have wronged any man1 go and confess it to him 7in the manner ,i shall afterwards direct74 ,and this will easily prevent it2 for shame will engage you1 and self-preservation will engage him to take more heed of you4 ,or1 if you have not yet wronged any1 but are strongly tempted to it1 if you have no other sufficient remedy1 go tell him1 or some other fit person1 that you are tempted to steal and to deceive in such or such a manner1 and desire them not to trust you4 ,if you think the shame of such a confession too dear a price to save you from the sin1 pretend no more that you are truly willing to forbear it1 or that ever you did unfeignedly repent of it4 ,tit4 #b4 ,certain ,cases of ,conscience about ,theft and ,injury4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is it a sin for a man to steal in absolute necessity1 when it is merely to save his life8 ,answ4 ,the case is very hard4 ,i shall1 ,i4 ,tell you so much as is past controversy1 and then speak to the controverted part4 #a4 ,if all other unquestionable means be not first used1 it is undoubtedly a sin4 ,if either labouring or begging will save our lives1 it is unlawful to steal4 ,yea1 or if any others may be used to intercede for us4 ,otherwise it is not stealing to save a man's life1 but stealing to save his labour1 or to gratify his pride and save his honour4 #b4 ,it is undoubtedly a sin if the saving of our lives by it1 do bring a greater hurt to the commonwealth or other men1 than our lives are worth4 #c4 ,and it is a sin if it deprive the owner of his life1 he being a person more worthy and useful to the common good4 ,these cases are no matter of controversy4 #d4 ,and it is agreed of1 that no man may steal beforehand out of a distrustful fear of want4 #e4 ,or if he take more than is of necessity to save his life4 ,these cases also are put as out of controversy4 ,but whether in an innocent1 absolute necessity it be lawful to steal so much as is merely sufficient to save one's life1 is a thing that casuists are not agreed on4 ,they that think it lawful1 say that the preservation of life is a natural duty1 and preservation of propriety is but a subservient thing which must give place to it4 ,so ,amesius de ,conscient4 lib4 v4 cap4 #ej1 maketh it one case of lawful taking that which is another's1 ,si irrationabiliter censeatur dominus invitus3 ut in eis qu accipit aliquis ex alieno ad extremam et prsentem suam necessitatem sublevandam1 cui alia ratione succurrere non potest4 ,hoc enim videtur esse ex jure naturali1 divisione rerum antiquiore et superiore2 quod jure humano quo facta est divisio rerum non potuit abrogari3 ,quo sensu non male dicitur1 omnia fieri communia in extrema necessitate4 ,on the other side1 those that deny it say1 that the same ,god that hath bid us preserve our lives1 hath appointed propriety1 and forbidden us to steal1 without excepting a case of necessity1 and therefore hath made it simply evil1 which we may not do for the procurement of any good3 and the saving of a man's life will not prove so great a good1 as the breaking of ,god's law will be an evil4 ,for the true determining of this case1 we must distinguish of persons1 places1 and occasions4 #a4 ,between those whose lives are needful to the public good and safety1 and those that are not of any such concernment4 #b4 ,between those that are in an enemy's or a strange country1 and those that are in their own4 #c4 ,between those that are in a commonwealth1 and those that are either in a community1 or among people not embodied or conjoined4 #d4 ,between those that take but that which the refuser was bound to give them1 and those that take that which he was not bound to give them4 ,and so ,i answer1 #a4 ,whensoever the preservation of the life of the taker is not1 in open probability1 like to be more serviceable to the common good1 than the violation of the right of propriety will be hurtful1 the taking of another man's goods is sinful1 though it be only to save the taker's life4 ,for the common good is to be preferred before the good of any individual4 #b4 ,in ordinary cases1 the saving of a man's life will not do so much good as his stealing will do hurt4 ,because the lives of ordinary persons are of no great concernment to the common good2 and the violation of the laws may encourage the poor to turn thieves1 to the loss of the estates and lives of others1 and the overthrow of peace and order4 ,therefore ordinarily it is a duty1 rather to die1 than take another man's goods against his will1 or without his consent4 #c4 ,but in case that the common good doth apparently more require the preservation of the person's life1 than the preservation of propriety and the keeping of the law in that instance1 it is then no sin 7as ,i conceive73 which may fall out in many instances4 ,as1 7#a47 ,in case the king and his army should march through a neighbour prince's country1 in a necessary war against their enemies2 if food be denied them in their march1 they may take it rather than perish4 7#b47 ,in case the king's army in his own dominions have no pay1 and must either disband or die1 if they have not provision1 they may rather take free quarter1 in case that their obedience to the king1 and the preservation of the country1 forbiddeth them to disband4 7#c47 ,when it is a person of so great honour1 dignity1 and desert1 as that his worth and serviceableness will do more than recompense the hurt3 as if ,alexander or ,aristotle were on ship-board with a covetous ship-master1 who would let them die rather than relieve them4 7#d47 ,when a child taketh meat from a cruel parent that would famish him1 or a wife from such a cruel husband6 ,or any man taketh his own by stealth from another who unjustly detaineth it1 when it is to save his life4 ,for here is a fundamental right ad rem1 and the heinousness of his crime that would famish another1 rather than give him his own1 or his due1 doth take off the scandal and evil consequents of the manner of taking it4 7#e47 ,but the greatest difficulty is1 in case that only the common law of humanity and charity bind another to give to one that else must die1 and he that needeth may take it so secretly that it shall in likelihood never be known1 and so never be scandalous1 nor encourage any other to steal6 ,may not the needy then steal to save his life8 ,this case is so hard1 that ,i shall not venture to determine it2 but only say that he that doth so in such a case1 must resolve when he hath done1 to repay the owner if ever he be able 7though it be but a piece of bread72 or to repay him by his labour and service1 if he have no other way1 and be thus able2 or if not so1 to confess it to him that he took it from1 and acknowledge himself his debtor 7unless it be to one whose cruelty would abuse his confession74 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,if another be bound to relieve me and do not1 may ,i not take it1 though it be not for the immediate saving of my life8 ,answ4 ,if he be bound only by ,god's law to relieve you1 you must complain to ,god1 and stay till he do you right1 and not break his law and order1 by righting yourself1 in case you are not in the necessity aforesaid4 ,if he be bound also by the law of man to relieve you1 you may complain to the rulers1 and seek your right by their assistance2 but not by stealth4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,if another borrow or possess my goods or money1 and refuse to pay me1 and ,i cannot have law and justice against him1 or am not rich enough to sue him1 may ,i not take them if ,i have an opportunity8 ,answ4 ,if he turn your enemy in a time of war1 or live under another prince1 with whom you are at war1 or where your prince alloweth you to take it2 there it seemeth undoubtedly lawful to take your own by that law of arms1 which then is uppermost4 ,but when the law that you are under forbiddeth you1 the case is harder4 ,but it is certain that propriety is in communities1 and is in order of nature antecedent to human government in republics2 and the preservation of it is one of the ends of government4 ,therefore ,i conceive that in case you could take your own so secretly1 or in such a manner as might no way hinder the ends of government as to others1 by encouraging thievery or unjust violence1 it is not unlawful before ,god1 the end of the law being the chief part of the law2 but when you cannot take your own without either encouraging theft or violence in others1 or weakening the power of the laws and government by your disobedience1 7which is the ordinary case17 it is unlawful3 because the preservation of order and of the honour of the government and laws1 and the suppression of theft and violence1 is much more necessary than the righting of yourself1 and recovering your own4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,if another take by theft or force from me1 may ,i not take my own again from him1 by force or secretly1 when ,i have no other way8 ,answ4 ,not when you do more hurt to the commonwealth by breaking law and order1 than your own benefit can recompense2 for you must rather suffer than the commonwealth should suffer2 but you may when no such evils follow it4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,if ,i be in no necessity myself1 may ,i not take from rich men to give to the poor who are in extreme necessity8 ,answ4 ,the answer to the first case may suffice for this2 in such cases wherein a poor man may not take it for himself1 you may not take it for him4 ,but in such cases as he may take it for himself1 and no one else is fit to do it1 he himself being unable1 you may do it 7when no accidental consequents forbid you74 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,if he have so much as that he will not miss it1 and ,i be in great want1 though not like to die of famine1 may ,i not take a little to supply my want8 ,answ4 ,no3 because ,god hath appointed the means of just propriety2 and what is not gotten by those means1 is none of yours by his approbation4 ,he is the giver of riches2 and he intendeth not to give to all alike3 if he give more to others he will require more of them4 ,and if he give less to you1 it is the measure which he seeth to be meetest for you2 and the condition in which your obedience and patience must be tried2 and he will not take it well1 if you will alter your measure by forbidden means1 and be carvers for yourselves1 or level others4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,there are certain measures which humanity obligeth a man to grant to those in want1 and therefore men take without asking3 as to pluck an apple from a tree1 or as ,christ's disciples1 to rub the ears of corn to eat2 if a ,nabal deny me such a thing1 may ,i not take it8 ,answ4 ,if the laws of the land allow it you1 you may2 because men's propriety is subjected to the law for the common good4 ,but if the law forbid it you1 you may not2 except when it is necessary to save your life1 upon the terms expressed under the first question4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,may not a wife1 or child1 or servant take more than a cruel husband1 or parent1 or master doth allow8 suppose it be better meat or drink8 ,answ4 ,how far the wife hath a true propriety herself1 and therefore may take it1 dependeth on the contract and the laws of the land2 which ,i shall not now meddle with4 ,but for children and servants1 they may take no more than the most cruel and unrighteous parents or masters do allow them2 except to save their lives upon the conditions in the first case3 but the servant may seek relief of the magistrate2 and he may leave such an unrighteous master3 and the child must bear it patiently as the cross by which it pleaseth ,god to try him2 unless that the government of the parent be so bad1 as to tend to his undoing2 and then ,i think he may leave his parents for a better condition 7except it be when their own necessity obligeth him to stay and suffer for their help and benefit74 ,for it is true that a child oweth as much to his parents as he can perform1 by way of gratitude1 for their good3 but it is true also1 that a parent hath no full and absolute propriety in his child1 as men have in their cattle1 but is made by nature their guardian for their benefit2 and therefore when parents would undo their children's souls or bodies1 the children may forsake them1 as being forsaken by them2 further than as they are obliged in gratitude to help them1 as is aforesaid4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,if a man do deserve to lose somewhat which he hath by way of punishment1 may ,i not take it from him8 ,answ4 ,not unless the law either make you a magistrate or officer to do it1 or allow and permit it at the least2 because it is not to you that the forfeiture is made3 or if it be1 you must execute the law according to the law1 and not against it2 for else you will offend in punishing offences4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,but what if ,i fully resolve1 when ,i take a thing in my necessity1 to repay the owner1 or make him satisfaction if ever ,i be able8 ,answ4 ,that is some extenuation of the sin1 but no justification of the fact2 which is otherwise unjustifiable1 because it is still without his consent4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,what if ,i know not whether the owner would consent or not8 ,answ4 ,in a case where common custom and humanity alloweth you to take it for granted that he would not deny it you1 7as to pluck an ear of corn1 or gather an herb for medicine in his field17 you need not scruple it2 unless you conjecture that he is a ,nabal and would deny you4 ,but otherwise if you doubt of his consent1 you must ask it1 and not presume of it without just cause4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,what if ,i take a thing from a friend but in a way of jest1 intending to restore it8 ,answ4 ,if you have just grounds to think that your friend would consent if he knew it1 you will not be blamable3 but if otherwise1 either you take it for your own benefit and use1 or you take it only to make sport by2 the former is theft1 for all your jest2 the latter is but an unlawful way of jesting4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,what if ,i take it from him1 but to save him from hurting his body with it3 as if ,i steal poison from one that intended to kill himself by it2 or take a sword from a drunken man that would hurt himself2 or a knife from a melancholy man8 ,or what if it be to save another2 as to take a madman's sword from him who would kill such as are in his way1 or any angry man's that will kill another8 ,answ4 ,this is your duty according to the sixth commandment1 which bindeth you to preserve your neighbour's life2 so be it these conditions be observed3 #a4 ,that you keep not his sword for your benefit and advantage1 nor claim a property in it2 but give it his friends1 or deliver it to the magistrate4 #b4 ,that you do nothing without the magistrate1 in which you may safely stay for his authority and help3 but if two be fighting1 or thieves be robbing or murdering a man1 or another's life be in present danger1 you must help them without staying for the magistrate's authority4 #c4 ,that you make not this a pretence for the usurping of authority1 or for resisting or deposing your lawful prince1 or magistrate1 or parent1 or master1 or of exercising your own will and passions against your superiors2 pretending that you take away their swords to save themselves or others from their rage1 when it is indeed but to hinder justice4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,may ,i not then much more take away that by which he would destroy his own or other men's souls3 as to take away cards or dice from gamesters2 or heretical or seditious books1 or play-books and romances2 or to pull down idols which the idolators do adore1 or are instruments of idolatry8 ,answ4 ,there is much difference in the cases1 though the soul be more precious than the body3 for1 #a4 ,here there is supposed to be so much leisure and space as that you may have time to tell the magistrate of it1 whose duty primarily it is3 whereas in the other case it is supposed that so much delay would be a man's death4 ,therefore your duty is to acquaint the magistrate with the sin and danger1 and not to anticipate him1 and play the magistrate yourself4 ,or in the case of cards1 and dice1 and hurtful books1 you may acquaint the persons with the sin1 and persuade them to cast them away themselves4 #b4 ,your taking away these instruments is not like to save them3 for the love of the sin1 and the will to do it1 remain still2 and the sinner will but be hardened by his indignation against your irregular course of charity4 #c4 ,men are bound to save men's bodies whether they will or not1 because it may be so done2 but no man can save another's soul against his will6 ,and it is ,god's will that their salvation or damnation shall be more the fruit of their own wills1 than of any other's4 ,therefore1 though it is possible to devise an instance1 in which it is lawful to steal a poisonous book or idol from another1 7when it is done so secretly as will encourage no disobedience or disorder2 nor is like to harden the sinner1 but indeed to do him good1 c47 yet ordinarily all this is unlawful for private men1 that have no government of others1 or extraordinary interest in them4#aee ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,may not a magistrate take the subjects' goods1 when it is necessary for their own preservation8 ,answ4 ,i answered this question once heretofore in my ,political ,aphorisms3 and because ,i repent of meddling with such subjects1 and of writing that book1 ,i will leave such cases hereafter for fitter persons to resolve4 ,quest4 ,,xvi4 ,but may ,i not take from another for a holy use2 as to give to the church or maintain the bishops8 ,if ,david took the hallowed bread in his necessity1 may not hallowed persons take common bread8 ,answ4 ,if holy persons be in present danger of death1 their lives may be saved as other men's on the terms mentioned in the first case4 ,otherwise ,god hath no need of theft or violence2 nor must you rob the laity to clothe the clergy2 but to do such evil on pretence of piety and good1 is an aggravation of the sin4 #aee ,a wife or near friend that is under no suspicion of alienating the thing to their own commodity1 nor of ill designs1 may go somewhat further in such cases1 than an inferior or a stranger4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,general ,,directions ,,and ,,particular ,,cases ,,of ,,conscience1 ,,about ,,contracts ,,in ,,general1 ,,and ,,about ,,buying ,,and ,,selling1 ,,borrowing ,,and ,,lending1 ,,usury1 ,c4 ,,in ,,particular4 ,tit4 #a4 ,general ,directions against injurious ,bargaining and ,contracts4 ,besides the last directions1 chap4 xviii41 take these as more nearly pertinent to this case4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,see that your hearts have the two great principles of justice deeply and habitually innaturalized or radicated in them1 viz4 ,the true love of your neighbour1 and the denial of yourself2 which in one precept are called1 ,the loving of your neighbour as yourself4 ,for then you will be freed from the inclination to injuries and fraud1 and from the power of those temptations which carry men to these sins4 ,they will be contrary to your habitual will or inclination2 and you will be more studious to help your neighbour1 than to get from him4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,yet do not content yourself with these habits1 but be sure to call them up to act1 whenever you have any bargaining with others2 and let a faithful conscience be to you as a cryer to proclaim ,god's law1 and say to you1 ,now remember love and self-denial1 and do as you would be done by4 ,if ,alexander ,severus so highly valued this saying1 ,quod tibi fieri non vis1 alteri ne feceris1 as to make it his motto1 and write and engrave it on his doors and buildings 7having learned it of some christians or ,jews1 saith ,lampridius72 what a crime and shame is it for ,christ's own professed disciples neither to learn nor love it6 ,put home the question when you have any bargaining with others1 ,how would ,i be dealt with myself1 if my case were the same with his8 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,when the tempter draweth you to think only of your own commodity and gain1 remember how much more you will lose by sin1 than your gain can any way amount to4 ,if ,achan1 ,gehazi1 ,ahab1 ,judas1 c4 had foreseen the end1 and the greatness of their loss1 it would have curbed their covetous desires4 ,believe ,god's word from the bottom of your heart1 that you shall lose things eternal if you sinfully get things temporal1 and then you will not make haste to such a bargain1 to win the world and lose your souls4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,understand your neighbour's case aright1 and meditate on his wants and interest4 ,you think what you want yourself2 but you think not whether his wants with whom you deal1 may not be as great as yours3 consider what his commodity costeth him2 or what the toil of the workman's labour is2 what house rent he hath to pay1 and what a family to maintain2 and whether all this can be well done upon the rates that you desire to trade with him4 ,and do not believe every common report of his riches1 or of the price of his commodity2 for fame in such cases is frequently false4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,regard the public good above your own commodity4 ,it is not lawful to take up or keep up any oppressing monopoly or trade1 which tendeth to enrich you by the loss of the commonwealth or of many4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,therefore have a special regard to the laws of the country where you live2 both as to your trade itself1 and as to the price of what you sell or buy4 ,for the law is made for the public benefit1 which is to be preferred before any private man's4 ,and when the law doth directly or indirectly set rates upon labours or commodities1 ordinarily they must be observed2 or else you will commit two sins at once1 injury and disobedience4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,also have special respect to the common estimate1 and to the market price4 ,though it be not always to be our rule1 yet ordinarily it must be a considerable part of it1 and of great regard4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,let not imprudent thinking make you seem more covetous than you are4 ,some imprudent persons cannot tell how to make their markets without so many words1 even about a penny or a trifle1 that it maketh others think them covetous1 when it is rather want of wit4 ,the appearance of evil must be avoided4 ,i know some that are ready to give a pound to a charitable use at a word1 who will yet use so many words for a penny in their bargaining as maketh them deeply censured and misunderstood4 ,if you see cause to break for a penny or a small matter1 do it more handsomely in fewer words1 and be gone3 and do not tempt the seller to multiply words1 because you do so4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,have no more to do in bargaining with others1 especially with censorious persons1 than you needs must2 for in much dealing usually there will be much misunderstanding1 offence1 censure1 and complaint4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,in doubtful cases1 when you are uncertain what is lawful1 choose that side which is safest to the peace of your consciences hereafter2 though it be against your commodity1 and may prove the losing of your right4 ,tit4 #b4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,justice in ,contracts4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,must ,i always do as ,i would be done by8 ,or hath this rule any exceptions8 ,answ4 ,the rule intendeth no more but that your just self-denial and love to others1 be duly exercised in your dealings with all4 ,and1 #a4 ,it supposeth that your own will or desires be honest and just1 and that ,god's law be their rule4 ,for a sinful will may not be made the rule of your own actions or of other men's4 ,he that would have another make him drunk1 may not therefore make another drunk3 and he that would abuse another man's wife1 may not therefore desire that another man would lust after or abuse his wife4 ,he that would not be instructed1 reproved1 or reformed1 may not therefore forbear the instructing or reproving others4 ,and he that would kill himself1 may not therefore kill another4 ,but he that would have no hurt done to himself injuriously1 should do none to others3 and he that would have others do him good1 should be as willing to do good to them4 #b4 ,it supposeth that the matter be to be varied according to your various conditions4 ,a parent that justly desireth his child to obey him1 is not bound therefore to obey his child2 nor the prince to obey his subjects2 nor the master to do all the work for his servants1 which he would have his servants do for him4 ,but you must deal by another as you would 7regularly7 have them deal by you1 if you were in their case1 and they in yours4 ,and on these terms it is a rule of righteousness4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,is a son bound by the contract which his parents or guardians made for him in his infancy8 ,answ4 ,to some things he is bound1 and to some things not4 ,the infant is capable of being obliged by another upon four accounts3 #a4 ,as he is the parents' own 7or a master's to whom he is in absolute servitude74 #b4 ,as he is to be ruled by the parents4 #c4 ,as he is a debtor to his parents for benefits received4 #d4 ,as he is an expectant1 or capable of future benefits to be enjoyed upon conditions to be performed by him4 #a4 ,no parents or lord have an absolute propriety in any rational creature2 but they have a propriety secundum quid1 et ad hoc3 and a parent's propriety doth in part expire or abate1 as the son groweth up to the full use of reason1 and so hath a greater propriety in himself4 ,therefore he may oblige his son only so far as his propriety extendeth1 and to such acts1 and to no other2 for in those his will is reputatively his son's will4 ,as if a parent sell his son to servitude1 he is bound to such service as beseemeth one man to put another to4 #b4 ,as he is rector to his child1 he may by contract with a third person promise that his child shall do such acts1 as he hath power to command and cause him to do3 as to read1 to hear ,god's word1 to labour as he is able2 but this no longer than while he is under his parent's government3 and so long obedience requireth him to perform their contracts1 in performing their commands4 #c4 ,the child having received his being and maintenance from them1 remains obliged to them as his benefactors in the debt of gratitude as long as he liveth3 and that so deeply that some have questioned whether ever he can requite them 7which quoad valorem beneficii he can do only by furthering their salvation2 as many a child hath been the cause of the parent's conversion74 ,and so far as the son is thus a debtor to his parents1 he is obliged to do that which the parents by contract with a third person shall impose upon him4 ,as if the parents could not be delivered out of captivity1 but by obliging the son to pay a great sum of money1 or to live in servitude for their release3 though they never gave him any money1 yet is he bound to pay the sum1 if he can get it1 or to perform the servitude2 because he hath received more from them1 even his being4 #d4 ,as the parents are both owners1 7secundum quid17 and rulers1 and benefactors to their child1 in all three respects conjunct1 they may oblige him to a third person who is willing to be his benefactor1 by a conditional obligation to perform such conditions that he may possess such or such benefits3 and thus a guardian or any friend who is fit to interpose for him1 may oblige him4 ,as to take a lease in his name1 in which he shall be bound to pay such a rent1 or do such a service1 that he may receive such a commodity which is greater4 ,thus parents oblige their children under civil governments to the laws of the society or kingdom1 that they may have the protection and benefits of subjects4 ,in these cases the child can complain of no injury2 for it is for his benefit that he is obliged3 and the parent 7in this respect7 cannot oblige him to his hurt3 for if he will quit the benefit1 he may be freed when he will from his obligation1 and may refuse to stand to the covenant if he dislike it4 ,if he will give up his lease1 he may be disobliged from the rent and service4 ,in all this you may see that no man can oblige another against ,god or his salvation3 and therefore a parent cannot oblige a child to sin1 nor to forbear hearing or reading the word of ,god1 or praying1 or any thing necessary to his salvation3 nor can he oblige him to hear an heretical pastor2 nor to marry an infidel or wicked wife1 c4 ,and here also you may perceive on what grounds it is that ,god hath appointed parents to oblige their children in the covenant of baptism1 to be the servants of ,god and to live in holiness all their days4 ,and hence it is apparent1 that no parents can oblige their children to be miserable1 or to any such condition which is worse than to have no being4 ,also that when parents do 7as commonly they do7 profess to oblige their children as benefactors for their good1 the obligation is then to be interpreted accordingly3 and the child is then obliged to nothing which is really his hurt4 ,yea1 all the propriety and government of parents1 cannot authorize them to oblige the child to his hurt1 but in order to some greater good1 either to the parents themselves1 or to the commonwealth1 or others2 at least that which the parents apprehend to be a greater good3 but if they err through ignorance or partiality1 and bind the child to a greater hurt for their lesser good1 7as to pay two hundred pounds to save them from paying one hundred pounds17 whether their injury and sin do excuse the child from being obliged to any more than the proportion of the benefit required1 ,i leave undetermined4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,but what if the parents disagree1 and one of them will oblige the child1 and the other will not8 ,answ4 #a4 ,if it be an act of the parents as mere proprietors for their own good1 either of them may oblige him in a just degree2 because they have severally a propriety4 #b4 ,if it be an act of government1 7as if they oblige him to do this or that act of service at their command in his minority17 the father may oblige him against the mother's consent1 because he is the chief ruler2 but not the mother against the father's will1 though she may without it4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,is a man obliged by a contract which he made in ignorance or mistake of the matter8 ,answ4 ,i have answered this before in the case of marriage1 part iii4 chap4 i43 ,i add here1 #a4 ,we must distinguish between culpable and inculpable error4 #b4 ,between an error about the principal matter1 and about some smaller accidents or circumstances4 #c4 ,between a case where the law of the land or the common good interposeth1 and where it doth not4 #a4 ,if it be your own fault that you are mistaken you are not wholly freed from the obligation2 but if it was your gross fault1 by negligence or vice1 you are not at all freed2 but if it were but such a frailty as almost all men are liable to1 so that none but a person of extraordinary virtue or diligence could have avoided the mistake1 then equity will proportionably make you an abatement or free you from the obligation4 ,so far as you were obliged to understand the matter1 so far you are obliged by the contract2 especially when another is a loser by your error4 #b4 ,an inculpable error about the circumstances1 or smaller parts1 will not free you from an obligation in the principal matter2 but an inculpable error in the essentials will4 #c4 ,except when the law of the land or the common good1 doth otherwise overrule the case2 for then you may be obliged by that accident4 ,in divers cases the rulers may judge it necessary1 that the effect of the contract shall depend upon the bare words1 or writings1 or actions2 lest false pretences of misunderstanding should exempt deceitful persons from their obligations1 and nothing should be a security to contractors4 ,and then men's private commodity must give place to the law and to the public good4 #d4 ,natural infirmities must be numbered with faults1 though they be not moral vices1 as to the contracting of an obligation1 if they be in a person capable of contracting4 ,as if you have some special defect of memory or ignorance of the matter which you are about4 ,another who is no way faulty by over-reaching you1 must not be a loser by your weakness4 ,for he that cometh to the market1 or contracteth with another that knoweth not his infirmity1 is to be supposed to understand what he doth1 unless the contrary be manifest3 you should not meddle with matters which you understand not2 or if you do1 you must he content to be a loser by your weakness4 #e4 ,yet in such cases1 another that hath gained by the bargain1 may be obliged by the laws of equity and charity1 to remit the gain1 and not to take advantage of your weakness2 but he may so far hold you to it1 as to secure himself from loss2 except in cases where you become the object of his charity1 and not of commutative justice only4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,is a drunken man1 or a man in a transporting passion1 or a melancholy person1 obliged by a contract made in such a case8 ,answ4 ,remember still1 that we are speaking only of contracts about matters of profits or worldly interest2 and not of marriage or any of another nature4 ,and the question as it concerneth a man in drunkenness or passion1 is answered as the former about culpable error2 and as it concerneth a melancholy man1 it is to be answered as the former question1 in the case of natural infirmity4 ,but if the melancholy be so great as to make him uncapable of bargaining1 he is to be esteemed in the same condition as an idiot1 or one in deliration or distraction4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,but may another hold a man to it1 who in drunkenness or passion maketh an ill bargain1 or giveth or playeth away his money2 and repenteth when he is sober8 ,answ4 ,he may 7ordinarily7 take the money from the loser1 or him that casteth it thus away2 but he may not keep it for himself3 but if the loser be poor1 he should give it to his wife or children whom he robbeth by his sin3 if not1 he should either give it to the magistrate or overseer for the poor1 or give it to the poor himself4 ,the reason of this determination is1 because the loser hath parted with his propriety1 and can lay no further claim to the thing2 but yet the gainer can have no right from another's crime3 if it were from an injury1 he might1 so far as is necessary to reparations2 but from a crime he cannot2 for his loss is to be estimated as a mulct or penalty1 and to be disposed of as such mulcts as are laid on swearers and drunkards are4 ,only the person by his voluntary bargain1 hath made the other party instead of the magistrate1 and authorized him 7in ordinary cases7 to dispose of the gain1 for the poor or public good4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,am ,i obliged by the words or writings which usually express a covenant1 without any covenanting or self-obliging intention in me1 when ,i speak or write them8 ,answ4 ,either you utter or write those words with a purpose to make another believe that you intend a covenant2 or at least by culpable negligence1 in such a manner as he is bound so to understand you1 or justified for so understanding you3 or else you so use the words1 as in the manner sufficiently to signify that you intend no covenant or self-obligation4 ,in the former case you bind yourself 7as above said72 because another man is not to be a loser1 nor you a gainer or a saver1 by your own fraud or gross negligence4 ,but in the latter case you are not bound1 because an intent of self-obliging is the internal efficient of the obligation2 and a signification of such an intent1 is the external efficient1 without which it cannot be4 ,if you read over the words of a bond1 or repeat them only in a narrative1 or ludicrously2 or if a scrivener write a form of obligation of himself1 to a boy for a copy1 or to a scholar for a precedent1 these do not induce any obligation in conscience1 nor make you a debtor to another4 ,thus also the case of the intent of the baptizer or baptized 7or parent7 is to be determined4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,may a true man promise a robber money1 for the saving of his life1 or of a greater sum1 or more precious commodity8 ,answ4 ,yes1 in case of necessity1 when his life or estate cannot better be preserved2 and so taxes may be paid to an enemy in arms1 or to a plundering soldier 7supposing that it do no other hurt1 which is greater than the good74 ,any man may part with a lesser good to preserve a greater2 and it is no more voluntary or imputable to our wills1 than the casting of our goods into the sea to save the vessel and our lives4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,may ,i give money to a judge1 or justice1 or court officer1 to hire him to do me justice1 or to keep him from doing me wrong2 or to avoid persecution8 ,answ4 ,you may not1 in case your cause be bad1 give any thing to procure injustice against another2 no nor speak a word for it nor desire it3 this ,i take as presupposed4 ,you may not give money to procure justice1 when the law of the land forbiddeth it1 and when it will do more hurt accidentally to the others than good to you3 when it will harden men in the sin of bribery1 and cause them to expect the like from others4 ,but except it be when some such accidental greater hurt doth make it evil1 it is as lawful as to hire a thief not to kill me3 when you cannot have your right by other means1 you may part with a smaller matter for a greater4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,but if ,i make such a contract1 may the other lawfully take it of me8 ,answ4 ,no3 for it is now supposed that it is unlawful on his part4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,but if under necessity of force ,i promise money to a robber1 or a judge1 or officer1 am ,i bound to perform it when my necessity is over8 ,answ4 ,you have lost your own propriety by your covenant1 and therefore must not retain it2 but he can acquire no right by his sin3 and therefore some say that in point of justice you are not bound to give it him1 but to give it to the magistrate for the poor2 but yet prudence may tell you of other reasons a fine to give it the man himself1 though justice bind you not to it2 as in case that else he may be revenged and do you some greater hurt2 or some greater hurt is any other way like to be the consequent2 which it is lawful by money to prevent4 ,but many think that you are bound to deliver the money to the thief or officer himself2 because it is a lawful thing to do it1 though he have no just title to it2 and because it was your meaning1 or the signification of your words in your covenant with him2 and if it were not lawful to do it1 it could not be lawful to promise to do it1 otherwise your promise is a lie4 ,to this1 those of the other opinion say1 that as a man who is discharged of his promise by him that it was made to1 is not to be accounted false if he perform it not2 so is it as to the thief or officer in question2 because he having no right1 is to you as the other that hath quit his right4 ,and this answer indeed will prove1 that it is not strict injustice not to pay the money promised2 but it will not prove that it is not a lie to make such a promise with an intent of not performing it1 or that it is not a lie to make it with an intent of performing it1 and not to do it when you may4 ,though here a ,jesuit will tell you that you may say the words of a promise1 with an equivocation or mental reservation to a thief or persecuting magistrate 7of which see more in the chapters of lying1 vows1 and perjury74 ,i am therefore of opinion that your promise must be sincerely made1 and according to the true intent of it you must offer the money to the thief or officer2 except in case the magistrate forbid you1 or some greater reason lie against it1 which you foresaw not when you made the promise4 ,but the offender is undoubtedly obliged not to take the money4 ,the same determination holdeth as to all contracts and promises made to such persons1 who by injurious force constrained us to make them4 ,there is on us an obligation to veracity1 though none to them in point of justice1 because they have no proper right2 nor may they lawfully take our payment or service promised them4 ,and in case that the public good unexpectedly cross our performance1 we must not perform it3 such like is the case of conquerors1 and those that upon conquest become their vassals or subjects upon unrighteous terms4 ,but still remember1 that if it be not only a covenant with man1 but a vow to ,god1 which maketh him a party1 the case is altered1 and we remain obliged4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,but may ,i promise the thief or bribe-taker to conceal his fault8 ,and am ,i obliged to the performance of such a promise8 ,answ4 ,this is a promise of omitting that which else would be a duty4 ,it is ordinarily a duty to reveal a thief and bribe-taker that he may be punished4 ,but affirmatives bind not ad semper2 no act 7especially external7 is a duty at all times1 therefore not this1 of revealing an offender's fault4 ,and if it be not always a duty1 then it must be none when it is inconsistent with some greater benefit or duty2 for when two goods come together1 the greater is to be preferred3 therefore in case that you see in just probability1 that the concealment of the sinner will do more hurt to the commonwealth or the souls of men1 than the saving of your life is like to do good1 you may not promise to conceal him1 or if you sinfully promise it1 you may not perform it2 but in case that your life is like to be a greater good than the not promising to conceal him1 then such a promise is no fault1 because the disclosing him is no duty4 ,but to judge rightly of this is a matter of great difficulty4 ,if it be less than life which you save by such a promise1 it oft falls out that it is a lesser good than the detecting of the offence4 ,but it will here be said1 ,if ,i promise not to conceal a robber1 ,i must conceal him nevertheless2 for when he hath killed me1 ,i cannot reveal him3 and ,i must conceal the bribe-taker2 for till ,i have promised secrecy1 ,i cannot prove him guilty4 ,and he that promiseth to forbear a particular good action whilst he liveth1 doth yet reserve his life for all other good works2 whereas if he die1 he will neither do that nor any other4 ,but this case is not so easily determined3 if ,daniel die1 he can neither pray nor do any good on earth4 ,and if he live he may do much other good1 though he never pray2 and yet he might not promise to give over praying to save his life4 ,i conceive that we must distinguish of duties essential to the outward part of christianity1 or of constant1 indispensable necessity2 and duties which are alterable1 and belong only to some persons1 times1 and places2 also between the various consequents of omissions4 ,and ,i conceive that ordinarily a man may promise for the saving of his life1 that he will forbear a particular1 alterable duty or relation2 as to read such a commentary1 to speak with such a minister1 to be a magistrate or a minister1 c4 in case we have not before bound ourselves never to give over our calling till death2 and in case that the good which will follow our forbearance1 is likely 7to a judicious person7 to be greater than the evil4 ,but no man may promise to omit such a duty as ,god hath made necessary during life2 as not to love ,god1 or fear1 or trust him2 not to worship him1 and call upon him1 and praise him2 not to do good to men's souls or bodies in the general2 or not to preach or pray while ,i am a minister of ,christ2 or not at all to govern while you are a governor2 for all these contradict some former and greater promises or duties4 ,nor may you omit the smallest duty to save your life1 at such a time when your death is like to do more good1 than your life would do without that one duty4 ,apply this to the present case4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,if another man deceive me into a promise or covenant against my good1 am ,i bound to perform it when ,i have discovered the deceit8 ,answ4 ,yes1 #a4 ,in case that the law of the land1 or other reasons for the public good1 require it4 #b4 ,or in case that you were faulty by negligence1 heedlessness1 or otherwise guilty of your own deceit1 in any considerable and avoidable degree4 ,otherwise1 in that measure that he deceived you1 and in those respects1 you are not obliged4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,if the contracting parties do neither of them understand the other1 is it a covenant8 ,or if it be1 whose sense must carry it8 ,answ4 ,if they understand not each other in the essentials of the contract1 it is no contract in point of conscience2 except where the laws for the public safety do annex the obligation to bare external act4 ,but if they understand not one another in some circumstances1 and be equally culpable or innocent1 they must come to a new agreement in those particulars2 but if one party only be guilty of the misunderstanding1 he must bear the loss1 if the other insist on it4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,am ,i bound to stand to the bargains which my friend1 or trustee1 or servant maketh for me1 when it proveth much to my injury or loss8 ,answ4 ,yes1 #a4 ,if they exceed not the bounds of that commission or trust which they received from you4 #b4 ,or if they do1 yet if by your former trusting and using them1 or by any other sign1 you have given the other party sufficient cause to suppose them intrusted by you to do what they do1 so that he is deceived by your fault1 you are bound at least to see that he be no loser by you2 though you are not bound to make him a gainer1 unless you truly signified that you authorized them to make the contract4 ,for if it be merely your friend's or servant's error1 without your fault1 it doth not bind you to a third person4 ,but how far you may be bound to pardon that error to your friend or servant1 is another question2 and how far you are bound to save them harmless4 ,and that must be determined by laying together all other obligations between them and you4 ,quest4 ,,xvi4 ,if ,i say ,i will give such or such a one this or that1 am ,i bound thereby to do it8 ,answ4 ,it is one thing to express your present mind and resolution1 without giving away the liberty of changing it2 and it is another thing to intend the obliging of yourself to do the thing mentioned4 ,and that obligation is either intended to man1 or to ,god only2 and that is either in point of rendition and use1 or in point of veracity1 or the performance of that moral duty of speaking truth4 ,if you meant no more in saying1 ,i will do it1 or ,i will give it1 but that this is your present will1 and purpose1 and resolution1 yea1 though it add the confident persuasion that your will shall not change2 yet this no further obligeth you than you are obliged to continue in that will2 and a man's confident resolutions may be lawfully changed upon sufficient cause4 ,but if you intended to alienate the title to another1 or to give him present right1 or to oblige yourself for the future to him by that promise2 or to oblige yourself to ,god to do it by way of peremptory assertion1 as one that will be guilty of a lie if you perform it not2 or if you dedicate the thing to ,god by those words as a vow2 then you are obliged to do accordingly 7supposing nothing else to prohibit it74 ,quest4 ,,xvii4 ,doth an inward promise of the mind not expressed1 oblige8 ,answ4 ,in a vow to ,god it doth2 and if you intend it as an assertion obliging you in point of veracity1 it doth so oblige you that you must lie4 ,but it is no contract1 nor giveth any man a title to what you tacitly thought of4 ,quest4 ,,xviii4 ,may ,i promise an unlawful thing 7simply so7 without an intention of performing it1 to save my life from a thief or persecutor8 ,answ4 ,no3 because it is a lie1 when the tongue agreeth not with the heart4 ,indeed those that think a lie is no sin when it hurteth not another1 may justify this1 if that would hold good2 but ,i have before confuted it1 part i4 in the chapter against lying4 ,quest4 ,,xix4 ,may any thing otherwise unlawful become a duty upon a promise to do it8 ,answ4 ,this is answered before1 part i4 chapter of perjury and vows3 a thing unlawful will be so still1 notwithstanding a vow or promise2 and some so of that also which is unlawful antecedently but by accident2 as e4 g4 ,it is not simply unlawful to cast away a cup of wine or a piece of silver 7for it is lawful upon a sufficient cause72 but it is unlawful to do it without any sufficient cause4 ,now suppose ,i should contract with another that ,i will do it2 am ,i bound by such a contract8 ,many say no1 because the matter is unlawful though but by accident2 and the contract cannot make it lawful4 ,i rather think that ,i am bound in such a case2 but yet that my obligation doth not exclude me wholly from sin2 it was a sin before ,i promised it 7or vowed it7 to cast away a farthing causelessly4 ,and if ,i causelessly promised it1 ,i sinned in that promise2 but yet there may be cause for the performance3 and if ,i have entangled myself in a necessity of sinning whether ,i do it or not1 ,i must choose the lesser sin2 for that is then my duty4 7,though ,i should have chosen neither as long as ,i could avoid it47 ,in a great and hurtful sin ,i may be obliged rather to break my covenant than to commit it1 yet it is hard to say so of every accidental evil3 my reasons are1 #a4 ,because the promise or covenant is now an accident to be put into the balance2 and may weigh down a lighter accident on the other side 7but ,i know that the great difficulty is to discern which is indeed the preponderating accident74 #b4 ,i think if a magistrate command me to do any thing which by a small accident is evil 7as to spend an hour in vain1 to give a penny in vain1 to speak a word which1 antecedently1 was vain7 that ,i must do it2 and that then it is not vain because it manifesteth my obedience 7otherwise obedience would be greatly straitened74 ,therefore my own contract may make it my duty2 because ,i am able to oblige myself as well as a magistrate is4 #c4 ,because covenant-breaking 7and perjury7 is really a greater sin than speaking a vain word2 and my error doth not make it no sin1 but only entangles me in a necessity of sinning which way soever ,i take4 ,quest4 ,,xx4 ,if a man make a contract to promote the sin of another for a reward1 7as a corrupt judge or lawyer1 officer or clerk1 to promote injustice2 or a resetter1 to help a thief2 or a bawd or whore1 for the price of fornication17 may he take the reward1 when the sin is committed 7suppose it repented of78 ,answ4 ,the offender that promised the reward1 hath parted with his title to the money2 therefore you may receive it of him 7and ought1 except he will rightly dispose of it himself72 but withal to confess the sin and persuade him also to repent3 but you may not take any of that money as your own 7for no man can purchase true propriety by iniquity72 but either give it to the party injured1 7to whom you are bound to make satisfaction17 or to the magistrate or the poor1 according as the case particularly requireth4 ,quest4 ,,xxi4 ,if ,i contract1 or bargain1 or promise to another1 between us two1 without any legal form or witness1 doth it bind me to the performance8 ,answ4 ,yes1 in foro conscienti1 supposing the thing lawful2 but if the thing be unlawful in foro ,dei1 and such as the law of the land only would lay hold of you about1 or force you to1 if it had been witnessed1 then the law of the land may well be avoided1 by the want of legal forms and witnesses4 ,quest4 ,,xxii4 ,may ,i buy an office for money in a court of justice8 ,answ4 ,some offices you may buy 7where the law alloweth it1 and it tendeth not to injustice72 but other offices you may not3 the difference the lawyers may tell you better than ,i1 and it would be tedious to pursue instances4 ,quest4 ,,xxiii4 ,may one buy a place of magistracy or judicature for money8 ,answ4 ,not when your own honour or commodity is your end3 because the common good is the end of government2 and to a faithful governor1 it is a place of great labour and suffering1 and requireth much self-denial and patience4 ,therefore they that purchase it as a place of honour1 gain1 or pleasure1 either know not what they undertake1 or have carnal ends2 else they would rather purchase their liberty and avoid it4 ,but if a king1 or a judge1 or other magistrate1 see that a bad man 7more unfit to govern7 is like to be put in1 if he be put by1 it is lawful for him to purchase the people's deliverance at a very dear rate 7even by a lawful war1 which is more than money1 when the sovereign's power is in such danger73 but the heart must be watched1 that it pretend not the common good1 and intend your own commodity and honour2 and the probable consequents must be weighed2 and the laws of the land must be consulted also2 for if they absolutely prohibit the buying of a place of judicature1 they must be obeyed4#aef ,and ill effects may make it sinful4 ,quest4 ,,xxiv4 ,may one sell a church benefice1 or rectory1 or orders8 ,answ4 ,if the benefice be originally of your own gift1 it is at first in your power to give part or all1 to take some deductions out of it or not3 but if it be really given to the church1 and you have but the patronage or choice of the incumbent1 it is sacrilege to sell it for any commodity of your own3 but whether you may take somewhat out of a greater benefice1 to give to another church which is poorer1 dependeth partly on the law of the land1 and partly upon the probable consequents4 ,if the law absolutely forbid it1 7supposing that unlawful contracts cannot be avoided unless some lawful ones be restrained17 it must be obeyed for the common good2 and if the consequent of a lawful contract be like to be the more hurtful encouragement of unlawful ones1 such examples must be forborne1 though the law were not against them4 ,but to sell orders is undoubted simony2 7that is1 the office of the ministry1 or the act of ordination27 though scribes may be paid for writing instruments4 ,quest4 ,,xxv4 ,may a man give money for orders or benefices1 when they cannot otherwise be had8 ,answ4 ,this is answered in quest4 xxii4 #a4 ,if the law absolutely forbid it1 for the common safety1 you may not4 #b4 ,if your end be chiefly your own commodity1 ease1 or honour1 you may not4 ,but in case you were clear from all such evils1 and the case were only this1 whether you might not give money to get in yourself1 to keep out a heretic1 a wolf1 or insufficient man1 who might destroy the people's souls1 ,i see not but it might well be done4 ,quest4 ,,xxvi4 ,may ,i give money to officers1 servants1 or assistants for their furtherance8 ,answ4 ,for writings or other servile acts about the circumstantials you may2 but not 7directly or indirectly7 to promote the simoniacal contract4 ,what you may not give to the principal agent1 you may not give his instruments or others for the same end4 ,quest4 ,,xxvii4 ,may ,i give or do any thing afterward by way of gratitude1 to the patron1 bishop1 or any others1 their relations or retainers8 ,answ4 ,not when the expectation of that gratitude was a 7secret or open7 condition of the presentation or orders2 and you believe that you should not else have received them3 therefore promised gratitude is but a kind of contracting4 ,nor may you show gratitude by any scandalous way1 which seemeth simony4 ,otherwise1 no doubt but you may be prudently grateful for that or any other kindness4 ,quest4 ,,xxviii4 ,may not a bishop or pastor take money for sermons1 sacraments1 or other offices8 ,answ4 ,not for the things themselves2 he must not sell ,god's word and sacraments1 or any other holy thing4 ,but they that serve at the altar may live on the altar1 and the elders that rule well are worthy of double honour2 and the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn should not be muzzled4 ,they may receive due maintenance while they perform ,god's service1 that they may be vacant to attend their proper work4 ,quest4 ,,xxix4 ,may one person disoblige another of a promise made to him8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if it be no more than a promise to that person2 because a man may give away his right2 but if it be moreover a vow to ,god1 or you intend to oblige yourself in point of veracity under the guilt of a lie if you do otherwise1 these alter the case1 and no person can herein disoblige you4 ,quest4 ,,xxx4 ,but what if the contract be bound by an oath1 may another then release me8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if that oath did only tie you to perform your promise2 and were no vow to ,god1 which made him a party by dedicating any thing to him2 for then the oath being but subservient to the promise1 he that dischargeth you from the promise1 dischargeth you also from the oath which bound you honestly to keep it4 ,quest4 ,,xxxi4 ,am ,i bound by a promise when the cause or reason of it proveth a mistake8 ,answ4 ,if by the cause you mean only the extrinsical reasons which moved you to it1 you may be obliged nevertheless for finding your mistake2 only so far as the other was the culpable cause1 7as is aforesaid17 he is bound to satisfy you2 but if by the cause you mean the formal reason1 which constituteth the contract1 then the mistake may in some cases nullify it 7of which enough before74 ,quest4 ,,xxxii4 ,what if a following accident make it more to my hurt than could be foreseen8 ,answ4 ,in some contracts it is supposed or expressed1 that men do undertake to run the hazard2 and then they must stand obliged4 ,but in some contracts1 it is rationally supposed that the parties intend to be free1 if so great an alteration should fall out4 ,but to give instances of both these cases would be too long a work4 ,quest4 ,,xxxiii4 ,what if something unexpectedly fall out1 which maketh it injurious to a third person8 ,i cannot sure be obliged to injure another4 ,answ4 ,if the case be the latter mentioned in the foregoing answer1 you may be thus free2 but if it be the former1 7you being supposed to run the hazard1 and secure the other party against all others17 then either you were indeed authorized to make this bargain1 or not2 if not1 the third person may secure his right against the other2 but if you were1 then you must make satisfaction as you can to the third person4 ,yea1 if you made a covenant without authority1 you are obliged to save the other harmless1 unless he knew your power to be doubtful1 and did resolve to run the hazard4 ,quest4 ,,xxxiv4 ,what if something fall out which maketh the performance to be a sin8 ,answ4 ,you must not do it2 but you must make the other satisfaction for all the loss which you were the cause of1 unless he undertook to stand to the hazard of this also 7explicitly or implicitly74 ,quest4 ,,xxxv4 ,am ,i obliged if the other break covenant with me8 ,answ4 ,there are covenants which make relations 7as between husband and wife1 pastor and flock1 rulers and subjects72 and covenants which convey title to commodities1 of which only ,i am here to speak4 ,and in these there are some conditions which are essential to the covenant2 if the other first break these conditions1 you are disobliged4 ,but there are other conditions which are not essential1 but only necessary to some following benefit1 whose non-performance will only forfeit that particular benefit2 and there are conditions which are only undertaken subsequent duties1 trusted on the honesty of the performer2 and in these a failing doth not disoblige you4 ,these latter are but improperly called conditions4 ,quest4 ,,xxxvi4 ,may ,i contract to perform a thing which ,i foresee is like to become impossible or sinful1 before the time of performance come1 though it be not so at present4 ,answ4 ,with all persons you must deal truly2 and with just contractors openly2 but with thieves1 and murderers1 and persecutors1 you are not always bound to deal openly4 ,this being premised1 either your covenant is absolutely1 ,this ,i will do1 be it lawful or not1 possible or impossible2 and such a covenant is sin and folly3 or it is conditional1 ,this ,i will do1 if it continue lawful1 or possible3 this condition 7or rather exception7 is still implied where it is not expressed1 unless the contrary be expressed3 therefore such a covenant is lawful with a robber with whom you are not bound to deal openly2 because it is but the concealing from him the event which you foresee4 ,as e4 g4 you have intelligence that a ship is lost at sea1 or is like to be taken by pirates1 which the robber expecteth shortly to come safe into the harbour3 you may promise him to deliver up yourself his prisoner1 when that ship cometh home4 ,or you know a person to be mortally sick1 and will die before the next week2 you may oblige yourself to marry or serve that person two months hence2 for it is implied1 if he or she be then alive4 ,but with equal contractors1 this is unlawful1 with whom you are obliged not only to verity but to justice2 as in the following cases will be further manifested4 ,tit4 #c4 ,special ,cases about ,justice in ,buying and ,selling4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,am ,i bound to endeavour that he whom ,i deal with may be a gainer by the bargain as well as ,i8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if you be equally in want1 or in the like condition2 but if he be very poor1 and you be rich1 charity must be so mixed with justice1 that you must endeavour that it be more to his commodity than yours 7if he be one indeed that you owe charity to74 ,and if you be poor1 and he be rich1 you may be willing to be the only gainer yourself1 so be it you covet not another's1 nor desire that he be wronged2 for when he hath power to deal charitably1 you may be willing of his charity or kindness4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may ,i desire or take more than my labour or goods are worth1 if ,i can get it8 ,answ4 #a4 ,not by deceit1 persuading another that they are worth more than they are4 #b4 ,not by extortion1 working upon men's ignorance1 error1 or necessity 7of which more anon74 #c4 ,not of any one that is poorer than yourself1 or of any one that intendeth but an equal bargain4 #d4 ,but if you deal with the rich1 who in generosity stick not at a small matter1 and are willing another should be a gainer by them1 and understand what they do1 it is lawful to take as much as they will give you4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may ,i ask in the market more than my goods are truly worth8 ,answ4 ,in the case last mentioned you may2 when you are selling to the rich1 who are willing to show their generosity1 and to make you gainers4 ,but then the honest way is to say1 it is worth but so much2 but if you will give so much more because ,i need it1 ,i will take it thankfully4 ,some think also where the common custom is to ask more than the worth1 and people will not buy unless you come down from your first demand1 that then you may lawfully ask more1 because else there is no trading with such people4 ,my judgment in this case is this1 #a4 ,that ordinarily it is better to ask no more at all but a just gain2 and that the inconveniences of doing otherwise are greater than any on the other side2 for he that heareth you ask unjustly may well think that you would take unjustly if you could get it1 and consequently that you are unjust4 #b4 ,but this just gain lieth not always just in an indivisible quantity1 or determinate price4 ,a man that hath a family to maintain by his trade1 may lawfully take a proportionable1 moderate gain2 though if he take less he may get something too4 ,to be always just at a word is not convenient2 for he that may lawfully get two or three shillings or more in the pound of the rich1 may see cause to let a poorer person have it for less2 but never ask above what it is reasonable to take4 #c4 ,and if you once peremptorily said1 ,i will take no less1 then it is not fit to go from your word4 #d4 ,and if you do meet with such fools or proud gallants1 who will not deal with you unless you ask dear1 it is just that when they have given you more than it is worth1 you tell them so1 and offer them the overplus again4 ,and for them that expect that you abate much of your asking1 it is an inconvenience to be borne1 which will be ever to your advantage when you are once better known4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,how shall the worth of a commodity be judged of8 ,answ4 #a4 ,when the law setteth a rate upon any thing 7as on bread and drink with us7 it must be observed4 #b4 ,if you go to the market1 the market price is much to be observed4 #c4 ,if it be in an equal contract1 with one that is not in want1 you may estimate your goods as they cost you1 or are worth to you1 though it be above the common price2 seeing the buyer is free to take or leave them4 #d4 ,but if that which you have to sell be extraordinarily desirable1 or worth to some one person more than to you or another man1 you must not make too great an advantage of his convenience or desire2 but be glad that you can pleasure him1 upon equal1 fair1 and honest terms4 #e4 ,if there be a secret worth in your commodity which the market will take no notice of1 7as it is usual in a horse17 it is lawful for you to take according to that true worth if you can get it4 ,but it is a false rule of them that think their commodity is worth as much as any one will give4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,is it lawful to make a thing seem better than it is1 by trimming1 adorning1 or setting the best side outward or in sight2 or to conceal the faults of what ,i am to sell8 ,answ4 ,it is lawful to dress1 polish1 adorn1 or set out your commodity1 to make it seem as it is indeed1 but not to make it seem better than it is3 except in some very few unusual cases2 as if you deal with some fantastical fool1 who will not buy it1 nor give you the true worth1 except it be so set out1 and made in some respects to seem better than it is4 ,it is lawful so far to serve their curiosity or humour1 as to get the worth of your commodity4 ,but if you do it to get more than the worth by deceiving1 it is a sin4 ,and such glossing hath so notable an appearance of deceit1 that for that scandal it should be avoided4 #b4 ,and as for concealing the fault1 the case is the same2 you ought not to deceive your neighbour1 but to do as you would be done by2 and therefore must not conceal any fault which he desireth or is concerned to know4 ,except it be when you deal with one who maketh a far greater matter of that fault than there is cause1 and would wrong you in the price if it were known3 yea1 and that exception will not hold neither1 except in a case when you must needs sell1 and they must buy it3 because1 #a4 ,you may not have another man's money against his will1 though it be no more than the thing is worth4 #b4 ,because it will be scandalous when the fault is known by him that buyeth it4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,what if the fault was concealed from me when ,i bought it1 or if ,i were deceived or over-reached by him that sold it me1 and gave more than the worth1 may ,i not repair my loss by doing as ,i was done by8 ,answ4 ,no3 no more than you may cut another's purse1 because yours was cut2 you must do as you would be done by1 and not as you are done by4 ,what you may do with the man that deceived you1 is a harder question2 but doubtless you may not wrong an honest man1 because you were wronged by a knave4 ,object4 ,but it is taken for granted in the market1 that every man will get as much as he can have1 and that caveat emptor is the only security2 and therefore every man trusteth to his own wit1 and not to the seller's honesty1 and so resolveth to run the hazard4 ,answ4 ,it is not so among christians1 nor infidels who profess either truth or common honesty4 ,if you come among a company of cut-purses1 where the match is made thus1 ,look thou to thy purse1 and ,i will look to mine1 and he that can get most let him take it6 then indeed you have no reason to trust another4 ,but there are no tradesmen or buyers who will profess that they look not to be trusted1 or say1 ,i will lie or deceive you if ,i can4 ,among thieves and pirates such total distrust may be allowed2 but among sober persons in civil societies and converse1 we must in reason and charity expect some truth and honesty1 and not presume them to be all liars and deceivers1 that we may seem to have allowance to be such ourselves4 ,indeed we trust them1 not absolutely as saints1 but with a mixture of distrust1 as fallible and faulty men3 and so as to trust our own circumspection above their words1 when we know not the persons to be very just4 ,but we have no cause to make a market a place of mere deceit1 where every one saith1 ,trust not me1 and ,i will not trust thee2 but let us all take one another for cheats and liars1 and get what we can6 ,such censures savour not of charity1 or of just intentions4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,what if ,i foresee a plenty and cheapness in a time of dearth1 which the buyer foreseeth not1 7as if ,i know that there are ships coming in with store of that commodity which will make it cheap17 am ,i bound to tell the buyer of it1 and hinder my own gain8 ,answ4 ,there may be some instances in trading with enemies1 or with rich men1 that regard not such matters1 or with men that are supposed to know it as well as you1 in which you are not bound to tell them4 ,but in your ordinary equal trading1 when you have reason to think that the buyer knoweth it not1 and would not give so dear if he knew it1 you are bound to tell him2 because you must love your neighbour as yourself1 and do as you would be done by1 and not take advantage of his ignorance4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,if ,i foresee a dearth1 may ,i not keep my commodity till then8 ,answ4 ,yes1 unless it be to the hurt of the commonwealth2 as if your keeping it in be the cause of the dearth1 and your bringing it forth would help to prevent it4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,may one use many words in buying and selling8 ,answ4 ,you must use no more than are true1 and just1 and useful3 but there are more words needful with some persons who are talkative and unsatisfied than with others4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may ,i buy as cheap as ,i can get it1 or give less than the thing is worth8 ,answ4 ,if it be worth more to you than the market price1 7through your necessity17 you are not bound to give above the market price4 ,if it be worth less to you than the market price1 you are not bound to give more than it is worth to you1 as suited to your use4 ,but you must not desire nor seek to get another's goods or labour for less than it is worth in both these respects 7in common estimate1 and to you74 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,may ,i take advantage of another's necessity to buy for less than the worth1 or sell for more3 as e4 g4 a poor man must needs have money suddenly for his goods1 though he sell them but for half the worth2 and ,i have no need of them3 am ,i bound to give him the worth when ,i have no need8 and when it is a great kindness to him to give him any thing in that strait8 ,so also when ,i have no desire to sell my horse1 and another's necessity maketh him willing to give more than he is worth1 may ,i not take it8 ,answ4 ,to the first case3 you must distinguish between an act of justice and of charity2 and between your need of the thing and the worth of it to you4 ,though you have no need of the poor man's goods1 yet if you buy them1 both justice and charity require that you give him as much as they are worth to you1 though not so much as they are worth in the market3 yea1 and that you buy them of him in his necessity2 for if you give him but what they are worth to you1 you are no loser by it2 and you should do another good1 when it is not to your own hurt or loss4 ,by what they are worth to you1 ,i mean so much as that you be no loser4 ,as1 if it be meat or drink1 though you have no present need1 perhaps you will shortly have need1 and if you buy not that1 you must buy as much of somewhat else4 ,in strict justice you may be a saver1 but not a gainer1 by buying of the poor in their necessity4 #b4 ,but if you buy a durable commodity for less than it is worth1 you should take it but as a pledge1 and allow the seller liberty to redeem it if he can1 that he may get more after of another4 #c4 ,and to the poor in such necessity1 charity must be exercised as well as justice4 ,therefore if you are able to lend them money to save them the loss of underselling1 you should do it4 7,i account that man only able who hath money which no greater service of ,god requireth47 ,and if you are not able yourself1 you should endeavour to get some others to relieve him1 if you can without a greater inconvenience4 ,and for the second case1 it is answered before3 you may not take more than it is worth1 ever the more for another's necessity2 nor in any other case than you might have done it in1 if there had been no such necessity of his4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,may ,i not make advantage of another's ignorance or error in bargaining8 ,answ4 ,not to get more than your commodity is worth1 nor to get his goods for less than the worth2 no1 nor to get the true worth against his will1 or with scandal3 but if it be only to get a true worth of your own commodity when he is willing1 but would be offended if his ignorance in some point were cured1 you may so far make use of his ignorance to a lawful end1 as is said before in the case of concealing faults4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,may ,i strive to get before another1 to get a good bargain which he desireth8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if you do it not out of a greedy mind1 nor to the injury of one that is poorer than yourself3 you should rather further the supply of your neighbour's greater needs2 otherwise speed and industry in your calling is no fault1 nor yet the crossing of a covetous man's desires3 you are not bound to let every man have what he would have4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,may ,i buy a thing out of another's hand1 or hire a servant which another is about or is treating with8 ,or may ,i call a chapman from another to buy of me8 ,answ4 ,there are some cases in which you may not do it1 and some in which you may4 ,you may not do it out of a greedy covetousness2 nor to the injury of the poor3 nor when the other hath gone so far in the bargain that it cannot be honestly broken2 for then you injure the third person1 and tempt the other to a sin3 nor may you do it so as to disturb the due and civil order1 which should be among moderate men in trading4 ,and it is a great matter how the thing is accounted of by the custom of the country or market where you bargain2 for where it is of ill report1 and accounted as unjust1 the scandal should make you avoid such a course4 ,but yet in some cases it is lawful1 and in some a needful duty4 ,it is lawful when none of the foresaid reasons 7or any such other7 are against it3 it is a duty when charity to the poor or oppressed doth require it4 ,as e4 g4 a poor man must needs sell his land1 his horse1 his corn1 or goods3 a covetous oppressor offereth him less than it is worth4 ,the poor man must take his offer if he can get no more3 the oppressor saith that it is injustice for any one to take his bargain out of his hand1 or offer money till he have done3 in this case it may be a duty1 to offer the poor man the worth of his commodity1 and save him from the oppressor4 ,a covetous man offereth a servant or labourer less than their service or labour is worth2 and will accuse you1 if you interrupt his bargain and would offer his servant more3 in this case it may be your duty to help the servant to a better master4 ,a chapman is ready to be cheated by an unconscionable tradesman1 to give much more for a commodity than its worth3 charity may oblige you in such a case to offer it him cheaper4 ,in a word1 if you do it for your own gain1 in a greedy manner1 it is a sin2 but if you do it when it is not scandalous or injurious1 or do it in charity for another's good1 it is lawful1 and sometimes a duty4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,may ,i dispraise another's commodity to draw the buyer to my own8 ,answ4 ,this case is sufficiently answered in the former3 #a4 ,you may not use any false dispraise3 #b4 ,nor a true one out of covetousness1 nor in a scandalous manner4 #c4 ,but you may help to save another from a cheater1 by opening the deceit in charity to him4 ,quest4 ,,xvi4 ,what should ,i do in doubtful cases1 where ,i am uncertain whether the thing be just or not8 ,answ4 ,causeless1 perplexing1 melancholy scruples1 which would stop a man in the course of his duty1 are not to be indulged3 but in rational doubts1 first use your utmost diligence 7as much as the nature of the cause requireth7 to be resolved2 and if yet you doubt1 be sure to go the safer way1 and to avoid sin rather than loss1 and to keep your consciences in peace4 ,quest4 ,,xvii4 ,if the buyer lose the commodity between the bargain and the payment1 7as if he buy your horse1 and he die before payment1 or presently after17 what should the seller do to his relief8 ,answ4 ,if it were by the seller's fault1 or by any fault in the horse which he concealed1 he is to make the buyer full satisfaction4 ,if it were casually only1 rigorous justice will allow him nothing2 and therefore if it be either to a man that is rich enough to bear it without any great sense of the loss1 or in a case where in common custom the buyer always standeth to the loss1 mere justice will make him no amends4 ,but if it be where custom makes some abatement judged a duty1 or where the person is so poor as to be pinched by the loss1 that common humanity1 which all good men use in bargaining1 which tempereth justice with charity1 will teach men to bear their part of the loss2 because they must do as they would be done by4 ,quest4 ,,xviii4 ,if the thing bought and sold prove afterward of much more worth than was by either party understood1 7as in buying of ambergris and jewels it oft falleth out17 is the buyer bound to give the seller more than was bargained for8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if it were the seller's mere ignorance and insufficiency in that business which caused him so to undersell it 7as if an ignorant countryman sell a jewel or ambergris1 who knoweth not what it is1 a moderate satisfaction should be made him74 ,but if it were the seller's trade1 in which he is to be supposed to be sufficient1 and if it be taken for granted beforehand1 that both buyer and seller will stand to the bargain whatever it prove1 and that the seller would have abated nothing if it had proved less worse than the price1 then the buyer may enjoy his gain2 much more if he run any notable hazard for it1 as merchants use to do4 ,quest4 ,,xix4 ,what if the title of the thing sold prove bad1 which was before unknown8 ,answ4 ,if the seller either knew it was bad1 or through his notable negligence was ignorant of it1 and did not acquaint the buyer with so much of the uncertainty and danger as he knew1 or if it was any way his fault that the buyer was deceived1 and not the buyer's fault1 he is bound to make him proportionable satisfaction4 ,as also in case that by law or bargain he be bound to warrant the title to the buyer4 ,but not in case that it be their explicit or implicit agreement that the buyer stand to the hazard1 and the seller hath done his duty to make him know what is doubtful4 ,quest4 ,,xx4 ,what if a change of powers or laws do overthrow the title1 almost as soon as it is sold1 7as it oft falls out about offices and lands17 who must bear the loss8 ,answ4 ,the case is near the same with that in quest4 xvii4 ,it is supposed that the seller should have lost it himself if he had kept it but a little longer2 and that neither of them foresaw the change2 and therefore that the seller hath all his money1 rather for his good hap1 than for his lands or office 7which the buyer hath not74 ,therefore except it be to a rich man that feeleth not the loss1 or one that expressly undertook to stand to all hazards1 foreseeing a possibility of them1 charity and humanity will teach the seller to divide the loss4 ,the same is the case of ,london now consumed by fire2 where thousands of suits are like to rise between the landlords and the tenants4 ,where the providence of ,god 7permitting the burning zeal of some papists7 hath deprived men of the houses which they had hired or taken leases of1 humanity and charity requireth the rich to bear most of the loss1 and not to exact their rents or rebuilding from the poor1 whatever the law saith1 which could not be supposed to foresee such accidents4 ,love your neighbours as yourselves2 do as you would be done by2 and oppress not your poor brethren2 and then by these three rules you will yourselves decide a multitude of such doubts and difficulties1 which the uncharitable only cannot understand4 ,tit4 #d4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,lending and ,borrowing4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,may a poor man borrow money1 who knoweth that he is unable to repay it1 and hath no rational proof that he is very likely to be able hereafter8 ,answ4 ,no3 unless it be when he telleth the lender truly of his case1 and he is willing to run the hazard2 else it is mere thievery covered with the cheat of borrowing2 for the borrower desireth that of another1 which he would not lend him1 if he expected it not again2 and to take a man's money or goods against his will is robbery4 ,object4 ,but ,i am in great necessity4 ,answ4 ,begging in necessity is lawful2 but stealing or cheating is not1 though you call it borrowing4 ,object4 ,but it is a shame to beg4 ,answ4 ,the sin of thievish borrowing is worse than shame4 ,object4 ,but none will give me if ,i beg4 ,answ4 ,if they will give but to save your life at the present1 you must take it1 though they give you not what you would have3 the poorest beggar's life is better than the thief's4 ,object4 ,but ,i hope ,god may enable me to pay hereafter4 ,answ4 ,if you have no rational way to manifest the soundness of that hope to another1 it is but to pretend faith and hope for thievery and deceit4 ,object4 ,god hath promised1 that those that fear him shall want no good thing4 ,and therefore ,i hope ,i may be able to repay it4 ,answ4 ,if you want not1 why do you borrow8 ,if you have enough to keep you alive by begging1 ,god maketh good all his promises to you2 yea1 or if you die by famine4 ,for he only promiseth you that which is best2 which for aught you know may be beggary or death4 ,god breaketh not promise with his servants who die in common famine1 no more than with them who die in plagues or wars4 ,make not ,god the patron of sin2 yea1 and your faith a pretence for your distrust4 ,if you trust ,god1 use no sinful means2 if you trust him not1 this pleading of his promise is hypocrisy4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may a tradesman drive a trade with borrowed money1 when his success1 and so his repayment1 is utterly an uncertain thing8 ,answ4 ,there are some trades where the gain is so exceeding probable1 next to certain1 as may warrant the borrowing of money to manage them1 when there is no rational probability of failing in the payment4 ,and there are some tradesmen1 who have estates of their own1 sufficient to repay all the money which they borrow4 ,but otherwise1 when the money is rationally hazardous1 the borrower is bound in conscience to acquaint the lender fully with the hazard1 that he may not have it against his will4 ,otherwise he liveth in constant deceit or thievery4 ,and if he do happen to repay it1 it excuseth not his sin4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,if a borrower be utterly unable to pay1 and so break while he hath something1 may he not retain somewhat for his food or raiment8 ,answ4 ,no3 unless it be in order to set up again in hope to repay his debts3 for all that he hath being other men's1 he may not take so much as bread to his mouth1 out of that which is theirs1 without their consent4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,but if a man have bound himself to his wife's friends upon marriage to settle so much upon her or her children1 and this obligation was antecedent to his debts1 may he not secure that to his wife or children1 without any injury to his creditors8 ,answ4 ,the law of the land must much decide this controversy4 ,if the propriety be actually before transferred to wife or children1 it is theirs1 and cannot be taken from them2 but if it were done after by a deed of gift to defraud the creditors1 then that deed of gift is invalid1 till debts be paid4 ,if it be but an obligation and no collation of propriety1 the law must determine who is to be first paid2 and whether the wife be supposed to run the hazard of gaining or losing with the husband3 and though the laws of several countries herein differ1 and some give the wife more propriety than others do1 yet must they in each place be conscientiously observed1 as being the rule of such propriety4 ,but we must see that there be no fraudulent intent in the transaction4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,may not a tradesman retain somewhat to set up again1 if his creditors be willing to compound for a certain part of the debt8 ,answ4 ,if he truly acquaint them with his whole estate1 and they voluntarily allow him part to himself1 either in charity1 or in hope hereafter to be satisfied1 this is no unlawful course2 but if he hide part from them1 and make them believe that the rest is all1 this is but a thievish procurement of their composition or consent4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,may a borrower lawfully break his day of promised payment1 in case of necessity8 ,answ4 ,true necessity hath no law3 that is1 a man is not bound to do things naturally impossible2 but if he might have foreseen that necessity1 or the doubtfulness of his payment at the day1 it was his sin to promise it1 unless he put in some limitation1 ,if ,i be able1 and acquainted the lender with the uncertainty4 ,however it be1 when the time is come1 he ought to go to his creditor1 and tell him of his necessity1 and desire further time1 and endeavour to pay it as soon as he is able3 and if he be not able1 to make him what satisfaction he can1 by his labour1 or any other lawful way4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,may ,i borrow of one to pay another1 to keep my day with the first8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if you deal not fraudulently with the second1 but are able to pay him1 or acquaint him truly with your case4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,suppose that ,i have no probability of paying the last creditor1 may ,i borrow of one to pay another1 and so live upon borrowing2 or must ,i rather continue in one man's debt8 ,answ4 ,if you truly acquaint your creditors with your state1 you may do as is most to your convenience4 ,if the first creditor be able and willing rather to trust you longer1 than that you should borrow of another to pay him1 you may continue his debtor1 till you can pay him without borrowing1 but if he be either poor or unwilling to bear with you1 and another that is able be willing to venture1 you may better borrow of another to pay him4 ,but if they be all equally unwilling to stand to any hazard by you1 then you must rather continue in the first man's debt1 because if you wrong another you will commit another sin3 nay1 you cannot borrow in such a case1 because it is supposed that the other will not lend1 when he knoweth your case4 ,and you must not at all conceal it from him4 ,object4 ,but it may be my ruin to open my full state to another4 ,answ4 ,you must not live upon cheating and thievery to prevent your ruin3 and what can it be less to get another man's money against his will1 if you hide your case1 which if he knew he would not lend it you4 ,object4 ,but what if ,i tell him plainly1 that ,i will pay him certainly by borrowing of another1 though ,i cannot pay him for mine own1 and though ,i be not like to pay the last8 ,answ4 ,if you truly thus open your case to every one that you borrow of1 you may take it1 if they will lend it2 for then you have their consent3 and it is supposed1 that every one is willing to run the hazard of being the last creditor4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,may ,i lend upon pledges1 pawns1 or mortgages for my security8 ,answ4 ,yes1 so you take not that from a poor man for a pledge1 which is necessary to his livelihood and maintenance3 as the bed which he should lie on1 the clothes which he should wear1 or the tools which he should work with2 and be not cruel on pretence of mercy4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may ,i take the forfeiture and keep a pledge or mortgage upon covenants8 ,answ4 ,if it be among merchants and rich men1 an act of merchandise1 and not of mere security for money lent1 then it is another case3 as if they make a bargain thus1 ,take this jewel or this land for your money2 and it shall be yours if ,i pay you not at such a day3 ,i am willing to stand to the hazard of uncertainty2 if ,i pay you not1 suppose it is for my own commodity1 and not through disability4 ,in this case it is lawful to take the forfeiture1 or detain the thing4 ,but if it be properly but a pledge to secure the money1 then the final intent is but that your money may be repaid2 and you may not take the advantage of breaking a day1 to take that from another which is none of your own4 ,justice will allow you only to take so much as your money came to1 and to give the overplus 7if there be any7 to the debtor4 ,and mercy will require you rather to forgive the debt1 than to keep a pledge which he cannot spare1 but to his ruin and misery1 7as his food1 his raiment1 his tools1 his house1 c47 unless you be in as great necessity as he4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,may ,i take the bond or promise of a third person as security for my money8 ,answ4 ,yes1 in case that other be able and willing to be responsible2 for you have his own consent2 but great caution should be used1 that you take no man that is insufficient1 from whom mercy forbiddeth you to take it1 in case the principal debtor fail2 unless you take his suretiship but in terrorem1 resolving not to take it of him3 and also that you faithfully tell the sureties that you must require it of them in case of non-payment1 and therefore try whether indeed they are truly willing to pay it3 for if they be such as truly presume that you will not take it of them1 or will take it ill to be sued for it1 you should not take their suretiship1 unless you purpose not to seek it 7except in necessity74 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,is it lawful to lend upon usury1 interest1 or increase8 ,answ4 ,this controversy hath so many full treatises written on it1 that ,i cannot expect that so few words as ,i must lay out upon it should satisfy the studious reader4 ,all the disputes about the name of usury ,i pass by2 it being1 ,the receiving any additional gain as due for money lent1 which is commonly meant by the word1 and which we mean in the question4 ,for the questions1 ,whether we may bargain for it1 or tie the debtor to pay it8 ,whether we may take it after his gain as partaking in it1 or before8 ,whether we must partake also in the loss1 if the debtor be a loser8 with other such like1 are but subsequent to the main question1 ,whether any gain 7called use7 may be taken by the lender as his due for the money lent8 ,my judgment is as followeth4 ,i4 ,there is some such gain or usury lawful and commendable4 ,,ii4 ,there is some such gain or usury unlawful and a heinous sin4 ,i shall first give my reasons of the first proposition4 ,i4 ,if all usury be forbidden it is either by the law of nature1 or by some positive law of supernatural revelation3 if the latter1 it is either by some law of ,moses1 or by some law of ,christ3 if the former1 it is either as against the rule of piety to ,god1 or against justice or charity to men4 ,that which is neither a violation of the natural laws of piety1 justice1 or charity2 nor against the supernaturally revealed laws of ,moses or of ,christ1 is not unlawful4 ,but there is some usury which is against none of all these2 ergo there is some usury which is not unlawful4 ,i will first lay you down the instances of such usury1 and then prove it4 ,there is a parcel of land to be sold for a thousand pounds1 which is worth forty pounds per annum1 and hath wood on it worth a thousand pounds 7some such things we have known73 ,john ,n4 is willing to purchase it2 but he hath a poor neighbour1 ,t4 ,s4 that hath no money1 but a great desire of the bargain4 ,j4 ,n4 loving his neighbour as himself1 and desiring his wealth1 lendeth him the thousand pounds upon usury for one year4 ,t4 ,s4 buyeth the land1 and selleth the wood for the same money1 and repayeth it in a year1 and so hath all the land for almost nothing2 as if ,j4 ,n4 had purchased the land and freely given it him1 after a year or two2 the gift had been the same4 ,object4 ,here you suppose the seller wronged by selling his land almost for nothing4 ,answ4 #a4 ,that is nothing at all to the present case1 but a different case by itself4 #b4 ,i can put many cases in which such a sale may be made without any wrong to the seller3 as when it is done by some prince1 or state1 or noble and liberal person1 purposely designing the enriching of the subjects1 or after a war1 as lately in ,ireland4 ,so that the question is1 whether ,j4 ,n4 may not give ,t4 ,s4 a thousand or eight hundred pounds' worth of land1 taking a year's rent first out of the land1 or a year's use for the money1 which cometh to the same sum4 ,another3 a rich merchant trading into the ,east ,indies1 having five thousand pounds to lay out upon his commodities in traffic1 when he hath laid out four thousand five hundred pounds1 lendeth in charity the other five hundred pounds to one of his servants to lay out upon a commodity1 which when it cometh home will be worth two thousand pounds2 and offereth him to secure the carriage with his own2 requiring only the use of his money at six per cent4 ,here the taking of thirty pounds' use1 is but the giving him one thousand four hundred and seventy pounds1 and is all one with deducting so much of the gift4 ,another instance3 certain orphans having nothing left them but so much money as will by the allowed use of it find them bread and poor clothing2 the guardian cannot lay it out in lands for them2 and if he maintain them upon the stock1 it will be quickly spent1 and he must answer for it3 a rich man that is their neighbour tradeth in iron works1 7furnaces or forges17 or lead works1 or other such commodities1 in which he constantly getteth the double of the stock which he employeth1 or at least twenty pounds or forty pounds in the hundred2 the guardian dare not lend the money to any poor man1 lest he break and never be able to pay it2 therefore he lendeth it this rich man4 ,and if he have it without usury1 the poor orphans give the rich man freely twenty pounds or forty pounds a year1 supposing their stock to be a hundred2 if he take usury1 the rich man doth but give the poor orphans some part of his constant gain4 ,another instance3 in a city or corporation where there is a rich trade of clothing or making silks1 there is a stock of money given by legacy for the poor1 and intrusted into the hands of the richest of the city1 to trade with and give the poor the use of it3 and there is another stock left to set up young beginners1 who have not a stock to set up themselves2 on condition that they give the third part of their gain to the poor1 and at seven years' end resign the stock3 the question is1 ,whether the poor should be without this use of their money1 and let the rich go away with it8 or whether they may take it8 ,now ,i prove that such usury is not forbidden by ,god4 #a4 ,it is not forbidden us by the law of ,moses3 7#a47 ,because ,moses's law never did forbid it3 for1 #a4 ,it is expressly forbidden as an act of unmercifulness2 and therefore forbidden only to the poor and to brethren1 ,exod4 xxii4 #be2 ,lev4 xxv4 #cf1 #cg4 ,yea1 when the poor are not named1 it is the poor that are meant2 because in that country they did not keep up stocks for merchandise or trading1 but lent usually to the needy only3 at least the circumstances of the several texts show1 that it is only lending to the needy1 and not lending to drive on any enriching trades1 which is meant where usury is forbidden4#aeg #b4 ,and it is expressly allowed to be used to strangers1 ,deut4 xxiii4 #ai1 #bj1 to whom nothing unjust or uncharitable might be done2 only such a measure of charity was not required towards them as unto brethren4 ,and there were more merchants of strangers that traded with them in foreign commodities1 than of ,jews that fetched them home3 so that the prohibition of usury is in the law itself restrained only to their lending to the poor2 but in the prophets who do but reprove the sin1 it is expressed without that limitation1 partly because it supposeth the meaning of the law to be known1 which the prophets did but apply1 and partly because there was little or no lending used among the ,jews1 but to the needy as an act of charity4 7#b47 ,and if it had been forbidden in ,moses's law only1 it would not extend to christians now2 because the law of ,moses1 as such1 is not in force3 the matter of it is much of the law of nature indeed2 but as ,mosaical1 it was proper to the ,jews and proselytes1 or at least extended not to the christian gentiles2 as is plain in #b ,cor4 iii4 #g2 ,gal4 iii4 #ai1 #bd2 v4 #c2 ,ephes4 ii4 #ae2 #a ,tim4 i4 #g2 ,heb4 vii4 #ab1 #af1 #ai4 ,moses's law as such never bound any other nations1 but the proselytes that joined themselves to the ,jews 7nor was all the world obliged so to be proselyted as to take up their laws73 much less do they bind us that are the servants of ,christ1 so long after the dissolution of their commonwealth4 ,so much of them as are part of the law of nature1 or of any positive law of ,christ1 or of the civil law of any state1 are binding as they are such natural1 christian1 or civil laws4 ,but not one of them as ,mosaical3 though the ,mosaical law is of great use to help us to understand the law of nature in many particular instances1 in which it is somewhat difficult to us4 #b4 ,there is no positive law of ,christ forbidding all usury3 as for ,luke vi4 #cb1 #ce1 it is plainly nothing to the case2 for he saith not1 ,lend1 looking for no gain or increase1 but looking for nothing again4 ,and the context showeth that the meaning must be one of these two2 either1 q4 d4 ,lend not only to them that will lend to you again when you are in want2 but even to the poor1 that you can never hope to borrow of2 or else1 ,lend not only to them that are able to pay you1 and where your stock is secured1 but to the needy where your money is hazarded2 and though they will pay you if they are able1 yet you have little or no hope that ever they should be able to repay3 lend so1 as to be willing to make a gift of it in case the borrower never repay it4 ,and there is no other text that can be pretended against it in the ,new ,testament4 #c4 ,and that the law of nature doth not forbid all usury1 will appear by examining the several parts of it4 ,the law of nature forbiddeth but three sorts of sins3 #a4 ,those that are against piety to ,god4 #b4 ,those that are against our own welfare4 #c4 ,those that are against our neighbour's good3 and that is1 #a4 ,against justice4 #b4 ,against charity4 ,there is none that falleth not under some of these heads4 #a4 ,and that usury is not naturally evil as against piety to ,god2 #b4 ,or as against ourselves1 and our own welfare2 ,i need not prove1 because no reason nor reasonable person doth lay any such accusation against it4 ,though they that think it absolutely unlawful1 say that it is consequently against ,god1 as every violation of his law is4 ,but that is nothing to the case4 #c4 ,therefore there is no doubt but the whole controversy is resolved into this last question1 ,whether all usury be against justice or charity to our neighbour8 ,justice obligeth me to give him his own2 charity obligeth me to give him more than his own1 in certain cases1 as one that love him as myself4 ,that which is not against justice1 may be against charity2 but that which is against charity1 is not always against justice strictly taken4 ,and that which is an act of true charity1 is never against justice2 because he that giveth his neighbour more than his own1 doth give him his own and more4 ,there is a usury which is against justice and charity2 there is a usury which is against charity1 but not against mere justice2 and there is a usury which is against neither justice nor charity4 ,if ,i prove it charitable it is superfluous to say more4 ,all the instances before given are notoriously charitable4 ,that which is for the preservation of the lives and comforts of the poor1 and of orphans1 or for the enriching of my neighbour1 is an act of charity2 but such is some usury1 past all doubt1 as is before declared4 ,where the contrary is an act of cruelty1 the usury is not against charity1 but for it4 ,for the rich to deny to the poor and orphans a part of that gain1 which they make by the improvement of their own money1 is oppression and cruelty2 if it be cruel to let a beggar die or starve1 when we should feed and clothe him of our own2 much more to let the poor and orphans starve and perish rather than give them the increase of their own1 or part of it at least4 ,as for them that say1 ,it may be as well improved otherwise1 they are unexperienced men2 it is a known falsehood as to the most1 though some few may meet with such opportunities4 ,at least it is nothing to them that cannot have other ways of improving it2 who are very many4 ,moreover1 when it is not an act of charity1 yet it may be not against charity in these cases3 #a4 ,when the lender is poor and the borrower rich2 yea1 it may be a sin to lend it freely4 ,he that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches1 and he that gives to the rich1 shall surely come to want1 ,prov4 xxii4 #af4 ,it is a giving to the rich to lend freely that money which they improve to the increase of their riches4 #b4 ,when the lender is not obliged to that act of charity1 though the borrower be poorer than himself4 ,which falleth out in a hundred cases2 and may be comprised under this one general1 ,when the lender is obliged to expend that same money in some other greater1 better work3 as at the same time while a man that is worth but twenty pounds a year1 is in debt to a man that hath a thousand pounds a year1 there may be a hundred or a thousand poor people worth nothing1 ready to perish1 whom the rich is rather bound to succour1 than him that hath but twenty pounds a year4 ,and there may be works of piety 7as to set up a school1 or promote the preaching of the gospel7 which may be as great as either4 ,and the richest that is1 cannot do all the good that is to be done1 nor relieve all the persons that are in want2 therefore when he must leave much undone1 if he would give all his substance1 it is 7cteris paribus7 a sin1 to give that to a man that can make shift without it1 and pass by a hundred in much deeper necessity and distress2 so that he who either exerciseth charity in his usury1 or doth nothing against charity and justice1 certainly sinneth not by that usury4 ,for all the scriptures which speak against usury1 speak against it as a cruel or uncharitable thing4 ,object4 ,but it is sometimes necessary for a law to forbid that which otherwise would be good1 when it cannot be done1 without encouraging others to a greater evil2 such as ordinary usury is2 and then that law must be observed4 ,answ4 ,this is true in thesi1 that such cases there are2 but it is unproved and untrue in this case2 for1 #a4 ,there is no such law4 #b4 ,there is no such reason or necessity of such a law4 ,for ,god can as well make laws against unrighteous or uncharitable increase or usury1 without forbidding that which is charitable and just1 as he can make laws against unrighteous or uncharitable buying or selling without condemning that which was good and just2 or as he can forbid gluttony1 drunkenness1 idleness1 pride1 without forbidding eating1 drinking1 apparel1 or riches4 ,he can easily tell men of whom and in what case to take use1 and when not4 ,he that would see all other objections answered1 and the case fully handled1 hath many treatises on both sides extant to inform him4 ,,ii4 ,that there is a sort of usury which is evil ,i know of no man that doubteth1 and therefore need not stand to prove4 ,quest4 ,when is usury sinful8 ,answ4 ,as is before said1 ,when it is against either justice or charity4 #a4 ,when it is like cheating bargaining1 which under pretence of consent and a form of justice doth deceive or oppress1 and get from another that which is not truly ours but his4 #b4 ,when you lend for increase where charity obligeth you to lend freely2 even as it is a sin to lend expecting your own again1 when charity obligeth you to give it4 #c4 ,when you uncharitably exact that which your brother is disabled utterly to pay1 and use cruelty to procure it 7be it the use or the principal74 #d4 ,when you allow him not such a proportion of the gain as his labour1 hazard1 or poverty doth require2 but because the money is yours1 will live at ease upon his labours4 #e4 ,when in case of his losses you rigorously exact your due without that abatement1 or forgiving debts1 7whether use or principal17 which humanity and charity require4 ,in a word1 when you are selfish1 and do not as1 according to true judgment1 you may desire to be done by1 if you were in his case4 ,quest4 ,but when am ,i bound to exercise this charity in not taking use8 ,answ4 ,as ,i said before1 #a4 ,whenever you have no more urgent1 and necessary1 and excellent work1 to lay out that money on1 which you are so to receive4 #b4 ,yea1 though another work may be in itself better1 7as to relieve many poorer1 better men with that money17 yet when you cannot take it1 without the utter undoing of the debtor1 and bringing him into as bad a case1 as any single person whom you would relieve1 it is the safer side to leave the other unrelieved1 7unless it be a person on whom the public good much dependeth17 rather than to extort your own from such a one to give another4 ,because that which you cannot get without a scandalous appearance of cruelty1 is quoad jus in re not yours to give1 till you can better get possession of it2 and therefore ,god will not expect that you should give it to another4 ,in all this ,i imply that as you must prefer the lives of others in giving alms1 before your own conveniences and comforts1 and must not say1 ,i cannot spare it1 when your necessity may spare it1 though not your pleasure2 so also in taking use of those that you are bound to show charity to1 the same rule and proportions must be observed in your charity4 ,note also1 that in all this it appeareth1 that the case is but gradually different1 between taking the use and taking the principal4 ,for when the reason for remitting is the same1 you are as well bound to remit the principal as the use4 ,but this difference there is1 that many a man of low estate may afford to lend freely to a poorer man for a little time1 who cannot afford to give it4 ,and prudence may direct us to choose one man to lend freely to for a time1 because of his sudden necessity1 when yet another is fitter to give it to4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,is lending a duty8 ,if so1 must ,i lend to all that ask me1 or to whom8 ,answ4 ,lending is a duty1 when we have it1 and our brother's necessity requireth it1 and true prudence telleth us1 that we have no better way to lay it out1 which is inconsistent with that4 ,and therefore rich men ordinarily should both lend and give as prudence shall direct4 ,but there is an imprudent and so a sinful lending3 as1 #a4 ,when you will lend that which is another's1 and you have no power to lend4 #b4 ,when you lend that which you must needs require again1 while you might easily foresee that the borrower is not like to pay4 ,lend nothing but what you have either great probability will be repaid1 or else which you are willing to give in case the debtor cannot or will not pay2 or at least when suing for it will not have scandalous and worse effects than not lending4 ,for it is very ordinary when you come to demand it and sue for it1 to stir up the hatred of the debtor against you1 and to make him your enemy1 and to break his charity by your imprudent charity2 in such a case1 if you are obliged to relieve him1 give him so much as you can spare1 rather than lend him that which you cannot spare1 but must sue for4 ,in such cases1 if charity go not without prudence1 nor prudence without charity1 you may well enough see when to lend1 and how much4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,is it lawful to take upon usury in necessity1 when the creditor doth unjustly or unmercifully require it8 ,answ4 ,not in case that the consequents 7by encouraging sin or otherwise7 be like to do more hurt1 than the money will do you good4 ,else1 it is lawful when it is for your benefit2 as it is lawful to take part of your wages for your work1 or part of the worth of your commodity1 when you cannot have the whole2 and as it is lawful to purchase your rights of an enemy1 or your life of a thief2 as is aforesaid4 ,a man may buy his own benefit of an unrighteous man4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,doth not contracting for a certain sum of gain1 make usury to be in that case unlawful1 which might lawfully be taken of one that is free8 ,answ4 ,yes1 in case that contracting determine an uncertain case without sufficient cause3 as if you agree1 that whether the borrower gain or lose1 and be poor or rich1 ,i will have so much gain2 that is1 whether it prove merciful or unmerciful1 ,i will have it4 ,but then in that case1 if it so prove unmerciful1 it may not be taken without contracting1 if freely offered4 ,no contract may tie the debtor to that which is against justice or charity2 and no contract may absolutely require that which may prove uncharitable2 unless there be a tacit condition or exception of such a case implied4 ,otherwise ,i see no scripture or reason1 why a contract altereth the case1 and may not be used to secure that increase which is neither unrighteous nor unmerciful3 it may be the bond of equity1 but not of iniquity4 ,as in case of a certain gain by the borrower1 a certain use may be contracted for2 and in case of uncertain gain to the borrower1 a conditional contract may be made4 ,yea1 in case of merchandise1 where men's poverty forbiddeth not such bargains1 ,i see not but it is lawful to sell a greater uncertain gain1 for a smaller certain gain2 and so to make the contracts absolute 7as ,amesius ,cas4 ,consc4 on this question showeth74 ,as all oppression and unmercifulness must be avoided1 and all men must do as they would 7judiciously7 be done by2 so it is a bad thing to corrupt religion1 and fill the world with causeless scruples1 by making that a sin which is no sin4 ,divines that live in great cities and among merchandise1 are usually fitter judges in this case1 than those that live more obscurely 7without experience7 in the country4 ,tit4 #e4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,lusory ,contracts4 ,quest4 #a4 ,is it lawful to lay wagers upon the credit or confidence of one another's opinions or assertions in discourse8 ,as e4 g4 ,i will lay you so much that ,i am in the right8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if these three things concur3 #a4 ,that the true end of the wager is1 to be a penalty to him that shall be guilty of a rash and false assertion1 and not to gratify the covetousness of the other4 #b4 ,that it be no greater a sum than can be demanded and paid1 without breach of charity1 or too much hurt to the loser 7as above the proportion of his error74 #c4 ,that it be no other but what both parties are truly willing to stand to the loss of1 if either of them lose1 and that beforehand they truly seem so willing to each other4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,is it lawful to lay wagers upon horseraces1 dogs1 hawks1 bear-baitings1 or such games as depend upon the activity of beast or man8 ,answ4 ,yes1 upon the two last expressed conditions2 and1 #c4 ,that it be not an exercise which is itself unlawful1 by cruelty to beasts1 or hazard to the lives of men1 7as in fencing1 running1 wrestling1 c4 it may fall out if it be not cautelously done17 or by the expense of an undue proportion of time in them1 which is the common malignity of such recreations4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may ,i lawfully give money to see such sports1 as bear-baitings1 stage-plays1 masks1 shows1 puppet-plays1 activities of man or beast8 c4 ,answ4 ,there are many shows that are desirable and laudable1 7as of strange creatures1 monsters1 rare engines1 activities1 c47 the sight of which it is lawful to purchase1 at a proportionable price2 as a prospect through one of ,galileo's tubes or such another1 is worth much money to a studious person4 ,but when the exercise is unlawful1 7as all stage-plays are that ever ,i saw1 or had just information of2 yea1 odiously evil2 however it is very possible that a comedy or tragedy might with abundance of cautions be lawfully acted17 it is then 7usually7 unlawful to be a spectator either for money or on free cost4 ,i say1 7usually17 because it is possible that some one that is necessitated to be there1 or that goeth to find out their evil to suppress them1 or that is once only induced to know the truth of them1 may do it innocently2 but so do not they1 who are present voluntarily and approvingly4 #c4 ,and if the recreation be lawful in itself1 yet when vain persons go thither to feed a carnal fancy and vicious humour1 which delighteth more in vanity1 than they delight in piety1 and when it wasteth their time and corrupteth their minds1 and alienateth them from good1 or hindereth duty1 it is to them unlawful4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,is it lawful to play at cards or dice for money1 or at any lottery8#aeh ,answ4 ,the greatest doubt is1 whether the games be lawful1 many learned divines being for the negative1 and many for the affirmative2 and those that are for the affirmative lay down so many necessaries or conditions to prove them lawful1 as ,i scarce ever yet saw meet together2 but if they be proved at all lawful1 the case of wagers is resolved as the next4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,may ,i play at bowls1 run1 shoot1 c4 or use such personal activities for money8 ,answ4 ,yes1 #a4 ,if you make not the game itself bad1 by any accident4 #b4 ,if your wager be laid for sport1 and not for covetousness 7striving who shall get another's money1 and give them nothing for it74 #c4 ,and if no more be laid than is suitable to the sport1 and the loser doth well and willingly pay4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,if the loser who said he was willing1 prove angry and unwilling when it cometh to the paying1 may ,i take it1 or get it by law against his will8 ,answ4 ,no1 not in ordinary cases3 because you may not turn a sport to covetousness1 or breach of charity2 but in case that it be a sport that hath cost you any thing1 you may in justice take your charges1 when prudence forbids it not4 ,tit4 #f4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,losing and ,finding4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,if ,i find money or any thing lost1 am ,i bound to seek out the owner1 if he seek not after me8 and how far am ,i bound to seek him8 ,answ4 ,you are bound to use such reasonable means1 as the nature of the case requireth1 that the true owner may have his own again4 ,he that dare keep another man's money1 because he findeth it1 it is like would steal1 if he could do it as secretly4 ,finding gives you no propriety1 if the owner can be found3 do as you would be done by1 and you may satisfy your conscience4 ,if nearer inquiry will not serve1 you are bound to get it cried in the market1 or proclaimed in the church1 or mentioned in the ,curranto's that carry weekly news1 or any probable way1 which putteth you not upon unreasonable cost or labour4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may ,i take any thing for the finding of it1 as my due8 ,answ4 ,you may demand so much as shall pay for any labour or cost which you have been at about it1 or finding out the owner4 ,but no more as your due2 though a moderate gratuity may be accepted1 if he freely give it4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may ,i desire to find money or any thing else in my way8 or may ,i be glad when ,i have found it8 ,answ4 ,you should first be unwilling that your neighbour should lose it1 and be sorry that he hath lost it2 but supposing that it be lost1 you may moderately desire that you may find it rather than another2 not with a covetous desire of the gain2 but that you may faithfully gratify the owner in restoring it1 or if he cannot be found may dispose of it as you ought4 ,and you should be more sorry that it is lost1 than glad that you find it1 except for the owner4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,if no owner can be found1 may ,i not take it and use it as mine own8 ,answ4 ,the laws of the land do usually regulate claims of propriety in such matters4 ,where the law giveth it to the lord of the manor1 it is his1 and you must give it him4 ,where it giveth it to no other1 it is his that findeth it2 and occupancy will give him propriety4 ,but so as it behoveth him to judge1 if he be poor1 that ,god's providence ordered it for his own supply2 but if he be rich1 that ,god sent it him but as to his steward1 to give it to the poor4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,if many be present when ,i find it1 may ,i not wholly retain it to myself2 or may ,i not conceal it from them if ,i can8 ,answ4 ,if the law overrule the case1 it must be obeyed2 but if it do not1 you may1 if you can1 conceal it1 and thereby become the only finder1 and take it as your own1 if the owner be not found3 but if you cannot conceal it at the time of finding1 they that see it with you1 are partly the finders as well as you2 though perhaps the largest share be due to the occupant4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,if ,i trust my neighbour or servant with money or goods1 or if another trust me1 who must stand to the loss if they be lost8 ,answ4 ,here also the law of the land as regulating proprieties must be very much regarded2 and especially the true meaning of the parties must be understood3 if it was antecedently the expressed or implied meaning that one party in such or such a case should bear the loss1 it must in strict justice be according to the true meaning of the parties4 ,therefore if a carrier that undertaketh to secure it1 loseth it1 he loseth it to himself4 ,or if one that it is lent to on that condition 7explicit or implicit7 lose it1 it is to himself4 ,but if a friend to whom you are beholden for the carriage1 lose it1 who undertook no more than to bestow his labour1 the loss must be yours2 yea1 though it was his negligence or drunkenness that was the fault2 for you took him and trusted him as he is4 ,but if a servant1 or one obliged to do it by hire1 do without any other agreement1 only undertake to serve you in it1 and loseth it1 the law or custom of the country is instead of a contract2 for if the law or custom lay the loss on him1 it is supposed that he consented to it in consenting to be your servant2 if it lay it on you1 it is supposed that you took your servant on such terms of hazard4 ,but if it be left undecided by law and custom1 you may make your servant pay only so much as is a proportionable penalty for his fault1 but no more1 as any satisfaction for your loss2 except you agreed with him to repay such losses as were by his default4 ,and when it is considered what strict justice doth require1 it must also be considered what charity and mercy do require1 that the poor be not oppressed4 ,tit4 #g4 ,directions to ,merchants1 ,factors1 ,chaplains1 ,travellers1 that live among ,infidels4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is it lawful to put oneself1 or servants1 especially young unestablished apprentices1 into temptations of an infidel country1 7or a popish17 for the getting of riches1 as merchants do8#aei ,answ4 ,this cannot be truly answered without distinguishing1 #a4 ,of the countries they go from4 #b4 ,of the places they go to4 #c4 ,of the quality of the persons that go4 #d4 ,of the causes of their going4 ,i4 ,some countries that they go from may be as bad as those that they go to1 or in a state of war1 when it is better to be absent1 or in a time of persecution1 or at least of greater temptation than they are like to have abroad4 ,and some are contrarily as a paradise in comparison of those they go to1 for holiness and helps to heaven1 and for peace and opportunities of serviceableness to ,god and the public good4 ,,ii4 ,some countries which they may go to1 may have as good helps for their souls as at home1 if not by those of the religion of the nation1 yet by christians that live among them1 or by the company which goeth with them2 or at least there may be no great temptations to change their religion1 or debauch them1 either through the civility and moderation of those they live among1 or through their sottish ignorance and viciousness1 which will rather turn men's hearts against them4 ,but some countries have so strong temptations to corrupt men's understandings through the subtlety of seducers1 and some have such allurements to debauch men1 and some such cruelties to tempt them to deny the truth1 that it is hard among them to retain one's innocency4 ,,iii4 ,some that go abroad are understanding1 settled christians1 able to make good use of other men's errors1 and sins1 and ill examples or suggestions1 and perhaps to do much good on others2 but some are young1 and raw1 and unexperienced1 whose heads are unfurnished of those evidences and reasons by which they should hold fast their own profession against the cunning reasonings of an adversary1 and their hearts are unfurnished of that love to truth1 and that serious resolution1 which is necessary to their safety1 and therefore are like to be corrupted4 ,,iv4 ,some are sent by their princes as agents or ambassadors on employments necessary to the public good2 and some are sent by societies on business necessary to the ends of the society2 and some go in case of extreme poverty and necessity1 having no other way of maintenance at home2 and some go in obedience to their parents and masters that command it them2 and some go to avoid the miseries of a war1 or the danger of a sharp persecution at home1 or the greater temptations of a debauched or seducing age1 or some great temptations in their families4 ,but some go for fancy1 and some for mere covetousness1 without need4 ,by these distinctions the case may be answered by men that are judicious and impartial4 ,as1 ,i4 ,affirm4 #a4 ,it is lawful for ambassadors to go among infidels1 that are sent by princes and states2 because the public good must be secured4 #b4 ,it is lawful for the agents of lawful societies or trading companies to go 7cteris paribus1 the persons being capable72 because trade must be promoted1 which tendeth to the common good of all countries4 #c4 ,it is not only lawful1 but one of the best works in the world1 for fit persons to go on a design to convert the poor infidels and heathens where they go4 ,therefore the preachers of the gospel should not be backward to take any opportunity1 as chaplains to ambassadors1 or to factories1 c4 to put themselves in such a way4 #d4 ,it is lawful for a son or servant 7whose bonds extend to such a service7 to go in obedience to a superior's command2 and ,god's special protection may be trusted in a way of obedience4 #e4 ,it is lawful for one in debt to go1 that hath probable hopes that way and no other to pay his debts4 ,because he is a defrauder if he detain other men's money1 while a lawful way of repaying it may be taken4 #f4 ,it is lawful for a duly qualified person to go in case of extreme poverty1 to be able to live in the world2 and that poverty may be called extreme to one that was nobly born and educated1 which would be no poverty to one that was bred in beggary4 #g4 ,it is lawful for a well qualified person1 who desireth riches to serve ,god1 and to do good with1 to go in a way of trading1 though he be in no poverty or necessity himself4 ,because ,god's blessing on a lawful trade may be desired and endeavoured1 and he that should do all the good he can1 may use what lawful means he can to be enabled to do it4 ,and other men's wants should be to us as our own1 and therefore we may endeavour to be able to relieve them4 #h4 ,in a time of such civil war1 when a man knoweth not which side to take1 it may be better for some men to live abroad2 yea1 among infidels4 #i4 ,there is little to dissuade a man whose trade leadeth him into a country that is better than his own1 or so sottish as to have small temptation1 and that hath the company of faithful christians1 with which he may openly worship ,god1 and privately converse to his spiritual edification4 #aj4 ,in urgent cases one may go for a time1 where he can have no use of public church worship1 so be it he have private means and opportunities of holy living4 #aa4 ,it is lawful on less occasions to leave one's own country in a time of debauchery1 when temptations at home are greater than those abroad1 or in a time of such persecution as may lawfully be avoided1 than at another time4 #ab4 ,a settled christian may go more safely1 and therefore lawfully1 on smaller urgencies1 than a young1 raw1 lustful1 fanciful1 unsettled novice may4 ,,ii4 ,neg4 #a4 ,it is not lawful for any one to seek riches or trade abroad or at home1 principally for the love of riches1 to raise himself and family to fulness1 prosperity1 or dignity3 though all this may be desired when it is a means to ,god's service and honour1 and the public good1 and is desired principally as such a means4 #b4 ,it is not lawful to go abroad1 especially into infidel or popish countries1 without such a justifiable business1 whose commodity will suffice to weigh down all the losses and dangers of the remove4 #c4 ,the dangers and losses of the soul are to be valued much above those of the body and estate1 and cannot be weighed down by any mere corporal commodity4 #d4 ,it is less dangerous usually to go among ,turks and heathens1 7whose religion hath no tempting power to seduce men17 than among ,socinians or papists1 whose errors and sins are cunningly and learnedly promoted and defended4 #e4 ,it is not lawful for merchants or others for trade and love of wealth or money1 to send poor raw1 unsettled youths into such countries where their souls are like to be notably endangered1 either by being deprived of such teaching and church helps which they need1 or by being exposed to the dangerous temptations of the place2 because their souls are of more worth than money4 #f4 ,it is not lawful therefore for master or servant to venture his own soul in such a case as this last mentioned2 that is1 so far as he is free1 and without necessity doth it only for commodity sake4 #g4 ,we may not go where we cannot publicly worship ,god1 without necessity1 or some inducement from a greater good4 #h4 ,the more of these hinderances concur the greater is the sin3 it is therefore a mere wilful casting away of their own souls1 when unfurnished1 unsettled youths 7or others like them7 shall for mere humour1 fancy1 or covetousness leave such a land as this1 where they have both public and private helps for their salvation1 and to go among papists1 infidels1 or heathens1 where talk or ill example is like to endanger them1 and no great good can be expected to countervail such a hazard1 nor is there any true necessity to drive them1 and where they cannot publicly worship ,god1 no1 nor openly own the truth1 and where they have not so much as any private company to converse with1 that is fit to further their preservation and salvation1 and all this of their own accord1 c4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may a merchant or ambassador leave his wife1 to live abroad8 ,answ4 #a4 ,we must distinguish between what is necessitated1 and what is voluntary4 #b4 ,between what is done by the wife's consent1 and what is done without4 #c4 ,between a wife that can bear such absence1 and one that cannot4 #d4 ,between a short stay1 and a long or continued stay4 #a4 ,the command of the king1 or public necessities1 may make it lawful1 except in a case so rare as is not to be supposed 7which therefore ,i shall not stand to describe74 ,for though it be a very tender business to determine a difference between the public authority or interest1 and family relations and interest1 when they are contradictory and unreconcilable1 yet here it seemeth to me1 that the prince and public interest may dispose of a man contrary to the will and interest of his wife2 yea1 though it would occasion the loss1 #a4 ,of her chastity4 #b4 ,or her understanding4 #c4 ,or her life3 and though the conjugal bond do make man and wife to be as one flesh4 ,for1 #a4 ,the king and public interest may oblige a man to hazard his own life1 and therefore his wife's4 ,in case of war1 he may be sent to sea1 or beyond sea1 and so both leave his wife 7as ,uriah did7 and venture himself4 ,who ever thought that no married man might go to foreign wars without his wife's consent8 #b4 ,because as the whole is more noble than the part1 so he that marrieth obligeth himself to his wife1 but on supposition that he is a member of the commonwealth1 to which he is still more obliged than to her4 #b4 ,a man may for the benefit of his family leave his wife for travel or merchandise1 for a time1 when they mutually consent upon good reason that it is like to be for their good4 #c4 ,he may not leave her either without or with her own consent1 when a greater hurt is like to come by it1 than the gain will countervail4 ,i shall say no more of this1 because the rest may be gathered from what is said in the cases about duties to wives1 where many other such are handled4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,is it lawful for young gentlemen to travel in other kingdoms1 as part of their education8#afj ,answ4 ,the many distinctions which were laid down for answer of the first question1 must be here supposed1 and the answer will be mostly the same as to that1 and therefore need not be repeated4 #a4 ,it is lawful for them to travel that are necessarily driven out of their own country1 by persecution1 poverty1 or any other necessitating cause4 #b4 ,it is lawful to them that are commanded by their parents 7unless in former excepted cases1 which ,i will not stay to name74 #c4 ,it is the more lawful when they travel into countries as good or better than their own1 where they are like to get more good than they could have done at home4 #d4 ,it is more lawful to one that is prudent and firmly settled both in religion1 and in sobriety and temperance1 against all temptations which he is like to meet with1 than to one that is unfurnished for a due resistance of the temptations of the place to which he goeth4 #e4 ,it is more lawful to one that goeth in sober1 wise1 and godly company1 or is sent with a wise and faithful tutor and overseer1 than to leave young1 unsettled persons to themselves4 #f4 ,in a word1 it is lawful when there is a rational probability1 that they will not only get more good than hurt1 7for that will not make it lawful17 but also more good than they could probably have other ways attained4 ,,ii4 ,but the too ordinary course of young gentlemen's travels out of ,england now practised1 ,i take to be but a most dangerous hazarding1 if not a plain betraying them to utter undoing1 and to make them afterwards the plagues of their country1 and the instruments of the common calamity4 ,for1 #a4 ,they are ordinarily sent into countries far worse and more dangerous than their own1 where the temptations are stronger than they are fit to deal with2 into some countries where they are tempted to sensuality1 and into some where they are tempted to popery or infidelity4 ,in some countries they learn to drink wine instead of beer2 and arising from the smaller sort to the stronger1 if they turn not drunkards1 they contract that appetite to wine and strong drink1 which shall prove 7as ,clemens ,alexandrinus calleth gluttony and tippling7 a throat-madness1 and a belly-devil1 and keep them in the sin of gulosity all their days4 ,and in some countries they shall learn the art of gluttony1 to pamper their guts in curious1 costly1 uncouth fashions1 and to dress themselves in novel1 fantastical garbs1 and to make a business of adorning themselves1 and setting themselves forth with proud and procacious fancies and affections1 to be looked upon as comely persons to the eyes of others4 ,in some countries they shall learn to waste their precious hours in stage-plays1 and vain spectacles1 and ceremonies1 attendances1 and visits1 and to equalize their life with death1 and to live to less use and benefit to the world than the horse that carrieth them4 ,in most countries they shall learn either to prate against godliness1 as the humour of a few melancholy fools1 and be wiser than to believe ,god1 or obey him1 or be saved2 or at least to grow indifferent and cold in holy affections and practices3 for when they shall see papists and protestants1 ,lutherans and ,calvinists1 of contrary minds1 and hear them reproaching and condemning one another1 this cooleth their zeal to all religion1 as seeming but a matter of uncertainty and contention4 ,and when they also see how the wise and holy are made a scorn in one country1 as bigots and ,hugonots1 and how the protestants are drunkards and worldlings in another country1 and how few in the world have any true sense and savour of sound and practical religion1 and of a truly holy and heavenly life1 7as those few they are seldom so happy as to converse with17 this first accustometh them to a neglect of holiness1 and then draweth their minds to a more low1 indifferent opinion of it1 and to think it unnecessary to salvation4 ,for they will not believe that so few shall be saved as they find to be holy in the world2 and then they grow to think it but a fancy and a troubler of the world4 ,and it addeth to their temptation1 that they are obliged by the carnal ends which drew them out1 to be in the worst and most dangerous company and places1 that is1 at princes' courts1 and among the splendid gallantry of the world2 for it is the fashions of the great ones which they must see1 and of which when they come home they must be able to discourse3 so that they must travel to the pest-houses of pomp1 and lust1 of idleness1 gluttony1 drunkenness1 and pride1 of atheism1 irreligiousness1 and impiety1 that they may be able to glory what acquaintance they have got of the grandeur and gallantry of the suburbs of hell1 that they may represent the way to damnation delectable and honourable to others1 as well as to themselves4#afa ,but the greatest danger is of corrupting their intellectuals1 by converse with deceivers where they come2 either infidels1 or juggling ,jesuits and friars3 for when those are purposely trained up to deceive1 how easy is it for them to silence raw and unfurnished novices1 7yea1 even when all their five senses must be captivated1 in the doctrine of transubstantiation76 ,and when they are silenced they must yield3 or at least they have deluding stories enough of the antiquity1 universality1 infallibility1 unity of their church1 with a multitude of lies of ,luther1 ,calvin1 ,zuinglius1 and other reformers1 to turn their hearts and make them yield4 ,but yet that they may be capable of doing them the more service1 they are instructed for a time to dissemble their perversion1 and to serve the ,roman pride and faction in a protestant garb and name4 ,especially when they come to ,rome1 and see its glory1 and the monuments of antiquity1 and are allured with their splendour and civilities1 and made to believe that all the reports of their inquisitions and cruelties are false1 this furthereth the fascination of unexperienced youths4 #b4 ,and usually all this while the most of them lay by all serious studies1 and all constant employment1 and make idleness and converse with the idle or with tempters1 to be their daily work4 ,and what a mind is like to come to1 which is but one half year or twelve months accustomed to idleness1 and to vain spectacles1 and to a pleasing converse with idle and luxurious persons1 it is easy for a man of any acquaintance with the world or with human nature to conjecture4 #c4 ,and they go forth in notable peril of their health or lives4 ,some fall into fevers1 and die by change of air and drinks3 some fall into quarrels in taverns1 or about their whores1 and are murdered4 ,some few prove so stedfast against all the temptations of the papists1 that it is thought conducible to the holy cause that they should be killed in pretence of some quarrel1 or be poisoned4 ,some by drinking wine do contract such sickness1 as makes their lives uncomfortable to the last4 ,and the brains of many are so heated by it1 that they fall mad4 #d4 ,and all this danger is principally founded in the quality of the person sent to travel2 which are ordinarily empty lads1 between eighteen and twenty-four years of age1 which is the time of the devil's chief advantage2 when naturally they are prone to those vices which prove the ruin of the most1 though you take the greatest care of them that you can4#afb #a4 ,their lust is then in the highest and most untamed rage4 #b4 ,their appetites to pleasing meats and drinks are then strongest4 #c4 ,their frolicsome inclinations to sports and recreations are then greatest4 #d4 ,and ignorant and procacious pride beginneth then to stir4 #e4 ,all things that are most vile and vain1 are then apt to seem excellent to them1 by reason of the novelty of the matter as to them1 who never saw such things before1 and by reason of the false esteem of those carnal persons1 to whose pomp1 and consequently to whose judgment1 they would be conformed4 #f4 ,and they are at that age exceedingly inclined to think all their own apprehensions to be right1 and to be very confident of their own conceptions1 and wise in their own eyes2 because their juvenile intellect being then in the most affecting activity1 it seemeth still clear and sure to them1 because it so much affects themselves4 #g4 ,but above all1 they are yet unfurnished of almost all that solid wisdom1 and settled holiness1 and large experience1 which is most necessary to their improvement of their travels1 and to their resistance of all these temptations4 ,alas6 how few of them are able to deal with a ,jesuit1 or hold fast their religion against deceivers6 ,if the very vices1 the ambition1 the carnal policies and pomps1 the filthiness and worldliness of the ,roman clergy1 did not become a preservative to men's minds against the temptations which would draw them to their way1 and if the atheism1 infidelity1 whoredoms1 and profaneness of papists did not become antidotes1 how few were like to return uninfected6 ,and because the ,jesuits know that they can never take this stumblingblock out of the way1 therefore too many of them have thought best to debauch those first whom they would proselyte1 and reconcile them first to plays1 and drunkenness1 and whoredoms1 that so the dislike of these may not hinder their reconciliation with the kingdom of ,rome2 yea1 that a seeming necessity of a priest's pardon1 may make it seem necessary to become their subjects4 ,and as unfurnished are these young travellers usually to resist the temptations to this sensuality1 lust1 and pomp1 as those of popery2 so that they are perfidiously sent into a pest-house1 when they are in the greatest disposition to be infected4 ,and if they come not home drunkards1 gluttons1 gamesters1 idle1 prodigal1 proud1 infidels1 irreligious1 or papists1 it is little thanks to those perfidious parents1 who thus perform their promise for them in baptism1 by sending them to ,satan's schools and university to be educated4 ,whereas if they were but kept to their due studies1 and under a holy government at home1 till they were furnished with sound religious knowledge1 and till they were rooted in holiness1 and in love to a pious1 sober life1 and till they had got a settled hatred of intemperance and all sin1 and till they had a map of the places1 persons1 and affairs of the world well imprinted on their minds by study and due information1 then necessary travel would be more safe2 and then they would be in a capacity to learn wisdom from other men's folly1 and virtue from other men's vice1 and piety from other men's impiety2 which novices are rather apt to imitate4 #e4 ,and in the mean time the loss of all the helps which they should have at home1 doth greatly tend to their destruction4 ,for they oft travel into countries1 where they shall have no public worship of ,god which is lawful1 or which they understand2 or if they have1 it is usually cold preaching and dull praying1 when they have need of the best1 and all too little4 ,and they have seldom such pious society to edify and quicken them by private converse1 as they have1 or might have1 here at home2 and seldom come into such well ordered1 religious families4 ,and if human nature be prone to infection by temptations1 and so averse to holiness1 that all means is too little1 and even in the best families folly and sensuality1 and a distaste of godliness1 often thrive2 7as unsown weeds overspread the garden1 where with great cost and labour only better things were sowed27 what then but sin and misery can be expected from those that by their own parents are banished from their native country 7not so well as into a wilderness1 but7 into the pestilent1 infected countries of the world4 ,i would ask those parents that plead for this crime and cruelty as a kindness2 are you no wiser or better yourselves than the company into which you send your children8 ,can you teach them and educate them no better1 nor give them better examples1 than they are like to have abroad8 ,can you set them on no better work1 for the improvement of their time8 ,if not1 why do you not repent of this your shame and misery1 and reform yourselves8 ,if you can1 why will you then betray your children8 ,or if you cannot1 are there no schools1 no learned and pious men1 no religious families and company at home1 in your own land1 where you might place them to better advantage1 than thus to expose them to the tempter8 ,undoubtedly there are2 and such as may be had at cheaper rates4#afc #f4 ,and it is not the smallest part of the guilt and danger1 that they are sent abroad without due oversight and conduct4 ,they that do but get them some sober or honest servant to attend them1 or some sober companion1 think they have done well2 whenas they had need of some divine or tutor of great learning1 piety1 prudence1 and experience1 whom they will reverence and obey1 that may take the oversight of them1 and be ready to answer any sophist that would seduce them4 ,but the charge of this is thought too great for the safety of their own children1 whom they themselves expose to a necessity of it4 ,i know that carnal minds will distaste all this1 and have objections enough against it1 and reasons of their own1 to make it seem a duty to betray and undo their children's souls1 and to break their promise made for them in baptism3 ,all this is but our preciseness3 they must have experience and know the world1 or else they will be contemptible tenebriones or owls6 ,whenever they go it will be a temptation1 and such they must have at home4 ,there is no other part of their age so fit1 or that can be spared1 and we must trust ,god with them wherever they are2 and they that will be bad1 will be bad in one place as well as another2 and many are as bad that stay at home4 ,and thus quos perdere vult ,jupiter hos dementat2 yea1 the poor children and commonwealth must suffer for such parents' sottish folly4 ,and well saith ,solomon1 ,the rich man is wise in his own conceit1 ,prov4 xxviii4 #aa4 ,and because it is not reason indeed but pride1 and the rich disease and carnality which is here to be confuted1 ,i shall not honour them with a distinct1 particular answer2 but only tell them1 ,if all companies be alike1 send them to ,bedlam or to a whorehouse4 ,if all means be alike1 let them be janizaries1 and bred up where ,christ is scorned3 if you think they need but little helps1 and little watching1 it seems you never gave them more4 ,and it is a pity you should have children1 before you know what a man is1 and how much nature is corrupted1 and how much is needful to its recovery4 ,and it is a pity that you dedicated them to ,god in baptism1 before you believed ,christ1 and knew what you did1 and engaged them to renounce the world1 the flesh1 and the devil1 under a crucified ,christ1 while you purposed like hypocrites to train them in the school and service of the world1 the flesh1 and the devil1 and in the contempt of the cross of ,christ1 or of a holy1 mortified life4 ,and if all ages be alike1 and novices be equal to experienced persons1 let the scholars rule their master1 and let boys be parliament men and judges1 and let them be your guides at home6 ,and if acquaintance with courtship and the customs of the world1 and the reputation of such acquaintance1 be worth the hazarding of their souls1 renounce ,god1 and give up your names to ,mammon1 and be not such paltry hypocrites1 as to profess that you believe the ,scriptures1 and stand to your baptismal vows1 and place your hopes in a crucified ,christ1 and your happiness in ,god's favour and the life to come4 ,and if the preaching of the gospel1 and all such religious helps1 be unnecessary to your unsettled children1 dissemble not by going to church1 as if you took them to be necessary to yourselves4 ,in a word1 ,i say as ,elias to the ,israelites1 ,why halt ye between two opinions8 ,if ,god be ,god1 follow him4 ,if the world be ,god1 and pride and sensuality and the world's applause be your felicity1 follow it1 and let it be your children's portion4 ,do you not see more wise1 and learned1 and holy1 and serviceable persons among us1 proportionably1 in church and state1 that were never sent for an education among the papists and profane1 than of such as were8 ,but ,i will proceed to the directions which are necessary to those that must or will needs go abroad1 either as merchants1 factors1 or as travellers4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,be sure that you go not without a clear warrant from ,god2 which must be 7all things laid together7 a great probability1 in the judgment of impartial1 experienced1 wise men1 that you may get or do more good than you were like to have done at home4 ,for if you go sinfully without a call or warrant1 you put yourself out of ,god's protection1 as much as in you is2 that is1 you forfeit it3 and whatever plague befalls you1 it will arm your accusing consciences to make it double4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,send with your children that travel1 some such pious1 prudent tutor or overseer as is afore described3 and get them or your apprentices into as good company as possibly you can4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,send them as the last part of all their education1 when they are settled in knowledge1 sound doctrine1 and godliness1 and have first got such acquaintance with the state of the world1 as reading1 maps1 and conversation and discourse can help them to3 and not while they are young1 and raw1 and uncapable of self-defence1 or of due improving what they see4 ,and those that are thus prepared1 will have no great lust or fancy to wander1 and lose their time1 without necessity2 for they will know1 that there is nothing better 7considerably7 to be seen abroad1 than is at home2 that in all countries1 houses are houses1 and cities are cities1 and trees are trees1 and beasts are beasts1 and men are men1 and fools are fools1 and wise men are wise1 and learned men are learned1 and sin is sin1 and virtue is virtue2 and these things are but the same abroad as at home3 and that a grave is every where a grave1 and you are travelling towards it1 which way ever you go4 ,and happy is he that spendeth his little time so1 as may do ,god best service1 and best prepare him for the state of immortality4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,if experience of their youthful lust and pride1 and vicious folly1 or unsettled dangerous state1 doth tell you plainly1 that your child or apprentice is unfit for travel1 venture them not upon it1 either for the carnal ornaments of education1 or for your worldly gain4 ,for souls that cost the blood of ,christ1 are more precious than to be sold at so low a rate2 and especially by those parents and masters that are doubly obliged to love them1 and to guide them in the way to heaven1 and must be answerable for them4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,choose those countries for your children to travel in1 which are soundest in doctrine and of best example1 and where they may get more good than hurt2 and venture them not needlessly into the places and company of greatest danger2 especially among the ,jesuits and friars1 or subtle heretics1 or enemies of ,christ4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,study before you go1 what particular temptations you are like to meet with1 and study well for particular preservatives against them all3 as you will not go into a place infected with the plague1 without an antidote4 ,it is no small task1 to get a mind prepared for travel4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,carry with you such books as are fittest for your use1 both for preservation and edification3 as to preserve you from popery1 ,drelincourt's and ,mr4 ,pool's small ,manual3 for which use my ,key for ,catholics1 and ,safe ,religion1 and ,sheet against ,popery may not be useless4 ,and ,dr4 ,challoner's ,credo ,ecclesiam ,catholicam is short and very strong4 ,to preserve you against infidelity1 ,vander ,meulin1 in ,latin1 and ,grotius2 and in ,english my ,reasons of the ,christian ,religion may not be unfit4 ,for your practice1 the ,bible and the ,practice of ,piety1 and ,mr4 ,scudder's ,daily ,walk1 and ,mr4 ,reyner's ,directions1 and ,dr4 ,ames's ,cases of ,conscience4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,get acquaintance with the most able reformed divines1 in the places where you travel2 and make use of their frequent converse1 for your edification and defence4 ,for it is the wisest and best men in all countries where you come1 that must be profitable to you1 if any4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,set yourselves in a way of regular study if you are travellers1 as if you were at home1 and on a course of regular employment if you are tradesmen1 and make not mere wandering and gazing upon novelties your trade and business2 but redeem your time as laboriously as you would do in the most settled life4 ,for time is precious1 wherever you be2 and it must be diligence every where that must cause your proficiency2 for place and company will not do it without your labour4 ,it is not a university that will make a sluggish person wise1 nor a foreign land that will furnish a sensual sot with wisdom3 ,clum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt4 ,there is more ado necessary to make you wise1 or bring you to heaven1 than to go long journeys1 or see many people4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,avoid temptations3 if you acquaint yourselves with the humours1 and sinful opinions1 and fashions of the time and places where you are1 let it be but as the ,lacedemonians called out their children to see a drunkard1 to hate the sin2 therefore see them1 but taste them not1 as you would do by poison or loathsome things4 ,once or twice seeing a folly and sin is enough4 ,if you do it frequently1 custom will abate your detestation1 and do much to reconcile you to it4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,set yourselves to do all the good you can to the miserable people in the places where you come4 ,furnish yourselves with the aforesaid books and arguments1 not only to preserve yourselves1 but also to convince poor infidels and papists4 ,and pity their souls1 as those that believe that there is indeed a life to come1 where happiness and misery will show the difference between the godly and the wicked4 ,especially merchants and factors1 who live constantly among the poor ignorant christians1 ,armenians1 ,greeks1 papists1 who will hear them2 and among heathens 7in ,indostan and elsewhere7 and ,mahometans 7especially the ,persians1 who allow a liberty of discourse74 ,but above all1 the chaplains of the several embassies and factories4 ,oh what an opportunity have they to sow the seeds of christianity among the heathen nations6 and to make known ,christ to the infidel people where they come6 ,and how heavy a guilt will lie on them that shall neglect it6 ,and how will the great industry of the ,jesuits rise up in judgment against them and condemn them6 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,the more you are deprived of the benefit of ,god's public worship1 the more industrious must you be1 in reading ,scripture and good books1 and in secret prayer and meditation1 and in the improvement of any one godly friend that doth accompany you to make up your loss1 and to be instead of public means4 ,it will be a great comfort among infidels1 or papists1 or ignorant ,greeks1 or profane people1 to read sound1 and holy1 and spiritual books1 and to confer with some one godly friend1 and to meditate on the sweet and glorious subjects1 which from earth and heaven are set before us2 and to solace ourselves in the praises of ,god1 and to pour out our suits before him4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,and that your work may be well done1 be sure that you have right ends2 and that it be not to please a ranging fancy1 nor a proud1 vain mind1 nor a covetous desire of being rich or high1 that you go abroad2 but that you do it purposely and principally to serve ,god abroad1 and to be able to serve him the better when you come home1 with your wit1 and experience1 and estates4 ,if sincerely you go for this end1 and not for the love of money1 you may expect the greater comfort4#afd ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,stay abroad no longer than your lawful ends and work do require3 and when you come home1 let it be seen that you have seen sin that you might hate it2 and that by the observation of the errors and evils of the world1 you love sound doctrine1 spiritual worship1 and holy1 sober1 and righteous living1 better than you did before2 and that you are the better resolved and furnished for a godly1 exemplary1 fruitful life4 ,one thing more ,i will warn some parents of1 who send their sons to travel1 to keep them from untimely marrying1 lest they have part of their estate too soon3 that there are other means better than this1 which prudence may find out3 if they would keep them low1 from fulness and idleness1 and bad company1 7which a wise1 self-denying1 diligent man may do1 but another cannot17 and engage them to as much study and business 7conjunct7 as they can well perform1 and when they must needs marry1 let it be done with prudent1 careful choice2 and learn themselves to live somewhat lower1 that they may spare that which their son must have3 this course would be better than that hazardous one in question4 #aef ,whether the consequent be good or hurt is like to be greater1 must be well considered4 #aeg ,exod4 xx4 #ba1 ,thou shalt neither vex a stranger1 nor oppress him4 ,exod4 xxiii4 #i1 ,thou shalt not oppress a stranger1 c4 ,so that usury to a stranger was no oppression4 #aeh ,of recreations1 see before4 #aei ,leg4 ,steph4 ,vinan4 ,pigh4 in ,hercule prodigo1 pag4 #acj-acb4 ,cui peregrinatio dulcis est1 non amat patriam3 si dulcis est patria1 amara est peregrinatio4 ,august4 #afj ,lege ,eurycic4 ,pateani ,orat4 #i4 #afa ,read ,bishop ,hall's ,quo ,vadis on this subject4 #afb ,peregrinatio levia tdia qudam animorum et veluti nauseas tollit3 non tollit morbos qui altius penetrarunt1 quam ut externa ulla medicina huc pertingat4 ,id4 ib4 #afc ,congressus sapientum confert prudentiam3 non montes1 non maria4 ,erasm4 #afd ,peregrinatio omnis obscura et sordida est iis quorum industria in patria potest esse illustris4 ,cicer4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,directions ,,against ,,oppression4 ,tit4 #a4 ,motives and ,directions against ,oppression4 ,oppression is the injuring of inferiors1 who are unable to resist1 or to right themselves2 when men use power to bear down right4 ,yet all is not oppression which is so called by the poor1 or by inferiors that suffer2 for they are apt to be partial in their own cause as well as others4 ,there may be injustice in the expectations of the poor1 as well as the actions of the rich4 ,some think they are oppressed1 if they be justly punished for their crimes2 and some say they are oppressed1 if they have not their wills1 and unjust desires1 and may not be suffered to injure their superiors3 and many of the poor do call all that oppression1 which they suffer from any that are above them1 as if it were enough to prove it an injury1 because a rich man doth it3 but yet oppression is a very common and a heinous sin4#afe ,there are as many ways of oppressing others1 as there are advantages to men of power against them4 ,but the principal are these following4 #a4 ,the most common and heinous sort is the malignant injuries and cruelties of the ungodly against men that will not be as indifferent in the matters of ,god and salvation as themselves2 and that will not be of their opinions in religion1 and be as bold with sin1 and as careless of their souls1 as they4 ,these are hated1 reproached1 slandered1 abused1 and some way or other persecuted commonly wherever they live throughout the world4 ,but of this sort of oppression ,i have spoken before4 #b4 ,a second sort is the oppression of the subjects by their rulers2 either by unrighteous laws1 or cruel executions1 or unjust impositions or exactions1 laying on the people greater taxes1 tributes1 or servitude1 than the common good requireth1 and than they are able well to bear4 ,thus did ,pharaoh oppress the ,israelites1 till their groans brought down ,god's vengeance on him4 ,but ,i purposely forbear to meddle with the sins of magistrates4 #c4 ,soldiers also are too commonly guilty of the most inhuman1 barbarous oppressions2 plundering the poor countrymen1 and domineering over them1 and robbing them of the fruit of their hard labours1 and of the bread which they should maintain their families with1 and taking all that they can lay hold on as their own4 ,but 7unless it be a few that are a wonder in the world7 this sort of men are so barbarous and inhuman1 that they will neither read nor regard any counsel that ,i shall give them4 7,no man describeth them better than ,erasmus47 #d4 ,the oppression of servants by their masters ,i have said enough to before2 and among us1 where servants are free to change for better masters1 it is not the most common sort of oppression2 but rather servants are usually negligent and unfaithful1 because they know that they are free 7except in the case of apprentices74 #e4 ,it is too common a sort of oppression for the rich in all places to domineer too insolently over the poor1 and force them to follow their wills1 and to serve their interest be it right or wrong3 so that it is rare to meet with a poor man that dare displease the rich1 though it be in a cause where ,god and conscience do require it4 ,if a rich man wrong them1 they dare not seek their remedy at law1 because he will tire them out by the advantage of his friends and wealth2 and either carry it against them1 be his cause never so unjust1 or lengthen the suit till he hath undone them1 and forced them to submit to his oppressing will4 #f4 ,especially unmerciful landlords are the common and sore oppressors of the countrymen3 if a few men can but get money enough to purchase all the land in a country1 they think that they may do with their own as they list1 and set such hard bargains of it to their tenants1 that they are all but as their servants1 yea1 and live a more troublesome life than servants do3 when they have laboured hard all the year1 they can scarce scrape up enough to pay their landlord's rent2 their necessities are so urgent1 that they have not so much as leisure to pray morning or evening in their families1 or to read the ,scriptures1 or any good book2 nor scarce any room in their thoughts for any holy things3 their minds are so distracted with necessities and cares1 that even on the ,lord's day1 or at a time of prayer1 they can hardly keep their minds intent upon the sacred work which they have in hand4 ,if the freest minds have much ado to keep their thoughts in seriousness and order1 in meditation1 or in the worshipping of ,god2 how hard must it needs be to a poor oppressed man1 whose body is tired with wearisome labours1 and his mind distracted with continual cares1 how to pay his rent1 and how to have food and raiment for his family6 ,how unfit is such a troubled1 discontented person1 to live in thankfulness to ,god1 and in his joyful praises6 ,abundance of the voluptuous great ones of the world1 do use their tenants and servants but as their beasts1 as if they had been made only to labour and toil for them1 and it were their chief felicity to fulfil their will1 and live upon their favour4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,the principal means to overcome this sin1 is to understand the greatness of it4 ,for the flesh persuadeth carnal men to judge of it according to their selfish interest1 and not according to the interest of others1 nor according to the true principles of charity and equity2 and so they justify themselves in their oppression4 #a4 ,consid4 ,that oppression is a sin not only contrary to christian charity and self-denial1 but even to humanity itself4 ,we are all made of one earth1 and have souls of the same kind3 there is as near a kindred betwixt all mankind1 as a specifical identity2 as between one sheep1 one dove1 one angel1 and another3 as between several drops of the same water1 and several sparks of the same fire2 which have a natural tendency to union with each other4 ,and as it is an inhuman thing for one brother to oppress another1 or one member of the same body to set up a proper interest of its own1 and make all the rest1 how painfully soever1 to serve that private interest2 so it is for those men who are children of the same ,creator4 ,much more for them who account themselves members of the same ,redeemer1 and brethren in ,christ by grace and regeneration1 with those whom they oppress4 ,mal4 ii4 #aj1 ,have we not all one ,father8 ,hath not one ,god created us8 ,why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother1 by profaning the covenant of our fathers8 ,if we must not lie to one another1 because we are members one of another1 ,eph4 iv4 #be2 and if all the members must have the same care of one another1 #a ,cor4 xii4 #be2 surely then they must not oppress one another4 #b4 ,an oppressor is an antichrist and an antigod3 he is contrary to ,god1 who delighteth to do good1 and whose bounty maintaineth all the world2 who is kind to his enemies1 and causeth his sun to shine and his rain to fall on the just and on the unjust3 and even when he afflicteth doth it as unwillingly1 delighteth not to grieve the sons of men4#aff ,he is contrary to ,jesus ,christ1 who gave himself a ransom for his enemies1 and made himself a curse to redeem them from the curse1 and condescended in his incarnation to the nature of man1 and in his passion to the cross and suffering which they deserved3 and being rich and ,lord of all1 yet made himself poor1 that we by his poverty might be made rich4 ,he endured the cross and despised the shame1 and made himself as of no reputation1 accounting it his honour and joy to be the ,saviour of men's souls1 even of the poor and despised of the world4 ,and these oppressors live as if they were made to afflict the just1 and to rob them of ,god's mercies1 and to make crosses for other men to bear1 and to tread on their brethren as stepping-stones of their own advancement4 ,the ,holy ,ghost is the ,comforter of the just and faithful4 ,and these men live as if it were their calling to deprive men of their comfort4 #c4 ,yea1 an oppressor is not only the agent of the devil1 but his image3 it is the devil that is the destroyer1 and the devourer1 who maketh it his business to undo men1 and to bring them into misery and distress4 ,he is the grand oppressor of the world3 yet in this he is far short of the malignity of men-devils1 #a4 ,that he doth it not by force and violence1 but by deceit1 and hurteth no man till he hath procured his own consent to sin2 whereas our oppressors do it by their brutish force and power4 #b4 ,and the devil destroyeth men1 who are not his brethren1 nor of the same kind2 but these oppressors never stick at the violating of such relations4 #d4 ,oppression is a sin that greatly serveth the devil1 to the damning of men's souls1 as well as to the afflicting of their bodies4 ,and it is not a few1 but millions1 that are undone by it4 ,for as ,i showed before1 it taketh up men's mind and time so wholly1 to get them a poor living in the world1 that they have neither mind nor time for better things4 ,they are so troubled about many things1 that the one thing needful is laid aside4 ,all the labours of many a worthy1 able pastor1 are frustrated by oppressors3 to say nothing of the far greatest part of the world1 where the tyranny and oppression of heathen infidels and ,mahometan princes1 keepeth out the gospel1 and the means of life2 nor yet of any other persecutors3 if we exhort a servant to read the ,scriptures1 and call upon ,god1 and think of his everlasting state1 he telleth us that he hath no time to do it1 but when his weary body must have rest4 ,if we desire the masters of families to instruct and catechise their children and servants1 and pray with them1 and read the ,scriptures and other good books to them1 they tell us the same1 that they have no time1 but when they should sleep2 and that on the ,lord's day their tired bodies1 and careful minds1 are unfit to attend and ply such work3 so that necessity quieteth their conscience in their ignorance and neglect of heavenly things1 and maketh them think it only the work of gentlemen and rich men1 who have leisure 7but are further alienated from it by prosperity1 than these are by their poverty73 and thus oppression destroyeth religion1 and the people's souls as well as their estates4 #e4 ,oppression further endangereth both the souls of men1 and the public peace1 and the safety of princes1 by tempting the poor multitude into discontents1 sedition1 and insurrections4 ,every man is naturally a lover of himself above other3 and the poor1 as well as the rich and rulers1 have an interest of their own which ruleth them2 and they will hardly honour1 or love1 or think well of them by whom they suffer4 ,it is as natural almost for a man under oppression1 to be discontented and complain1 as for a man in a fever to complain of sickness1 heat1 and thirst4 ,no kingdom on earth is so holy and happy as to have all or most of the subjects such confirmed1 eminent saints1 as will be contented to be undone1 and will love and honour those that undo them4 ,therefore men must be taken as they are4 ,if oppression maketh wise men mad1 ,eccles4 vii4 #g1 much more the multitude1 who are far from wisdom4 ,misery maketh men desperate1 when they think that they cannot be much worse than they are4 ,how many kingdoms have been thus fired 7as wooden wheels will be when one part rubbeth too hard and long upon the other76 ,yea1 if the prince be never so good and blameless1 the cruelty of the nobles and the rich men of the land1 may have the same effects4 ,and in these combustions1 the peace of the kingdom1 the lives and souls of the seditious1 are made a sacrifice to the lusts of the oppressors4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,consider with fear how oppression turneth the groans and cries of the poor to the ,god of revenge against the oppressors4 ,and go to that man that hath the tears and prayers of oppressed innocents1 sounding the alarm to the vindictive justice1 to awake for their relief4 ,and shall not ,god avenge his own elect1 which cry day and night to him1 though he bear long with them8 ,i tell you1 that he will avenge them speedily1 ,luke xviii4 #g1 #h4 ,the ,lord will be a refuge to the oppressed1 ,psal4 ix4 #i4 ,to judge the fatherless and the oppressed1 that the man of the earth may no more oppress1 ,psal4 x4 #ah4 ,the ,lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed1 ,psal4 ciii4 #f2 cxlvi4 #g4 ,yea1 ,god is doubly engaged to be revenged upon oppressors1 and hath threatened a special execution of his judgment against them above most other sinners3 partly as it is an act of mercy and relief to the oppressed2 so that the matter of threatening and vengeance to the oppressor1 is the matter of ,god's promise and favour to the sufferers3 and partly as it is an act of his vindictive justice against such as so heinously break his laws4 ,the oppressor hath indeed his time of power1 and in that time the oppressed seem to be forsaken and neglected of ,god2 as if he did not hear their cries3 but when his patience hath endured the tyranny of the proud1 and his wisdom hath tried the patience of the sufferers1 to the determined time2 how speedily and terribly then doth vengeance overtake the oppressors1 and make them warnings to those that follow them6 ,in the hour of the wicked and of the power of darkness ,christ himself was oppressed and afflicted1 ,isa4 liii4 #g1 and in his humiliation his judgment was taken away1 ,acts viii4 ,but how quickly did the destroying revenge overtake those bloody zealots1 and how grievous is the ruin which they lie under to this day1 which they thought by that same murder to have escaped6 ,solomon saith1 ,eccl4 iv4 #a1 he considered all the oppressions that are under the sun1 and behold the tears of such as were oppressed1 and they had no comforter2 and on the side of the oppressors there was power1 but they had no comforter4 ,which made him praise the dead and the unborn4 ,but yet he that goeth with ,david into the sanctuary1 and seeth the end of the oppressors1 shall perceive them set in slippery places1 and tumbling down to destruction in a moment1 ,psal4 xxxvii42 lxxiii4 ,the ,israelites in ,egypt seemed long to groan and cry in vain2 but when the determinate time of their deliverance came1 ,god saith1 ,i have surely seen the affliction of my people1 and have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters2 for ,i know their sorrows3 and ,i am come down to deliver them4--,behold1 the cry of the children of ,israel is come up unto me1 and ,i have also seen the oppression wherewith the ,egyptians oppress them1 ,exod4 iii4 #g-i4 ,deut4 xxvi4 #e1 #f1 ,the ,egyptians evil entreated us1 and laid upon us hard bondage1 and when we cried to the ,lord ,god of our fathers1 the ,lord heard our voice1 and looked on our affliction1 and our labour1 and our oppression4 ,see ,psal4 cvii4 #ci-db4 ,so ,psal4 xii4 #e1 #f1 ,for the oppression of the poor1 for the sighing of the needy1 now will ,i arise1 saith the ,lord2 ,i will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him 7or would insnare him74 ,thou shalt keep them1 ,o ,lord1 thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever4 ,trust not therefore in oppression1 ,psal4 lxii4 #aj4 ,for ,god is the avenger1 and his plagues shall revenge the injuries of the oppressed4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,remember what an odious name oppressors commonly leave behind them upon earth4 ,no sort of men are mentioned by posterity with greater hatred and contempt4 ,for the interest of mankind directeth them hereunto1 and may prognosticate it1 as well as the justice of ,god4 ,however the power of proud oppressors may make men afraid of speaking to their faces what they think1 yet those that are out of their reach1 will pour out the bitterness of their souls against them4 ,and when once death hath tied their cruel hands1 or any judgment of ,god hath cast them down1 and knocked out their teeth1 how freely will the distressed vent their grief6 and fame will not be afraid to deliver their ugly picture to posterity1 according to their desert4 ,methinks therefore that even pride itself should be a great help to banish oppression from the world4 ,what an honourable name hath a ,trajan1 a ,titus1 an ,antonine1 an ,alexander ,severus6 ,and what an odious name hath a ,nero1 a ,caligula1 a ,commodus1 a ,d',alva1 c46 ,most proud men affect to be extolled1 and to have a glorious name survive them when they are dead2 and yet they take the course to make their memory abominable2 so much doth sin contradict and disappoint the sinner's hopes6 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,be not strangers to the condition or complaints of any that are your inferiors4 ,it is the misery of many princes and nobles1 that they are guarded about with such as keep all the lamentations of their subjects and tenants from their ears2 or represent them only as the murmurings of unquiet1 discontented men2 so that superiors shall know no more of their inferiors' case than their attendants please2 nor no more of the reproach that falleth upon themselves4 ,their case is to be pitied2 but the case of their inferiors more 7for it is their own wilful choice which hath imprisoned their understandings1 with such informers2 and it is their unexcusable negligence1 which keepeth them from seeking truer information74 ,a good landlord will be familiar with the meanest of his tenants1 and will encourage them freely to open their complaints1 and will labour to inform himself who is in poverty and distress1 and how it cometh to pass2 that when he hath heard all1 he may understand whether it be his own oppression or his tenants' fault that is the cause3 when proud1 self-seeking men disdain such inferior converse1 and if they have servants that do but tell them their tenants have a good bargain1 and are murmuring1 unthrifty1 idle persons1 they believe them without any more inquiry1 and in negligent ignorance oppress the poor4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,mortify your own lusts and sinful curiosity1 which maketh you think that you need so much1 as tempteth you to get it by oppressing others4 ,know well how little is truly necessary6 and how little nature 7well-taught7 is contented with6 and what a privilege it is to need but little6 ,pride and curiosity are an insatiable gulf4 ,their daily trouble seemeth to them a necessary accommodation4 ,such abundance must be laid out on superfluous recreations1 buildings1 ornaments1 furniture1 equipage1 attendants1 entertainments1 visitations1 braveries1 and a world of need-nots1 7called by the names of handsomeness1 cleanliness1 neatness1 conveniences1 delights1 usefulness1 honour1 civilities1 comeliness1 c47 ,so much doth carnal concupiscence1 pride1 and curiosity thus devour1 that hundreds of the poor must be oppressed to maintain it2 and many a man that hath many score or hundred tenants who with all their families daily toil to get him provision for his fleshly lusts1 doth find at the year's end1 that all will hardly serve the turn1 but this greedy devourer could find room for more2 when one of his poor tenants could live and maintain all his family comfortably1 if he had but so much as his landlord bestoweth upon one suit of clothes1 or one proud entertainment1 or one horse1 or one pack of hounds4 ,i am not persuading the highest to level their garb and expenses equal with the lowest2 but mortify pride1 curiosity1 and gluttony1 and you will find less need to oppress the poor1 or to feed your concupiscence with the sweat and groans of the afflicted4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,be not the sole judge of your own actions in a controverted case2 but if any complain of you1 hear the judgment of others that are wise and impartial in the case4 ,for it is easy to misjudge where self-interest is concerned4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,love your poor brethren as yourselves1 and delight in their welfare as if it were your own4 ,and then you will never oppress them willingly2 and if you do it ignorantly1 you will quickly feel it and give over upon their just complaint2 as you will quickly feel when you hurt yourselves1 and need no great exhortation to forbear4 ,tit4 #b4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,oppression1 especially of ,tenants4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is it lawful for a mean man1 who must needs make the best of it1 to purchase tenanted land of a liberal landlord1 who setteth his tenants a much better pennyworth than the buyer can afford4 ,answ4 ,distinguish1 #a4 ,between a seller who understandeth all this1 and one that doth not4 #b4 ,between a tenant that hath by custom a half-title to his easier rent1 and one that hath not4 #c4 ,between a tenant that consenteth and one that consenteth not4 #d4 ,between buying it when a liberal man might else have bought it1 and buying it when a worse else would have bought it4 #e4 ,between a case of scandal and of no scandal4 ,and so ,i answer1 #a4 ,if the landlord that selleth it expect that the buyer do use the tenants as well as he hath done1 and sell it accordingly1 it is unrighteous to do otherwise 7ordinarily74 #b4 ,in many countries it is the custom not to turn out a tenant1 nor to raise his rent2 so that many generations have held the same land at the same rent2 which though it give no legal title1 is yet a half-title in common estimation4 ,in such a case it will be scandalous1 and infamous1 and injurious1 and therefore unlawful to purchase it with a purpose to raise the rent1 and to do accordingly4 #c4 ,in case that a better landlord would buy it1 who would use the tenant better than you can do1 it is not 7ordinarily7 lawful for you to buy it4 ,i either express or imply ordinarily in most of my solutions2 because that there are some exceptions lie against almost all such answers1 in extraordinary cases2 which the greatest volume can scarce enumerate4 ,but if1 #a4 ,it be the seller's own doing to withdraw his liberality so far from his tenants1 as to sell his land on hard rates1 on supposition that the buyer will improve it4 #b4 ,and if it be a tenant that cannot either by custom or any other plea1 put in a claim in point of equity to his easy-rented land4 #c4 ,and if as bad a landlord would buy it if you do not4 #d4 ,if it be not a real scandal3 ,i say if all these four concur2 #e4 ,or 7alone7 if the tenant consent freely to your purchase on these terms2 then it is no injury4 ,but the common course is1 for a covetous man that hath money1 never to consider what a loser the tenant is by his purchase1 but to buy and improve the land at his own pleasure2 which is no better than oppression4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may not a landlord take as much for his land as it is worth8 ,answ4 #a4 ,sometimes it is land that no man can claim an equitable title to hold upon an easier rent1 and sometimes it is otherwise1 as aforesaid1 by custom and long possession1 or other reasons4 #b4 ,sometimes the tenant is one that you are obliged to show mercy to2 and sometimes he is one that no more than commutative justice is due to4 ,and so ,i answer1 #a4 ,if it be an old tenant who by custom or any other ground1 can claim an equitable title to his old pennyworth1 you may not enhance the rent to the full worth4 #b4 ,if it be one that you are obliged to show mercy as well as justice to1 you may not take the full worth4 #c4 ,the common case in ,england is1 that the landlords are of the nobility or gentry1 and the tenants are poor men1 who have nothing but what they get by their hard labour out of the land which they hold2 and in this case some abatement of the full worth is but such a necessary mercy1 as may be called justice4 ,note still1 that by the full worth1 ,i mean1 so much as you could set it for to a stranger who expecteth nothing but strict justice1 as men buy and sell things in a market4 ,but1 #a4 ,if you deal with a tenant as rich or richer than yourself1 or with one that needeth not your mercy1 or is no fit object of it2 #b4 ,and if it be land that no man can by custom claim equitably to hold on lower terms1 and so it is no injury to another1 nor just scandal1 then you may lawfully raise it to the full worth4 ,sometimes a poor man setteth a house or land to a rich man1 where the scruple hath no place4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may a landlord raise his rents1 though he take not the full worth8 ,answ4 ,he may do it when there is just reason for it1 and none against it4 ,there is just reason for it when1 #a4 ,the land was much underset before4 #b4 ,or when the land is proportionably improved4 #c4 ,or when the plenty of money maketh a greater sum to be in effect no more than a lesser heretofore4 #d4 ,or when an increase of persons1 or other accident1 maketh land dearer than it was4 ,but then it must be supposed1 #a4 ,that no contract1 #b4 ,nor custom1 #c4 ,nor service and merit1 do give the tenant any equitable right to his better pennyworth4 ,and also that mercy prohibit not the change4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,how much must a landlord set his land below the full worth1 that he may be no oppressor1 or unmerciful to his tenants8 ,answ4 ,no one proportion can be determined of2 because a great alteration may be made in respect to the tenant's ability1 his merit1 to the time and place1 and other accidents4 ,some tenants are so rich1 as is said1 that you are not bound to any abatement4 ,some are so bad1 that you are bound to no more than strict justice and common humanity to them4 ,some years 7like the last1 when a longer drought than any man alive had known1 burnt up the grass7 disableth a tenant to pay his rent2 some countries are so scarce of money1 that a little abatement is more than in another place2 but ordinarily the common sort of tenants in ,england should have so much abated of the fullest worth1 that they may comfortably live on it1 and follow their labours with cheerfulness of mind1 and liberty to serve ,god in their families1 and to mind the matters of their salvation1 and not to be necessitated to such toil1 and care1 and pinching want1 as shall make them liker slaves than freemen1 and make their lives uncomfortable to them1 and make them unfit to serve ,god in their families1 and seasonably mind eternal things4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,what if the landlord be in debt1 or have some present want of money1 may he not then raise the rent of those lands that were underlet before8 ,answ4 ,if his pride pretend want where there is none1 7as to give extraordinary portions with his daughters1 to erect sumptuous buildings1 c47 this is no good excuse for oppression4 ,but if he really fall into want1 then all that his tenants hold as mere free gifts from his liberality1 he may withdraw 7as being no longer able to give74 ,but that which they had by custom an equitable title to1 or by contract also a legal title to1 he may not withdraw4 7,and yet all this is his sin1 if he brought that poverty culpably on himself2 it is his sin in the cause1 though1 supposing that cause1 the raising of his rent be lawful47 ,but it is not every debt in a rich man1 who hath other ways of paying it1 which is a true necessity in this case2 and if a present debt made it necessary only at that time1 it is better 7by fine or otherwise7 make a present supply1 than thereupon to lay a perpetual burden on the tenants1 when the cause is ceased4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,what if there be abundance of honest people in far greater want than my tenants are1 7yea1 perhaps preachers of the gospel17 and ,i have no other way to relieve them unless ,i raise my rents2 am ,i not bound rather to give to the best and poorest1 than to others8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if it were a case that concerned mere giving2 but when you must take away from one to give to another1 there is more to be considered in it4 ,therefore in these two cases at least you may not raise your tenants' rents to relieve the best or poorest whosoever3 #a4 ,in case that he have some equitable title to your land1 as upon the easier rent4 #b4 ,or in case that the scandal of seeming injustice or cruelty1 is like to do more hurt to the interest of religion and men's souls1 than your relieving the poor with the addition would do good 7which a prudent man by collation of probable consequents may satisfactorily discern73 but if it were not only to preserve the comforts1 but to save the lives of others in their present famine1 nature teacheth you to take that which is truly your own1 both from your tenants1 and your servant1 and your own mouths1 to relieve men in such extreme distress2 and nature will teach all men to judge it your duty1 and no scandalous oppression4 ,but when you cannot relieve the ordinary wants of the poor1 without such a scandalous raising of your rents as will do more harm than your alms would do good1 ,god doth not then call you to give such alms2 but you are to be supposed to be unable4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,may ,i raise a tenant's rent1 or turn him out of his house1 because he is a bad man2 by a kind of penalty8 ,answ4 ,a bad man hath a title to his own1 as well as a good man2 and therefore if he have either legal or equitable title1 you may not2 nor yet if the scandal of it is like to do more hurt1 than the good can countervail which you intend4 ,otherwise you may either raise his rent1 or turn him out1 if he be a wicked1 profligate1 incorrigible person1 after due admonition2 yea1 and you ought to do it1 lest you be a cherisher of wickedness4 ,if the parents under ,moses's law were bound to accuse their own son to the judges in such a case1 and say1 ,this our son is stubborn and rebellious2 he will not obey our voice2 he is a glutton and a drunkard2 and all the men of the city must stone him till he die1 to put away evil from among them1 ,deut4 xxi4 #ah-ba2 then surely a wicked tenant is not so far to be spared1 as to be cherished by bounty in his sin4 ,it is the magistrate's work to punish him by governing justice2 but it is your work as a prudent benefactor1 to withhold your gifts of bounty from him4 ,and ,i think it is one of the great sins of this age1 that this is not done1 it being one of the noblest means imaginable to reform the land1 and make it happy3 if landlords would thus punish or turn out their wicked1 incorrigible tenants it would do much more than the magistrate can do4 ,the vulgar are most effectually ruled by their interest1 as we rule our dogs and horses more by the government of their bellies than by force4 ,they will most obey those on whom they apprehend their good or hurt to have most dependence4 ,if landlords would regard their tenants' souls1 so much as to correct them thus for their wickedness1 they would be the greatest benefactors and reformers of the land2 but alas1 who shall first reform the landlords8 and when may it be hoped that many or most great men will be such8 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,may one take a house over another's head1 7as they speak17 or take the land which he is a tenant to1 before he be turned out of possession8 ,answ4 ,not out of a greedy desire to be rich1 nor coveting that which is another's2 nor yet while he is any way injured by it2 nor yet when the act is like to be so scandalous1 as to hurt men's souls more than it will profit your body4 ,if you come with the offer of a greater rent than he can give1 or than the landlord hath just cause to require of him1 to get it out of his hands by over-bidding him1 this is mere covetous oppression4 ,but in other cases it is lawful to take the house and land which another tenant hath possession of3 as1 #a4 ,in case that he willingly leave it1 and consent4 #b4 ,or if he unwillingly 7but justly7 be put out2 and another tenant must be provided against the time that he is to be dispossessed4 #c4 ,yea1 if he be unjustly put out1 if he that succeeded him have no hand in it1 nor by his taking the house or land do promote the injury1 nor scandalously countenance injustice4 ,for when a tenement is void1 though by injury1 it doth not follow1 that no man may ever live in it more3 but if the title be his that is turned out1 then you may not take it of another2 because you will possess another man's habitation4 ,but if it should go for a standing rule1 that no man may in any case take a house over another man's head1 7as country people would have it17 then every man's house and land must be long untenanted1 to please the will of every contentious or unjust possessor2 and any one that hath no title1 or will play the knave1 may injure the true owner at his pleasure4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,may a rich man put out his tenants1 to lay their tenements to his own demesnes1 and so lay house to house1 and land to land8 ,answ4 ,in two cases he may not3 #a4 ,in case he injure the tenant that is put out1 by taking that from him which he hath right to1 without his satisfaction and consent4 #b4 ,and in case it really tend to the injury of the commonwealth1 by depopulation1 and diminishing the strength of it4 ,otherwise it is lawful2 and done in moderation by a pious man may be very convenient2 #a4 ,by keeping the land from beggary through the multitudes of poor families that overset it4 #b4 ,by keeping the more servants1 among whom he may keep up a better order and more pious government in his own house1 7making it as a church17 than can be expected in poor families2 and his servants will 7for soul and body7 have a much better life1 than if they married and had families1 and small tenements of their own2 but in a country that rather wanteth people1 it is otherwise4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may one man be a tenant to divers tenements8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if it tend not1 #a4 ,to the wrong of any other2 #b4 ,nor to depopulation1 or to hinder the livelihood of others1 while one man engrosseth more than is necessary or meet2 for then it is unlawful4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,may one man have many trades or callings8 ,answ4 ,not when he doth1 in a covetous desire to grow rich1 disable his poor neighbours to live by him on the same callings1 seeking to engross all the gain to himself2 nor yet when they are callings which are inconsistent2 or when he cannot manage one aright1 without the sinful neglect of the other4 ,but otherwise it is as lawful to have two trades as one4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,is it lawful for one man to keep shops in several market towns8 ,answ4 ,the same answer will serve as to the foregoing question4 #afe ,in omni certamine qui opulentior est1 etiamsi accipit injuriam1 tamen quia plus potest1 facere videtur4 ,sallust4 in ,jugurth4 #aff ,psa4 cxlv42 ,matt4 v42 ,lam4 iii4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,cases ,,about1 ,,and ,,directions ,,against1 ,,prodigality ,,and ,,sinful ,,wastefulness4 ,because men's carnal interest and sensuality is predominant with the greatest part of the world1 and therefore governeth them in their judgment about duty and sin1 it thence cometh to pass that wastefulness and prodigality are easily believed to be faults1 so far as they bring men to shame or beggary1 or apparently cross their own pleasure or commodity3 but in other cases1 they are seldom acknowledged to be any sins at all2 yea1 all that are gratified by them1 account them virtues1 and there is scarce any sin which is so commonly commended2 which must needs tend to the increase of it1 and to harden men in their impenitency in it2 and verily if covetousness1 and selfishness or poverty1 did not restrain it in more persons than true conscience doth1 it were like to go for the most laudable quality1 and to be judged most meritorious of present praise and future happiness4 ,therefore in directing you against this sin1 ,i must first tell you what it is2 and then tell you wherein the malignity of it doth consist3 the first will be best done in the definition of it1 and enumeration of the instances1 and examination of each one of them4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,truly understand what necessary frugality1 or parsimony1 and sinful wastefulness are4 ,sidenote3 ,what necessary frugality is4 ,necessary frugality or sparing is an act of fidelity1 obedience1 and gratitude1 by which we use all our estates so faithfully for the chief ,owner1 so obediently to our chief ,ruler1 and so gratefully to our chief ,benefactor1 as that we waste it not any other way4 ,as we hold our estates under ,god1 as ,owner1 ,ruler1 and ,benefactor1 so must we devote them to him1 and use them for him in each relation3 and christian parsimony cannot be defined by a mere negation of active wastefulness1 because idleness itself1 and not using it aright1 is real wastefulness4 ,sidenote3 ,wastefulness1 what it is4 ,wastefulness or prodigality is that sin of unfaithfulness1 disobedience1 and ingratitude1 by which either by action or omission we mispend or waste some part of our estates to the injury of ,god1 our absolute ,lord1 our ,ruler1 and ,benefactor3 that is1 besides and against his interest1 his command1 and his pleasure and glory1 and our ultimate end4 ,these are true definitions of the duty of frugality and the sin of wastefulness4 ,inst4 ,i4 ,one way of sinful wastefulness is1 ,in pampering the belly in excess1 curiosity1 or costliness of meat or drink1 of which ,i have spoken1 chap4 viii4 part i4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,are all men bound to fare alike8 or when is it wastefulness and excess8 ,answ4 ,this question is answered in the foresaid chapter of gluttony1 part iv4 tit4 #a4 #a4 ,distinguish between men's several tempers1 and strength1 and appetites4 #b4 ,and between the restraint of want1 and the restraint of ,god's law4 ,and so it is thus resolved3 #a4 ,such difference in quantity or quality as men's health or strength1 and real benefit1 requireth1 may be made by them that have no want4 #b4 ,when want depriveth the poor of that which would be really for their health1 and strength1 and benefit1 it is not their duty who have no such want to conform themselves to other men's afflictions2 except when other reasons do require it4 #c4 ,but all men are bound to avoid real excess in matter1 or manner1 and curiosity1 and to lay out nothing needlessly on their bellies2 yea1 nothing which they are called to lay out a better way4 ,understand this answer1 and it will suffice you4 ,inst4 ,,ii4 ,another way of prodigality is by needless1 costly visits1 and entertainments4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what cost upon visits and entertainments is unlawful and prodigal8 ,answ4 #a4 ,not only all that which hath an ill original1 as pride or flattery of the rich1 and all that hath an ill end1 as being merely to keep up a carnal1 unprofitable interest and correspondency2 but also all that which is excessive in degree4 ,i know you will say1 ,but that is the difficulty1 to know when it is excessive4 ,it is not altogether impertinent to say1 when it is above the proportion of your own estate1 or the ordinary use of those of your own rank1 or when it plainly tendeth to cherish gluttony or excess in others3 but these answers are no exact solution4 ,i add therefore1 that it is excess when any thing is that way expended1 which you are called to expend another way4 ,object4 ,but this leaveth it still as difficult as before4 ,answ4 ,when in rational probability a greater good may be done by another way of expense1 consideratis considerandis1 and a greater good is by this way neglected1 then you had a call to spend it otherwise1 and this expense is sinful4 ,object4 ,it is a doubt whether of two goods it be a man's duty always to choose the greater4 ,answ4 ,speaking of that good which is within his choice1 it is no more doubt than whether good be the object of the will4 ,if ,god be eligible as good1 then the greatest good is most eligible4 ,sidenote3 ,whether a man is bound to prefer the greatest good4 ,object4 ,but this is still a difficulty insuperable3 how can a man in every action and expense discern which way it is that the greatest good is like to be attained8 ,this putteth a man's conscience upon endless perplexities1 and we shall never be sure that we do not sin2 for when ,i have given to a poor man1 or done some good1 for aught ,i know there was a poorer that should have had it1 or a greater good that should have been done4 ,answ4 #a4 ,the contrary opinion legitimateth almost all villany1 and destroyeth most good works as to ourselves or others4 ,if a man may lawfully prefer a known lesser good before a greater1 and be justified because the lesser is a real good1 then he may be feeding his horse when he should be saving the life of his child or neighbour1 or quenching a fire in the city1 or defending the person of his king3 he may deny to serve his king and country1 and say1 ,i was ploughing or sowing the while4 ,he may prefer sacrifice before mercy2 he may neglect his soul1 and serve his body4 ,he may plough on the ,lord's day1 and neglect all ,god's worship4 ,a lesser duty is no duty1 but a sin1 when a greater is to be done4 ,therefore it is certain1 that when two goods come together to our choice1 the greater is to be chosen1 or else we sin4 #b4 ,as you expect that your steward should proportion his expenses according to the necessity of your business1 and not give more for a thing than it is worth1 nor lay out your money upon smaller commodity1 while he leaveth your greater business unprovided for2 and as you expect that your servant who hath many things in the day to do1 should have so much skill as to know which to prefer1 and not to leave undone the chiefest1 whilst he spendeth his time upon the least3 so doth ,god require that his servants labour to be so skilful in his service1 as to be able to compare their businesses together1 and to know which at every season to prefer4 ,if christianity required no wisdom and skill1 it were below men's common trades and callings4 #c4 ,and yet when you have done your best here1 and truly endeavour to serve ,god faithfully1 with the best skill and diligence you have1 you need not make it a matter of scrupulosity1 perplexity1 and vexation2 for ,god accepteth you1 and pardoneth your infirmities1 and rewardeth your fidelity4 ,and what if it do follow1 that you know not but there may be some sinful omission of a better way8 ,is that so strange or intolerable a conclusion2 as long as it is a pardoned failing1 which should not hinder the comfort of your obedience8 ,is it strange to you that we are all imperfect8 and imperfect in every good we do1 even by a culpable1 sinful imperfection8 ,you never loved ,god in your lives without a sinful imperfection in your love2 and yet nothing in you is more acceptable to him than your love4 ,shall we think a case of conscience ill resolved1 unless we may conclude1 that we are sure we have no sinful imperfection in our duty8 ,if your servant have not perfect skill1 in knowing what to prefer in buying and selling1 or in his work1 ,i think you will neither allow him therefore to neglect the greater and better1 knowingly1 or by careless negligence1 nor yet would you have him sit down and whine1 and say1 ,i know not which to choose2 but you would have him learn to be as skilful as he can1 and then willingly and cheerfully do his business with the best skill1 and care1 and diligence he can1 and this you will best accept4 ,so that this holdeth as the truest and exactest solution of this and many other such cases3 ,he that spendeth that upon an entertainment of some great ones1 which should relieve some poor distressed families1 that are ready to perish1 doth spend it sinfully4 ,if you cannot see this in ,god's cause1 suppose it were the king's1 and you will see it3 if you have but twenty pounds to spend1 and your tax or subsidy cometh to so much2 if you entertain some noble friend with that money1 will the king be satisfied with that as an excuse8 or will you not be told that the king should have first been served8 ,remember him then1 who will one day ask1 ,have you fed1 or clothed1 or visited me8 ,matt4 xxv4 ,you are not absolute owners of any thing1 but the stewards of ,god2 and must expend it as he appointeth you4 ,and if you let the poor lie languishing in necessities1 whilst you are at great charges to entertain the rich without a necessity or greater good1 you must answer it as an unfaithful servant4 ,and yet on the other side1 it may fall out that a person of quality1 by a seasonable1 prudent1 handsome1 respectful entertainment of his equals or superiors1 may do more good than by bestowing that charge upon the poor4 ,he may save more than he expendeth1 by avoiding the displeasure of men in power3 he may keep up his interest1 by which if he be faithful1 he may do ,god and his country more service1 than if he had given so much to the poor4 ,and when really it is a needful means to a greater good1 it is a duty2 and then to omit it1 and give that cost to the poor1 would be a sin4 ,object4 ,but if this rule hold1 a man must never do but one kind of good2 when he hath found out the greatest1 he must do nothing else4 ,answ4 ,he must always do the greatest good3 but the same thing is not at all times the greatest good4 ,out of season and measure a good may be turned to an evil3 praying in its season is better than ploughing2 and ploughing in its season is better than praying1 and will do more good2 for ,god will more accept and bless it4 ,object4 ,therefore it seemeth the prudentest way to divide my expenses according to the proportion of others of my quality2 some to the poor1 and some to necessary charges1 and some to actions of due civility4 ,answ4 ,that there must be a just distribution is no question2 because ,god hath appointed you several duties for your expenses3 but the question is of the proportions of each respectively4 ,where ,god hath made many duties constantly necessary1 7as to maintain your own bodies1 your children1 to pay tribute to the king1 to help the poor1 to maintain the charges of the church17 there all must be wisely proportioned4 ,but entertainments1 recreations1 and other such after to be mentioned1 which are not constant duties1 may be sometimes good and sometimes sinful3 and the measure of such expenses must be varied only by the rule already laid down1 viz4 according to the proportion of the effect or good which is like to follow3 though the custom of others of the same rank may sometimes intimate what proportion will be suitable to that lawful end2 and sometimes the inordinate custom of others will rather tell one what is to be avoided4 ,therefore true prudence 7without a carnal bias7 comparing the good effects together1 which rationally are like to follow1 is the only resolver of this doubt4 ,which having so largely showed1 ,i shall refer you to it1 in the solution of many of the following questions4 ,inst4 ,,iii4 ,another way of sinful wasting is upon unnecessary1 sumptuous buildings4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,when is it prodigality to erect sumptuous edifices8 ,answ4 ,not when they are for the public good1 either in point of use1 or ornament and honour1 so be it no greater good be thereby omitted4 ,therefore it is not churches1 hospitals1 burses1 or common halls that ,i am speaking of4 ,nor when they are proportioned to the quality of the person1 for the honour of magistracy1 or for a man's necessary use4 ,but when it is for ostentation of a man's riches1 or rather of his pride1 and for the gratifying of a carnal1 irrational fancy2 and when a man bestoweth more upon buildings1 than is proportionable to his estate1 and to his better expenses2 and 7to speak more exactly7 when he bestoweth that upon his buildings1 which some greater service calleth for at that time2 it is then his prodigality and sin4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,here once for all let us inquire1 ,whether it be not lawful1 as in diet1 so in buildings1 recreation1 and other such things1 to be at some charge for our delight1 as well as for our necessities8 ,answ4 ,the question is thus commonly stated1 but not well2 for it seemeth to imply1 that no delights are necessary1 and so putteth things in opposition which are oft coincident4 ,therefore ,i distinguish1 #a4 ,of necessity3 some things are necessary to our being1 and some to our felicity1 and some but to our smaller benefits4 #b4 ,of delight3 some delight is sinful2 as gratifying a sinful humour or disposition3 some is unnecessary or wholly useless2 and some is necessary1 either to our greater or our lesser good4 ,and so the true solution is3 7#a47 ,the sinful delight of a proud1 a covetous1 a lustful1 a voluptuous mind1 is neither to be purchased or used4 7#b47 ,a delight wholly needless1 that is1 unprofitable1 is sinful if it be purchased1 but at the price of a farthing1 or of a bit of bread1 or of a minute's time2 because that is cast away which purchaseth it4 7#c47 ,a delight which tendeth to the health of the body1 and the alacrity of the mind1 to fit it for our calling and the service of ,god1 7being not placed in any forbidden thing17 may be both indulged and purchased1 so it be not above its worth4 7#d47 ,so far as delight in houses1 or sports1 or any creature1 tendeth to corrupt our minds1 and draw us to the love of this present world1 and alienate our hearts from heaven1 so far must they be resisted and mortified1 or sanctified and turned a better way4 7#e47 ,in the utensils of our duty to ,god1 usually a moderate1 natural delight1 is a great help to the duty1 and may become a spiritual delight3 as a delight in many books1 in the preacher's utterance1 in the melody of psalms1 in my study1 and its conveniences1 in my walk for meditation1 c4 ,and a delight in our food and recreations1 maketh them much fitter to cherish health1 and to attain their ends2 so it be not corrupt1 immoderate1 or abused to evil ends4 ,inst4 ,,iv4 ,another way of prodigality1 is in needless1 costly recreations4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,is all cost laid out upon recreations unlawful8 ,answ4 ,no3 but1 cteris paribus1 we should choose the cheapest1 and be at no needless cost on them2 nor lay out any thing on them which1 consideratis considerandis1 might be better bestowed4 ,but of this before4 ,inst4 ,v4 ,another way of prodigality is in over-costly apparel4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,what may be accounted prodigality in the costliness of apparel8 ,answ4 ,not that which is only for a due distinction of superiors from inferiors1 or which is needful to keep up the vulgar's reverence to magistrates4 ,but1 #a4 ,all that which is merely serviceable to pride1 or vain curiosity1 or amorous lust1 or an affectation to be thought more comely and beautiful than others4 #b4 ,all that which hath more cost bestowed on it1 than the benefit or end is worth4 #c4 ,or which hath that cost which should be rather laid out another way upon better uses4 ,the cheapest apparel must be chosen which is warm and comely1 and fittest to the right ends4 ,and we must come nearer those that are below our rank1 than those above it4 ,inst4 ,,vi4 ,also prodigality is much showed in the cost which is laid out for needless pomp and ostentation of greatness or curiosity1 in keeping a numerous retinue1 and in their gallantry1 and in keeping many horses1 and costly furniture1 and attendance4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,when is a costly retinue and other pompous furniture to be accounted prodigality8 ,answ4 ,not when they are needful to the honour of magistracy1 and so to the government of the commonwealth2 nor when it is made but a due means to some lawful end1 which answereth the cost4 ,but when it is either the fruits and maintenance of pride1 or exceedeth the proportion of men's estates1 or 7especially7 when it expendeth that which better and more necessary uses call for4 ,it is a most odious and enormous crime1 to waste so many hundred or thousand pounds a year in the vanities of pomp1 and fruitless curiosities1 and need-nots1 while the public uses of the state and church are injured through want1 and while thousands of poor families are racked with cares1 and pinched with necessities round about us4 ,inst4 ,,vii4 ,another way of prodigality is that which is called by many1 keeping a good house1 that is1 in unnecessary abundance1 and waste of meat and drink1 and other provisions4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,when may great housekeeping be accounted prodigality8 ,answ4 ,not when it is but a convenient work of charity to feed the poor1 and relieve the distressed1 or entertain strangers1 or to give such necessary entertainment to equals or superiors as is before described3 but when the truest relief of the poor shall be omitted1 7and it may be poor tenants racked and oppressed17 to keep up the fame and grandeur of their abundance1 and to seem magnificent1 and praised by men for great housekeepers4 ,the whole and large estates of many of the rich and great ones of the world goeth this way1 and so much is devoured by it1 as starveth almost all good works4 ,inst4 ,,viii4 ,another act of prodigality is cards and dice1 and other gaming2 in which whilst men desire to get that which is another's1 they lose and waste their own4 ,inst4 ,,ix4 ,another act of prodigality is giving over-great portions with children3 it being a sinful waste of our ,master's stock1 to lay it out otherwise than he would have us1 and to serve our pride and self-interest in our children instead of him4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,when may our children's portions be accounted prodigality or too great8 ,answ4 ,not when you provide for their comfortable living according to your estates1 and give them that due proportion which consisteth with the discharge of other duties3 but when all that men can get is thought little enough for their children2 and the business of their lives is to live in fulness themselves as long as they can1 and then to leave that to their posterity which they cannot keep themselves6 ,when this gulf of self-pampering and providing the like for children1 devoureth almost all that you can gather1 and the poor and other needful uses are put off with some inconsiderable pittance2 and when there is not a due proportion kept between your provision for your children1 and the other duties which ,god requireth of you4 ,psal4 xlix4 #g-i1 #aa1 #ac1 ,their inward thought is1 that their houses shall be perpetuated1 and their dwelling-places to generations3 they call their lands after their own names4--,this their way is their folly2 yet their posterity approve their sayings4 ,psal4 lxxiii4 #ab1 ,behold1 these are the ungodly who prosper in the world1 they increase in riches4 ,psal4 xvii4 #ad1 ,they have their portion in this life3--they are full of children1 7or their children are full17 and they leave the rest of their substance to their babes4 ,a parent that hath an heir1 or other children1 so wise1 religious1 and liberal1 as that they are like to be more charitable and serviceable to good uses1 than any other whom he can trust with his estate1 should not only leave such children sufficient for themselves1 but enable them as much as he can to do good2 for they will be more faithful trustees to him than strangers4 ,but a parent that hath but common and untrusty children1 should do all the good he can himself1 and what he would have done when he is dead1 he must commit to them that are more trusty1 and allow his children but their proper maintenance4 ,and parents that have debauched1 wicked1 ungodly children1 7such as ,god commanded them to cause to be put to death1 ,deut4 xxi47 should allow them no more than their daily bread1 if any thing at all 7which is their own to dispose of74 ,inst4 ,x4 ,also to be careless in many small expenses or losses1 because they are but little things1 and let any such thing be cast away1 is sinful prodigality4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,how far is it a duty to be frugal in small matters1 and the contrary a sin8 ,answ4 ,we must not overvalue any thing1 great or small2 nor be sparing out of covetousness2 nor yet in an imprudent way1 which seemeth to signify baseness and worldliness when it is not so2 nor must we be too thinking in bargaining with others1 when every penny which we get by it1 is lost to one that needeth it more4 ,but we must see that nothing of any use be lost through satiety1 negligence1 or contempt2 for the smallest part is of ,god's gifts and talents1 given us1 not to cast away1 but to use as he would have us2 and there is nothing that is good so small1 but some one hath need of it1 or some good use or other may be made of it4 ,even ,christ when he had fed thousands by a miracle1 yet commanded his disciples to gather up the broken bread or fragments1 that nothing be lost1 ,john vi4 #ab4 ,which plainly showeth that it is a duty which the richest man that is is not exempted from1 to be frugal1 and sin in the greatest prince to be wasteful of any thing that is good2 but this must not be in sordid covetousness1 but in obedience to ,god1 and to do good to others4 ,he is commendable who giveth liberally to the poor1 out of his abundance2 but he is much more commendable who is a good husband for the poor1 as worldlings are for themselves2 and frugally getteth and saveth as much as he can1 and denieth all superfluities to himself and all about him1 that he may have the more to give to pious and charitable uses4 ,inst4 ,,xi4 ,idleness also and negligence in our callings1 is sinful wastefulness and prodigality2 when either the pride of gentility maketh people think themselves too good to labour1 or to look after the matters of their families1 or slothfulness maketh them think it a life too toilsome for their flesh to bear4 ,prov4 xviii4 #i1 ,he that is slothful in his work1 is brother to him that is a great waster3 these drones consume that which others labour for1 but are no gatherers themselves4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,is every one bound to labour in a calling8 ,answ4 ,this is answered before in its due place1 part i4 ,every one that is able1 rich or poor1 must live in some profitable course of pains or labour4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,is it a duty to desire and endeavour to get1 and prosper1 and grow rich by our labours2 when ,solomon saith1 ,labour not to be rich8 ,prov4 xxiii4 #d4 ,answ4 ,it is a sin to desire riches as worldlings and sensualists do1 for the provision and maintenance of fleshly lusts and pride2 but it is no sin1 but a duty1 to labour not only for labour sake1 formally resting in the act done1 but for that honest increase and provision1 which is the end of our labour2 and therefore to choose a gainful calling rather than another1 that we may be able to do good1 and relieve the poor4 ,eph4 iv4 #bh1 ,let him labour1 working with his hands the thing that is good1 that he may have to give to him that needeth4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,can one be prodigal in giving to the church8 ,answ4 ,yes1 if it be in a blind zeal to maintain a useless pomp or superstition2 or if he give that which should be used or given otherwise3 but this is a sin that few in these days are much in danger of4#afg ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,can one be prodigal in giving to the poor8 ,answ4 ,yes1 when it is blindly done1 to cherish idleness in wandering beggars2 or with a conceit of meriting in point of commutative justice from ,god2 or when that is given to the poor1 which should be given to other uses 7as in public tribute1 maintenance of children1 furtherance of the gospel1 c473 but this is a sin that few have need to be restrained from4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,may a rich man expend any thing upon 7otherwise7 lawful pomp1 or conveniences1 or pleasures1 at such a time when there are multitudes of poor families in extremity of want8 as now1 when the flames which consumed ,london have left many thousands in distress8 ,answ4 ,doubtless every man should spare as much for the relief of others as he can2 and therefore should not only forbear all needless expenses1 but those also that are needful but to such conveniences and accommodations as may be spared without a greater hurt1 than is the want of such as that charge would relieve4 ,to save the lives of people in want1 we must spare any thing from ourselves1 which our own lives can spare4 ,and to relieve them in their deep poverty1 we must abate much more than our superfluities4 ,to expend any thing on pride and lust1 is a double sin at such a time1 when ,lazarus is at our doors in want4 ,if that ,luke xvi4 were well studied1 7wherein it was that the rich man's sin and danger lay1 in being clothed in purple and silk1 and faring sumptuously every day1 while ,lazarus wanted17 it would make some sensualists wiser than they are4 ,but yet it must be confessed1 that some few persons may be of so much worth and use to the commonwealth1 7as kings and magistrates17 and some of so little1 that the maintaining of the honour and succours of the former1 may be more necessary than the saving the lives of the latter4 ,but take heed lest pride or cruelty teach you to misunderstand this1 or abuse it for yourselves4 ,there are divers other ways of prodigality or sinful waste1 which ,i pass by1 because they are such as few are concerned in2 and my purpose is not to say all that may be said1 but all that is needful4 ,as in needless music1 physic1 books1 7which ,seneca handsomely reproveth17 gifts to servants which need not1 in mere ostentation of pride1 to be well spoken of1 and many the like2 and in unlawful wars1 which is the greatest sinful waster in all the world4 ,and as for expenses in debauchery and gross wickedness1 as whoredom1 revenge1 in sinful law-suits1 c4 ,i here pretermit them4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,understand well the aggravations of this sin of prodigality3 viz4 #a4 ,it is a wasting of that which is none of our own1 and a robbing ,god of the use or service due to him in the improvement of his gifts4 ,they are his1 and not ours2 and according to his pleasure only must be used4 #b4 ,it is a robbing the poor of that which the common ,lord of the world hath appointed for them in his law2 and they will have their action in heaven against the prodigal4 #c4 ,it is an inhuman vice1 to waste that upon pleasures1 pride1 and needless things1 which so many distressed persons stand in need of4 #d4 ,it is an injury to the commonwealth1 which is weakened by the wasteful4 ,and the covetous themselves 7that are not oppressors7 are much better members of public societies than the prodigal4 #e4 ,it feedeth a life of other vice and wickedness4 ,it is a spending ,god's gift to feed those lusts which he abhorreth4 #f4 ,it usually engageth many others in trades and labours which are unprofitable1 that they may serve the lusts of these sensual prodigals4 #g4 ,and in the conclusion1 it prepareth a sad account for these wretches1 when they must answer at the bar of ,god how they have used all his gifts and talents4 ,remember all these aggravations4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,carefully mortify that greedy fancy1 and fleshly lusts1 which is the wasting sin1 and the devouring gulf4 ,quench the fire1 and you may spare all this fuel4 ,cure the fever or dropsy1 and you may spare both your drink and life4 ,a greedy throat and a diseased fancy are never satisfied1 till they have wasted the peace of your consciences with your estates1 and brought you to the end of brutish sinners3 wisdom1 and duty1 and real benefit1 are contented with a little2 but lust is insatiable2 the voluptuous brute saith1 ,i must have my cups1 my lusts1 my pleasure2 and the effeminate1 vicious fancy of those empty souls that mind no great and solid things1 is still ranging after some vanity or other2 and like children1 crying for every thing that they see another have3 and the most needless1 yea1 burdensome things seem necessary to such2 they say1 ,i must needs have this1 and ,i must needs have that1 there is no being without it2 when nothing needeth it1 but a diseased mind1 which much more needeth a cure by grace and true mortification4 ,subdue pride1 and sensuality1 and fancy1 and you may escape prodigality4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,remember the nearness of your account1 and ask your consciences what way of expenses will please you best in the review4 ,whether at death and judgment it will be your comfort to find on your account1 ,so much laid out on needless bravery1 to set out this carcass which is now turning into dust2 ,item1 so much upon proud entertainments of great ones2 ,item1 so much on cards1 and dice1 and stage-plays2 and so much on hounds and needless pleasures1 c4 ,or rather1 so much to promote the preaching of the gospel2 so much to set poor children to 'prentice1 or to school2 so much to relieve distressed families1 c4 ,let ,matt4 xxv4 be well read1 and your account well thought on4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,keep an account of your expenses1 and peruse them before a fast or a sacrament2 and ask conscience how it judgeth of them2 yea1 ask some holy1 prudent friend1 whether such proportions are allowable before ,god1 and will be comfortable to you in the day of your extremity4 ,if you are but willing to be cured1 such means as these will not be in vain4 #afg ,read ,erasmus ,colloqu4 ,peregrin4 ,relig4 ,ergo4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,against ,,injurious ,,law-,,suits1 ,,witnessing1 ,,and ,,judgment4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,law-suits and ,proceedings4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,in what cases is it lawful to go to law with others8 ,answ4 #a4 ,in case of necessary defence1 when the plaintiff doth compel you to it4 #b4 ,when you are intrusted for orphans or others whom you cannot otherwise right4 #c4 ,when your children1 or the church1 or poor1 whom you should do good to1 are like to suffer1 if you recover not your talent that ,god hath trusted you with for such uses1 from the hands of unjust men2 and they refuse all just arbitrations and other equal means which might avoid such suits4 #d4 ,when your own necessity constraineth you to seek your own1 which you cannot get by easier means4 #e4 ,when your forbearance will do more hurt by encouraging knaves in their injustice1 than it will do good4 #f4 ,whenever your cause is just1 and neither mercy1 peace1 nor the avoiding of scandal do forbid it3 that is1 when it is like to do more good than harm1 it is then a lawful course4 ,but it is unlawful to go to law1 #a4 ,when you neglect just arbitrations1 patience1 and other needful means to avoid it4 #b4 ,when your cause is unjust4 #c4 ,when you oppress the poor by it4 #d4 ,when it is done in covetousness1 revenge1 or pride4 #e4 ,when the scandal or hurt to your brother1 is like to be a greater harm than the righting of yourself is like to do good2 then must you not go willingly to law4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,may ,i sue a poor man for a debt or trespass8 ,answ4 #a4 ,if he be so poor as that he cannot pay it1 nor procure you satisfaction1 the suit is vain1 and tendeth but to cruelty4 #b4 ,if he have no means to pay1 but that which will deprive him of food and raiment1 and the necessaries of his life or comfort1 you may not sue him unless it be for the supply of as great necessities of your own2 or in trust for orphans1 where you have no power to remit the debt2 yea1 and for them no cruelty must be used4 #c4 ,if your forbearance be like to make him abler by his diligence or other means1 you should forbear if possible4 #d4 ,but if he be competently able1 and refuse to pay through knavery and injustice1 and you have better ways to use that money1 if scandal forbid not1 you may seek by law to recover your own from him4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may ,i sue a surety whose interest was not concerned in the case8 ,answ4 ,if his poverty make it not an act of cruelty1 nor scandal prohibit it1 you may2 because he was willing1 and declared his consent1 that you should have the debt of him1 if the principal pay not4 ,to become surety1 is to consent to this2 and it is no injury to receive a man's money by his own consent and covenant4 ,he knew that you had not lent it but on those terms2 and you had reason to suppose1 that he who would undertake to pay another man's debt1 had sufficient reason for it1 either in relation or counter-security4 ,but as you must use mercy to the principal debtor in his poverty1 so must you also to the surety4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,may ,i sue for the use of money1 as well as for the principal8 ,answ4 ,this dependeth on the case of usury before resolved4 ,in those cases in which it may not be taken1 it may not be sued for2 nor yet when the scandal of it will do more harm than the money will do good4 ,but in other cases1 it may be sued for on the terms as the rent of lands may4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,may law-suits be used to disable or humble an insolent1 wicked man8 ,answ4 ,you may not take up an ill cause against him1 for any such good end2 but if you have a good cause against him1 which otherwise you would not have prosecuted1 you may make use of it1 to disable him from doing mischief1 when really it is a probable means thereto2 and when neither scandal nor other accidents do prohibit it4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,may a rich man make use of his friends and purse in a just cause1 to bear down or tire out a poor man that hath a bad cause8 ,answ4 ,not by bribery or any evil means2 for his proceeding must be just as well as his cause4 ,but if it be an obstinate knave that setteth himself to do hurt to others1 it is lawful to make use of the favour of a righteous judge or magistrate against him2 and it is lawful to humble him by the length and expensiveness of the suit1 when that is the fittest means1 and no unjust action is done in it2 still supposing that scandal prohibit it not4 ,but let no proud or cruel person think1 that therefore they may by purse1 and friends1 and tedious law-suits oppress the innocent1 to attain their own unrighteous wills4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,may one use such forms in law-suits as in the literal sense are gross untruths 7in declarations1 answers1 or the like78 ,answ4 ,the use of words is to express the mind2 and common use is the interpreter of them3 if they are such words as the notorious common use hath put another sense on1 than the literal one1 they must be taken in the sense which public use hath put upon them4 ,and if that public sense be true or false1 accordingly they may or may not be used4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,may a guilty person plead not guilty1 or deny the fact8 ,answ4 ,common use is the interpreter of words4 ,if the common use of those words doth make their public sense a lie1 it may not be done4 ,but if the forensic common use of their denial is taken to signify no more but this1 ,let him that accuseth me1 prove it2 ,i am not bound to accuse myself1 or1 ,in foro ,i am not guilty till it be proved2 then it is lawful to plead ,not guilty1 and deny the fact1 except in cases wherein you are bound to an open confession1 or in which the scandal will do more hurt than the denial will do good4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,is a man ever bound to accuse himself1 and seek justice against himself8 ,answ4 #a4 ,in many cases a man is bound to punish himself2 as when the law against swearing1 cursing1 or the like1 must give the poor a certain mulct which is the penalty1 he ought to give that money himself2 and in cases where it is a necessary cure to himself1 and in any case where the public good requireth it3 as if a magistrate offend1 whom none else will punish1 or who is the judge in his own cause2 he should so far punish himself as is necessary to the suppression of sin1 and to the preserving of the honour of the laws2 as ,i have heard of a justice that swore twenty oaths1 and paid his twenty shillings for it4 #b4 ,a man may be bound in such a divine vengeance or judgment as seeketh after his particular sin1 to offer himself to do a sacrifice to justice1 to stop the judgment2 as ,jonah and ,achan did4 #c4 ,a man may be bound to confess his guilt and offer himself to justice to save the innocent1 who is falsely accused and condemned for his crime4 #d4 ,but in ordinary cases a man is not bound to be his own public accuser or executioner4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may a witness voluntarily speak that truth which he knoweth will further an unrighteous cause1 and be made use of to oppress the innocent8 ,answ4 ,he may not do it as a confederate in that intention3 nor may he do it when he knoweth that it will tend to such an event1 7though threatened or commanded17 except when some weightier accident doth preponderate for the doing it1 7as the avoiding of a greater hurt to others1 than it will bring on the oppressed1 c47 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,may a witness conceal some part of the truth8 ,answ4 ,not when he sweareth to deliver the whole truth2 nor when a good cause is like to suffer1 or a bad cause be furthered by the concealment2 nor when he is under any other obligation to reveal the whole4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,must a judge and jury proceed secundum allegata et probata1 according to evidence and proof1 when they know the witness to be false1 and the truth to be contrary to the testimony2 but are not able to evince it8 ,answ4 ,distinguish between the negative and the positive part of the verdict or sentence3 in the negative they must go according to the evidence and testimonies1 unless the law of the land leave the case to their private knowledge4 ,as for example1 they must not sentence a thief or murderer to be punished upon their secret unproved knowledge3 they must not adjudge either monies or lands to the true owner from another1 without sufficient evidence and proof3 they must forbear doing justice1 because they are not called to it1 nor enabled4 ,but positively they may do no injustice upon any evidence or witness against their own knowledge of the truth3 as they may not upon known false witness1 give away a man's lands or money1 or condemn the innocent2 but must in such a case renounce the office2 the judge must come off the bench1 and the jury protest that they will not meddle1 or give any verdict 7whatever come of it72 because ,god and the law of nature prohibit their injustice4 ,object4 ,it is the law that doth it1 and not we4 ,answ4 ,it is the law and you2 and the law cannot justify your agency in any unrighteous sentence4 ,the case is plain and past dispute4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions against ,contentious ,suits1 ,false-witnessing1 and ,oppressive ,judgment4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,the first cure for all these sins1 is to know the intrinsic evil of them4 ,good thoughts of sin are its life and strength4 ,when it is well known1 it will be hated2 and when it is hated1 it is so far cured4 ,i4 ,the evil of contentious and unjust law-suits4 #a4 ,such contentious suits do show the power of selfishness in the sinner2 how much self-interest is inordinately esteemed4 #b4 ,they show the excessive love of the world2 how much men overvalue the things which they contend for4 #c4 ,they show men's want of love to their neighbours2 how little they regard another man's interest in comparison of their own4 #d4 ,they show how little such men care for the public good1 which is maintained by the concord and love of neighbours4 #e4 ,such contentions are powerful engines of the devil to destroy all christian love on both sides2 and to stir up mutual enmity and wrath2 and so to involve men in a course of sin1 by further uncharitableness and injuries1 both in heart1 and word1 and deed4 #f4 ,poor men are hereby robbed of their necessary maintenance1 and their innocent families subjected to distress4 #g4 ,unconscionable lawyers and court officers1 who live upon the people's sins1 are hereby maintained1 encouraged1 and kept up4 #h4 ,laws and courts of justice are perverted to do men wrong1 which were made to right them4 #i4 ,and the offender declareth how little sense he hath of the authority or love of ,god1 and how little sense of the grace of our ,redeemer2 and how far he is from being himself forgiven through the blood of ,christ1 who can no better forgive another4 ,,ii4 ,the evil of false witness4 #a4 ,by false witness the innocent are injured2 robbery and murder are committed under pretence of truth and justice4 #b4 ,the name of ,god is horribly abused1 by the crying sin of perjury 7of which before74 #c4 ,the presence and justice of ,god are contemned1 when sinners dare1 in his sight and hearing1 appeal to his tribunal1 in the attesting of a lie4 #d4 ,vengeance is begged or consented to by the sinner2 who bringeth ,god's curse upon himself1 and as it were desireth ,god to plague or damn him if he lie4 #e4 ,satan the prince of malice and injustice1 and the father of lies1 and murders1 and oppression1 is hereby gratified1 and eminently served4 #f4 ,god himself is openly injured1 who is the ,father and patron of the innocent2 and the cause of every righteous person is more the cause of ,god than of man4 #g4 ,all government is frustrated1 and laws abused1 and all men's security for their reputations1 or estates1 or lives is overthrown1 by false witnesses2 and consequently human converse is made undesirable and unsafe4 ,what good can law1 or right1 or innocency1 or the honesty of the judge do any man1 where false witnesses combine against him8 ,what security hath the most innocent or worthy person1 for his fame1 or liberty1 or estate1 or life1 if false witnesses conspire to defame him or destroy him8 ,and then how shall men endure to converse with one another8 ,either the innocent must seek out a wilderness1 and fly from the face of men as we do from lions and tigers1 or else peace will be worse than war2 for in war a man may fight for his life2 but against false witnesses he hath no defence3 but ,god is the avenger of the innocent1 and above most other sins1 doth seldom suffer this to go unpunished1 even in this present world2 but often beginneth their hell on earth1 to such perjured instruments of the devil4 ,,iii4 ,the evil of unrighteous judgments4 #a4 ,an unrighteous judge doth condemn the cause of ,god himself2 for every righteous cause is his4 #b4 ,yea1 he condemneth ,christ himself in his members2 for in that he doth it to one of the least of those whom he calleth brethren1 he doth it to himself1 ,matt4 xxv4 ,it is a damnable sin1 not to relieve the innocent and imprisoned in their distress1 when we have power3 what is it then to oppress them and unrighteously condemn8 #c4 ,it is a turning of the remedy into a double misery1 and taking away the only help of oppressed innocency4 ,what other defence hath innocency1 but law and justice8 ,and when their refuge itself doth fall upon them and oppress them1 whither shall the righteous fly8 #d4 ,it subverteth laws and government1 and abuseth it to destroy the ends which it is appointed for4 #e4 ,thereby it turneth human society into a state of misery1 like the depredations of hostility4 #f4 ,it is a deliberate1 resolved sin1 and not done in passion by surprise3 it is committed in that place1 and in that form1 as acts of greatest deliberation should be done2 as if he should say1 ,upon full disquisition1 evidence1 and deliberation1 ,i condemn this person and his cause4 #g4 ,all this is done as in the name of ,god1 and by his own commission1 by one that pretendeth to be his officer or minister1 ,rom4 iii4 #c-f4 ,for the judgment is the ,lord's1 #b ,chron4 xix4 #e-h1 #aj4 ,and how great a wickedness is it thus to blaspheme1 and to represent him as ,satan1 an enemy to truth and righteousness1 to his servants and himself6 ,as if he had said1 ,god hath sent me to condemn this cause and person4 ,if false prophets sin so heinously who belie the ,lord1 and say1 ,he hath sent us to speak this1 7which is untruth72 the sin of false judges cannot be much less4 #h4 ,it is sin against the fullest and frequentest prohibitions of ,god4 ,read over ,exod4 xxiii4 #a-c1 c42 ,lev42 ,deut4 i4 #af1 #ag2 xvi4 #ah2 ,isa4 i4 #ag1 #bj1 #bc2 ,deut4 xxiv4 #ag2 and xxvii4 #ai1 ,cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger1 the fatherless1 and widow1 and all the people shall say ,amen4 ,ezra vii4 #bf2 ,psal4 xxxiii4 #e2 xxxvii4 #bh2 lxxii4 #b2 xciv4 #ae2 cvi4 #c1 #cj2 ,prov4 xvii4 #bg2 xix4 #bh2 xx4 #h2 xxix4 #d2 xxxi4 #e2 ,eccl4 v4 #h2 ,isa4 v4 #g2 x4 #b2 lvi4 #a1 #b2 lix4 #ad1 #ae2 ,jer4 v4 #a2 vii4 #e2 ix4 #bd2 ,ezek4 xviii4 #h2 xlv4 #i2 ,hos4 xii4 #f2 ,amos v4 #g1 #ae1 #bd2 vi4 #ab2 ,mic4 iii4 #i2 ,zech4 vii4 #i2 viii4 #af2 ,gen4 xviii4 #ai2 ,prov4 xxi4 #c1 #g1 #ae4 ,i cite not the words to avoid prolixity4 ,scarce any sin is so oft and vehemently condemned of ,god4 #i4 ,false judges cause the poor to appeal to ,god against them1 and the cries of the afflicted shall not be forgotten1 ,luke xviii4 #e-h4 #aj4 ,they call for ,god's judgment upon themselves1 and devolve the work into his hands3 how can that man expect any other than a judgment of damnation1 from the righteous ,god1 who hath deliberately condemned ,christ himself in his cause and servants1 and sat in judgment to condemn the innocent8 ,psal4 ix4 #g-i1 ,the ,lord hath prepared his throne for judgment1 and he shall judge the world in righteousness2 he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness2 he will be a refuge for the oppressed4 ,psal4 xxxvii4 #f1 ,he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light1 and thy judgment as the noon-day4 ,psal4 lxxxix4 #ad1 ,justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne4 ,psal4 ciii4 #f1 ,the ,lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed4 ,psal4 cxlvi4 #g4 ,in a word1 the sentence of an unjust judge is passed against his own soul1 and he calleth to ,god to condemn him righteously1 who unrighteously condemned others4 ,of all men he cannot stand in judgment1 nor abide the righteous doom of ,christ4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,when you well understand the greatness of the sin1 find out and overcome the root and causes of it in yourselves2 especially selfishness1 covetousness1 and passion4 ,a selfish man careth not what another suffereth1 so that his own ends and interest be promoted by it4 ,a covetous man will contend and injure his neighbour whenever his own commodity requireth it4 ,he so much loveth his money that it can prevail with him to sin against ,god1 and cast away his own soul2 much more to hurt and wrong his neighbour4 ,a proud and passionate man is so thirsty after revenge1 to make others stoop to him1 that he careth not what it cost him to accomplish it4 ,overcome these inward vices1 and you may easily forbear the outward sins4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,love your neighbours as yourselves3 for that is the universal remedy against all injurious and uncharitable undertakings4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,keep a tender conscience1 which will not make light of sin4 ,it is those that have seared their consciences by infidelity or a course of sinning1 who dare venture with ,judas or ,gehazi for the prey1 and dare oppress the poor and innocent1 and feel not1 nor fear1 whilst they cast themselves on the revenge of ,god4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,remember the day when all these causes must be heard again1 and the righteous ,god will set all straight1 and vindicate the cause of the oppressed4 ,consider what a dreadful appearance that man is like to have at the bar of heaven1 who hath falsely accused or condemned the just in the courts of men4 ,what a terrible indictment1 accusation1 conviction1 and sentence must that man expect6 ,if the hearing of righteousness and the judgment to come made ,felix tremble1 surely it is infidelity or the plague of a stupified heart1 which keepeth contentious persons1 perverters of justice1 false witnesses1 and unjust judges from trembling4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,remember the presence of that ,god who must be your final ,judge4 ,that he seeth all your pride and covetousness1 and all your secret contrivances for revenge1 and is privy to all your deceits and injuries4 ,you commit them in his open sight4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,meddle not with law-suits till you have offered an equal arbitration of indifferent men1 or used all possible means of love to prevent them4 ,law-suits are not the first1 but the last remedy4 ,try all others before you use them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,when you must needs go to law1 compose your minds to unfeigned love towards him that you must contend with1 and watch over your hearts with suspicion and the strictest care1 lest secret disaffection get advantage by it3 and go to your neighbour1 and labour to possess his heart also with love1 and to demulce his mind2 that you may not use the courts of justice1 as soldiers do their weapons1 to do the worst they can against another1 as an enemy2 but as loving friends do use an amicable arbitration2 resolving contentedly to stand to what the judge determineth1 without any alienation of mind1 or abatement of brotherly love4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,be not too confident of the righteousness of your own cause2 but ask counsel of some understanding1 godly1 and impartial men2 and hear all that can be said1 and patiently consider of the case1 and do as you would have others do by you4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,observe what terrors of conscience use to haunt awakened sinners1 especially on a deathbed1 for such sins as false witnessing1 and false judging1 and oppressing1 and injuring the innocent1 even above most other sins4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,cases ,,of ,,conscience1 ,,and ,,directions ,,against ,,backbiting1 ,,slandering1 ,,and ,,evil ,,speaking4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,backbiting and ,evil-speaking4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,may ,i not speak evil of that which is evil8 and call every one truly as he is8 ,answ4 ,you must not speak a known falsehood of any man under pretence of charity or speaking well4 ,but you are not to speak all the evil of every man which is true3 as opening the faults of the king or your parents1 though never so truly1 is a sin against the fifth commandment1 ,honour thy father and mother3 so if you do it without a call1 you sin against your neighbour's honour1 and many other ways offend4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,is it not sinful silence1 and a consenting to or countenancing of the sins of others1 to say nothing against them1 as tender of their honour8 ,answ4 ,it is sinful to be silent when you have a call to speak3 if you forbear to admonish the offender in love between him and you1 when you have opportunity and just cause1 it is sinful to be silent then4 ,but to silence backbiting is no sin4 ,if you must be guilty of every man's sin that you talk not against behind his back1 your whole discourse must be nothing but backbiting4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,may ,i not speak that which honest1 religious1 credible persons do report8 ,answ4 ,not without both sufficient evidence and a sufficient call4 ,you must not judge of the action by the person1 but of the person by the action4 ,nor must you imitate any man in evil-doing4 ,if a good man abuse you1 are you willing that all men follow him and abuse you more8 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,may ,i believe the bad report of an honest1 credible person8 ,answ4 ,you must first consider whether you may hear it1 or meddle with it3 for if it be a case that you have nothing to do with1 you may not set your judgment to it1 either to believe it1 or to disbelieve it4 ,and if it be a thing that you are called to judge of1 yet every honest man's word is not presently to be believed3 you must first know whether it be a thing that he saw1 or is certain of himself1 or a thing which he only taketh upon report2 and what his evidence and proof is2 and whether he be not engaged by interest1 passion1 or any difference of opinion2 or be not engaged in some contrary faction1 where the interest of a party or cause is his temptation2 or whether he be not used to rash reports and uncharitable speeches2 and what concurrence of testimonies there is1 and what is said on the other side2 especially what the person accused saith in his own defence4 ,if it be so heinous a crime in public judgment1 to pass sentence before both parties are heard1 and to condemn a man before he speak for himself2 it cannot be justifiable in private judgment4 ,would you be willing yourselves that all should be believed of you1 which is spoken by any honest man8 ,and how uncertain are we of other men's honesty1 that we should on that account think ill of others6 ,quest4 ,v4 ,may ,i not speak evil of them that are enemies to ,god1 to religion and godliness1 and are open persecutors of it2 or are enemies to the king or church8 ,answ4 ,you may on all meet occasions speak evil of the sin2 and of the persons when you have a just call2 but not at your own pleasure4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,what if it be one whose honour and credit countenanceth an ill cause1 and his dishonour would disable him to do hurt8 ,answ4 ,you may not belie the devil1 nor wrong the worst man that is1 though under pretence of doing good2 ,god needeth not malice1 nor calumnies1 nor injustice to his glory3 it is an ill cause that cannot be maintained without such means as these4 ,and when the matter is true1 you must have a call to speak it1 and you must speak it justly1 without unrighteous aggravations1 or hiding the better part1 which should make the case and person better understood4 ,there is a time and due manner1 in which that man's crimes and just dishonour may be published1 whose false reputation injureth the truth4 ,but yet ,i must say1 that a great deal of villany and slander is committed upon this plausible pretence2 and that there is scarce a more common cloak for the most inhuman lies and calumnies4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,may ,i not lawfully make a true narration of such matters of fact1 as are criminal and dishonourable to offenders8 ,else no man may write a true history to posterity of men's crimes4 ,answ4 ,when you have a just call to do it1 you may2 but not at your own pleasure4 ,historians may take much more liberty to speak the truth of the dead1 than you may of the living3 though no untruth must be spoken of either3 yet the honour of princes and magistrates while they are alive is needful to their government1 and therefore must be maintained1 ofttimes by the concealment of their faults3 and so proportionably the honour of other men is needful to a life of love1 and peace1 and just society2 but when they are dead1 they are not subjects capable of a right to any such honour as must be maintained by such silencing of the truth1 to the injury of posterity3 and posterity hath usually a right to historical truth1 that good examples may draw them to imitation1 and bad examples may warn them to take heed of sin4 ,god will have the name of the wicked to rot2 and the faults of a ,noah1 ,lot1 ,david1 ,solomon1 ,peter1 c4 shall be recorded4 ,yet nothing unprofitable to posterity may be recorded of the dead1 though it be true2 nor the faults of men unnecessarily divulged2 much less may the dead be slandered or abused4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,what if it be one that hath been oft admonished in vain8 ,may not the faults of such a one be mentioned behind his back8 ,answ4 ,i confess such a one 7the case being proved1 and he being notoriously impenitent7 hath made a much greater forfeiture of his honour than other men2 and no man can save that man's honour who will cast it away himself4 ,but yet it is not every one that committeth a sin after admonition1 who is here to be understood2 but such as are impenitent in some mortal or ruling sin3 for some may sin oft in a small and controverted point1 for want of ability to discern the truth2 and some may live in daily infirmities1 7as the best men do17 which they condemn themselves for1 and desire to be delivered from4 ,and even the most impenitent man's sins must not be meddled with by every one at his pleasure1 but only when you have just cause4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,what if it be one whom ,i cannot speak to face to face8 ,answ4 ,you must let him alone1 till you have just cause to speak of him4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,when hath a man a just cause and call to open another's faults8 ,answ4 ,negatively3 #a4 ,not to fill up the time with other idle chat1 or table talk4 #b4 ,not to second any man1 how good soever1 who backbiteth others2 no1 though he pretend to do it to make the sin more odious1 or to exercise godly sorrow for other men's sin4 #c4 ,not whenever interest1 passion1 faction1 or company seemeth to require it4 ,but1 affirmatively1 #a4 ,when we may speak it to his face in love and privacy1 in due manner and circumstances1 as is most hopeful to conduce to his amendment4 #b4 ,when1 after due admonition1 we take two or three1 and after that tell the church 7in a case that requireth it74 #c4 ,when we have a sufficient cause to accuse him to the magistrate4 #d4 ,when the magistrate or the pastors of the church1 reprove or punish him4 #e4 ,when it is necessary to the preservation of another3 as if ,i see my friend in danger of marrying with a wicked person1 or taking a false servant1 or trading and bargaining with one that is like to over-reach him1 or going among cheaters1 or going to hear or converse with a dangerous heretic or seducer2 ,i must open the faults of those that they are in danger of1 so far as their safety and my charity require4 #f4 ,when it is any treason or conspiracy against the king or commonwealth2 where my concealment may be an injury to the king1 or damage or danger to the kingdom4 #g4 ,when the person himself doth1 by his self-justification1 force me to it4 #h4 ,when his reputation is so built upon the injury of others1 and slanders of the just1 that the justifying of him is the condemning of the innocent1 we may then indirectly condemn him1 by vindicating the just2 as if it be in a case of contention between two1 if we cannot justify the right without dishonour to the injurious1 there is no remedy but he must bear his blame4 #i4 ,when a man's notorious wickedness hath set him up as a spectacle of warning and lamentation1 so that his crimes cannot be hid1 and he hath forfeited his reputation1 we must give others warning by his fall3 as an excommunicate person1 or malefactor at the gallows1 c4 #aj4 ,when we have just occasion to make a bare narrative of some public matters of fact2 as of the sentence of a judge1 or punishment of offenders1 c4 #aa4 ,when the crime is so heinous1 as that all good persons are obliged to join to make it odious1 as ,phinehas was to execute judgment4 ,as in cases of open rebellion1 treason1 blasphemy1 atheism1 idolatry1 murders1 perjury1 cruelty2 such as the ,french massacre1 the ,irish far greater massacre1 the murdering of kings1 the powder-plot1 the burning of ,london1 c4 ,crimes notorious should not go about in the mouths or ears of men1 but with just detestation4 #ab4 ,when any person's false reputation is a seducement to men's souls1 and made by himself or others the instruments of ,god's dishonour1 and the injury of church or state1 or others1 though we may do no unjust thing to blast his reputation1 we may tell the truth so far as justice1 or mercy1 or piety requireth it4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,what if ,i hear daubers applauding wicked men1 and speaking well of them1 and extenuating their crimes1 and praising them for evil doing8 ,answ4 ,you must on all just occasions speak evil of sin2 but when that is enough1 you need not meddle with the sinner2 no1 not though other men applaud him1 and you know it be false2 for you are not bound to contradict every falsehood which you hear4 ,but if in any of the twelve forementioned cases you have a call to do it1 7as for the preservation of the hearers from a snare thereby2 as if men commend a traitor or a wicked man to draw another to like his way17 in such cases you may contradict the false report4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,are we bound to reprove every backbiter1 in this age when honest people are grown to make little conscience of it1 but think it their duty to divulge men's faults8 ,answ4 ,most of all1 that you may stop the stream of this common sin1 ordinarily whenever we can do it without doing greater hurt1 we should rebuke the tongue that reporteth evil of other men causelessly behind their backs2 for our silence is their encouragement in sin4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions against ,backbiting1 ,slandering1 and ,evil ,speaking4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,maintain the life of brotherly love4 ,love your neighbour as yourself4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,watch narrowly lest interest or passion should prevail upon you4 ,for where these prevail1 the tongue is set on fire of hell1 and will set on fire the course of nature1 ,james ii4 ,selfishness and passion will not only prompt you to speak evil1 but also to justify it1 and think you do well2 yea1 and to be angry with those that will not hearken to you and believe you4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,especially involve not yourselves in any faction1 religious or secular4 ,i do not mean that you should not imitate the best1 and hold most intimate communion with them2 but that you abhor unlawful divisions and sidings2 and when error1 or uncharitableness1 or carnal interest hath broken the church into pieces where you live1 and one is of ,paul1 and another of ,apollos1 and another of ,cephas1 one of this party1 and another of that1 take heed of espousing the interest of any party1 as it stands cross to the interest of the whole4 ,it would have been hardly credible1 if sad experience had not proved it1 how commonly and heinously almost every sect of christians do sin in this point against each other6 and how far the interest of their sect1 which they account the interest of ,christ1 will prevail with multitudes even of zealous people1 to belie1 calumniate1 backbite1 and reproach those that are against their opinion and their party6 yea1 how easily will they proceed beyond reproaches1 to bloody persecutions6 ,he that thinketh he doth ,god service by killing ,christ or his disciples1 will think that he doth him service by calling him a deceiver1 and one that hath a devil1 a blasphemer1 and an enemy to ,csar1 and calling his disciples pestilent fellows and movers of sedition among the people1 and accounting them as the filth and offscouring of the world4 ,that zeal which murdered and destroyed many hundred thousand of the ,waldenses and ,albigenses1 and thirty thousand or forty thousand in one ,french massacre1 and two hundred thousand in one ,irish massacre1 and which kindled the ,maryan bonfires in ,england1 made the powder mine1 and burnt the city of ,london1 and keepeth up the ,inquisition1 ,i say1 that zeal will certainly think it a service to the church1 7that is1 their sect17 to write the most odious lies and slanders of ,luther1 ,zuinglius1 ,calvin1 ,beza1 and any such excellent servants of the ,lord4 ,so full of horrid1 impudent lies are the writings of 7not one but7 many sects against those that were their chief opposers1 that ,i still admonish all posterity1 to see good evidence for it1 before they believe the hard sayings of any factious historian or divine1 against those that are against his party4 ,it is only men of eminent conscience1 and candour1 and veracity1 and impartiality1 who are to be believed in their bad report of others1 except where notoriety or very good evidence doth command belief above their own authority and veracity4 ,a siding factious zeal1 which is hotter for any sect or party1 than for the common christianity and catholic church1 is always a railing1 a lying1 and a slandering zeal1 and is notably described1 ,james iii4 as earthly1 sensual1 and devilish1 causing envy1 strife1 and confusion1 and every evil work4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,observe well the commonness of this sin of backbiting1 that it may make you the more afraid of falling into that which so few do escape4 ,i will not say1 among high and low1 rich and poor1 court and country1 how common is this sin2 but among men professing the greatest zeal and strictness in religion1 how few make conscience of it6 ,mark in all companies that you come into1 how common it is to take liberty to say what they think of all men2 yea1 to report what they hear1 though they dare not say that they believe it6 ,and how commonly the relating of other men's faults1 and telling what this man or that man is1 or did1 or said1 is part of the chat to waste the hour in6 ,and if it be but true1 they think they sin not3 nay1 nor if they did but hear that it is true4 ,for my part ,i must profess1 that my conscience having brought me to a custom of rebuking such backbiters1 ,i am ordinarily censured for it1 either as one that loveth contradiction1 or one that defendeth sin and wickedness1 by taking part with wicked men2 all because ,i would stop the course of this common vice of evil speaking and backbiting where men have no call4 ,and ,i must thankfully profess1 that among all other sins in the world1 the sins of selfishness1 pride1 and backbiting1 ,i have been most brought to hate and fear1 by the observation of the commonness of them1 even in persons seeming godly3 nothing hath fixed an apprehension of their odiousness so deeply in me1 nor engaged my heart against them above all other sins so much1 as this lamentable experience of their prevalence in the world1 among the more religious1 and not only in the profane4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,take not the honesty of the person1 as a sufficient cause to hear or believe a bad report of others4 ,it is lamentable to hear how far men1 otherwise honest1 do too often here offend4 ,suspect evil speakers1 and be not over-credulous of them4 ,charity thinketh not evil1 nor easily and hastily believeth it4 ,liars are more used to evil speaking1 than men of truth and credit are4 ,it is no wrong to the best1 that you believe him not when he backbiteth without good evidence4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,rebuke backbiters1 and encourage them not by hearkening to their tales4 ,prov4 xxv4 #bc1 ,the north wind driveth away rain1 so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue4 ,it may be they think themselves religious persons1 and will take it for an injury to be driven away with an angry countenance3 but ,god himself1 who loveth his servants better than we1 is more offended at their sin2 and that which offendeth him1 must offend us4 ,we must not hurt their souls1 and displease ,god1 by drawing upon us the guilt of their sins1 for fear of displeasing them4 ,tell them how ,god doth hate backbiting1 and advise them if they know any hurt by others1 to go to them privately1 and tell them of it in a way that tendeth to their repentance4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,use to make mention of the good which is in others2 7except it be unseasonable1 and will seem to be a promoting of their sin73 ,god's gifts in every man deserve commendations2 and we have allowance to mention men's virtues oftener than to mention their vices4 ,indeed when a bad man is praised in order to the disparagement of the good1 or to honour some wicked cause or action against truth and godliness1 we must not concur in such malicious praises2 but otherwise we must commend that which is truly commendable in all4 ,and this custom will have a double benefit against backbiting3 it will use your own tongues to a contrary course1 and it will rebuke the evil tongues of others1 and be an example to them of more charitable language4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,understand yourselves1 and speak often to others1 of the sinfulness of evil-speaking and backbiting4 ,show them the scriptures which condemn it1 and the intrinsical malignity which is in it3 as here followeth4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,make conscience of just reproof and exhorting sinners to their faces4 ,go tell them of it privately and lovingly1 and it will have better effects1 and bring you more comfort1 and cure the sin of backbiting4 ,tit4 #c4 ,the ,evil of ,backbiting and ,evil-speaking4 #a4 ,it is forbidden of ,god among the heinous1 damning sins1 and made the character of a notorious wicked person1 and the avoiding of it is made the mark of such as are accepted of ,god and shall be saved3 ,rom4 i4 #bi1 #cj1 it is made the mark of a reprobate mind1 and joined with murder1 and hating ,god1 viz4 full of envy1 debate1 deceit1 malignity1 whisperers1 backbiters4 ,psal4 xv4 #b1 #c1 ,lord1 who shall abide in thy tabernacle8 who shall dwell in thy holy hill8 ,he that backbiteth not with his tongue1 nor doeth evil to his neighbour1 nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour4 ,and when ,paul describeth those whom he must sharply rebuke and censure1 he just describeth the factious sort of christians of our times4 #b ,cor4 xii4 #bj1 ,for ,i fear lest when ,i come1 ,i shall not find you such as ,i would1 and that ,i shall be found unto you such as ye would not3 lest there be debates1 envyings1 wraths1 strifes1 backbitings1 whisperings1 swellings1 tumults4 ,eph4 iv4 #ca1 ,let all bitterness1 and wrath1 and anger1 and clamour1 and evil-speaking be put away from you1 with all malice1 and be kind one to another1 and tender-hearted--4 #b4 ,it is a sin which gratifieth ,satan1 and serveth his malice against our neighbour4 ,he is malicious against all1 and speaking evil1 and doing hurt1 are the works which are suitable to his malignity6 ,and should a christian make his tongue the instrument of the accuser of the brethren1 to do his work against each other8 #c4 ,it signifieth want of christian love4 ,for love speaketh not evil1 nor openeth men's faults without a cause1 but covereth infirmities2 much less will it lie and slander others1 and carry about uncertain reports against them4 ,it is not to do as you would be done by3 and how essential love is to true christianity1 ,christ himself hath often told us4 #d4 ,it is a sin which directly serveth to destroy the hearers' love1 and consequently to destroy their souls4 ,if the backbiter understood himself1 he would confess that it is his very end to cause you to hate 7or abate your love to7 him whom he speaketh evil of4 ,he that speaketh good of a man1 representeth him amiable2 for amiableness and goodness are all one4 ,and he that speaketh evil of a man representeth him hateful or unlovely2 for hatefulness1 unloveliness1 and evil are all one4 ,and as it is not the natural way of winning love1 to entreat and beg it1 and say1 ,i pray you love this person1 or that thing2 but to open the goodness of the thing or person1 which will command love3 so is it not the natural way to stir up hatred1 by entreating men to hate this man or that2 but to tell how bad they are1 which will command hatred in them that do believe it4 ,therefore to speak evil of another1 is more than to say to the hearers1 ,i pray you hate this man1 or abate your love to him4 ,and that the killing of love is the killing or destroying of men's souls1 the apostle ,john doth frequently declare4 #e4 ,and it tendeth also to destroy the love1 and consequently the soul of him that you speak evil of4 ,for when it cometh to his hearing1 7as one way or other it may do17 what evil you have reported of him behind his back1 it tendeth to make him hate you1 and so to make him worse4 #f4 ,it is a great make-bate and peace-breaker wherever it is practised4 ,it tendeth to set people together by the ears4 ,when it is told that such a one spake evil of you in such a place1 there are then heart-burnings1 and rehearsals1 and sidings1 and such ensuing malice as the devil intended by this design4 #g4 ,they that use to speak evil of others behind their backs1 it is ten to one will speak falsehoods of them when they do not know it4 ,fame is too ordinarily a liar1 and they shall be liars who will be its messengers4 ,how know you whether the thing that you report is true8 ,is it only because a credible person spake it8 ,but how did that person know it to be true8 ,might he not take it upon trust as well as you8 ,and might he not take a person to be credible that is not8 ,and how commonly doth faction1 or interest1 or passion1 or credulity1 make that person incredible in one thing1 who is credible in others1 where he hath no such temptation6 ,if you know it not to be true1 or have not sufficient evidence to prove it1 you are guilty of lying and slandering interpretatively1 though it should prove true2 because it might have been a lie for aught you knew4 #h4 ,it is gross injustice to talk of a man's faults1 before you have heard him speak for himself4 ,i know it is usual with such to say1 ,o we have heard it from such as we are certain will not lie4 ,but he is a foolish and unrighteous judge1 that will be peremptory upon hearing one party only speak1 and knoweth not how ordinary it is for a man when he speaketh for himself1 to blow away the most confident and plausible accusations1 and make the case appear to be quite another thing4 ,you know not what another man hath to say till you have heard him4 #i4 ,backbiting teacheth others to backbite4 ,your example inviteth them to do the like3 and sins which are common1 are easily swallowed1 and hardly repented of3 men think that the commonness justifieth or extenuateth the fault4 #aj4 ,it encourageth ungodly men to the odious sin of backbiting and slandering the most religious1 righteous person4 ,it is ordinary with the devil's family to make ,christ's faithfullest servants their table talk1 and the objects of their reproach and scorn1 and the song of drunkards8 ,what abundance of lies go current among such malignant persons1 against the most innocent1 which would all be ashamed1 if they had first admitted them to speak for themselves4 ,and such slanders and lies are the devil's common means to keep ungodly men from the love of godliness1 and so from repentance and salvation4 ,and backbiting professors of religion encourage men to this2 for with what measure they mete1 it shall be measured to them again4 ,and they that are themselves evil spoken of1 will think that they are warranted to requite the backbiters with the like4 #aa4 ,it is a sin which commonly excludeth true1 profitable reproof and exhortation4 ,they that speak most behind men's backs1 do usually say least to the sinner's face1 in any way which tendeth to his salvation4 ,they will not go lovingly to him in private1 and set home his sin upon his conscience1 and exhort him to repentance2 but any thing shall serve as a sufficient excuse against this duty2 that they may make the sin of backbiting serve instead of it3 and all is out of carnal self-saving2 they fear men will be offended if they speak to their faces1 and therefore they will whisper against them behind their backs4 #ab4 ,it is at the least1 but idle talk and a misspending of your time3 what the better are the hearers for hearing of other men's misdoings8 ,and you know that it no whit profiteth the person of whom you speak4 ,a skilful1 friendly admonition might do him good6 ,but to neglect this1 and talk of his faults unprofitably1 behind his back1 is but to aggravate the sin of your uncharitableness1 as being not contented to refuse your help to a man in sin1 but you must also injure him and do him hurt4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,against ,,censoriousness ,,and ,,unwarrantable ,,judging4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,judging of ,others4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,am ,i not bound to judge truly of every one as he is8 ,answ4 #a4 ,there are many that you are not bound to meddle with1 and to pass any judgment at all upon4 #b4 ,there are many whose faults are secret1 and their virtues open2 and of such you cannot judge as they are1 because you have no proof or evidence to enable you3 you cannot see that which is latent in the heart1 or done in darkness4 #c4 ,you neither ought on pretence of charity1 nor can believe an evident known untruth of any man4 ,quest4 ,doth not charity bind me to judge men better than they are8 ,answ4 ,charity bindeth you1 #a4 ,rather to observe the best in them1 than the worst4 #b4 ,and1 as ,i said1 to judge of no man's faults uncalled4 #c4 ,nor to judge of that which is not evident1 but out of sight2 and thus consequently it bindeth you to judge some men to be better than they are2 but not directly4 ,object4 ,then a man is bound to err and believe an untruth4 ,answ4 ,no3 you are not bound to believe that it is certainly true1 that such a man is better than he is2 because you have no evidence of its certain truth4 ,but you are bound to believe it a thing probable or verisimile1 likely to be true1 by an opinion or fallible human faith2 and this is not a falsehood2 for that is likely and probable to you1 which hath the more probable evidence1 and more for it than against it3 so that the thing which you are to believe immediately is this proposition1 ,there is more evidence to me to prove it likely that this man is sincere than contrary3 and consequently you believe this1 and believe not the contrary1 because the contrary hath no evidence4 ,but you are not to take it as a certain thing1 that the contrary hath no latent reality4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,how far may ,i judge ill of one by outward appearances1 as by the countenance1 gestures1 and other uncertain but suspicious signs8 ,answ4 ,there are some signs which are not so much as probable1 but a little suspicious1 and which men are very ordinarily mistaken by3 as those that will judge of a man at the first look by his face2 and those that will judge a studious1 serious person 7a lawyer1 a judge1 or a divine7 to be morose or proud1 because they are not complimental1 but of few words2 or because they have not patience to waste precious hours in hearing an empty vessel sound1 an ignorant1 self-conceited person talk foolishly4 ,such censures are but the effects of injudiciousness1 unrighteousness1 and rash haste4 ,there are other signs which make it probable to a wise and charitable person1 that the man is bad 7e4 g4 proud1 or covetous1 or a hypocrite74 ,if with these1 there are as great sins to make the contrary probable1 we must rather incline to the better than the worse4 ,but if not1 we may fear the worst of that person1 but not conclude it as a certainty2 and therefore we may not in public censures1 proceed upon such uncertainties1 nor venture to divulge them2 but only use them to help us for due caution1 and pity1 and prayer1 and endeavour for such a one's recovery and help4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,how far may ,i censure upon the report of others8 ,answ4 ,according to the degree of the credibility of the persons1 and evidence of the narrative2 not simply in themselves1 but as compared with all that is to be heard on the contrary part2 else you are partial and unjust4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,doth not the fifth command oblige me in honour to parents and princes1 to judge them to be better than their lives declare them to be8 ,answ4 ,you are gradually to honour them more than others1 and therefore to be more afraid of dishonouring them1 and must not sit in judgment on them1 to believe any harm of them1 which evidence doth not compel you to believe4 ,but you are not to judge any sin the less1 because it is theirs2 nor to judge contrary to evidence1 nor to call evil good1 nor to be wilfully blind1 nor to flatter any in their sin4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,whom must we judge for sincere and sanctified christians8 ,answ4 #a4 ,all those that profess to be such1 whom you cannot disprove4 #b4 ,but as there are several degrees of evidence and probability1 so must there be several degrees of your good opinion of others4 ,of some who give you the highest probability1 you may have the strongest confidence short of certainty3 of others you may have less2 and of some you may have much more fear than hope4 #c4 ,and yet in matters of church rights and public communion1 your fears will not allow you to use them as no christians2 for their profession of faith and repentance is certain2 and as long as your fears of their hypocrisy or unsoundness are but uncertain1 it must not 7on that account7 prevail to deprive another of his right4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,but is not my error my sin1 if ,i prove mistaken1 and take that man for a sincere christian who is none8 ,answ4 ,if you judged it to be certain1 your judgment and error was your sin2 but if you only judged him a professor of christianity1 and one that on that account you were bound to have church communion with as if he were sincere1 because you cannot prove the contrary1 this was no error2 or if you erred for want of sufficient evidence to know the truth1 this error is not in itself a sin4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,whom must ,i judge a visible member of the church1 with whom ,i am thus bound to hold communion8 ,answ4 #a4 ,if you are the pastor of the church who are made the judge1 at his admission by baptism1 or afterwards1 you must so judge of every one who maketh a credible profession of true christianity1 that is1 of his present consent to the sacramental covenant3 and that profession is credible1 which is1 #a4 ,understood by him that maketh it4 #b4 ,deliberate4 #c4 ,voluntary4 #d4 ,seemingly serious4 #e4 ,and is not disproved by valid evidence of the contrary4 ,these are the true measures of church communion2 for every man1 next ,god1 is the judge of his own heart2 and ,god would have every man the chooser or refuser of his own mercies4 #b4 ,but if you are but a private member of the church1 you are to judge that person a visible member of the church1 whom the pastor hath taken in by baptism1 and not cast out again by excommunication2 except the contrary be notorious3 and even then you are oft obliged for order sake to carry yourself towards him as a visible member1 till he be regularly cast out4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,whom must ,i judge a true worshipper of ,god1 and whom not8 ,answ4 ,him that professeth true christianity1 and joineth in true worship with a christian church1 or privately 7when hindered7 acknowledgeth the true ,god in all his essential attributes1 and heareth his word1 and prayeth to him for all things necessary to salvation1 and praiseth him accordingly1 not giving the worship proper to ,god unto any creature2 and doth all this as a sinner redeemed by ,jesus ,christ1 trusting in his merits1 sacrifice1 and intercession1 and giveth not his office to any other4 ,and he is a false worshipper who denieth any essential attribute of ,god1 or essential part of the office of ,christ1 or giveth these to any other2 or refuseth his word1 or excludeth in his prayers any thing essential to christianity1 or absolutely necessary to salvation4 ,but secundum quid1 in lesser parts1 or in circumstances1 or measures1 every man on earth is a false worshipper1 that is1 he offereth ,god a worship some way faulty and imperfect1 and hath some sin in his worshipping of ,god2 and sin is a thing that ,god requireth not1 but forbiddeth even in the smallest measures4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,which must ,i judge a true church of ,christ1 and which a false church8 ,answ4 ,the universal church is but one1 and is the whole society of christians as united to ,christ their only ,head2 and this cannot be a false church4 ,but if any other set up a usurper as the universal head1 and so make another policy and church1 this is a false church formally1 or in its policy2 but yet the members of this false church or policy may some of them as christians be also members of the true church of ,christ3 and thus the ,roman church as papal is a false catholic church1 having the policy of a usurper2 but as christians they may be members of the true catholic church of ,christ4 ,but for a particular church which is but part of the universal1 that is a true church considered merely as an ungoverned community1 which is a true part of the catholic1 prepared for a pastor1 but yet being without one3 but that only is a true political church1 which consisteth of professed christians conjoined under a true pastor1 for communion in the profession of true christianity1 and for the true worshipping of ,god1 and orderly walking for their mutual assistance and salvation4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,whom must we judge true prophets and pastors of the church4 ,answ4 ,he is a true prophet who is sent by ,god1 and speaketh truth by immediate supernatural revelation or inspiration4 ,and he is a false prophet who either falsely saith that he hath divine revelations or inspiration1 or prophesieth falsehood as from ,god4 ,and he is a true pastor at the bar of ,god1 who is1 #a4 ,competently qualified with abilities for the office4 #b4 ,competently disposed to it1 with willingness and desire of success2 and hath right ends in undertaking and discharging it4 #c4 ,who hath a just admission1 by true ordination of pastors1 and consent of the flock2 and he is to be accounted a true pastor in foro ecclesia1 in the church's judgment1 whom the church judgeth to have all these qualifications1 and thereupon admitteth him into possession of the place1 till his incapacity be notoriously or publicly and sufficiently proved1 or he be removed or made uncapable4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for the ,cure of ,sinful ,censoriousness4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,meddle not at all in judging of others without a call4 ,know first whether it be any of your work2 if not1 be afraid of those words of your ,judge1 ,matt4 vii4 #a-e1 ,judge not1 that ye be not judged2 for with what judgment ye judge1 you shall be judged1 c4 ,and ,rom4 xiv4 #d1 ,who art thou that judgest another man's servant8 ,to his own master he standeth or falleth4 ,and verses #aj1 and #ac1 ,but why dost thou judge thy brother8 or why dost thou set at nought thy brother8 ,we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of ,christ4--,every one of us shall give account of himself to ,god4 ,let us not therefore judge one another any more4 #a ,cor4 iv4 #c-e1 ,but with me it is a very small thing that ,i should be judged of you1 or of man's judgment--,therefore judge nothing before the time till the ,lord come1 who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness1 and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts--4 ,col4 ii4 #af1 ,let no man judge you in meat or in drink1 or in respect of any holy day1 or of the new moon1 or sabbath4 ,quest4 ,but when have ,i a call to judge another8 ,answ4 ,you may take the answer to this from the answer to quest4 x4 chap4 xxiii4 tit4 #a4 #a4 ,if your office and place require it as a magistrate1 pastor1 parent1 master1 tutor1 c4 #b4 ,if the safety of the church or your neighbour do require it4 #c4 ,if the good of the sinner require it that you may seek his repentance and reformation4 #d4 ,if your own preservation or welfare 7or any other duty7 require it4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,keep up a humble sense of your own faults1 and that will make you compassionate to others4 ,he that is truly vile in his own eyes1 is least inclined to vilify others3 and he that judgeth himself with the greatest penitent severity1 is the least inclined to be censorious to his brother4 ,pride is the common cause of censoriousness3 he that saith with the ,pharisee1 ,i fast twice a week1 and pay tithes of all that ,i have1 ,i am no adulterer1 c4 will also say1 ,i am not as other men1 nor as this publican3 when the true penitent findeth so much of his own to be condemned1 that he smiteth on his own breast and saith1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,the prouder1 self-conceited sort of christians are ever the most censorious of their neighbours4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be much therefore at home in searching1 and watching1 and amending your own hearts3 and then you will find so much to do about yourselves1 that you will have no mind or leisure to be censuring others2 whereas the superficial hypocrite1 whose religion is in externals1 and is unacquainted with his heart and heaven1 is so little employed in the true work of a christian1 that he hath leisure for the work of a censorious ,pharisee4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,labour for a deep experimental insight into the nature of religion1 and of every duty4 ,for no men are so censorious as the ignorant who know not what they say2 whilst experienced persons know those difficulties and other reasons which calm their minds4 ,as in common business1 no man will sooner find fault with a workman in his work1 than idle praters who least understand it4 ,so is it commonly in matters of religion3 women and young men that never saw into the great mysteries of divinity1 but have been lately changed from a vicious life1 and have neither acquaintance with the hard points of religion1 nor with their own ignorance of them1 are the common1 proud censurers of their brethren much wiser than themselves1 and of all men that are more moderate and peaceable than themselves1 and are more addicted to unity1 and more averse to sects and separations than they4 ,study harder1 and wait till you grow up to the experience of the aged1 and you will be less censorious and more peaceable4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,think not yourselves fit judges of that which you understand not3 and think not proudly that you are more like to understand the difficulties in religion1 with your short and lazy studies1 than those that in reading1 meditation1 and prayer have spent their lives in searching after them4 ,let not pride make you abuse the ,holy ,ghost1 by pretending that he hath given you more wisdom in a little time1 and with little means and diligence1 than your betters have by the holy industry of their lives3 say not1 ,god can give more to you in a year than to others in twenty2 for it is a poor argument to prove that ,god hath done it1 because he can do it4 ,he can make you an angel1 but that will not prove you one4 ,prove your wisdom before you pretend to it1 and overvalue it not3 ,heb4 v4 #aa1 #ab1 showeth that it is ,god's ordinary way to give men wisdom according to their time and means1 unless their own negligence deprive them of his blessing4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,study to keep up christian love1 and to keep it lively4 ,for love is not censorious1 but is inclined to judge the best1 till evidence constrain you to the contrary4 ,censoriousness is a vermin which crawleth in the carcass of christian love1 when the life of it is gone4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,value all ,god's graces in his servants2 and then you will see something to love them for1 when hypocrites can see nothing3 make not too light of small degrees of grace1 and then your censure will not overlook them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,remember the tenderness of ,christ1 who condemneth not the weak1 nor casteth infants out of his family1 nor the diseased out of his hospital2 but dealeth with them in such a gracious gentleness1 as beseemeth a tender-hearted ,saviour3 he will not break the bruised reed3 he carrieth his lambs in his arms1 and gently driveth those with young6 ,he taketh up the wounded man1 when the priest and ,levite pass him by4 ,and have you not need of the tenderness of ,christ yourselves as well as others8 ,are you not afraid lest he should find greater faults with you than you find in others2 and condemn you as you condemn them8 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,let the sense of the common corruption of the world1 and imperfection of the godly1 moderate your particular censures4 ,as ,seneca saith1 ,to censure a man for that which is common to all men1 is in a sort to censure him for being a man1 which beseemeth not him that is a man himself4 ,do you not know the frailty of the best1 and the common pravity of human nature8 ,how few are there that must not have great allowance1 or else they will not pass for current in the balance6 ,elias was a man subject to passions3 ,jonah to peevishness3 ,job had his impatience3 ,paul saith even of the teachers of the primitive church1 ,they all 7that were with him7 seek their own1 and not the things of ,jesus ,christ4 ,what blots are charged on almost all the churches1 and almost all the holy persons1 mentioned throughout all the ,scriptures6 ,learn then of ,paul a better lesson than censoriousness3 ,gal4 vi4 #a1 ,brethren1 if a man be overtaken in a fault1 ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness2 considering thyself1 lest thou also be tempted4 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,let every man prove his own work1 and then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone1 c4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,remember that judgment is ,god's prerogative 7further than as we are called to it for the performance of some duty1 either of office1 or of private charity1 or self-preservation73 and that the ,judge is at the door6 and that judging unmercifully maketh us liable to judgment without mercy4 ,the foresight of that near universal judgment1 which will pass the doom on us and all men1 will do much to cure us of our rash censoriousness4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,peruse and observe all the directions in the last chapter against evil-speaking and backbiting1 that ,i may not need to repeat them3 especially avoid1 #a4 ,the snare of selfishness and interest4 ,for most men judge of others principally by their own interest4 ,he is the good man that is good to them1 or is on their side2 that loveth and honoureth them1 and answereth their desires3 this is the common false judgment of the corrupted1 selfish world2 who vilify and hate the best1 because they seem unsuitable to them and their carnal interest4 ,therefore take heed of their judgment about any man that you have a falling out with3 for it is two to one but you will wrong him through this selfishness4 #b4 ,avoid passion2 which blindeth the judgment4 #c4 ,avoid faction2 which maketh you judge of all men as they agree or disagree with your opinions1 or your side and party4 #d4 ,avoid too hasty belief of censures1 and rebuke them4 #e4 ,hear every man speak for himself before you censure him1 if it be possible1 and the case be not notorious4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,keep still upon your mind a just and deep apprehension of the malignity of this sin of rash censuring4 ,it is of greatest consequence to the mortifying of any sin1 what apprehensions of it are upon the mind4 ,if religious persons apprehended the odiousness of this as much as they do of swearing1 drunkenness1 fornication1 c4 they would as carefully avoid it4 ,therefore ,i shall show you the malignity of this sin4 ,tit4 #c4 ,the ,evil of the ,sin of ,censoriousness4 #a4 ,it is a usurpation of ,god's prerogative1 who is the ,judge of all the world3 it is a stepping up into his judgment-seat1 and undertaking his work2 as if you said1 ,i will be ,god as to this action4 ,and if he be called the antichrist1 who usurpeth the office of ,christ1 to be the universal monarch and head of the church1 you may imagine what he doth1 who 7though but in one point7 doth set up himself in the place of ,god4 #b4 ,they that usurp not ,god's part in judging1 yet ordinarily usurp the part of the magistrate or pastors of the church4 ,as when mistaken1 censorious christians refuse to come to the sacrament of communion1 because many persons are there whom they judge to be ungodly1 what do they but usurp the office of the pastors of the church1 to whom the keys are committed for admission and exclusion1 and so are the appointed judges of that case8 ,the duty of private members is but to admonish the offender first secretly1 and then before witnesses1 and to tell the church if he repent not1 and humbly to tell the pastors of their duty1 if they neglect it3 and when this is done1 they have discharged their part1 and must no more excommunicate men themselves1 than they must hang thieves when the magistrate doth neglect to hang them4 #c4 ,censoriousness signifieth the absence or decay of love3 which inclineth men to think evil1 and judge the worst1 and aggravate infirmities1 and overlook or extenuate any good that is in others4 ,and there is least grace where there is least love4 #d4 ,it showeth also much want of self-acquaintance1 and such heart employment as the sincerest christians are taken up with4 ,and it showeth much want of christian humility and sense of your own infirmities and badness2 and much prevalency of pride and self-conceitedness4 ,if you knew how ignorant you are1 you would not be so peremptory in judging3 and if you knew how bad you are1 you would not be so forward to condemn your neighbours4 ,so that here is together the effect of much self-estrangedness1 hypocrisy1 and pride4 ,did you ever well consider the mind of ,christ1 when he bid them that accused the adulterous woman1 ,john viii4 #g1 ,he that is without sin among you1 let him first cast a stone at her8 ,certainly adultery was a heinous crime1 and to be punished with death1 and ,christ was no patron of uncleanness2 but he knew that it was a hypocritical sort of persons whom he spake to1 who were busy in judging others rather than themselves4 ,have you studied his words against rash censurers1 ,matt4 vii4 #c1 #d2 ,and why beholdest thou the mote in thy brother's eye1 but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye8 ,or how wilt thou say to thy brother1 ,let me pull out the mote out of thine eye2 and behold a beam is in thine own eye8 ,thou hypocrite6 first cast out the beam out of thine own eye1 and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote which is in thy brother's eye4 ,i know well that impenitent sinners do use to pervert all these words of ,christ1 against any that would bring them to repentance for their sin2 and account all men rash censurers1 who would make them acquainted with their unsanctified hearts and lives4 ,but it is not their abuse of ,scripture1 which will justify our overpassing it with neglect4 ,christ spake it not for nothing2 and it must be studied by his disciples4 #e4 ,censoriousness is injustice1 in that the censurers would not be so censured themselves4 ,you will say1 ,yes1 if we were as bad1 and did deserve it4 ,but though you have not that same fault1 have you no other8 ,and are you willing to have it aggravated1 and be thus rashly judged8 ,you do not as you would be done by3 yea1 commonly censurers are guilty of false judging2 and whilst they take things hastily upon trust1 and stay not to hear men speak for themselves1 or to inquire thoroughly into the cause1 they commonly condemn the innocent2 and call good evil1 and put light for darkness2 and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him1 when ,god hath cursed such with a woe4 #f4 ,and false censuring is the proper work of the devil1 the accuser of the brethren1 ,rev4 xii4 #aj1 who accuseth them before ,god1 day and night2 ,and christians should not bear his image1 nor do his work4 #g4 ,censoriousness is contrary to the nature and office of ,jesus ,christ3 he came to pardon sin1 and cover the infirmities of his servants1 and to cast them behind his back1 and into the depth of the sea1 and to bury them in his grave2 and it is the censurer's work to rake them up1 and to make them seem more and greater than they are1 and to bring them into the open light4 #h4 ,censoriousness causeth uncharitableness and sinful separations in the censurers3 when they have conceited their brethren to be worse than they are1 they must then reproach them1 or have no communion with them1 and avoid them as too bad for the company of such as they3 or when they have usurped the pastor's work in judging1 they begin the execution by sinful separation4 #i4 ,censoriousness is an infectious sin1 which easily taketh with the younger and prouder sort of christians1 and so setteth them on vilifying others3 and at this little gap there entereth all uncharitableness1 backbitings1 revilings1 church divisions1 and sects1 yea1 and too often rebellious and bloody wars at last4 #aj4 ,censoriousness is a sore temptation to them that are censured1 either to contemn such as censure them1 and go on the other hand too far from them2 or else to comply with the errors and sinful humours of the censurers1 and to strain their consciences to keep pace with the censorious4 ,and here ,i must leave it on record to posterity for their warning1 that the great and lamentable actions1 changes1 and calamities of this age have arisen 7next to gross impiety7 from this sin of censoriousness producing these two contrary effects1 and thereby dividing men into two contrary parties3 the younger sort of religious people1 and the more ignorant1 and many women1 having more zeal than judgment1 placed too much of their religion in a sharp opposition to all ceremonies1 formalities1 and opinions which they thought unlawful2 and were much inclined to schism and unjust separations upon that account2 and therefore censured such things as antichristian1 and those that used them as superstitious and temporizers2 and no man's learning1 piety1 wisdom1 or laboriousness in the ministry could save him from these sharp1 reproachful censures4 ,hereupon one party had not humility and patience enough to endure to be so judged of2 nor love and tenderness enough for such peevish christians1 to bear with them in pity1 as parents do with froward infants2 but because these professed holiness and zeal1 even holiness and zeal were brought under suspicion for their sakes2 and they were taken to be persons intolerable1 as unfit to lie in any building1 and unmeet to submit to christian government2 and therefore meet to be used accordingly4 ,another sort were so wearied with the profaneness and ungodliness of the vulgar rabble1 and saw so few that were judiciously religious1 that they thought it their duty to love and cherish the zeal and piety of their censorious weak ones1 and to bear patiently with their frowardness1 till ripeness and experience cured them 7and so far they were right74 ,and because they thought that they could do them no good1 if they once lost their interest in them1 7and were also themselves too impatient of their censure17 some of them seemed 7to please them7 to be more of their opinion than they were2 and more of them forbore to reprove their petulance1 but silently suffered them to go on2 especially when they fell into the sects of antinomians1 anabaptists1 and separatists1 they durst not reprove them as they deserved1 lest they should drive them out of the hive1 to some of these late swarms4 ,and thus censoriousness in the ignorant and self-conceited drove away one part to take them as their enemies2 and silenced or drew on another party to follow them that led the van in some irregular1 violent actions2 and the wise and sober moderators were disregarded1 and in the noise of these tumults and contentions could not be heard1 till the smart of either party in their suffering forced them to honour such1 whom in their exaltation again they despised or abused4 ,this is the true sum of all the tragedies in ,britain of this age4 ,tit4 #d4 ,directions for those that are rashly censured4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,remember when you are injured by censures1 that ,god is now trying your humility1 charity1 and patience2 and therefore be most studious to exercise and preserve these three4 #a4 ,take heed lest pride make you disdainful to the censurer2 a humble man can bear contempt2 hard censures hurt men so far as they are proud4 #b4 ,take heed lest imbecility add to your impatience1 and concur with pride3 cannot you bear greater things than these8 ,impatience will disclose that badness in yourselves1 which will make you censured much more2 and it will show you as weak in one respect as the censurers are in another4 #c4 ,take heed lest their fault do not draw you to overlook or undervalue that serious godliness which is in many of the censorious2 and that you do not presently judge them hypocrites or schismatics1 and abate your charity to them1 or incline to handle them more roughly than the tenderness of ,christ alloweth you4 ,remember that in all ages it hath been thus3 the church hath had peevish children within1 as well as persecuting enemies without2 insomuch as ,paul1 ,rom4 xiv4 giveth you the copy of these times1 and giveth them this counsel1 which from him ,i am giving you4 ,the weak in knowledge were censorious1 and judged the strong2 the strong in knowledge were weak in charity1 and contemned the weak3 just as now one party saith1 ,these are superstitious persons1 and antichristian2 the other saith1 ,what giddy schismatics are these6 but ,paul chideth them both2 one sort for censuring1 and the other for despising them4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,take heed lest whilst you are impatient under their censures1 you fall into the same sin yourselves4 ,do they censure you for differing in some forms or ceremonies from them8 ,take heed lest you over-censure them for their censoriousness3 if you censure them as hypocrites who censure you as superstitious1 you condemn yourselves while you are condemning them4 ,for why will not censuring too far1 prove you hypocrites also1 if it prove them such8 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,remember that ,christ beareth with their weakness1 who is wronged by it more than you1 and is more against it4 ,he doth not quit his title to them for their frowardness1 nor cease his love1 nor turn every infant out of his family that will cry and wrangle1 nor every patient out of his hospital that doth complain and groan2 and we must imitate our ,lord1 and love where he loveth1 and pity where he pitieth1 and be merciful as our heavenly ,father is merciful4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,remember how amiable a thing the least degree of grace is1 even when it is clouded and blotted with infirmities4 ,it is the divine nature1 and the image of ,god1 and the seed of glory2 and therefore as an infant hath the noble nature of a man1 and in all his weakness is much more honourable than the best of brutes 7so that it is death to kill an infant1 but not a beast73 so is the most infirm and froward true christian more honourable and amiable than the most splendid infidel4 ,bear with them in love and honour to the image and interest of ,christ4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,remember that you were once weak in grace yourselves2 and if happy education under peaceable guides did not prevent it1 it is two to one but you were yourselves censorious4 ,bear therefore with others as you bear with crying children1 because you were once a child yourself4 ,not that the sin is ever the better1 but you should be the more compassionate4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,remember that your own strength and judgment is so great a mercy1 that you should the easilier bear with a censorious tongue4 ,the rich and noble can bear with the envious1 remembering that it is happy to have that worth or felicity which men do envy4 ,you suffer fools gladly1 seeing you yourselves are wise4 ,if you are in the right let losers talk4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,remember that we shall be shortly together in heaven1 where they will recant their censures1 and you will easily forgive them1 and perfectly love them4 ,and will not the foresight of such a meeting cause you to bear with them1 and forgive and love them now8 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,remember how inconsiderable a thing it is as to your own interest1 to be judged of man2 and that you stand or fall to the judgment of the ,lord1 #a ,cor4 iv4 #c1 #d4 ,what are you the better or the worse for the thoughts or words of a man2 when your salvation or damnation lieth upon ,god's judgment4 ,it is too much hypocrisy1 to be too much desirous of man's esteem and approbation1 and too much troubled at his disesteem and censure1 and not to be satisfied with the approbation of ,god4 ,read what is written against man-pleasing1 part i4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,make some advantage of other men's censures1 for your own proficiency4 ,if good men censure you1 be not too quick in concluding that you are innocent1 and justifying yourselves2 but be suspicious of yourselves1 lest they should prove the right1 and examine yourselves with double diligence4 ,if you find that you are clear in the point that you are censured for1 suspect and examine lest some other sin hath provoked ,god to try you by these censures2 and if you find not any other notable fault1 let it make you the more watchful by way of prevention1 seeing the eyes of ,god and men are on you2 and it may be ,god's warning1 to bid you take heed for the time to come4 ,if you are thus brought to repentance1 or to the more careful life1 by occasion of men's censures1 they will prove so great a benefit to you1 that you may bear them the more easily4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,trusts ,,and ,,secrets4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,trusts and ,secrets4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,how are we forbidden to put our trust in man8 ,and how may it be done8 ,answ4 #a4 ,you must not trust man for more than his proportion1 and what belongs to man to do3 you must not expect that from him which ,god alone can do4 #b4 ,you must not trust a bad1 unfaithful man to do that which is proper to a good and faithful man to do4 #c4 ,you must not trust the best man1 being imperfect and fallible1 as fully as if you supposed him perfect and infallible3 but having to do with a corrupted world1 we must live in it with some measure of distrust to all men 7for all that ,cicero thought this contrary to the laws of friendship74 ,but especially ignorant1 dishonest1 and fraudulent men must be most distrusted4 ,as ,bucholtzer said to his friend that was going to be a courtier1 ,commendo tibi fidem diabolorum1 crede et contremisce3 he that converseth with diabolical men1 must believe them no further than is due to the children of the father of lies4 ,but we must trust men as men1 according to the principles of veracity that are left in corrupted nature2 and we must trust men so far as reason showeth us cause1 from their skill1 fidelity1 honesty1 or interest3 so a surgeon1 a physician1 a pilot may be trusted with our lives3 and the skilfuller and faithfuller any man is1 the more he is to be trusted4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,whom should a man choose for a matter of trust8 ,answ4 ,as the matter is3 one that hath wisdom1 skill1 and fidelity1 through conscience1 honesty1 friendship1 or his own apparent interest4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,in what cases may ,i commit a secret to another8 ,answ4 ,when there is a necessity of his knowing it1 or a greater probability of good than hurt by it1 in the evidence which a prudent man may see4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,what if another commit a thing to me with charge of secrecy1 and ,i say nothing to him1 and so promise it not2 am ,i bound to secrecy in that case8 ,answ4 ,if you have cause to believe that he took your silence for consent1 and would not else have committed it to you1 you are obliged in point of fidelity1 as well as friendship3 except it be with robbers1 or such as we are not bound to deal openly with1 and on terms of equality4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,what if it be a secret1 but ,i am under no command or promise at all about it8 ,answ4 ,you must then proceed according to the laws of charity and friendship2 and not reveal that which is to the injury of another1 without a greater cause4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,what if it be against the king1 or state1 or common good8 ,answ4 ,you are bound to reveal it1 so far as the safety of the king1 or state1 or common good requireth it2 yea1 though you swear the contrary4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,what if it be only against the good of some third ordinary person4 ,answ4 ,you must endeavour to prevent his wrong1 either by revealing the thing1 or dissuading from it1 or by such means as prudence shall tell you are the meetest1 by exercising your love to one1 without doing wrong to the other4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,what if a man secretly intrust his estate to me1 for himself or children1 when he is in debt1 to defraud his creditors8 ,answ4 ,you ought not to take such a trust3 and if you have done it1 you ought not to hold it1 but resign it to him that did intrust you4 ,yea1 and to disclose the fraud1 for the righting of the creditors1 except it be in such a case as that the creditor is some such vicious or oppressing person1 as you are not obliged to exercise that act of charity for2 or when the consequents of revealing it will be a greater hurt1 than the righting of him will compensate2 especially when it is against the public good4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,what if a delinquent intrust me with his estate or person to secure it from penalty8 ,answ4 ,if it be one that is prosecuted by a due course of justice1 cujus pna debetur reipublic1 whose punishment the common good requireth1 the case must be decided as the former3 you must not take nor keep such a trust4 ,but if it be one whose repentance giveth you reason to believe1 that his impunity will be more to the common good than his punishment1 and that if the magistrate knew it1 he ought to spare or pardon him1 in this case you may conceal his person or estate2 so be it you do it not by a lie1 or any other sinful means1 or such as will do more hurt than good4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,what if a friend intrust me with his estate to secure it from some great taxes or tributes to the king8 ,may ,i keep such a trust or not8 ,answ4 ,no3 if they be just and legal taxes1 for the maintenance of the magistrate or preservation of the commonwealth3 but if it be done by a usurper that hath no authority1 7or done without or beyond authority1 the oppressing of the subject17 you may conceal his estate or your own by lawful means4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,what if a man that suffereth for religion1 commit his person or estate to my trust8 ,answ4 ,you must be faithful to your trust1 #a4 ,if it be true religion and a good cause for which he suffereth4 #b4 ,or if he be falsely accused of abuses in religion4 #c4 ,or if he be faulty1 but the penalty intended1 from which you secure him1 is incomparably beyond his fault and unjust4 ,supposing still that you save him only by lawful means1 and that it be not like to tend to do more hurt than good1 to the cause of religion or the commonwealth4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,what if a papist or other erroneous person intrust me 7being of the same mind7 to educate his children in that way1 when he is dead1 and afterward ,i come to see the error1 must ,i perform that trust or not8 ,answ4 ,no3 #a4 ,because no trust can oblige you to do hurt4 #b4 ,because it is contrary to the primary intent of your friend2 which was his children's good4 ,and you may well suppose that had he seen his error1 he would have intrusted you to do accordingly3 you are bound therefore to answer his primary intention1 and truly to endeavour his children's good4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,but what if a man to whom another hath intrusted his children1 turn papist or heretic1 and so thinketh error to be truth8 what must he do8 ,answ4 ,he is bound to turn back again to the truth1 and do accordingly4 ,object4 ,but one saith this is the truth and another that2 and he thinketh he is right4 ,answ4 ,there is but one of the contraries true4 ,men's thinking themselves to be in the right doth not make it so4 ,and ,god will not change his laws1 because they misunderstand or break them3 therefore still that which ,god bindeth them to is to return unto the truth4 ,and if they think that to be truth which is not1 they are bound to think otherwise4 ,if you say1 ,they cannot2 it is either not true1 or it is long of themselves that they cannot3 and they that cannot immediately1 yet mediately can do it1 in the due use of means4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,what if ,i foresee that the taking a trust may hazard my estate1 or otherwise hurt me1 and yet my dying 7or living7 friend desireth it8 ,answ4 ,how far the law of christianity or friendship oblige you to hurt yourself for his good1 must be discerned by a prudent considering1 what your obligations are to the person1 and whether the good of your granting his desires1 or the hurt to yourself1 is like to be the greater1 and of more public consequence3 and whether you injure not your own children or others by gratifying him4 ,and upon such comparison1 prudence must determine the case4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,but what if afterward the trust prove more to my hurt than ,i foresaw8 ,answ4 ,if it was your own fault that you foresaw it not1 you must suffer proportionably for that fault2 but otherwise you must compare your own hurt with the orphans'1 in case you do not perform the trust3 and consider whether they may not be relieved another way2 and whether you have reason to think that if the parent were alive and knew the danger1 he would expect you should perform your trust1 or would discharge you of it4 ,if it be some great and unexpected dangers1 which you think upon good grounds the parent would acquit you from if he were living1 you fulfil your trust if you avoid them1 and do that which would have been his will if he had known it4 ,otherwise you must perform your promise though it be to your loss and suffering4 ,quest4 ,,xvi4 ,but what if it was only a trust imposed by his desire and will1 without my acceptance or promise to perform it8 ,answ4 ,you must do as you would be done by1 and as the common good1 and the laws of love and friendship1 do require4 ,therefore the quality of the person1 and your obligations to him1 and especially the comparing of the consequent good and evil together1 must decide the case4 ,quest4 ,,xvii4 ,what if the surviving kindred of the orphan be nearer to him than ,i am1 and they censure me and calumniate me as injurious to the orphan1 may ,i not ease myself of the trust1 and cast it upon them8 ,answ4 ,in this case also1 the measure of your suffering must first be compared with the measure of the orphan's good2 and then your conscience must tell you whether you verily think the parent who intrusted you1 would discharge you if he were alive and knew the case4 ,if he would1 though you promised1 it is to be supposed that it was not the meaning of his desire or your promise1 to incur such suffering3 and if you would not believe that he would not discharge you if he were alive1 then if you promised you must perform2 but if you promised not1 you must go no further than the law of love requireth4 ,quest4 ,,xviii4 ,what is a minister of ,christ to do1 if a penitent person confess secretly some heinous or capital crime to him 7as adultery1 theft1 robbery1 murder72 must it be concealed or not8 ,answ4 #a4 ,if a purpose of sinning be antecedently confessed1 it is unlawful to further the crime1 or give opportunity to it by a concealment3 but it must be so far opened as is necessary for the prevention of another's wrong1 or the person's sin2 especially if it be treason against the king or kingdom1 or any thing against the common good4 #b4 ,when the punishment of the offender is apparently necessary to the good of others1 especially to right the king or country1 and to preserve them from danger by the offender or any other1 it is a duty to open a past fault that is confessed1 and to bring the offender to punishment1 rather than injure the innocent by their impunity4 #c4 ,when restitution is necessary to a person injured1 you may not by concealment hinder such restitution2 but must procure it to your power where it may be had4 #d4 ,it is unlawful to promise universal secrecy absolutely to any penitent4 ,but you must tell him before he confesseth1 ,if your crime be such1 as that opening it is necessary to the preservation or righting of king1 or country1 or your neighbour1 or to my own safety1 ,i shall not conceal it4 ,that so men may know how far to trust you4 #e4 ,yet in some rare cases1 7as the preservation of our parents1 king1 or country17 it may be a duty to promise and perform concealment1 when there is no hurt like to follow but the loss or hazard of our own lives1 or liberties1 or estates2 and consequently if no hurt be like to follow but some private loss of another1 which ,i cannot prevent without a greater hurt4 #f4 ,if a man ignorant of the law1 and of his own danger1 have rashly made a promise of secrecy1 and yet be in doubt1 he should open the case in hypothesi only1 to some honest1 able lawyer1 inquiring if such a case should be1 what the law requireth of the pastor1 or what danger he is in if he conceal it2 that he may be able further to judge of the case4 #g4 ,he that made no promise of secrecy1 virtual or actual1 may1 cteris paribus1 bring the offender to shame or punishment rather than to fall into the like himself for the concealment4 #h4 ,he that rashly promised universal secrecy1 must compare the penitent's danger and his own1 and consider whose suffering is like to be more to the public detriment1 all things considered1 and that must be first avoided4 #i4 ,he that findeth it his duty to reveal the crime to save himself1 must yet let the penitent have notice of it1 that he may fly and escape2 unless as aforesaid1 when the interest of the king1 or country1 or others1 doth more require his punishment4 #aj4 ,but when there is no such necessity of the offender's punishment1 for the prevention of the hurt or wrong of others1 nor any great danger by concealment to the minister himself1 ,i think that the crime1 though it were capital1 should be concealed4 ,my reasons are1 7#a47 ,because though every man be bound to do his best to prevent sin1 yet every man is not bound to bring offenders to punishment4 ,he that is no magistrate1 nor hath a special call so to do1 may be in many cases not obliged to it4 7#b47 ,it is commonly concluded that 7in most cases7 a capital offender is not bound to bring himself to punishment3 and that which you could not know but by his free confession1 is confessed to you only on your promise of concealment1 seemeth to me to put you under no other obligation to bring him to punishment than he is under himself4 7#c47 ,christ's words and practice1 in dismissing the woman taken in adultery1 showeth that it is not always a duty for one that is no magistrate to prosecute a capital offender1 but that sometimes his repentance and life may be preferred4 7#d47 ,and magistrates' pardons show the same4 7#e47 ,otherwise no sinner would have the benefit of a counsellor to open his troubled conscience to3 for if it be a duty to detect a great crime in order to a great punishment1 why not a less also in order to a less punishment4 ,and who would confess when it is to bring themselves to punishment8 #aa4 ,in those countries where the laws allow pastors to conceal all crimes that penitents freely confess1 it is left to the pastor's judgment to conceal all that he discerneth may be concealed without the greater injury of others1 or of the king or commonwealth4 #ab4 ,there is a knowledge of the faults of others1 by common fame1 especially many years after the committing1 which doth not oblige the hearers to prosecute the offender4 ,and yet a crime publicly known is more to be punished 7lest impunity imbolden others to the like7 than an unknown crime1 revealed in confession4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions about ,trusts and ,secrets4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,be not rash in receiving secrets or any other trusts3 but first consider what you are thereby obliged to1 and what difficulties may arise in the performance2 and foresee all the consequents as far as is possible1 before you undertake the trust2 that you cast not yourselves into snares by mere inconsiderateness1 and prepare not for perplexities and repentance4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,be very careful what persons you commit either trusts or secrets to2 and be sure they be trusty by their wisdom1 ability1 and fidelity4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be not too forward in revealing your own secrets to another's trust3 for1 #a4 ,you cannot be certain of any one's secrecy1 where you are most confident4 #b4 ,you oblige yourself too much to please that person1 who by revealing your secrets may do you hurt2 and are in fear lest carelessness1 or unfaithfulness1 or any accident should disclose it4 #c4 ,you burden your friend with the charge and care of secrecy4#afh ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,be faithful to your friend that doth intrust you2 remembering that perfidiousness or falseness to a friend1 is a crime against humanity1 and all society1 as well as against christianity2 and stigmatizeth the guilty in the eyes of all men1 with the brand of an odious1 unsociable person4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be not intimate with too many1 nor confident in too many2 for he that hath too many intimates1 will be opening the secrets of one to another4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,abhor covetousness and ambition2 or else a bribe or the promise of preferment1 will tempt you to perfidiousness4 ,there is no trusting a selfish1 worldly man4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,remember that ,god is the avenger of perfidiousness1 who will do it severely3 and that even they that are pleased and served by it1 do yet secretly disdain and detest the person that doth it2 because they would not be so used themselves4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,yet take not friendship or fidelity to be an obligation to perfidiousness to ,god1 or the king1 or commonwealth1 or to another1 or to any sin whatsoever4 #afh ,quod tacitum esse velis nemini dixeris4 ,si tibi non imperasti1 quomodo ab alio silentium speras8 ,martin4 ,dumiens1 de morib4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,directions ,,against ,,selfishness ,,as ,,it ,,is ,,contrary ,,to ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,our ,,neighbour4 ,the two tables of the law are summed up by our ,saviour in two comprehensive precepts3 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and soul1 and might3 and1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself4 ,in the decalogue the first of these is the true meaning of the first commandment1 put first because it is the principle of all obedience3 and the second is the true meaning of the tenth commandment1 which is therefore put last1 because it is the comprehensive sum of other duties to our neighbour or injuries against him1 which any other particular instances may contain2 and also the principle of the duty to1 or sin against1 our neighbour4 ,the meaning of the tenth commandment is variously conjectured at by expositors3 some say that it speaketh against inward concupiscence and the sinful thoughts of the heart2 but so do all the rest1 in the true meaning of them1 and must not be supposed to forbid the outward action only1 nor to be any way defective3 some say that it forbiddeth coveting and commandeth contentment with our state2 so doth the eighth commandment2 yet there is some part of the truth in both these4 ,and the plain truth is1 7as far as ,i can understand it17 that the sin forbidden is selfishness as opposite to the love of others1 and the duty commanded is to love our neighbours2 and that it is as is said1 the sum of the second table1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself3 as the captain leadeth the van1 and the lieutenant bringeth up the rear2 so1 ,thou shalt love ,god above all1 is the first commandment1 and ,thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself1 is the last1 for the aforesaid reason4 ,i shall therefore in these following directions speak to the two parts of the tenth commandment4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,the first help against selfishness is to understand well the nature and malignity of the sin4 ,for want of this it commonly prevaileth1 with little suspicion1 lamentation1 and opposition4 ,let me briefly therefore anatomize it4 #a4 ,it is the radical1 positive sin of the soul1 comprehending seminally or causally all the rest4 ,the corruption of man's nature1 or his radical sin1 hath two parts1 the positive part1 and the privative part3 the positive part is selfishness1 or the inordinate love of carnal self2 the privative part is ungodliness or want of the love of ,god4 ,man's fall was his turning from ,god to himself2 and his regeneration consisteth in the turning of him from himself to ,god2 or the generating of the love of ,god 7as comprehending faith and obedience7 and the mortifying of self-love4 ,selfishness therefore is all positive sin in one1 as want of the love of ,god is all privative sin in one4 ,and self-denial and the love of ,god are all duties virtually2 for the true love of man is comprehended in the love of ,god4 ,understand this1 and you will understand what original and actual sin is1 and what grace and duty are4 #b4 ,therefore selfishness is the cause of all sin in the world1 both positive and privative1 and is virtually the breach of every one of ,god's commandments4 ,for even the want of the love of ,god is caused by the inordinate love of self2 as the consuming of other parts is caused by the dropsy1 which tumefieth the belly4 ,it is only selfishness which breaketh the fifth commandment1 by causing rulers to oppress and persecute their subjects1 and causeth subjects to be seditious and rebellious2 and causeth all the bitterness1 and quarrellings1 and uncomfortableness1 which ariseth among all relations4 ,it is only selfishness which causeth the cursed wars of the earth1 and desolation of countries1 by plundering and burning2 the murders which cry for revenge to heaven 7whether civil1 military1 or religious73 which causeth all the railings1 fightings1 envyings1 malice2 the schisms1 and proud overvaluings of men's own understandings and opinions2 and the contending of pastors1 who shall be the greatest1 and who shall have his will in proud usurpations and tyrannical impositions and domination3 it is selfishness which hath set up and maintaineth the papacy1 and causeth all the divisions between the western and the eastern churches2 and all the cruelties1 lies1 and treachery exercised upon that account4 ,it is selfishness which troubleth families and corporations1 churches and kingdoms2 which violateth vows1 and bonds of friendship1 and causeth all the tumults1 and strifes1 and troubles in the world4 ,it is selfishness which causeth all covetousness1 all pride and ambition1 all luxury and voluptuousness1 all surfeiting and drunkenness1 chambering and wantonness1 time-wasting and heart-corrupting sports1 and all the riots and revelling of the sensual2 all the contending for honours and preferments1 and all the deceit in buying and selling1 the stealing and robbing1 the bribery and simony1 the law-suits which are unjust1 the perjuries1 false witnessing1 unrighteous judging1 the oppressions1 the revenge1 and in one word1 all the uncharitable and unjust actions in the world4 ,this is the true nature of carnal selfishness1 and it is no better4 #c4 ,selfishness is the corruption of all the faculties of the soul4 ,it is the sin of the mind1 by self-conceitedness and pride2 it is the sin of the will and affections1 by self-love1 and all the selfish passions which attend it2 selfish desires1 angers1 sorrows1 discontents1 jealousies1 fears1 audacities1 c4 ,it is the corruption of all the inferior faculties1 and the whole conversation by self-seeking1 and all the forementioned evils4 #d4 ,selfishness is the commonest sin in the world4 ,every man is now born with it1 and hath it more or less2 and therefore every man should fear it4 #e4 ,selfishness is the hardest sin in the world to overcome4 ,in all the unregenerate it is predominant2 for nothing but the sanctifying ,spirit of ,god can overcome it4 ,and in many thousands that seem very zealous in religion1 and very mortified in all other respects1 yet in some way or other selfishness doth so lamentably appear1 yea1 and is so strong in many that are sincere1 that it is the greatest dishonour to the church of ,christ1 and hath tempted many to infidelity1 or to doubt whether there be any such thing as true sanctification in the world4 ,the persons that seemed the most mortified saints1 if you do but cross them in their self-interest1 or opinion1 or will1 or seem to slight them1 or have a low esteem of them1 what swellings1 what heart-burnings1 what bitter censurings1 what proud impatience1 if not schisms and separations1 will it cause8 ,god hath better servants2 but too many which seem to themselves and others to be the best1 are no better4 ,how then should every christian abhor and watch against this universal evil6 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,consider oft how amiable a creature man would be1 and what a blessed condition the world and all societies would be in1 if selfishness were but overcome4 ,there would then be no pride1 no covetousness1 no sensuality1 no tyranny or oppressing of the poor1 no malice1 cruelty1 or persecution2 no church divisions1 no scandals1 nothing to dishonour religion1 or to hinder the saving progress of the gospel2 no fraud or treacheries1 no over-reaching or abusing others2 no lying nor deceit1 no neglect of our duty to others2 in a word1 no injustice or uncharitableness in the world4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,judge of good and evil by sober reason1 and not by brutish sense4 ,and then oft consider1 whether really there be not a more excellent end than your selfish interest8 even the public good of many1 and the pleasing and glorifying of ,god4 ,and whether all mediate good or evil should not be judged of principally by those highest ends8 ,sense leadeth men to selfishness or privateness of design2 but true reason leadeth men to prefer the public1 or any thing that is better than our self-interest4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,nothing but returning by converting grace to the true love of ,god1 and of man for his sake1 will conquer selfishness4 ,make out therefore by earnest prayer for the ,spirit of sanctification2 and be sure that you have a true apprehension of the state of grace2 that is1 that it is indeed the love of ,god and man4 ,love is the fulfilling of the law2 therefore love is the holiness of the soul3 set your whole study upon the exercise and increase of love1 and selfishness will die as love reviveth4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,study much the self-denying example and precepts of your ,saviour4 ,his life and doctrine are the liveliest representation of self-denial that ever was given to the world4 ,learn ,christ1 and you will learn self-denial4 ,he had not sinful selfishness to mortify1 yet natural self was so wonderfully denied by him1 for his ,father's will and our salvation1 that no other book or teacher in the world will teach us this lesson so perfectly as he4 ,follow him from the manger1 or rather from the womb1 to the cross and grave2 behold him in his poverty and contempt2 enduring the contradiction and ingratitude of sinners1 and making himself of no reputation2 behold him apprehended1 accused1 condemned1 crowned with thorns1 clothed in purple1 with a reed in his hand1 scourged1 and led away to execution1 bearing his cross1 and hanged up among thieves2 forsaken by his own disciples1 and all the world1 and in part by him who is more than all the world2 and consider why all this was done2 for whom he did it1 and what lesson he purposed hereby to teach us4 ,consider why be made it one half the condition of our salvation1 and so great a part of the christian religion1 to deny ourselves1 and take up our cross and follow him2 and will have no other to be his disciples1 ,luke xiv4 #bf1 #ca1 #cc4 ,were a crucified ,christ more of our daily study1 and did we make it our religion to learn and follow his holy example1 self-denial would be better known and practised1 and christianity would appear as it is1 and not as it is misunderstood1 adulterated and abused in the world4 ,but because ,i have long ago written a ,treatise of ,self-denial1 ,i shall add no more4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,for ,,loving ,,our ,,neighbour ,,as ,,ourselves4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about loving our ,neighbour4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,in what sense is it that ,i must love my neighbour as myself8 ,whether in the kind1 of love1 or in the degree1 or only in the reality4 ,answ4 ,the true meaning of the text is1 you must love him according to his true worth1 without the diversion and hinderance of selfishness and partiality4 ,as you must love yourself according to that degree of goodness which is in you1 and no more2 so must you as impartially love your neighbour according to that degree of goodness which is in him4 ,so that it truly extendeth to the reality1 the kind and the degree of love1 supposing it in both proportioned to the goodness of the object4 ,but before this can be understood1 the true nature of love must be well understood4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what is the true nature of love1 both as to myself and neighbour8 ,answ4 ,love is nothing but the prime motion of the will to its proper object2 which is called complacence3 the object of it is simple goodness1 or good as such3 it ariseth from suitableness between the object and the will1 as appetite doth from the suitableness of the appetent fancy and food4 ,this good1 as it is variously modified1 or any way differeth1 doth accordingly cause or require a difference in our love2 therefore that love which in its prime act and nature is but one1 is diversely denominated1 as its objects are diversified4 ,to an object as simply good1 in itself1 it followeth the understanding's estimation1 and is called1 as ,i said1 mere complacence or adhesion3 to an object as not yet attained1 but absent1 or distant1 and attainable1 it is called desire or desiring love3 and as expected1 hope1 or hoping love 7which is a conjunction of desire and expectation73 to an object nearest and attained1 it is called fruition1 or delight1 or delighting love3 to an object which by means must be attained1 it is called seeking love1 as it exciteth to the use of those means3 and to an object missed it is1 by accident1 mourning love4 ,but still love itself in its essential act is one and the same4 ,as it respecteth an object which wanteth something to make it perfect1 and desireth the supply of that want1 it is called love of benevolence2 denominated from this occasion1 as it desireth to do good to him that is loved4 ,and it is a love of the same nature which we exercise towards ,god1 who needeth nothing1 as we rejoice in that perfection and happiness which he hath2 though it be not to be called properly by the same name4 ,goodness being the true object of love1 is the true measure of it2 and therefore ,god is infinitely and primitively good1 is the prime and only simple object of our absolute1 total love4 ,and therefore those who understand no goodness in any being1 but as profitable to them1 or to some other creature1 do know no ,god1 nor love ,god as ,god1 nor have any love but selfish and idolatrous4 ,by this you may perceive the nature of love4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,but may none be loved above the measure of his goodness8 ,how then did ,god love us when we were not1 or were his enemies8 ,and how must we love the wicked8 ,and how must an ungodly person love himself8 ,answ4 ,if only good1 as such1 be the object of love1 then certainly none should be loved but in proportion to his goodness4 ,but you must distinguish between mere natural and sensitive love or appetite1 and rational love2 and between love1 and the effects of love2 and between natural goodness in the object1 and moral goodness4 ,and so ,i further answer1 #a4 ,there is in every man a natural and sensitive love of himself and his own pleasure and felicity1 and an averseness to death and pain and sorrow1 as there is in every brute3 and this ,god hath planted there for the preservation of the creature4 ,this falleth not under commands or prohibitions directly1 because it is not free but necessary2 as no man is commanded or forbidden to be hungry1 or thirsty1 or weary1 or the like3 it is not this love which is meant when we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves4 ,for ,i am not commanded to feel hunger1 and thirst1 nor to desire meat and drink by the sensitive appetite for my neighbour3 nor sensitively to feel his pain or pleasure1 nor to have that natural aversation from death and pain1 nor sensitive desire of life and pleasure1 for him as for myself4 ,but the love here spoken of1 is that volition with the due affection conjunct1 which is our rational love1 as being the act of our highest faculty1 and falling under ,god's command4 ,as to the sensitive love1 it proceedeth not upon the sense or estimate of goodness in the person who loveth himself or any other 7as beasts love their young ones without respect to their excellency74 ,but it is rational love which is proportioned to the estimated goodness of the thing beloved4 #b4 ,physical goodness may be in an object which hath no moral goodness2 and this may contain a capacity of moral goodness3 and each of them is amiable according to its nature and degree4 #c4 ,beneficence is sometimes an effect of love1 and sometimes an effect of wisdom only as to the object1 and of love to something else2 but it is never love itself4 ,usually benevolence is an act of love1 and beneficence an effect1 but not always4 ,i may do good to another without any love to him1 for some ends of my own1 or for the sake of another4 ,and a man may be obliged to greater beneficence1 where he is not obliged to greater love4 ,and now to the instances1 ,i further answer1 #a4 ,when we had no being1 ,god did not properly love us in esse reali 7unless you will go to our co-existence in eternity2 for we were not in esse reali72 but only as we were in esse cognito2 which is but to love the idea in himself3 but he purposed to make us1 and to make us lovely1 and to do us good1 and so he had that which is called amor benevolenti to us3 which properly was not love to us1 but a love to himself1 and the idea in his own eternal mind1 which is called a loving us in esse cognito1 and a purpose to make us good and lovely4 ,that which is not lovely is not an object of love3 man was not lovely indeed1 when he was not2 therefore he was not an object of love 7but in esse cognito47 ,the same we say of ,god's loving us when we were enemies3 he really loved us with complacency so far as our physical goodness made us lovely2 and as morally lovely he did not love us1 otherwise than in esse cognito4 ,but he purposed to make us morally lovely1 and gave us his mercies to that end2 and so loved us with a love of benevolence1 as it is called2 which signifieth no more than out of a complacence 7or love7 to himself1 and to us1 as physically good1 to purpose to make us morally good and happy4 ,as to the incident difficulty of love beginning de novo in ,god1 ,i have fully resolved it elsewhere4#afi #b4 ,so also we must love a wicked man with a love of benevolence3 which properly is but to love him in his physical worth1 and his capacity of moral goodness and happiness1 and thereupon 7but especially through the love of ,god7 to desire his happiness4 #c4 ,and as to the loving of ourselves1 7besides the sensitive love before mentioned which respecteth self as self1 and not as good17 a wicked man may rationally love himself according to his physical goodness as a man1 which containeth his capacity of moral goodness1 and so of being holy and serviceable to ,god and to good men1 and happy in the fruition of ,god4 ,but beyond all such goodness 7which only is amiableness7 no man may rationally love himself or any other1 with the true formal act of love1 which is complacence2 though he may wish good to himself or another beyond the present goodness which is in them2 nay1 he wisheth them good1 not because they are good1 but because they want good4 ,and though some define loving to be bene velle alicui ut illi bene sit1 to desire another's welfare1 yet indeed this may be without any true formal love at all4 ,as ,i may desire the welfare of my horse1 without any proper love to him1 even for myself and use4 ,when ,god from eternity willeth to make ,paul1 and to convert and save him1 ut illi bene sit1 it is called love of benevolence2 but properly it is only to be called1 a will to make ,paul good and lovely2#agj it being only ,god himself who is the original and ultimate end of that will and purpose2 and himself only which he then loveth1 there being nothing but himself to love2 till in that instant that ,paul is existent1 and so really lovely4 ,for ,paul in esse cognito is not ,paul2 yet no reality doth oriri de novo in ,god2 but a new respect and denomination1 and in the creature new effects4 7,of which elsewhere47 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,must ,i love every one as much as myself in degree1 or only some8 ,answ4 ,you must love every one impartially as yourself1 according to his goodness2 and you must wish as well to every one as to yourself2 but you must love no man complacentially so much as yourself1 who is not or seemeth not to have as much loveliness1 that is1 as much goodness1 or as much of ,god1 as yourself4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,must ,i love any one more than myself8 ,answ4 ,yes1 every one that is and appeareth better than yourself4 ,your sensitive love to another cannot be as much as to yourself2 and your beneficence 7ordinarily7 must be most to yourself1 because ,god in nature and his laws hath so appointed it2 and your benevolence to yourself and to others must be alike2 but your rational estimation1 and love or complacence1 7with the honour and praise attending it17 must be more to every one that is better than yourself2 for that which is best is most amiable1 and that which hath most of ,god4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,will it not then follow1 that ,i must love another man's wife and children better than mine own1 when they are really better8 ,answ4 ,yes1 no doubt2 but it is only with that rational1 estimative love4 ,but there is besides a love to wife and children1 which is in some measure sensitive1 which you are not obliged to give to others2 and rationally they are more amiable to you1 in their peculiar relations and respects1 though others are more amiable in other respects2 and besides1 though you value and rationally love another more1 yet the expressions must not be the same2 for those must follow the relation according to ,god's command4 ,you may not cohabit or embrace1 nor maintain and provide for others as your own1 even when you rationally love them more2 the common good requires this order in the expressive part1 as well as ,god's command4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,who is my neighbour that ,i must love as myself8 ,answ4 ,not devils or damned souls1 who are under justice and from under mercy1 and are none of our society3 but1 #a4 ,every natural man in via1 being a member of ,god's kingdom in the same world1 is to be loved as my natural self2 and every spiritual man as a member of the same kingdom of ,christ1 must be loved as my spiritual self2 and every spiritual man as such1 above my natural self as such2 and no natural man as such1 so much as my spiritual self as such3 so that no man on earth is excluded from your love1 which must be impartial to all as to yourself1 but proportioned to their goodness4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,are not antichrist and those that sin against the ,holy ,ghost excepted out of this our love1 and out of our prayers and endeavours of their good8 ,answ4 ,those that 7with ,zanchy7 think ,mahomet to be antichrist1 may so conclude1 because he is dead and out of our communion4 ,those that take the papacy to be antichrist 7as most protestants do7 cannot so conclude2 because1 as there is but one antichrist1 that is1 one papacy1 though a hundred popes be in that seat1 so every one of those popes is in via1 and under mercy1 and recoverable out of that condition2 and therefore is to be loved and prayed for accordingly4 ,and as for those that blaspheme the ,holy ,ghost1 it is a sin that one man cannot certainly know in another1 ordinarily at least2 and therefore cannot characterize a person unfit for our love1 and prayers1 and endeavours4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,may we not hate the enemies of ,god8 ,how then must we love them as ourselves8 ,answ4 ,we may and must hate sin in every one2 and where it is predominant1 as ,god is said to hate the sinner for his sin1 so must we2 and yet still love him as ourselves3 for you must hate sin in yourselves as much or more than in any other2 and if you are wicked you must hate yourselves as such2 yea1 if you are godly1 you must secundum quid1 or in that measure as you are sinful1 abhor1 and loathe1 and hate yourselves as such2 and yet you must love yourselves according to the measure of all that natural and moral goodness which is in you2 and you must desire and endeavour all the good to yourselves that you can4 ,just so must you hate and love another2 love them and hate them impartially as you must do yourselves4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may ,i not wish hurt sometimes to another1 more than to myself8 ,answ4 ,you may wish a mediate hurt which tendeth to his good1 or to the good of others2 but you must never wish any final hurt and misery to him4 ,you may wish your friend a vomit or bloodletting for his cure2 and you may wish him some affliction1 when it is needful and apt to humble him and do him good1 or to restrain him from doing hurt to others2 and on the same accounts1 and for the public good1 you may desire penal justice to be done upon him1 yea1 sometimes unto death2 but still with a desire of the saving of his soul4 ,and such hurt you may also wish yourself as is necessary to your good2 but you are not to wish the same penalties to yourself1 #a4 ,because you have somewhat else first to wish and do1 even to repent and prevent it4 #b4 ,because you are not bound ordinarily to do execution upon yourself4 ,it is more in your power to repent yourself1 and make repentance less necessary by humble confession and amendment1 than to bring another to repentance4 ,yet ,i may add also1 that hypothetically you may wish that destruction to the enemies of ,god in this life1 which absolutely you may not wish2 that is1 you must desire first that they may repent1 and secondly1 that they may be restrained from hurting others2 but if neither of these may be attained1 that they may be cut off4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,loving our ,neighbour as ,ourselves4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,take heed of selfishness and covetousness1 the two great enemies of love4 ,of which ,i have spoken more at large before4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,fall out with no man2 or if you do1 be speedily reconciled2 for passions and dissensions are the extinguishers of love4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,love ,god truly1 and you will easily love your neighbour2 for you will see ,god's image on him1 or interest in him1 and feel all his precepts and mercies obliging you hereunto4 ,as #a ,john iii4 #aa1 #bc2 and iv4 #g1 #ab1 #bj1 #ba4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,to this end let ,christ be your continual study4 ,he is the full revelation of the love of ,god2 the lively pattern of love1 and the best teacher of it that ever was in the world3 his incarnation1 life1 and sufferings1 his gospel and covenant1 his intercession and preparations for our heavenly felicity1 all are the great demonstrations of condescending1 matchless love4 ,mark both ,god's love to us in him1 and his love to man1 and you will have the best directive and incentive of your love4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,observe all the good which is in every man4 ,consider of the good of humanity in his nature1 and the goodness of all that truth which he confesseth1 and of all that moral good which appeareth in his heart and life2 and let not oversight or partiality cause you to overlook it1 or make light of it4 ,for it is goodness which is the only attractive of love2 and if you overlook men's goodness1 you cannot love them4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,abhor and beware of a censorious disposition1 which magnifieth men's faults1 and vilifieth their virtues1 and maketh men seem worse than indeed they are4 ,for as this cometh from the want of love1 so doth it destroy that little which is left4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,beware of superstition and an erring judgment1 which maketh men place religion where ,god never placed it4 ,for when this hath taught you to make duties and sins of your own humour and invention1 it will quickly teach you to love or hate men accordingly as they fit or cross your opinion and humour3 thus many a papist loveth not those that are not subjects of the ,roman monarch1 and that follow not all his irrational fopperies4 ,many an anabaptist loveth not those that are against his opinion of re-baptizing3 one loveth not those who are for liturgies1 forms of worship1 and church music2 and many love not those who are against them2 and so of other things 7of which more anon74 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,avoid the company of censorious backbiters and proud contemners of their brethren3 hearken not to them that are causelessly vilifying others1 aggravating their faults and extenuating their virtues4 ,for such proud1 supercilious persons 7religious or profane7 are but the messengers of ,satan1 by whom he entreateth you to hate your neighbour1 or abate your love to him4 ,and to hear them speak evil of others1 is but to go hear a sermon against charity1 which may take with such hearts as ours before we are aware4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,keep still the motives and incentives of love upon your minds4 ,which ,i shall here next set before you4 ,tit4 #c4 ,the ,reasons or ,motives of ,love to our ,neighbour4 ,motive ,i4 ,consider well of the image and interest of ,god in man4 ,the worst man is his creature1 and hath his natural image1 though not his moral image2 and you should love the work for the workman's sake4 ,there is something of ,god upon all human nature above the brutes2 it is intelligent1 and capable of knowing him1 of loving him1 and of serving him2 and possibly may be brought to do all this better than you can do it4 ,undervalue not the noble nature of man1 nor overlook that of ,god which is upon them1 nor the interest which he hath in them4 ,motive ,,ii4 ,consider well of ,god's own love to man4 ,he hateth their sins more than any of us2 and yet he loveth his workmanship upon them3 ,and maketh his sun to shine and his rain to fall on the evil and on the good1 on the just and on the unjust1 ,matt4 v4 #de4 ,and what should more stir us up to love1 than to be like to ,god8 ,motive ,,iii4 ,and think oft of the love of ,christ unto mankind2 yea1 even unto his enemies4 ,can you have a better example1 a livelier incentive1 or a surer guide8 ,motive ,,iv4 ,consider of our unity of nature with all men3 suitableness breedeth and maintaineth love4 ,even birds and beasts do love their kind2 and man should much more have a love to man1 as being of the same specific form4 ,motive ,v4 ,love is the principle of doing good to others4 ,it inclineth men to beneficence3 and all men call him good who is inclined to do good4 ,motive ,,vi4 ,love is the bond of societies2 of families1 cities1 kingdoms1 and churches3 without love1 they will be but enemies conjunct2 who are so much the more hurtful and pernicious to each other1 by how much they are nearer to each other4 ,the soul of societies is gone when love is gone4 ,motive ,,vii4 ,consider why it is that you love yourselves1 7rationally17 and why it is that you would be beloved of others4 ,and you will see that the same reasons will be of equal force to call for love to others from you4 ,motive ,,viii4 ,what abundance of duty is summarily performed in love6 ,and what abundance of sin is avoided and prevented by it6 ,if it be the fulfilling of the law1 it avoideth all the violations of the law 7proportionably74 ,so far as you have love1 you will neither dishonour superiors1 nor oppress inferiors1 nor injure equals3 you will neither covet that which is your neighbour's1 nor envy1 nor malice them1 nor defame1 nor backbite1 nor censure them unjustly2 nor will you rob them or defraud them1 nor withhold any duty or kindness to them4 ,motive ,,ix4 ,consider how much love pleaseth ,god2 and why it is made so great a part of all your duty2 and why the gospel doth so highly commend it1 and so strictly command it1 and so terribly condemn the want of it6 ,and also how suitable a duty it is for you1 who are obliged by so much love of ,god6 ,these things well studied will not be without effect4 ,motive ,x4 ,consider also that it is your own interest1 as well as your great duty4 #a4 ,it is the soundness and honesty of your hearts4 #b4 ,it is pleasing to that ,god on whom only you depend4 #c4 ,it is a condition of your receiving the saving benefits of his love4 #d4 ,it is an amiable virtue1 and maketh you lovely to all sober men3 all men love a loving nature1 and hate those that hate and hurt their neighbours4 ,love commandeth love1 and hurtfulness is hatefulness4 #e4 ,it is a sweet1 delightful duty3 all love is essentiated with some complacence and delight4 #f4 ,it tendeth to the ease and quietness of your lives4 ,what contentions and troubles will love avoid6 ,what peace and pleasure doth it cause in families1 neighbourhoods1 and all societies6 ,and what brawling vexations come where it is wanting6 ,it will make all your neighbours and relations to be a comfort and delight to you1 which would be a burden and trouble1 if love were absent4 #g4 ,it maketh all other men's felicity and comforts to be yours4 ,if you love them as yourselves1 their riches1 their health1 their honours1 their lordships1 their kingdoms1 yea1 more1 their knowledge1 and learning1 and grace1 and happiness1 are partly to you as your own3 as the comforts of wife and children1 and your dearest friends1 are2 and as our love to ,christ1 and the blessed angels and saints in heaven1 do make their joys to be partly ours4 ,how excellent1 and easy1 and honest a way is this1 of making all the world your own1 and receiving that benefit and pleasure from all things both in heaven and earth1 which no distance1 no malice of enemies can deny you6 ,if those whom you truly love have it1 you have it4 ,why then do you complain that you have no more health1 or wealth1 or honour1 or that others are preferred before you8 ,love your neighbour as yourselves1 and then you will be comforted in his health1 his wealth1 and his preferment1 and say1 ,those have it whom ,i love as myself1 and therefore it is to me as mine own4 ,when you see your neighbour's houses1 pastures1 corn1 and cattle1 love will make it as good and pleasant to you as if it were your own4 ,why else do you rejoice in the portions and estates of your children as if it were your own8 ,the covetous man saith1 ,oh how glad should ,i be if this house1 this land1 this corn were mine3 but love will make you say1 ,it is all to me as mine own4 ,what a sure and cheap way is this of making all the world your own6 ,oh what a mercy doth ,god bestow on his servants' souls1 in the day that he sanctifieth them with unfeigned love6 ,how much doth he give us in that one grace6 ,and oh what a world of blessing and comforts do the ungodly1 the malicious1 the selfish1 and the censorious cast away1 when they cast away or quench the love of their neighbours2 and what abundance of calamity do they bring upon themselves6 ,in this one summary instance we may see1 how much religion and obedience to ,god doth tend to our own felicity and delight2 and how easy a work it would be1 if a wicked heart did not make it difficult6 and how great a plague sin is unto the sinner2 and how sore a punishment of itself6 ,and by this you may see1 what it is that all fallings-out1 divisions1 and contentions tend to2 and all temptations to the abatement of our love2 and who it is that is the greater loser by it1 when love to our neighbour is lost2 and that backbiters and censurers who speak ill of others1 come to us as the greatest enemies and thieves1 to rob us of our chiefest jewel and greatest comfort in this world2 and accordingly should they be entertained4 #afi ,apology against ,dr4 ,kendal4 #agj ,but if any be resolved to call mere benevolence by the name of love1 ,i will not contend about a name4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,special ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,for ,,love ,,to ,,godly ,,persons ,,as ,,such4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,love to the ,godly4 ,whom we must take for godly ,i answered before1 chap4 xxiv4 tit4 #a4 quest4 v4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,how can we love the godly when no man can certainly know who is sincerely godly8 ,answ4 ,our love is not the love of ,god1 which is guided by infallibility2 but the love of man1 which is guided by the dark and fallible discerning of a man4 ,the fruits of piety and charity we infallibly see in their lives2 but the saving truth of that grace which is or ought to be the root1 we must judge of according to the probability which those signs discover1 and love men accordingly4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,must we love those as godly1 who can give no sensible account of their conversion1 for the time1 or manner1 or evidence of it8 ,answ4 ,we must take none for godly1 who show no credible evidence of true conversion1 that is1 of true faith and repentance3 but there is many a one truly godly1 who through natural defect of understanding or utterance1 are not able in good sense to tell you what conversion is1 nor to describe the manner in which it was wrought upon them1 much less to define exactly the time or sermon when it was first wrought1 which few of the best christians are able to do2 especially of them who had pious education1 and were wrought on in their childhood4 ,but if the covenant of grace be wisely opened to them according to their capacity1 and they deliberately1 and soberly1 and voluntarily profess their present assent and consent thereto1 they do thereby give you the credible evidence of a true conversion1 till you have sufficient contrary evidence to disprove it4 ,for none but a converted man can truly repent and believe in ,god the ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 according to the baptismal covenant4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,but what if he be so ignorant that he cannot tell what faith1 or repentance1 or redemption1 or sanctification1 or the covenant of grace is8 ,answ4 ,if you have sufficient evidence that indeed he doth not at all understand the essentials of the sacramental covenant1 you may conclude that he is not truly godly2 because he cannot consent to what he knoweth not3 ignorantis non est consensus2 and if you have no evidence of such knowledge1 you have no evidence of his godliness1 but must suspend your judgment4 ,but yet many a one understandeth the essentials of the covenant1 who cannot tell another what they are2 therefore his mind 7in case of great disability of utterance7 must be fished out by questions1 to which his yea or no will discover what he understandeth or consenteth to3 you would not refuse to do so by one of another language1 or a dumb man1 who understood you1 but could answer you but by broken words or signs3 and very ill education may make a great many of the phrases of ,scripture1 and religious language1 as strange to some men1 though spoken in their native tongue1 as if it were ,greek or ,latin to them1 who yet may possibly understand the matter4 ,a wise teacher by well composed questions may 7without fraud or formality7 discern what a man understandeth1 though he say but yea or no2 when an indiscreet1 unskilful man1 will make his own unskilfulness and uncharitableness the occasion of contemptuous trampling upon some that are as honest as himself4 ,if a man's desires and endeavours are to that which is good1 and he be willing to be taught1 and use the means1 it must be very gross ignorance indeed1 and well proved1 that must disprove his profession of faith4 ,if he competently understand what it is to believe in ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 the ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 he understandeth all that is absolutely necessary to salvation4 ,and his yea or no may sometimes signify his understanding it4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,must ,i take the visible members of the church1 because such1 for truly godly8 ,answ4 ,yes1 except when you have particular sufficient proof of their hypocrisy4 ,certainly no man doth sincerely enter into the baptismal covenant1 but he that is sincerely a penitent believer 7if at age74 ,for that covenant giveth actual pardon and adoption to those that sincerely enter into it3 the very consenting to it 7which is repentance and faith7 being the very condition of the present reception of these benefits4#aga ,and therefore it is that the ancient writers still affirmed that all the baptized were regenerated1 justified1 and adopted4 ,whether an adult person be truly fit for baptism1 or not1 the pastor that baptizeth is to judge2 and he must see the credible signs of true faith and repentance before he baptize him2 which are no other than his understanding1 voluntary1 sober profession of consent to the baptismal covenant3 but when he is baptized1 and professeth to stand to that covenant once made1 he is to be judged a godly person by all the church members1 who have not sufficient proof of the contrary3 because if he be sincere in what he did and still professeth1 he is certainly godly2 and whether he be sincere or not1 he himself is the best and regular judge or discerner1 so far as to put in his claim to baptism1 which the pastor is obliged not to deny him1 without disproving him3 and the pastor is judge as to his actual admittance2 and therefore the people have nothing necessarily to do1 but know whether he be baptized and stand to his baptism2 for which they are to take him as sincere1 unless by his notorious discovery of the contrary they can disprove him4 ,these are not only the true terms of church communion1 but of love to the godly2 and though this goeth hardly down with some good men1 who observe how few of the baptized seem to be seriously religious1 and therefore they think that a visible church member as such1 is not at all to be accounted sincere1 that is1 to be believed in his profession1 and that we owe him not the special love which is due to the godly1 but only a common love due only to professors without respect to their sincerity2 yet this opinion will not hold true2 nor is a profession required without respect to the truth or falsehood of it2 the credibility of it being the very reason that it is requisite4 ,nor is it any other faith or consent to the covenant below that which is sincere and saving1 which must be professed by all that will be taken for church members4 ,and though those that are of the contrary opinion are afraid lest this will occasion too much strictness in the pastors in judging whose profession is credible1 and consequently will countenance separation in the people1 yet ,god hath provided a sufficient remedy against that fear1 by making every man the opener of his own heart1 and tying us by the law of nature and of ,scripture1 to take every man's profession for credible1 which is sober1 understanding1 and voluntary1 unless they can disprove it1 or prove him a liar1 and perfidious1 and incredible4 ,and whereas it is a latitude of charity which bringeth them to the contrary opinion1 for fear lest the incredible professors of christianity should be all excluded from the visible church1 yet indeed it is but the image of charity1 to bring catechumens into the church1 7as to set the boys of the lowest form among them that are in their ,greek17 and to deny all special christian love to all visible members of the church as such2 and to think that we are not bound to take any of them 7as such7 to be sincere1 or in the favour of ,god1 or justified1 for fear of excluding those that are not4 ,but of this ,i have largely written in a treatise of this subject4#agb ,quest4 ,v4 ,must we take all visible church members alike to be godly1 and love them equally8 ,answ4 ,no3 there are as many various degrees of credit due to their profession1 as there are various degrees of credibility in it3 some manifest their sincerity by such full and excellent evidences in a holy life1 that we are next to certain that they are sincere2 and some make a profession so ignorantly1 so coldly1 and blot it by so many false opinions and vices1 that our fear of them may be greater than our hope2 of whom we can only say1 that we are not altogether hopeless of their sincerity1 and therefore must use them as godly men1 because we cannot prove the contrary2 but yet admonish them of their danger1 as having much cause to fear the worst3 and there may be many notorious wicked men in some churches1 through the pastors' fault1 for want of discipline2 and these for order sake we must assemble with1 but not dissemble with them and our own consciences1 so as to take them for godly men1 when the contrary is notorious2 nor yet to admit them to our familiarity4 ,the pastor hath the keys of the church1 but we have the keys of our own houses and hearts4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,must we love all equally that seem truly godly1 the strong and the weak8 ,answ4 ,no3 he that loveth men for their holiness1 will love them according to the degrees of their holiness1 as far as he can discern it4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,must we love him more who hath much grace 7or holiness7 and is little useful for want of gifts1 or him that hath less grace and eminent useful gifts8 ,answ4 ,they must both be loved according to the diversity of their goodness4 ,he that hath most grace is best1 and therefore most to be loved in himself2 but as a means to the conversion of souls and the honour of ,god in the good of others1 the man that hath the most eminent gifts1 must be most loved4 ,the first is more loved in and for his own goodness3 the second is more lovely propter aliud1 as a means to that which is more loved than either of them4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,must we love him as a godly man1 who liveth in any great or mortal sin8 ,answ4 ,every man must be loved as he is3 if by a mortal sin1 be meant a sin inconsistent with the love of ,god1 and a state of grace1 then the question is no question2 it being a contradiction which is in question4 ,but if by a great and mortal sin1 be meant only this or that act of sinning1 and the question be1 ,whether that act be mortal1 that is1 inconsistent with true grace or not8 then the particular act1 with the circumstances1 must be considered1 before that question can be answered4 ,murder is one of the most heinous sins2 and one man may be guilty of it1 out of deliberate1 habituate malice2 and another through a sudden passion2 and another through mere inadvertency1 carelessness1 and negligence4 ,stealing may be done by one man presumptuously1 and by another merely to save the life of himself or his children3 these will not equally prove a man in a state of death1 and without true grace4 ,and which is a mortal sin inconsistent with the life of grace1 and which not1 is before spoken to1 and belongeth not to this place4 ,only ,i shall say1 that the sin 7be it great or small as to the outward act or matter7 which certainly excludeth the habitual devotedness of the soul to ,god1 by resignation1 obedience1 and love1 is mortal1 or a mark of spiritual death2 and so is all sin1 which consisteth not with habitual repentance1 and a predominant hatred of sin as sin1 and of a disobedient1 unholy heart and life2 and therefore all sin1 which is not repented of as soon as it is known1 and the sinner hath time and opportunity of deliberation2 because in such a case1 the habit of repentance will produce the act4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,must an excommunicate person be loved as godly or not8 ,answ4 ,you must distinguish1 #a4 ,of excommunication4 #b4 ,of the person that is to judge4 #a4 ,there is an excommunication which censureth not the state of the sinner1 but only suspendeth him from church communion as at the present actually unfit for it3 and there is an excommunication which habituately or statedly excludeth the sinner from his church relation1 as an habituate1 impenitent1 obstinate person4 #b4 ,some persons have no opportunity to try the cause themselves1 being strangers1 or not called to it2 but must take it upon the pastor's judgment3 and some have no opportunity to know the person and the cause1 whether he be justly excommunicated or not4 ,now1 #a4 ,those that know by notoriety or proof that the person is justly excommunicated with the second sort of excommunication1 must not1 nor cannot love him as a godly man4 #b4 ,those that know by notoriety or proof that the person is unjustly excommunicated1 are not therefore to deny him the estimation and love which is due to a godly man3 though for order sake they may sometimes be obliged to avoid external church communion with him4 #c4 ,those that know nothing of the cause themselves1 must judge as the pastor judgeth1 who is the legal judge2 yet so1 as to take it to be but a human1 fallible1 and no final judgment4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,can an unsanctified hypocrite unfeignedly love a godly man8 ,answ4 ,there is no doubt but he may materially love him1 on some other consideration2 as because he is a kinsman1 friend1 benefactor1 or is witty1 learned1 fair1 c4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,but can he love a godly man because he is godly8 ,answ4 ,he may love a godly man 7at least7 as he may love ,god4 ,an unholy person cannot love ,god in all his perfections respectively to himself1 as a ,god who is most holy and just in his government1 forbidding all sin1 and condemning the ungodly2 for the love of his sins is inconsistent with this love4 ,but he may love him as he is most great1 and wise1 and good in the general1 and as he is the ,maker and ,benefactor of the world and of the sinner2 yea1 and in general as his ,governor2 and so he may verily think that he loveth ,god as ,god1 because he loveth him for his essentialities2 but indeed he doth not1 7speaking strictly17 because he leaveth out some one or more of these essentialities2 even as he that loveth man as rational1 but not as a voluntary free agent1 loveth not man as man3 and as a heretic is no christian1 because he denieth some one essential part of christianity2 even so as to the love of godly men1 an ungodly man may believe that they are better than others1 and therefore love them2 but not as godliness is the consent to that holiness and justice of ,god1 which would restrain him from his beloved sins1 and condemn him for them4 ,so far as they are simply godly to themselves1 without respect to him and his sins1 he may love them4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,may he love a godly man as he would make him godly1 and convert him8 ,answ4 ,he may love him as a better man than others1 and in general he may wish himself as good1 and may love him because he wisheth him well2 but as he cannot be 7or rather is not7 willing himself to leave his sins and live in holiness1 so another is not grateful to him1 who urgently persuadeth him to this4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,doth any ungodly person love the godly comparatively more than others8 ,answ4 ,so far as he doth love them as godly1 so far he may love them more than those that are not such2 many a bad father loveth a religious child better than the rest2 because they think that wisdom and godliness are good2 and they are glad to see their children do well1 as long as they do not grate upon them with troublesome censures3 for another man's godliness costeth a bad man little or nothing2 he may behold it without the parting with his sins4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,doth every sincere christian love all the godly with a special love8 even those that oppose their opinions1 or that they think do greatly wrong them8 ,answ4 #a4 ,every true christian loveth a godly man as such1 and therefore loveth all such1 if he take them to be such4 #b4 ,no godly man doth habitually and impenitently live in such malice or enmity1 as will not suffer him to see the godliness of a dissenter or adversary1 when it hath sufficient evidence4 #c4 ,but ill education and company1 and want of opportunity1 may keep a true christian from discerning the godliness of another1 and so from loving him as a godly man4 #d4 ,and error1 and faction1 and passion may in a temptation so far prevail as at present to pervert his judgment1 and make him misjudge a godly man to be ungodly1 though when he hath opportunity to deliberate and come to himself1 he will repent of it4 ,quest4 ,,xv4 ,what is that love to the godly which proveth a man's sincerity1 and which no hypocrite or unregenerate person doth attain to8 ,answ4 ,it hath in it these essential parts3 #a4 ,he loveth ,god best1 and his servants for his sake4 #b4 ,he loveth godliness1 and the person as godly1 and therefore would fain be such himself2 or loveth it for himself as well as in others4 #c4 ,he loveth not one only1 but all the essential parts of godliness 7our absolute resignation to ,god our ,owner1 our absolute obedience to ,god our ,ruler1 and our highest gratitude and love to ,god our ,benefactor and our ,end74 #d4 ,he loveth godliness and godly men1 above his carnal1 worldly interest1 his honour1 wealth1 or pleasure2 and therefore will part with these in works of charity1 when he can understand that ,god requireth it4 ,these four set together make up that love which will prove your sincerity1 and which no hypocrite doth perform4 ,hypocrites either love the godly only as their benefactors with a self-love2 or they love them as godly to themselves1 but would not be like them1 and love not godliness itself to make them godly2 or they love them for some parts of godliness1 and not for all2 or they love them but in subjection to their worldly love2 with such a dry and barren love as ,james rejecteth1 ,james ii4 as will not be at any great cost upon them1 to feed1 or clothe1 or visit1 or relieve them4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,loving the ,children of ,god4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,once get the love of ,god1 and you cannot choose but love his children4 ,therefore first set your hearts to that1 and study the directions for it1 part i4 ,god must be first loved as ,god1 before the godly can be loved as such2 though perhaps this effect may sometimes be more manifest than the cause3 fortify the cause and the effect will follow4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,get ,christ to dwell in your hearts by faith1 ,eph4 iii4 #ag2 and then you will love his members for his sake4 ,the study of the love of ,god in ,christ1 and the belief of all the benefits of his love and sufferings1 will be the bellows continually to kindle your love to your ,redeemer1 and to all those that are like him and beloved by him4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,cherish the motions of ,god's ,spirit in yourselves4 ,for he is a ,spirit of love2 and it is the same ,spirit which is in all the saints2 therefore the more you have of the ,spirit1 the more unity and the more love will you have to all that are truly spiritual4 ,the decays of your own holiness1 containeth a decay of your love to the holy4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,observe their graces more than their infirmities4 ,you cannot love them unless you take notice of that goodness which is their loveliness4 ,overlooking and extenuating the good that is in others1 doth show your want of love to goodness1 and then no wonder if you want love to those that are good4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be not tempters and provokers of them to any sin4 ,for that is but to stir up the worser part which is in them1 and to make it more apparent2 and so to hide their amiableness1 and hinder your own love4 ,they that will be abusing them1 and stirring up their passions1 or oppressing wise men to try if they can make them mad1 or increasing their burdens and persecutions to see whether there be any impatience left in them1 are but like the horseman who was still spurring his horse1 and then sold him because he was skittish and unquiet2 or like the gentleman that must needs come as a suitor to a beautiful lady1 just when she had taken a vomit and purge1 and then disdained her as being unsavoury and loathsome4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,stir up their graces1 and converse much with them in the exercises of grace4 ,if ,aristotle or ,socrates1 ,demosthenes or ,cicero1 stood silent by you among other persons1 you will perceive no difference between them and a fool or a vulgar wit3 but when once they open their lips and pour out the streams of wisdom and eloquence1 you will quickly perceive how far they excel the common world1 and will admire1 love1 and honour them4 ,so when you converse with godly men about matters of trading or common employments only1 you will see no more but their blamelessness and justice2 but if you will join with them in holy conference or prayer1 or observe them in good works1 you will see that the ,spirit of ,christ is in them4 ,when you hear the longings of their souls after ,god1 and their heavenly desires and hopes and joys1 and their love to piety1 charity1 and justice1 express themselves in their holy discourse and prayers1 and see the fruits of them in their lives1 you will see that they are more than common men4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,foresee the perfection of their graces in their beginnings4 ,no man will love a seed or stock of those plants or trees which bear the most beautiful flowers and fruits1 unless in the seed he foresee the fruit or flower which it tendeth to4 ,no man loveth the egg aright1 who doth not foreknow what a bird it will bring forth4 ,aristotle or ,cicero were no more amiable in their infancy than others1 except to him that could foretell what men they were like to prove4 ,think oft of heaven1 and what a thing a saint will be in glory1 when he shall shine as the stars1 and be equal to the angels2 and then you will quickly see cause to love them4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,frequently think of the everlasting union and sweet agreement which you must have with them in heaven for ever4 ,how perfectly you will love each other in the love of ,god6 ,how joyfully you will consent in the love and praises of your ,creator and ,redeemer6 ,the more believingly you foresee that state1 and the more you contemplate thereon1 and the more your conversation is in heaven1 the more will you love your fellow-soldiers and travellers1 with whom you must live in blessedness for ever4 ,tit4 #c4 ,motives or ,meditative ,helps to the ,godly4 ,motive ,i4 ,consider what relation all the regenerate have to ,god4 ,they are not only his creatures1 but his adopted children3 and are they not honourable and amiable who are so near to ,god8 ,motive ,,ii4 ,think of their near relation to ,jesus ,christ3 they are his members1 and his brethren1 and the purchase of his sufferings1 and co-heirs of everlasting life1 ,rom4 viii4 #af1 #ag2 ,eph4 v4 #bf1 #bg4 ,motive ,,iii4 ,think of the excellency of that spirit and holy nature which is in them4 ,regeneration hath made them partakers of the divine nature1 and hath endued them with the ,spirit of ,christ1 and hath by the incorruptible seed made them new creatures1 of a holy and heavenly mind and life2 and hath renewed them after the image of ,god6 ,and what besides ,god himself can be so amiable as his image8 ,motive ,,iv4 ,think of the precious price which was paid for their redemption3 if you will estimate things by their price1 7if the purchaser be wise17 how highly must you value them6 ,motive ,v4 ,remember how dearly they are beloved of ,god1 their ,creator and ,redeemer4 ,read and observe ,god's tender language towards them1 and his tender dealings with them4 ,he calleth them his children1 his beloved1 yea1 dearly beloved1 his jewels1 the apple of his eye1 ,deut4 xxxiii4 #ab2 ,psal4 lx4 #e2 cxxvii4 #b2 ,col4 iii4 #ab2 ,jer4 xii4 #g2 ,mal4 iii4 #ag2 ,zech4 ii4 #h2 ,deut4 xxxii4 #aj4 ,christ calleth the least of them his brethren1 ,matt4 xxv4 ,judge of his love to them by his incarnation1 life1 and sufferings6 ,judge of it by that one heart-melting message after his resurrection1 ,john xx4 #ag1 ,go to my brethren and say unto them1 ,i ascend to my ,father and your ,father1 to my ,god and your ,god4 ,and should we not love them dearly who are so dearly beloved of ,god8 ,motive ,,vi4 ,they are our brethren1 begotten by the same ,father and ,spirit1 of the same holy seed1 the word of ,god2 and have the same nature and disposition3 and this unity of nature and nearness of relation1 is such a suitableness as must needs cause love4 ,motive ,,vii4 ,they are our companions in labour and tribulation1 in our duty and sufferings3 they are our fellow-soldiers and travellers1 with whom only we can have sweet and holy converse1 and a heavenly conversation2 when the carnal savour not the things of ,god4 ,motive ,,viii4 ,consider how serviceable their graces render them1 for the pleasing of ,god and the good of men4 ,they are the work of ,god1 created to good works1 ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 ,they are fitted by grace to love and praise their ,maker and ,redeemer1 and to obey his laws1 and to honour him in their works1 as shining lights in a dark generation4 ,they are the blessings of the place where ,god hath planted them2 they pray for sinners1 and exhort them1 and give them good examples1 and call them from their sins1 and lovingly draw them on to conversion and salvation4 ,for their sakes ,god useth others the better where they live4 ,ten righteous persons might have saved ,sodom4 ,they are lovely therefore for the service which they do4 ,motive ,,ix4 ,all their graces will be shortly perfected1 and all their infirmities done away4 ,they are already pardoned and justified by ,christ2 and every remaining spot and wrinkle will be shortly taken away1 ,eph4 v4 #bf1 #bg1 and they shall be presented perfect unto ,god4 ,and they that shall be so perfect then1 are amiable now4 ,motive ,x4 ,they shall see the glory of ,god1 and live for ever in his presence3 they shall be employed in his perfect love and praise1 and we shall be their companions therein3 and those that must sing hallelujahs to ,god in perfect amity and concord1 such an harmonious1 blessed choir1 should live in great endearedness in the way4 ,tit4 #d4 ,the ,hinderances and ,enemies of ,christian ,love4 ,enemy ,i4 ,the first enemy of christian love1 is the inward unregeneracy and carnality of the mind3 for the carnal mind is enmity to ,god1 and neither is nor can be subject to his law1 ,rom4 vi4 #g2 and therefore it is at enmity with holiness1 and with those that are seriously holy4 ,the excellency of a christian is seen only by faith1 believing what ,god speaketh of them1 and by spiritual discerning of their spiritual worth3 but the natural man discerneth not the things of the ,spirit1 but they are as foolishness to him1 because they must be spiritually discerned1 #a ,cor4 ii4 #ad4 ,there must be a suitableness of nature before there can be true love2 and he that will love them as holy1 must first love holiness himself4 ,enemy ,,ii4 ,another enemy to christian love is selfishness1 or inordinate self-love2 for this will make men love no one heartily1 but as they serve1 or love1 or honour them1 and according to the measures of their selfish interest3 if a godly man will not flatter such persons1 and serve their proud or covetous humours1 they cannot love him4 ,a selfish person maketh so great a matter of every infirmity which crosseth his interest1 or every mistake which crosseth his opinion1 or every little injury that is done him1 that he crieth out presently1 ,oh what wicked and unconscionable people are these6 ,what hypocrites are they6 ,is this their religion8 ,is this justice or charity8 ,all virtues and vices are estimated by them according to their own ends and interest chiefly2 they can think better of a common whoremonger1 or swearer1 or atheist1 or infidel that loveth1 and honoureth1 and serveth them1 than of the most holy and upright servant of ,god1 who thinketh meanly or hardly of them1 and standeth in their way1 and seemeth to be against their interest2 it is no commendation to him in this man's account1 that he loveth ,god1 and all that are godly1 if he seem to injure or cross a selfish man4 ,a carnal self-lover can love none but himself and for himself2 and maketh all faults which are against himself to be the characters of an odious person1 rather than those which are committed against ,god4 ,enemy ,,iii4 ,christian love is often diminished and marred by degenerating into a carnal sort of love1 through the prevalency of some carnal vice4 ,thus they that loved a man for godliness1 turn it into a selfish love1 for some honour1 or favour1 or benefits to themselves4 ,and young persons of different sexes begin to love each other for piety1 and by undiscreet1 and unwary1 and sinful familiarities1 are drawn before they are aware1 to carnal1 fond1 and sinful love2 and these persons think that their holy love is stronger than before2 whenas it is stifled1 consumed1 and languishing1 as natural heat by a burning fever1 and is overcome and turned into another thing4 ,enemy ,,iv4 ,passion and impatiency is a great enemy to christian love4 ,it is stirring up displeasing words and carriage1 and then cannot bear them2 it meeteth every where with matter of displeasure and offence1 and is still casting water on this sacred fire1 and feigning or finding faults in all4 ,enemy ,v4 ,self-ignorance and partiality is a great enemy to love2 when it maketh men overlook their own corruptions1 and extenuate all those faults in themselves1 which in others they take for heinous crimes2 and so they want that compassion to others which would bear with infirmities1 because they know not how bad they are themselves1 and what need they have of the forbearance of others4 ,enemy ,,vi4 ,censoriousness is an enemy to brotherly love 7as is aforesaid73 a censorious person will tell you how dearly he loveth all the godly2 but he can allow so few the acknowledgment of their godliness1 that few are beholden to him for his love4 ,his sinful humour blindeth his mind1 that he cannot see another's godliness2 he will love them for their sincerity when he can see it1 but that will not be till he hath better eyes4 ,timon was a great lover of wisdom1 but a hater of all men1 because he took no man to be wise4 ,enemy ,,vii4 ,faction and parties1 or siding in religion1 is one of the greatest enemies of christian love4 ,for this causeth censoriousness1 and maketh men so overvalue the opinions which they have chosen1 and the interest of their party1 that they hardly see goodness in any that are not of their mind1 and quickly find faults 7or devise them7 in those that are against them4 ,enemy ,,viii4 ,conversing with malicious1 wicked1 or censorious persons1 is a great hinderance of the love of godly men2 for he that heareth them daily slandered1 and represented as brain-sick1 seditious1 self-conceited1 humorous1 hypocritical people1 will easily take them as odious1 but hardly as amiable1 unless he come nearer them1 and know them better than by a liar's words4 ,enemy ,,ix4 ,too high expectations are great enemies to love4 ,when men either look that saints on earth should be like saints in heaven1 who have no infirmity2 or look for greater parts of nature or art1 ingenuity or excellency of speech1 than is in other persons1 or when selfishness and covetousness or pride doth make men look for great respect1 and observance1 and esteem1 or gifts1 or commodity from others2 when sin and error raiseth these unreasonable expectations1 and the imperfect graces of christians do not answer them1 such persons think contemptibly of good men1 and call them hypocrites1 and as bad as others1 because they are not such as they expected4 ,enemy ,x4 ,the placing of men's goodness in lesser matters in which it doth not consist1 is also a common enemy of love4 ,when a man is himself so carnal as not to know what spiritual excellency is1 but prefers some common gifts before it1 such a one can never be satisfied in the ordinary sort of upright men4 ,thus some make a great matter of compliment1 and courtship1 and handsome deportment1 when some holy persons are so taken up with the great matters of ,god and their salvation1 and so retired from the company of complimenters1 that they have neither time1 nor mind1 nor skill1 nor will for such impertinencies4 ,some place so much in some particular opinions1 or ceremonies1 or forms of church government and worship1 that they can think well of no man that is against them2 whereas good men on earth are so imperfect1 that they are1 and will be1 of several opinions about such things2 and so these persons oblige themselves by their own opinionativeness1 to be always against one part of the sincerest servants of ,christ4 ,one man can think well of none that is not for his church party1 or way of government and worship2 and another can think well of none that is not for his way4 ,one can think well of none that prayeth not by his book1 and doth not turn1 and bend1 and look just in the same manner1 garb1 and posture with himself1 and that useth not all the ceremonies which he affecteth2 or at least1 if his weakness make him guilty of any unhandsome tone or gesture1 or of any incompt and unapt expressions1 or needless repetitions1 or unpleasing style 7all which we wish that all good men were free from74 ,another can think well of no man1 that is for pomp and force in church government1 or for ceremonies1 forms1 and books in prayer1 and for prescribed words in worshipping ,god4 ,and thus placing religion where they should not1 causeth too many to take up with a mistaken religion for themselves1 and to dislike all that are not of their mind1 and certainly destroyeth christian love in one part of christians towards the other4 ,enemy ,,xi4 ,pride also is a pestilent extinguisher of love4 ,for a proud man is so much overwise in his own eyes1 that he can without remorse stigmatize all that dissent from him with the names of ignorant or erroneous1 schismatical1 heretical1 or what other name the humour or advantage of the times shall offer him3 and he is so good in his own eyes1 that he measureth men's goodness and godliness by their agreement with him1 or compliance with his will4 ,and he is so great in his own eyes1 that he thinketh himself and his complices only fit to make laws for others1 and to rule them in their opinions1 and in the worship of ,god2 and no man fit to say any thing publicly to ,god1 but what he putteth into their mouths4 ,he can think well of none that will not obey him3 like the pope of ,rome1 that saith1 ,no man on earth hath church communion with him that is not subject to him4 ,a humble christian thinketh that himself and the gospel have great and unusual prosperity in the world1 when they have but liberty2 but proud men think that religion is ruinated1 and they are persecuted1 when they have not their will upon their brethren1 and when their brethren will be but brethren1 and deny them obedience4 ,subjects they can think well of and command1 but brethren they cannot love nor tolerate4 ,enemy ,,xii4 ,lastly1 ,the counterfeits of christian love deceive abundance1 and keep them from that which is love indeed4 ,they might be brought to it1 if they had not thought that they had it already1 when they have it not4 ,tit4 #e4 ,the ,counterfeits of ,christian ,love4 ,count4 ,i4 ,it is but counterfeit love to christians1 when they are loved only for being of the common religion of the country1 and the same that you say you are of yourselves3 as one ,mahometan loveth another4 ,count4 ,,ii4 ,or to love one only sect or party of christians1 which you espouse as the only party or church2 and not to love a christian as a christian1 and so to love all true christians whom you can discern to be such4 ,count4 ,,iii4 ,to love only those christians who are your kindred or relations1 or those that have been some way benefactors to you4 ,count4 ,,iv4 ,to love christians only for their familiarity1 or kind and loving conversation1 and civil1 obliging deportment among men4 ,count4 ,v4 ,to love them only because they are learned1 or have better wits or abilities of speech1 in preaching1 prayer1 or conference than others4 ,count4 ,,vi4 ,to love them only upon the praise which common commendations may sometimes give them1 and for being magnified by fame1 and well spoken of by all men4 ,thus many wicked men do love the saints departed1 when they hate those that are alive among them4 ,count4 ,,vii4 ,to love them only for being godly in themselves at a distance1 so they will not trouble them with their godliness2 while they love not those that reprove them1 and would draw them to be as godly4 ,count4 ,,viii4 ,to love them only for suffering with them in the same cause4 ,thus a profane person taken by the ,turks may love his fellow-captives who refuse to renounce ,christ4 ,and thus a sufferer for an ill cause1 or an erroneous sect1 may love those that suffer with him above others4 ,count4 ,,ix4 ,to love them only for holding strict and right opinions1 while they will not endure to live accordingly4 ,thus many love the light1 that cannot bear the heat and motion2 many love an orthodox person1 of a sound judgment1 that is against looseness and profaneness in his opinion1 and do not like the folly of the licentious2 who yet like licentious practice best4 ,count4 ,x4 ,to love them for some parts of godliness only2 while some other essential part will not be endured 7of which before74 ,count4 ,,xi4 ,to love them in a kind fit only1 as ,saul with tears professed to do his son ,david2 but to have no habitual1 constant love4 ,count4 ,,xii4 ,lastly1 ,to love godly men a little1 and the world and fleshly interest more2 to love them only so as will cost them nothing2 to wish them fed1 but not to feed them2 and to wish them clothed1 but not to clothe them2 and to wish them out of prison1 but not to dare to visit them for fear of suffering themselves4 ,he that hath this world's goods1 and seeth his brother have need1 and shutteth up the bowels of his compassion from him1 how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8 #a ,john iii4 #ag4 ,surely if the love of his brother were in him1 the love of ,god had been in him4 ,but he hath no true love to his brother1 that will only love him on terms that cost him little1 and cannot give and suffer for his love4 ,all these are deceiving counterfeits of love to the children of ,god4 ,tit4 #f4 ,cases and ,directions for intimate1 special ,friends4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is it lawful to have an earnest desire to be loved by others8 especially by some one person above all other8 ,answ4 ,there is a desire of others' love which is lawful1 and there is a desire which is unlawful4 ,i4 ,it is lawful1 #a4 ,when we desire it as it is their duty1 which ,god himself obligeth them to perform1 and so is part of their integrity1 and is their own good1 and pleaseth ,god4 ,so parents must desire their children to love them1 and one another1 because it is their duty1 and else they are unnatural and bad4 ,and husband and wife may desire that each other discharge that duty of love which ,god requireth1 and so may all others4 #b4 ,it is lawful also to desire for our own sakes to be loved by others2 so be it it be1 #a4 ,with a calm and sober desire1 which is not eager1 peremptory1 or importunate1 nor overvalueth the love of man4 #b4 ,according to the proportion of our own worth2 not desiring to be thought greater1 wiser1 or better than indeed we are1 nor to be loved erroneously by an overvaluing love4 #c4 ,when we desire it for the benefits to which it tendeth1 more than to be valued and loved for ourselves3 as1 #a4 ,that we may receive that edification and good from a friend which love disposeth them to communicate4 #b4 ,that we may do that good to our friends1 which love disposeth them to receive4 #c4 ,that we may honour and please ,god1 who delighteth in the true love and concord of his children4 ,,ii4 ,but the unlawful desire of others' love to us1 is much more common1 and is a sin of a deeper malignity than is commonly observed4 ,this desire of love is sinful1 when it is contrary to that before described2 as1 #a4 ,when we desire it over-eagerly4 #b4 ,when we desire it selfishly and proudly1 to be set up in the good opinion of others2 and not to make a benefit of it to ourselves or them2 but our own honour is more desired in it1 than the honour of ,god4 #c4 ,when we desire to be thought greater1 wiser1 or better than we are1 and to be loved with such an overvaluing love2 and have no desire that the bounds of truth and usefulness should restrain and limit that love to us which we affect4 #d4 ,when it is an erroneous1 fanciful1 carnal1 or lustful esteem of some one person1 which maketh us desire his love more than others4 ,as because he is higher1 richer1 fairer1 c4 ,this eager desire to be overloved by others1 hath in it all these aggravations4 #a4 ,it is the very sin of pride1 which ,god hath declared so great a detestation of4 ,for pride is an overvaluing ourselves1 for greatness1 wisdom1 or goodness1 and a desire to be so overvalued of others4 ,and he that would be overloved1 would be overvalued4 #b4 ,it is self-idolizing3 when we would be loved as better than we are1 we rob ,god of that love which men should render to him1 who can never be overloved1 and we would fain seem a kind of petty deities to the world1 and draw men's eyes and hearts unto ourselves4 ,when we should be jealous of ,god's interest and honour1 lest we or any creature should have his due1 this proud disposition maketh people set up themselves in the estimation of others1 and they scarce care how good or wise they are esteemed1 nor how much they are lifted up in the hearts of others4 #c4 ,it is an injurious insnaring the minds of others1 and tempting them to erroneous opinions of us1 and affections to us2 which will be their sin1 and may bring them into many inconveniences4 ,it is an ordinary thing to do greater hurt to a friend whom we value1 by insnaring him in an inordinate love1 than ever we did or can do to an enemy by hating him4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,is it lawful1 meet1 or desirable to entertain that extraordinary affection to any one1 which is called special friendship2 or to have an endeared1 intimate friend1 whom we love far above all others8 ,answ4 ,intimate1 special friendship is a thing that hath been so much pleaded for by all sorts of men1 and so much of the felicity of man's life hath been placed in it1 that it beseemeth not me to speak against it4 ,but yet ,i think it meet to tell you with what cautions and limits it must be received1 and how far it is good1 and how far sinful 7for there are perils here to be avoided1 which neither ,cicero1 nor his ,scipio and ,llius1 were acquainted with74 ,i4 #a4 ,it is lawful to choose some one well qualified person1 who is fittest for that use1 and to make him the chief companion of our lives1 our chiefest counsellor and comforter1 and to confine our intimacy and converse to him in a special manner above all others4 #b4 ,and it is lawful to love him not only according to his personal worth1 but according to his special suitableness to us1 and to desire his felicity accordingly1 and to exercise our love to him more frequently and sensibly 7because of his nearness and presence7 than towards some better men that are further off4 ,the reasons of such an intimate friendship are these3 #a4 ,no man is sufficient for himself1 and therefore nature teacheth them to desire a helper4 ,and there is so wonderful a diversity of temperaments and conditions1 and so great a disparity and incongruity among good and wise men towards each other1 that one that is more suitable and congruous to us than all the rest1 may on that account be much preferred4 #b4 ,it is not many that can be so near us as to be ordinary helpers to us2 and a wiser man at a distance1 or out of reach1 may be less useful to us1 than one of inferior worth at hand4 #c4 ,the very exercise of friendly love and kindness to another is pleasant3 and so it is to have one to whom we may confidently reveal our secrets1 to bear part of our burden1 and to confirm us in our right apprehensions1 and to cure us of wrong ones4 #d4 ,and it is no small benefit of a present bosom friend1 to be instead of all the world to us2 that is1 of common1 unprofitable company3 for man is a sociable creature1 and abhorreth utter solitude4 ,and among the common sort1 we shall meet with so much evil1 and so little that is truly wise or good1 as will tempt a man to think that he is best when he is least conversant with mankind4 ,but a selected friend is to us for usefulness instead of many1 without these common encumbrances and snares4 #e4 ,and it is a great part of the commodity of a faithful friend1 to be assisted in the true knowledge of ourselves3 to have one that will watch over us1 and faithfully tell us of the sin1 and danger1 and duty1 which we cannot easily see without help1 and which other men will not faithfully acquaint us with4 ,,ii4 ,but yet it is rare to choose and use this friendship rightly2 and there are many evils here to be carefully avoided4 ,the instances shall be mentioned anon in the directions1 and therefore now passed by4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,is it meet to have more such bosom friends than one8 ,answ4 #a4 ,usually one only is meetest3 #a4 ,because love diffused is oft weak1 and contracted is more strong4 #b4 ,because secrets are seldom safe in the hands of many4 #c4 ,because suitable persons are rare4 #d4 ,and though two or three may be suitable to you1 yet perhaps they may be unsuitable among themselves4 ,and the calamities of their own disparities will redound to you2 and their fallings-out may turn to the bewraying of your secrets1 or to some other greater wrong4 #b4 ,but yet sometimes two or three such friends may be better than one alone4 #a4 ,in case they be all near and of an approved suitableness and fidelity4 #b4 ,in case they be all suitable and endeared to one another4 #c4 ,if a man live per vices in several places1 and his friends cannot remove with him1 he may have one friend in one place1 and another in another1 and so many will be but as one that is constant4 #d4 ,and in case that many may add to our help1 our counsel and comfort1 more than to our danger1 hurt1 or trouble4 ,in all these cases many are better than one4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,is it fit for him to take another bosom friend who hath a pious wife8 ,and is any other so fit to be a friend1 as he and she that are as one flesh8 ,answ4 ,when a wife hath the understanding1 and virtue1 and fidelity fit for this sort of friendship1 then no one else is so fit1 because of nearness and united interests4 ,the same ,i say of a husband to a wife4 ,but because that it seldom falls out that there is such a fitness for this office1 especially in the wife1 in that case it is lawful and meet to choose a friend that is fit indeed1 and to commit those secrets to him which we commit not to a wife3 for secrets are not to be committed to the untrusty1 nor wise counsel to be expected from the unwise1 how near soever4 ,and the great writers about this special friendship1 do think that no woman is fit for it1 but men only2 but that conclusion is too injurious to that sex4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,is it agreeable to the nature of true friendship to love our friend not only for himself1 but for our own commodity8 ,and whether must he or ,i be the chief end of my love and friendship8 ,answ4 #a4 ,indeed in our love to ,god1 he that is the object is also our chief and ultimate end1 and we must love him more for himself than for ourselves4 ,and yet here it is lawful subordinately to intend ourselves4 #b4 ,and our love to the commonwealth should be greater than our love to ourselves1 and therefore we may not love it chiefly for ourselves4 #c4 ,and if our bosom friend be notoriously better than we are1 and more serviceable to ,god and to the common good1 we should love him also above ourselves1 and therefore not chiefly for ourselves4 #d4 ,but in case of an equality of goodness and usefulness1 we are not bound to love our most intimate friend more than ourselves2 and therefore may at least equally love him for ourselves as for himself4 ,and if we are really and notoriously better and more useful1 we may love him chiefly for ourselves1 and ourselves above him4 ,but still we must love ,god and the public good1 above both ourselves and him1 and must love both ourselves and him in order to ,god1 who is the beginning and end of all4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,is it contrary to the nature of true friendship to keep any secret from such a bosom friend1 or to retain any suspicion of him1 or to suppose that he may possibly prove unfaithful to us and forsake us8 ,answ4 ,cicero and the old doctors say of friendship1 that all this is inconsistent with true friendship2 and it is true that it is contrary to perfect friendship3 but it is as true1 that perfect friendship cannot be and must not be among imperfect men3 and that the nature of mankind is so much depraved1 that the best are unmeet for perfect friendship3 and certainly few men1 if any in the world1 are fit for every secret of our hearts4 ,besides that we are so bad1 that if all our secret thoughts were known to one another1 it might do much to abate our friendship and love to each other4 ,and it is certain that man is so corrupt a creature1 and good men so imperfectly cured of their corruption1 that there is selfishness1 uncertainty1 and mutability in the best4 ,and therefore it is not a duty to judge falsely of men1 but contrarily to judge of them as they are2 and therefore to suppose that it is possible the closest friend may reveal our secrets1 one time or other1 and that the stedfastest friend may possibly become our enemy4 ,to think that possible which is possible1 7and more17 is injurious to none4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,is it lawful to change a bosom friend1 and to prefer a new one whom we perceive to be more worthy before an old one8 ,answ4 ,an old friend1 cteris paribus1 is to be preferred before a new one1 and is not to be cast off without desert and necessity4 ,but for all that1 #a4 ,if an old friend prove false1 or notably unfit1 #b4 ,or if we meet with another that is far more able1 fit1 and worthy1 no doubt but we may prefer the latter2 and may value1 love1 and use men as they are for goodness1 worth1 and usefulness4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,what love is due to a minister that hath been the means of our conversion8 ,and can such a one be loved too much8 ,answ4 #a4 ,there is a special love due to such a one1 as the hand by which ,god did reach out to us his invaluable mercies2 and ingratitude1 and sectarian1 proud contempt of such as have been our fathers in ,christ1 is no small sin4 #b4 ,but yet another that never did us good1 who is much wiser1 and better1 and more serviceable to the church1 must be better loved1 than he by whom we were converted4 ,because we are to love men more for the sake of ,god and his image and service1 than for ourselves4 #c4 ,and it is a very common thing1 for passionate women and young people1 when they are newly converted1 to think that they can never too much value1 and honour1 and love those that converted them2 and to think that all such love is holy and from ,god2 whereas the same love may be of ,god as to the principle1 motives1 and ends1 in the main1 and yet may have great mixtures of passionate weakness1 and sinful excess1 which may tend to their great affliction in the end4 ,some that have been converted by the writings of a minister a hundred or a thousand miles off1 must needs go see the author3 some must needs remove from their lawful dwellings and callings1 to live under the ministry of such a one2 yea1 if it may be1 in the house with him3 some have affections so violent1 as proveth a torment to them when they cannot live with those whom they so affect3 some by that affection are ready to follow those that they so value into any error4 ,and all this is a sinful love by this mixture of passionate weakness1 though pious in the main4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,why should we restrain our love to a bosom friend 7contrary to ,cicero's doctrine78 ,and what sin or danger is in loving him too much8 ,answ4 ,all these following3 #a4 ,it is an error of judgment and of will1 to suppose any one better than he is1 7yea1 perhaps than any creature on earth is17 and so to love him4 #b4 ,it is an irrational act1 and therefore not fit for a rational creature1 to love any one further than reason will allow us1 and beyond the true causes of regular love4 #c4 ,it is usually a fruit of sinful selfishness3 for this excess of love doth come from a selfish cause1 either some strong conceit that the person greatly loveth us1 or for some great kindness which he hath showed us1 or for some need we have of him1 and fitness appearing in him to be useful to us1 c4 ,otherwise it would be purely for amiable worth1 and then it would be proportioned to the nature and measure of that worth4 #d4 ,it very often taketh up men's minds1 so as to hinder their love to ,god1 and their desires and delights in holy things3 while ,satan 7perhaps upon religious pretences7 turneth our affections too violently to some person1 it diverteth them from higher and better things3 for the weak mind of man can hardly think earnestly of one thing1 without being alienated in his thoughts from others2 nor can hardly love two things or persons fervently at once1 that stand not in pure subordination one to the other3 and we seldom love any fervently in a pure subordination to ,god2 for then we should love ,god still more fervently4 #e4 ,it oft maketh men ill members of the church and commonwealth4 ,for it contracteth that love to one overvalued person1 which should be diffused abroad among many2 and the common good1 which should be loved above any single person1 is by this means neglected 7as ,god himself73 which maketh wives1 and children1 and bosom friends become those gulfs that swallow up the estates of most rich men2 so that they do little good with them to the public state1 which should be preferred4 #f4 ,over-much friendship engageth us in more duty than we are well able to perform1 without neglecting our duty to ,god1 the commonwealth1 and our own souls4 ,there is some special duty followeth all special acquaintance2 but a bosom friend will expect a great deal4 ,you must allow him much of your time in conference1 upon all occasions2 and he looketh that you should be many ways friendly and useful to him1 as he is or would be to you4 ,when1 alas1 frail man can do but little3 our time is short2 our strength is small2 our estates and faculties are narrow and low4 ,and that time which you must spend with your bosom friend2 where friendship is not moderated and wisely managed1 is perhaps taken from ,god and the public good1 to which you first owed it4 ,especially if you are magistrates1 ministers1 physicians1 schoolmasters1 or such other as are of public usefulness4 ,indeed if you have a sober1 prudent friend1 that will look but for your vacant hours1 and rather help you in your public service1 you are happy in such a friend4 ,but that is not the excess of love that ,i am reprehending4 #g4 ,this inordinate friendship prepareth for disappointments1 yea1 and for excess of sorrows4 ,usually experience will tell you that your best friends are but uncertain and imperfect men1 and will not answer your expectation2 and perhaps some of them may so grossly fail you1 as to set light by you1 and prove your adversaries4 ,i have seen the bonds of extraordinary dearness many ways dissolved3 one hath been overcome by the flesh1 and turned drunkard and sensual1 and so proved unfit for intimate friendship 7who yet sometime seemed of extraordinary uprightness and zeal74 ,another hath taken up some singular conceits in religion1 and joined to some sect where his bosom friend could not follow him4 ,and so it hath seemed his duty to look with strangeness1 contempt1 or pity on his ancient friend1 as one that is dark and low1 if not supposed an adversary to the truth1 because he espouseth not all his misconceits4 ,another is suddenly lifted up with some preferment1 dignity1 and success1 and so is taken with higher things and higher converse1 and thinks it is very fair1 to give an embrace to his ancient friend1 for what he once was to him1 instead of continuing such endearedness4 ,another had changed his place and company1 and so by degrees grown very indifferent to his ancient friend1 when he is out of sight1 and converse ceaseth4 ,another hath himself chosen his friend amiss1 in his unexperienced youth1 or in a penury of wise and good men1 supposing him much better than he was2 and afterwards hath had experience of many persons of far greater wisdom1 piety1 and fidelity1 whom therefore reason commanded him to prefer4 ,all these are ordinary dissolvers of these bonds of intimate and special friendship4 ,and if your love continue as hot as ever1 its excess is like to be your excessive sorrow4 ,for1 #a4 ,you will be the more grieved at every suffering of your friend1 as sicknesses1 losses1 crosses1 c4 whereof so many attend mankind1 as is like to make your burden great4 #b4 ,upon every removal1 his absence will be the more troublesome to you4 #c4 ,all incongruities and fallings-out will be the more painful to you1 especially his jealousies1 discontents1 and passions1 which you cannot command4 #d4 ,his death1 if he die before you1 will be the more grievous1 and your own the more unwelcome1 because you must part with him4 ,these and abundance of sore afflictions are the ordinary fruits of too strong affections2 and it is no rare thing for the best of ,god's servants to profess1 that their sufferings from their friends who have overloved them1 have been ten times greater than from all the enemies that ever they had in the world4 ,and to those that are wavering about this case1 ,whether only a common friendship with all men according to their various worth1 or a bosom intimacy with some one man1 be more desirable8 ,i shall premise a free confession of my own case1 whatever censures for it ,i incur4 ,when ,i was first awakened to the regard of things spiritual and eternal1 ,i was exceedingly inclined to a vehement love to those that ,i thought the most serious saints1 and especially to that intimacy with some one1 which is called friendship2 by which ,i found extraordinary benefit1 and it became a special mercy to my soul4 ,but it was by more than one or two of the aforementioned ways1 that the strict bond of extraordinary friendship hath been relaxed1 and my own excessive esteem of my most intimate friends confuted4 ,and since then ,i have learned to love all men according to their real worth1 and to let out my love more extensively and without respect of persons1 acknowledging all that is good in all2 but with a double love and honour to the excellently wise and good2 and to value men more for their public usefulness1 than for their private suitableness to me2 and yet to value the ordinary converse of one or a few suitable friends1 before a more public and tumultuary life1 except when ,god is publicly worshipped1 or when public service inviteth me to deny the quiet of a private life3 and though ,i more difference between man and man than ever1 ,i do it not upon so slight and insufficient grounds as in the time of my unexperienced credulity2 nor do ,i expect to find any without the defects1 and blots1 and failings of infirm1 imperfect1 mutable man4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,what qualifications should direct us in the choice of a special bosom friend8 ,answ4 #a4 ,he must be one that is sincere and single-hearted1 and not given to affectation1 or any thing that is much forced in his deportment2 plain1 and open-hearted to you1 and not addicted to a hiding1 fraudulent1 or reserved carriage4 #b4 ,he must be one that is of a suitable temper and disposition2 ,i mean not guilty of all your own infirmities1 but not guilty of a crossness or contrariety of disposition4 ,as if one be in love with plainness of apparel1 and frugality in diet and course of life1 and the other be guilty of curiosity1 and ostentation1 and prodigality2 if one be for few words1 and the other for many2 if one be for labour1 and the other for idleness1 and frequent interruptions2 if one be for serving the humours of men1 and the other for a contempt of human censure1 in the way of certain duty2 these disparities make them unfit for this sort of bosom friendship4 #c4 ,he must not be a slave to any vice2 for that which maketh him false to ,god1 and to betray his own soul1 may make him false to man1 and to betray his friend4 #d4 ,he must not be a selfish person2 that is1 corruptly and partially for himself1 and for his own carnal ends and interest4 ,for such a one hath no true love to others1 but when you seem cross to his own interest1 his pleasure1 wealth1 or honour he will forsake you2 for so he doth by ,god himself4 #e4 ,he must be humble1 and not notably proud4 ,for pride will make him quarrelsome1 disdainful1 impatient1 and quite unsuitable to a humble person4 #f4 ,he must be one that is thoroughly and resolvedly godly3 for you will hardly well centre any where but in ,god2 nor will he be useful to all the ends of friendship1 if he be not one that loveth ,god1 and holy things1 and is of a pious conversation3 nor can you expect that he that is false to ,god1 and will sell his part in him for the pleasure or gain of sin1 should long prove truly faithful unto you4 #g4 ,he must be one that is judicious in religion2 that is1 not of an erroneous1 heretical wit2 nor ignorant of those great and excellent truths1 which you should oft confer about2 but rather one that excelleth you in solid understanding1 and true judgment1 and a discerning head1 that can teach you somewhat which you know not2 and is not addicted to corrupt you with false opinions of his own4 #h4 ,he must be one that is not schismatical and embodied in any dividing sect2 for else he will be no longer true to you1 than the interest of his party will allow him2 and if you will not follow him in his conceits and singularities1 he will withdraw his love1 and despise you2 and if he do not1 yet he may endanger your stedfastness1 by the temptation of his love4 #i4 ,he must be one that hath no other very intimate friend1 unless his friend be also as intimate with you as with him2 because else he will be no further secret and trusty to you1 than the interest or will of his other friend will allow him4 #aj4 ,he must be one that is prudent in the management of business1 and especially those which your converse is concerned in2 else his indiscretion in words or practice1 will not suffer your friendship to be long entire4 #aa4 ,he must be one that is not addicted to loquacity1 but can keep your secrets2 otherwise he will be so untrusty as to be uncapable of doing the true office of a friend4 #ab4 ,he must have a zeal and activity in religion and in all well-doing2 otherwise he will be unfit to warm your affections1 and to provoke you to love and good works1 and to do the principal works of friendship1 but will rather cool and hinder you in your way4 #ac4 ,he must be one that is not addicted to levity1 unconstancy1 and change2 or else you can expect no stability in his friendship4 #ad4 ,he must not much differ from you in riches1 or in poverty1 or in quality in the world4 ,for if he be much richer1 he will be carried away with higher company and converse than yours1 and will think you fitter to be his servant than his friend4 ,and if he be much poorer than you1 he will be apt to value your friendship for his own commodity1 and you will be still in doubt whether he be sincere4 #ae4 ,he must be one that is like to live with you or near you1 that you may have the frequent benefit of his converse1 counsel1 example1 and other acts of friendship4 #af4 ,he must be one that is not very covetous1 or a lover of riches or preferment2 for such a one will no longer be true to you1 than his mammon will allow him4 #ag4 ,he must be one that is not peevish1 passionate1 and impatient2 but that can both bear with your infirmities1 and also bear much from others for your sake1 in the exercise of his friendship4 #ah4 ,he must be one that hath so good an esteem of your person1 and so true and strong a love to you1 as will suffice to move him1 and hold him to all this4 #ai4 ,he must be yet of a public spirit1 and a lover of good works1 that he may put you on to well-doing1 and not countenance you in an idle self-pleasing and unprofitable life4 ,and he ought to be one that is skilful in the business of your calling1 that he may be fit to censure your work1 and amend it1 and direct you in it1 and confer about it2 and it is best for you if he be one that excelleth you herein1 that he may add something to you 7but then you will not be such to him1 and so the friendship will be unequal47 #bj4 ,lastly1 ,there must be some suitableness in age and sex4 ,the young want experience to make them meet for the bosom friendship of the aged 7though yet they may take delight in instructing them1 and doing them good74 ,and the young are hardly reconcilable to all the gravity of the aged4 ,and it must not be a person of a different sex1 unless in case of marriage4 ,not but that they may be helpful to each other as christians1 and in a state of distant friendship2 but this bosom intimacy they are utterly unfit for1 because of unsuitableness1 temptation1 and scandal4 ,directions for the ,right ,use of ,special ,bosom ,friendship4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,engage not yourself to any one as a bosom friend1 without great evidence and proof of his fitness in all the foregoing qualifications4 ,by which you may see that this is not an ordinary way of duty or benefit1 but a very unusual case4 ,for it is a hard thing to meet with one among many thousands1 that hath all these qualifications2 and when that is done1 if you have not all the same qualifications to him1 you will be unmeet for his friendship1 whatever he be for yours4 ,and where in an age will there be two that are suited in all those respects8 ,therefore our ordinary way of duty is1 to love all according to their various worth1 and to make the best use we can of every one's grace and gifts1 and of those most that are nearest us2 but without the partiality of such extraordinary affection to any one above all the rest4 ,for young persons usually make their choice rashly1 of one that afterwards proveth utterly unmeet for the office of such a friend1 or at least1 no better than many other persons2 nay1 ten to one1 but after-experience will acquaint them with many that are much wiser1 and better1 and fitter for their love4 ,and hasty affections are guilty of blind partiality1 and run men into sin and sorrow1 and often end in unpleasant ruptures4 ,therefore be not too forward in this friendship4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,when you do choose a friend1 though he must be one that you have no cause to be suspicious of1 yet reckon that it is possible that he may be estranged from you1 yea1 and turn your enemy4 ,causeless jealousies are contrary to friendship on your part2 and if there be cause1 it is inconsistent with friendship on his part4 ,but yet no friendship should make you blind1 and not to know that man is a corrupt and mutable creature2 especially in such an age as this1 wherein we have seen1 how personal changes1 state changes1 and changes in religion1 have alienated many seeming friends4 ,therefore love them1 and use them1 and trust them1 but as men1 that may possibly fail all your expectations1 and open all your secrets1 and betray you1 yea1 and turn your enemies4 ,suspect it not1 but judge it possible4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be open with your approved friend1 and commit all your secrets to him1 still excepting those1 the knowledge of which may be hurtful to himself1 or the revealing of them hereafter may be intolerably injurious to yourself1 to the honour of religion1 to the public good1 or to any other4 ,if you be needlessly close1 you are neither friendly1 nor can you improve your friend enough to your own advantage4 ,but yet if you open all without exception1 you may many ways be injurious to your friend and to yourself2 and the day may come which you did not look for1 in which his weakness1 passion1 interest1 or alienation1 may trouble you by making all public to the world4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,use as little affectation or ceremony with your friend as may be2 but let all your converse with him be with openness of heart1 that he may see that you both trust him1 and deal with him in plain sincerity4 ,if dissimulation and forced affectation be but once discovered1 it tendeth to breed a constant diffidence and suspicion4 ,and if it be an infirmity of your own which you think needeth such a cover1 the cloak will be of worse effect1 than the knowledge of your infirmity4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be ever faithful to your friend1 for the cure of all his faults2 and never turn friendship into flattery3 yet still let all be done in love1 though in a friendly freedom1 and closeness of admonition4 ,it is not the least benefit of intimate friendship1 that what an enemy speaketh behind our backs1 a friend will open plainly to our faces4 ,to watch over one another daily1 and be as a glass to show our faces or faults to one another1 is the very great benefit of true friendship4 ,eccles4 iv4 #i-aa1 ,two are better than one1 because they have a good reward for their labour4 ,for if they fall1 the one will lift up his fellow3 but woe to him that is alone when he falleth1 for he hath not another to help him up4 ,it is a flatterer and not a friend1 that will please you by concealing or extenuating your sin4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,abhor selfishness as most contrary to real friendship4 ,let your friend be as yourself1 and his interest as your own4 ,if we must love our neighbour as ourselves1 much more our dearest bosom friends4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,understand what is most excellent and useful in your friend1 and that improve4 ,much good is lost by a dead-hearted companion1 that will neither broach the vessel and draw that out which is ready for their use2 nor yet feed any good discourse1 by due questions or answers1 but stifle all by barren silence4 ,and a dull1 silent hearer1 will weary and silence the speaker at the last4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,resolve to bear with each other's infirmities3 be not too high in your expectations from each other2 look not for exactness and innocence1 but for human infirmities1 that when they fall out1 you may not find yourselves disappointed4 ,patience is necessary in all human converse4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,yet do not suffer friendship to blind you1 to own or extenuate the faults of your dearest friend4 ,for that will be sinful partiality1 and will be greatly injurious to ,god1 and treachery against the soul and safety of your friend4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,and watch lest the love1 estimation1 or reverence of your friend1 should draw you to entertain his errors1 or to imitate him in any sinful way4 ,it is no part of true friendship to prefer men before the truth of ,christ1 nor to take any heretical1 dividing1 or sensual infection from our friend1 and so to die and perish with him2 nor is it friendly to desire it4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,never speak against your friend to a third person2 nor open his dishonourable weakness to another4 ,as no man can serve two masters1 so no man can well please two contrary friends3 and if you whisper to one the failings of another1 it tendeth directly to the dissolution of your friendship4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,think not that love will warrant your partial1 erroneous estimation of your friend4 ,you may judge him fittest for your intimacy2 but you must not judge him better than all other men1 unless you have special evidence of it1 as the reason of such a judgment4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,let not the love of your friend draw you to love all1 or any others1 the less1 and below their worth4 ,let not friendship make you narrow-hearted1 and confine your charity to one3 but give all their due1 in your valuation and your conversation1 and exercise as large a charity and benignity as possibly you can2 especially to societies1 churches1 and commonwealth1 and to all the world4 ,it is a sinful friendship1 which robbeth others of your charity2 especially those to whom much more is due than to your friend4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,exercise your friendship in holiness and well-doing3 kindle in each other the love of ,god and goodness1 and provoke each other to a heavenly conversation4 ,the more of ,god and heaven is in your friendship1 the more holy1 safe1 and sweet1 and durable it will prove4 ,it will not wither1 when an everlasting subject is the fuel that maintaineth it4 ,if it will not help you the better to holiness and to heaven1 it is worth nothing4 ,eccles4 iv4 #aa1 ,if two lie together1 then they have heat2 but how can one be warm alone4 ,see that your friendship degenerate not into common carnal love1 and evaporate not in a barren converse1 instead of prayer and heavenly discourse1 and faithful watchfulness and reproof4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,prepare each other for suffering and death1 and dwell together in the house of mourning1 where you may remember your nearer everlasting friendship2 and not only in the house of mirth1 as if it were your work to make each other forget your latter end4 #aga ,lege quam plurima veterum testimonia in ,d4 ,gatakero contra ,davenantium de ,baptismo4 #agb ,disputations of ,right to ,sacraments4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,for ,,loving ,,and ,,doing ,,good ,,to ,,enemies4 ,most which belongeth to this subject is said before1 chap4 ix4 about forgiving enemies1 and therefore thither ,i refer the reader4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases about ,loving and ,doing ,good to ,enemies4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,whom must ,i account an enemy1 and love under that name8 ,answ4 #a4 ,not every one that is angry with you1 or that giveth you foul words1 or that undervalueth you1 or that speaketh against you1 or that doth you wrong2 but he that hateth you1 and seeketh or desireth your destruction or your hurt as such designedly4 #b4 ,and no man must be taken for such1 that doth not manifest it1 or by whom you cannot prove it4 #c4 ,but if you have reasonable suspicion you may carry yourself the more warily for your own preservation1 lest he should prove your enemy1 and his designs should take you unprovided4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,with what kind of love must an enemy be loved1 and on what accounts8 ,answ4 ,primarily with a love of complacence1 for all the good which is in him1 natural or moral3 he must be loved as man for the goodness of his nature2 and his understanding and virtues must be acknowledged as freely1 and loved as fully1 as if he were no enemy of ours3 enmity must not blind and pervert our judgment of him1 and hinder us from discerning all that is amiable in him2 nor must it corrupt our affections1 and hinder us from loving it and him4 #b4 ,secondarily we must love him with a love of benevolence1 desiring him all that happiness which we desire to ourselves1 and endeavouring it according to our opportunities4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,must ,i desire that ,god will pardon and save him1 while he repenteth not of the wrong he doth me2 and being impenitent1 is uncapable of pardon8 ,answ4 #a4 ,you must desire at once that ,god will give him repentance and forgiveness4 #b4 ,if he be impenitent in a state and life of ungodliness1 or in a known and wilful sin1 he is indeed uncapable of ,god's pardon and salvation in that case3 but if you know him not to be ungodly1 and if mistake or passion only1 or some personal offence or falling out1 have made him your enemy1 and you are not sure that the enmity is so predominant as to exclude all true charity2 or if he think you to be a bad person1 and be your enemy on that account1 you must pray for his pardon and salvation1 though he should not particularly repent4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,what if he be my enemy upon the account of religion1 and so an enemy to ,god8 ,answ4 #a4 ,there are too many who have too much enmity to each other1 upon the account of different opinions and parties in religion1 in an erroneous zeal for godliness1 who are not to be taken for enemies to ,god4 ,what acts of hostility have in this age been used by several sects of zealous christians against each other6 #b4 ,if you know them to be enemies of ,god and godliness1 you must hate their sin1 and love their humanity and all that is good in them1 and wish their repentance1 welfare1 and salvation4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,what must ,i do for an enemy's good1 when my benefits are but like to imbolden1 encourage1 and enable him to do hurt to me or others8 ,answ4 #a4 ,usually kindness tendeth to convince and melt an enemy1 and to hinder him from doing hurt4 #b4 ,such ways of kindness must be chosen1 as do most engage an enemy to returns of kindness1 without giving him ability or opportunity to do mischief in case he prove implacable4 ,you may show him kindness1 without putting a sword into his hand4 ,prudence will determine of the way of benefits1 upon consideration of circumstances4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,may ,i not defend myself against an enemy1 and hurt him in my own defence8 ,and may ,i not wish him as much hurt as ,i may do him8 ,answ4 ,when you can save yourself by fair words1 or flight1 or some tolerable loss1 without resisting him to his hurt1 you should rather choose it1 and resist not evil1 ,matt4 v4 #ci4 ,when you cannot do so1 you must defend yourself with as little hurt to your enemy as you can4 ,and if you cannot save yourself from a lesser hurt1 without doing him a greater1 you must rather suffer it4 ,object4 ,but if ,i hurt him in my own defence1 it is his own fault4 ,answ4 ,so it may1 and yet be yours too3 you are bound to charity to your enemy1 and not to justice only4 ,object4 ,but if ,i run away from him1 or resist him not1 it will be my dishonour2 and ,i may defend my honour as well as my life4 ,answ4 ,such objections and reasonings 7which the ,jesuits use against ,jesus7 were fitter for the mouth of an atheist than of a christian4 ,it is pride which setteth so much by the esteem of men1 yea1 of bad and foolish men1 as to plead honour for uncharitableness3 and the voice of pride is the voice of the devil1 contrary to him who made himself of no reputation1 ,phil4 ii4 #g1 #h1 and submitted to be arrayed in a garb of mockery1 and led out with scorn like a fool1 and bowed to1 and buffeted1 and spit upon1 and crucified2 who calleth to us to learn of him to be meek and lowly1 and to deny ourselves1 and take up the cross1 7which is shameful suffering17 if we will be his disciples1 ,matt4 xi4 #bh1 #bi2 ,luke xiv4 #cj-cc4 ,to every christian it is the greatest honour to be like ,jesus ,christ1 and to excel in charity4 ,it is a greater dishonour to want love to an enemy1 than to fly from him1 or not resist him4 ,he that teacheth otherwise1 and maketh sin honourable1 and the imitation and obedience of ,christ to be more dishonourable1 doth preach up pride1 and preach down charity1 and doth preach for the devil against ,jesus ,christ2 and therefore should neither call himself a ,jesuit nor a christian4 ,yea more1 if the person that would hurt or kill you1 be one that is of more worth and usefulness as to the public good1 you should rather suffer by him1 or be slain by him1 than you should equally hurt him or kill him in your own defence4 ,as if the king of another kingdom that hath no authority over you1 7for of your own there is no question17 should assault you2 or any one whose death would be a greater loss than yours4 ,for the public good is better than your own4 ,and it will not always hold1 that you may wish another as much hurt as you may do him3 for in defending yourself1 you may sometimes blamelessly do more hurt than you were willing to do4 ,and you must never wish your enemies hurt as such1 but only as a necessary means of good1 as of preservation of himself1 or you1 or others4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,must kings and states love their enemies8 ,how then can war be lawful8 ,answ4 ,kings and states are bound to it as much as private men2 and therefore must observe the foresaid law of love as well as others4 ,therefore they must raise no war unnecessarily1 nor for any cause be it never so just in itself1 when the benefits of the war are not like to be a greater good1 than the war will bring hurt both to friends and foes set together4 ,a lawful offensive war is almost like a true general council3 on certain suppositions such a thing may be2 but whether ever the world saw such a thing1 or whether ever such suppositions will come to existence1 is the question4 ,tit4 #b4 ,motives to ,love and do ,good to ,enemies4 ,motive ,i4 ,god loveth his enemies1 and doth them good2 and he is our best exemplar4 ,matt4 v4 #dd1 #de1 ,but ,i say unto you1 ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you1 and persecute you2 that ye may be the children of your ,father which is in heaven3 for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good1 and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust4 ,motive ,,ii4 ,jesus ,christ was incarnate to set us a pattern1 especially of this virtue3 he sought the salvation of his enemies2 he went up and down doing good among them4 ,he died for his enemies3 he prayeth for them even in his sufferings on the cross3 he wept over them when he foresaw their ruin4 ,when he was reviled1 he reviled not again4 ,this is the pattern which we must imitate4 ,motive ,,iii4 ,god loved even us ourselves when we were his enemies2 or else what had become of us8 ,and ,christ died even for us1 as enemies1 to reconcile us by his death to ,god1 ,rom4 v4 #i1 #aj4 ,therefore we are specially obliged to this duty4 ,motive ,,iv4 ,to be ,god's enemies is to be wicked and unlovely2 so that in such ,god could see nothing amiable1 but our nature and those poor remainders of virtue in it1 and our capacity of being made better by his grace2 and yet he then loved us3 but to be an enemy to you or me1 is not to be ungodly or wicked as such2 it is an enmity but against a vile1 unworthy worm1 and therefore is a smaller fault4 ,motive ,v4 ,we do more against ourselves than any enemy or devils1 and yet we love ourselves2 why then should we not love another who doth less against us4 ,motive ,,vi4 ,all that is of ,god and is good must be loved2 but there may be much of ,god1 and much natural and moral good1 in some enemies of ours4 ,motive ,,vii4 ,to love an enemy signifieth a mind that is impartial1 and loveth purely on ,god's account1 and for goodness' sake2 but the contrary showeth a selfish mind1 that loveth only on his own account4 ,motive ,,viii4 ,if you love only those that love you1 you do no more than the worst man in the world may do2 but christians must do more than others1 ,matt4 v4 #dg2 or else they must expect no more than others4 ,motive ,,ix4 ,loving and doing good to enemies is the way to win them and to save them4 ,if there be any spark of true humanity left in them1 they will love you when they perceive indeed that you love them4 ,a man can hardly continue long to hate him whom he perceiveth unfeignedly to love him4 ,and this will draw him to love religion for your sake1 when he discerneth the fruits of it4 ,motive ,x4 ,if he be implacable1 it will put you into a condition fit for ,god to own you in1 and to judge you according to your innocency4 ,these two together contain the sense of heaping coals of fire on his head3 that is1 q4 d4 ,if he be not implacable1 you will melt and win him2 and if he be implacable1 you will engage ,god in your cause1 who best knoweth when and how to revenge4 ,tit4 #c4 ,directions for ,loving and doing ,good to ,enemies4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,make no man your enemy1 so far as you can avoid it3 for though you may pretend to love him when he is your enemy1 you have done contrary to love in making him your enemy2 for thereby he is deprived of his own love to you4 ,and if his charity be his best commodity1 then he that robbeth him 7though he be never so culpable himself7 hath done that which belongeth to the worst of enemies2 it is a thousand times greater hurt and loss to him1 to lose his own love to others1 than to lose another's love to him3 and therefore to make him hate you1 is more injurious or hurtful to him1 than to hate him4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,take not those for your enemies that are not1 and believe not any one to be your enemy1 till cogent evidence constrain you4 ,take heed therefore of ill1 suspicious1 and ungrounded censures2 except defensively so far only as to secure yourselves or others from a possible hurt4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,be not desirous or inquisitive to know what men think or say of you 7unless in some special case where your duty or safety requireth it74 ,for if they say well of you1 it is a temptation to pride2 and if they say ill of you1 it may abate your love and tend to enmity4 ,also take no heed to all words that are spoken1 lest thou hear thy servant curse thee3 for ofttimes also thy own heart knoweth1 that thou thyself likewise hast cursed 7or spoken evil of7 others1 ,eccles4 vii4 #ba4 ,it is strange to see how the folly of men is pleased with their own temptations4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,frown away those flatterers and whisperers who would aggravate other men's enmity to you or injuries against you1 and think to please you by telling you needlessly of other men's wrongs4 ,while they seem to show themselves enemies to your enemies1 indeed they show themselves enemies consequently to yourselves2 for it is your destruction that they endeavour in the destruction of your love4 ,if a whisperer separate chief friends1 ,prov4 xvi4 #bh1 much more may he abate your love to enemies3 let him therefore be entertained as he deserveth4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,study1 and search1 and hearken after all the good which is in your enemies4 ,for nothing will he the object of your love1 but some discerned good4 ,hearken not to them that would extenuate and hide the good that is in them4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,consider much how capable your enemy 7and ,god's enemy7 is of being better4 ,and for aught you know ,god may make him much better than yourselves6 ,remember ,paul's case4 ,and when such a one is converted1 forethink how penitent and humble1 how thankful and holy1 how useful and serviceable he may be2 and love him as he is capable of becoming so lovely to ,god and man4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,hide not your love to your enemies1 and let not your minds be satisfied that you are conscious that you love them2 but manifest it to them by all just and prudent means2 for else you are so uncharitable as to leave them in their enmity1 and not to do your part to cure it4 ,if you could help them against hunger and nakedness1 and will not1 how can you truly say you love them8 ,and if you could help them against malice and uncharitableness1 and will not1 how can you think but this is worse8 ,if they knew that you love them unfeignedly1 as you say you do1 it is two to one but they would abate their enmity4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,be not unnecessarily strange to your enemies1 but be as familiar with them as well as you can4 ,for distance and strangeness cherish suspicious and false reports1 and enmity2 and converse in kind familiarity1 hath a wonderful power to reconcile4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,abhor above all enemies that pride of heart1 which scorneth to stoop to others for love and peace4 ,it is a devilish language to say1 ,shall ,i stoop or crouch to such a fellow8 ,i scorn to be so base4 ,humility must teach you to give place to the pride and wrath of others1 and to confess it when you have wronged them1 and ask them forgiveness3 and if they have done the wrong to you1 yet must you not refuse to be the first movers and seekers for reconciliation4 ,though ,i know that this rule hath some exceptions2 as when the enemies of religion or us are so malicious and implacable1 that they will but make a scorn of our submission1 and in other cases1 when it is like to do more harm than good1 it is then lawful to retire ourselves from malice4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,however1 let the enmity be in them alone3 watch your own hearts with a double carefulness1 as knowing what your temptation is2 and see that you love them1 whether they will love you or not4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,do all the good for them that lawfully you can2 for benefits melt and reconcile3 and hold on though ingratitude discourage you4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,do them good first in those things that they are most capable of valuing and relishing2 that is 7ordinarily7 in corporal commodities3 or if it be not in your power to do it yourselves1 provoke others to do it 7if there be need74 ,and then they will be prepared for greater benefits4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,but stop not in your enemy's corporal good1 and in his reconciliation to yourself2 for then it will appear to be all but a selfish design which you are about4 ,but labour to reconcile him to ,god1 and save his soul1 and then it will appear to be the love of ,god1 and him that moved you4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,but still remember that you are not bound to love an enemy as a friend1 but as a man so qualified as he is2 nor to love a wicked man1 who is an enemy to godliness1 as if he were a godly man2 but only as one that is capable of being godly4 ,this precept of loving enemies was never intended for the levelling all men in our love4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,works ,,of ,,charity4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,works of ,charity4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,what are the grounds1 and reasons1 and motives to charitable works8 ,answ4 #a4 ,that doing good doth make us likest to ,god4 ,he is the universal ,father and ,benefactor to the world4 ,all good is in him or from him1 and he that is best and doth most good is likest him4 #b4 ,it is an honourable employment therefore3 it is more honourable to be the best man in the land1 than to be the greatest3 greatness is therefore honourable1 because it is an ability to do good2 and wisdom is honourable because it is the skill of doing good3 so that goodness is that end which maketh them honourable1 and without respect to which they were as nothing4 ,a power or skill to do mischief is no commendation4 #c4 ,doing good maketh us pleasing and amiable to ,god1 because it maketh us like him1 and because it is the fulfilling of his will4 ,god can love nothing but himself1 and his own excellencies or image appearing in his works2 or his works so far as his attributes appear and are glorified in them4 #d4 ,good works are profitable to men1 ,tit4 iii4 #h4 ,our brethren are the better for them3 the bodies of the poor are relieved1 and men's souls are saved by them4 #e4 ,in doing good to others we do good to ourselves2 because we are living members of ,christ's body1 and by love and communion feel their joys1 as well as pains4 ,as the hand doth maintain itself by maintaining and comforting the stomach2 so doth a loving christian by good works4 #f4 ,there is in every good nature a singular delight in doing good3 it is the pleasantest life in all the world4 ,a magistrate1 a preacher1 a schoolmaster1 a tutor1 a physician1 a judge1 a lawyer1 hath so much true pleasure as his life and labours are successful in doing good4 ,i know that the conscience of honest endeavours may afford solid comfort to a willing though unsuccessful man2 and well-doing may be pleasant though it prove not a doing good to others2 but it is a double1 yea1 a multiplied comfort to be successful4 ,it is much if an honest1 unsuccessful man 7a preacher1 a physician1 c47 can keep up so much peace1 as to support him under the grief of his unsuccessfulness2 but to see our honest labours prosper1 and many to be the better for them1 is the pleasantest life that man can here hope for4 #g4 ,good works are a comfortable evidence that faith is sincere1 and that the heart dissembleth not with ,god3 whenas a faith that will not prevail for works of charity1 is dead and uneffectual1 and the image or carcass of faith indeed1 and such as ,god will not accept1 ,james ii4 #h4 ,we have received so much ourselves from ,god1 as doubleth our obligation to do good to others3 obedience and gratitude do both require it4 #i4 ,we are not sufficient for ourselves1 but need others as well as they need us3 and therefore as we expect to receive from others1 we must accordingly do to them4 ,if the eye will not see for the body1 nor the hand work for the body1 nor the feet go for it1 the body will not afford them nutriment1 and they shall receive as they do4 #aj4 ,good works are much to the honour of religion1 and consequently of ,god2 and much tend to men's conviction1 conversion1 and salvation4 ,most men will judge of the doctrine by the fruits4 ,matt4 v4 #af1 ,let your light so shine before men1 that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father which is in heaven4 #aa4 ,consider how abundantly they are commanded and commended in the word of ,god4 ,christ himself hath given us the pattern of his own life1 which from his first moral actions to his last1 was nothing but doing good and bearing evil4 ,he made love the fulfilling of the law1 and the works of love the genuine fruits of christianity1 and an acceptable sacrifice to ,god4 ,gal4 vi4 #aj1 ,as we have opportunity let us do good to all men1 especially to them of the household of faith4 ,heb4 xiii4 #aj1 ,to do good and communicate forget not2 for with such sacrifices ,god is well pleased4 ,tit4 iii4 #h1 ,this is a faithful saying1 and these things ,i will that thou constantly affirm1 that they which have believed in ,god might be careful to maintain good works3 these things are good and profitable to men4 ,eph4 ii4 #aj1 ,for we are his workmanship1 created in ,christ ,jesus to good works1 which ,god hath before ordained that we should walk in them4 ,tit4 ii4 #ad1 ,to purify to himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works4 ,acts xx4 #ce1 ,that so labouring ye ought to support the weak1 and to remember the words of the ,lord ,jesus1 how he said1 ,it is more blessed to give than to receive4 ,eph4 iv4 #bh1 ,let him that stole steal no more1 but rather let him labour1 working with his hands the thing that is good1 that he may have to give to him that needeth4 ,you see poor labourers are not excepted from the command of helping others3 insomuch that the first church sold all their possessions1 and had all things common2 not to teach levelling and condemn propriety1 but to show all after them that christian love should use all to relieve their brethren as themselves4 #ab4 ,consider that ,god will in a special manner judge us at the last day according to our works1 and especially our works of charity3 as in ,matt4 xxv4 ,christ hath purposely and plainly showed2 and so doth many another text of ,scripture4 ,these are the motives to works of love4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what is a good work1 even such as ,god hath promised to reward8 ,answ4 #a4 ,the matter must be lawful1 and not a sin4 #b4 ,it must tend to a good effect1 for the benefit of man1 and the honour of ,god4 #c4 ,it must have a good end2 even the pleasing and glory of ,god1 and the good of ourselves and others4 #d4 ,it must come from a right principle1 even from the love of ,god1 and of man for his sake4 #e4 ,it must be pure and unmixed3 if any sin be mixed with it1 it is sinful so as to need a pardon3 and if sin be predominant in it1 it is so far sinful as to be unacceptable to ,god1 in respect to the person1 and is turned into sin itself4 #f4 ,it must be in season2 or else it may sometimes be mixed with sin1 and sometimes be evil itself and no good work4 #g4 ,it must be comparatively good as well as simply4 ,it must not be a lesser good instead of a greater1 or to put off a greater2 as to be praying when we should be quenching a fire1 or saving a man's life4 #h4 ,it must be good in a convenient degree4 ,some degrees are necessary to the moral being of a good work1 and some to the well-being4 ,god must be loved and worshipped as ,god1 and heaven sought as heaven1 and men's souls and lives must be highly prized and seriously preserved3 some sluggish doing of good is but undoing it4 #i4 ,it must be done in confidence of the merits of ,christ1 and presented to ,god as by his hands1 who is our ,mediator and ,intercessor with the ,father4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,what works of charity should one choose in these times1 who would improve his ,master's talents to his most comfortable account8 ,answ4 ,the diversity of men's abilities and opportunities1 make that to be best for one man which is impossible to another4#agc ,but ,i shall name some that are in themselves most beneficial to mankind1 that every man may choose the best which he can reach to4 #a4 ,the most eminent work of charity1 is the promoting of the conversion of the heathen and infidel parts of the world3 to this princes and men of power and wealth might contribute much if they were willing2 especially in those countries in which they have commerce and send ambassadors3 they might procure the choicest scholars1 to go over with their ambassadors and learn the languages1 and set themselves to this service according to opportunity2 or they might erect a college for the training up of students purposely for that work1 in which they might maintain some natives procured from the several infidel countries1 7as two or three ,persians1 as many ,indians of ,indostan1 as many ,tartarians1 ,chinese1 ,siamites1 c47 which might possibly be obtained2 and these should teach students their country languages4 ,but till the christian world be so happy as to have such princes1 something may be done by volunteers of lower place and power2 as ,mr4 ,wheelock did in translating the ,new ,testament1 and ,mr4 ,pococke by the honourable ,mr4 ,robert ,boyle's procurement and charge1 in translating ,grotius de ,verit4 ,christ4 ,relig4 into ,arabic1 and sending it to ,indostan and ,persia4 ,and what excellent labour hath good ,mr4 ,john ,elliot 7with some few assistants7 bestowed these twenty years and more in ,new ,england2 where now he hath translated and printed the whole ,scriptures in their ,american tongue1 7with a ,catechism and ,call to the ,unconverted17 by the help of a press maintained from hence4 #b4 ,the attempt of restoring the christian churches to their primitive purity and unity1 according to men's several opportunities1 is a most excellent and desirable work2 which though the ignorance and wickedness of many1 and the implacableness and bloodiness of the carnal1 proud1 domineering part1 and the too great alienation of some others from them1 do make it so difficult as to be next to desperate1 at the present1 yet is not to be cast off as desperate indeed2 for great things have been done by wise and valiant attempts4 ,princes might do very much to this1 if they were both wise and willing4 ,and who knoweth but an age may come that may be so happy8 ,the means and method ,i would willingly describe1 but that this is no fit place or time4 #c4 ,the planting of a learned1 able1 holy1 concordant ministry in a particular kingdom1 and settling the primitive discipline thereby1 is a work also which those princes may very much promote1 whose hearts are set upon it1 and who set up no contrary interest against it2 but because these lines are never like to be known to princes1 7unless by way of accusation17 it is private men's works which we must speak to4 #d4 ,it is a very good work to procure and maintain a worthy minister in any of the most ignorant parishes in these kingdoms1 7of which1 alas1 how many are there67 where the skilful preaching of the gospel is now wanting2 or to maintain an assistant in populous parishes1 where one is not able to do the work2 or by other just means to promote this service4 #e4 ,it is a very good work to set up free-schools in populous and in ignorant places1 especially in ,wales2 that all may be taught to read1 and some may be prepared for the universities4 #f4 ,it is an excellent work to cull out some of the choicest wits1 among the poorer sort in the country schools1 who otherwise would wither for want of culture2 and to maintain them for learning in order to the ministry1 with some able1 godly tutor in the university1 or some country minister who is fit and vacant enough thereunto4 #g4 ,it is an excellent work to give among poor ignorant people1 ,bibles and catechisms1 and some plain and godly books which are most fitted to their use4 ,but it were more excellent to leave a settled revenue for this use1 7naming the books1 and choosing meet trustees17 that so the rent might every year furnish a several parish1 which would in a short time be a very extensive benefit1 and go through many countries4 #h4 ,it is a very good work to set poor men's children apprentices to honest1 religious masters1 where they may at once get the blessing to their souls of a godly education1 and to their bodies1 of an honest way of maintenance4 #i4 ,it will not be unacceptable to ,god1 to relieve some of the persons1 or poor children1 of those very many hundred faithful ministers of ,christ1 who are now silenced and destitute of maintenance1 many having nothing at all1 but what charity sendeth them1 to maintain themselves and desolate families1 who were wont to exercise charity to the bodies and souls of others4 ,read ,matt4 xxv42 ,gal4 vi4 #e-h4 #aj4 ,it is a good work of them who give stocks of money1 or yearly rents1 to be lent for five1 or six1 or seven years to young tradesmen1 at their setting up1 upon good security1 choosing good trustees1 who may choose the fittest persons2 and if it be a rent1 it will still increase the stock1 and if any should break1 the loss of it may be borne4 #aa4 ,it would be a very good work for landlords to improve their interest with their tenants1 to further at once their bodily comfort and salvation1 to hire them by some abatement at their rent days1 to learn catechisms1 and read the ,scripture and good books in their families1 and give the pastor an account of their proficience4 ,whether the law will enable them to bind them to any such thing in their leases1 ,i cannot tell4 #ab4 ,and the present work of charity for every one1 is to relieve the most needy which are next at hand4 ,to know what poor families are in greatest want1 and to help them as we are able2 and to provoke the rich to do that which we cannot do ourselves1 and to beg for others2 and still to make use of bodily relief1 to further the good of their souls1 by seconding all with spiritual advice and help4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,in what order are works of charity to be done8 ,and whom must we prefer when we are unable to accommodate all8 ,answ4 #a4 ,the most public works must be preferred before private4 #b4 ,works for the soul1 cteris paribus1 before works for the body2 and yet bodily benefits in order of time1 must oft go first as preparations to the other4 #c4 ,greatest necessities1 cteris paribus1 must be supplied before lesser3 the saving of another's life must be preferred before your own less necessary comforts4 #d4 ,your own and families' wants must1 cteris paribus1 be supplied before strangers2 even before some that you must love better2 because ,god hath in point of provision and maintenance1 given you a nearer charge of yourselves and families than of others4 #e4 ,nature also obligeth you to prefer your kindred before strangers1 if there be a parity as to other reasons4 #f4 ,and1 cteris paribus1 a good man must be preferred before a bad4 #g4 ,and yet that charity which is like to tend to the good of the soul as well as of the body is to be preferred2 and in that case ofttimes a bad man is to be preferred1 when a greater good is like to be the effect4 #h4 ,a friend1 cteris paribus1 is to be preferred before an enemy2 but not when the good is like to be greater which will follow the relieving of an enemy4 ,many other rules might be given1 but they are laid down already1 part i4 chap4 where ,i treat of good works2 whither ,i refer you4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,should ,i give in my lifetime1 or at my death8 ,answ4 ,according as it is like to do most good2 but none should needlessly delay3 both are best4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,should one devote or set by a certain part of daily incomes8 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,what proportion is a man bound to give to the poor8 ,answ4 ,these two questions having answered in a letter to ,mr4 ,thomas ,gouge1 now printed1 and the book being not in many hands1 ,i will here recite that letter as it is published4 ,most dear1 and very much honoured brother1 ,even the philosopher hath taught me so to esteem you1 who said1 that ,he is likest to ,god1 who needeth fewest things for himself1 and doth most good to others4 ,and ,christ telleth us1 that universal charity 7extending even to them that hate and persecute us7 doth make us1 as his children1 like our heavenly ,father1 ,matt4 v4 #dd-df1 #dh4 ,as hating and hurting their neighbours is the mark of the children of the devil1 7,john viii4 #dd17 so loving and doing good is the mark of the children of ,god4 ,and it is observable1 that no one treateth so copiously and pathetically of love 7both of ,christ's love to us1 and ours to him7 as the blessed disciple1 whom ,jesus is said to have eminently loved 7as ,john xiii4 #ad-ag1 and #a ,john1 show74 ,it hath often pleased me to hear how dearly you were beloved1 by that exceeding great and populous parish1 where lately you were preacher1 for your eminent charity to their souls and bodies2 and to see that still you take it for your work and calling1 to be a provoker of others to love and to good works1 ,heb4 x4 #bd2 whilst many that are taken for good christians1 do deal in such works as rarities or recreations1 only a little now and then upon the by1 and whilst ,satan's ministers are provoking others to hatred and to hurtfulness4 ,your labour is so amiable to me1 that it would contribute to my comforts1 if ,i were able to contribute any thing to your assistance4 ,you desire me to give you my judgment of the quota pars2 ,what proportion it is meet for most men to devote to charitable uses2 whether the tenth part of their increase be not ordinarily a fit proportion8 ,the reason why ,i use not to answer such questions without much distinguishing 7when lazy1 impatient readers would have them answered in a word7 is1 because the real difference of particular cases is so great1 as maketh it necessary2 unless we will deceive men1 or leave the matter as dark and unresolved as we found it4 ,i4 ,before ,i answer your question1 ,i shall premise1 that ,i much approve of the way which you insist upon1 of setting so much constantly apart as is fit for us to give1 that it may be taken by us to be a devoted or consecrated thing4 ,and methinks that there is much of a divine direction for the time in #a ,cor4 xvi4 #a1 #b1 together with the ancient church1 ,that upon the first day of the week1 every one lay by him in store1 as ,god had prospered him4 ,and it will do much to cure pharisaical sabbatizing1 when the ,lord's day is statedly used in this1 with holy works2 and will teach hypocrites to know what this meaneth1 ,i will have mercy and not sacrifice1 ,matt4 ix4 #ac2 xii4 #g4 ,and that works of charity are an odour1 a sweet smell1 a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to ,god1 who of the riches of his glory in ,christ1 will supply all the need of such1 as bring forth such fruit to abound unto their account1 ,phil4 iv4 #ag-ai4 ,so it be done without any insnaring vows1 or rash engagements to unnecessary things2 this constant setting apart a certain proportion for pious and charitable uses1 will have these advantages3 #a4 ,our distribution will be made deliberately and prudently1 when beforehand we study a due proportion1 and determine accordingly2 whereas they that give only occasionally as some object suddenly inviteth them1 will do it at random1 without due respect to their own accounts1 whether the proportion given be answerable to their own estate and duty4 #b4 ,this stated way will make men's charity much more extensive3 when objects of charity are not in their sight1 they will inquire after them1 and they will seek for the needy1 if the needy seek not unto them2 because they have so much by them to dispose of1 which is devoted to ,god4 ,but those who give but as occasional objects draw it from them1 will give to none but those that crave1 or will pass by many as needy1 whom they see not1 while they relieve only these few that they hap to see4 #c4 ,and it will make men's charity also to be more constant1 and done obediently as a christian's daily work and duty2 when occasional charity will be more rarely and unconstantly exercised4 ,in a word1 as the observation of the ,lord's day1 which is a stated proportion of time1 secureth the holy improvement of our time1 much better than if ,god be served but occasionally1 without a stated time2 and as a constant stated course of preaching excelleth mere occasional exhortation2 even so a constant course of giving1 wisely1 will find out objects1 and overcome temptations1 and discharge our duty with much more integrity and success4 ,and if we can easily perceive that occasional praying will not so well discharge the duty of prayer1 as a constant stated course will do2 why should we not think the same of occasional giving1 if men did but perceive that giving according to our ability1 is as sure and great a duty as praying8 ,now to your question of the proportion of our gifts4 ,,ii4 ,we must distinguish1 #a4 ,between them that have no more than will supply their own and their families' true necessities1 and those that have more4 #b4 ,between them that have a stock of money which yieldeth them no increase1 and those that have more increase by their labour1 but little stock4 #c4 ,between them whose increase is like to be constant1 and theirs that is uncertain1 sometimes more and sometimes less4 #d4 ,between them that have many children1 or near kindred1 that nature casteth upon them for relief2 and those that have few or no children1 or have a competent provision for them1 and have few needy kindred that they are especially obliged to relieve4 #e4 ,between those that live in times and places where the necessities of the poor are very great1 or some great works of piety are in hand2 and those that live where the poor are in no great necessity1 and no considerable opportunity for any great work of piety or charity doth appear4 ,these distinctions premised1 ,i answer as followeth3 #a4 ,it is certain that every true sanctified christian hath devoted himself and all that he hath to ,god1 to be used in obedience to his will1 and for his glory1 #a ,cor4 vi4 #ai1 #bj2 x4 #ca2 ,luke xviii4 #cc4 ,the question therefore is not1 ,whether the tenth part of our estate should be devoted to and employed in the service of ,god1 one way or other1 as he directeth us2 for it is out of question that all is his1 and we are but his stewards2 and must give account of our stewardship1 and of all our receivings1 ,matt4 xxv4 ,but the question is only what proportion is best pleasing to ,god in our giving to others4 #b4 ,a christian being unfeignedly thus resolved in the general1 to lay out that he hath or shall have as ,god would have him1 and to his glory 7as near as he can72 his next inquiry must be1 7for finding out the will of ,god17 to know in the ordinary course of his distribution1 where ,god hath gone before him by any particular prescript1 and tied him to one certain way of giving2 and where ,god hath only given him some general direction1 and left him to discern his duty in particulars1 by that general rule1 and the further direction of objects and providence4 ,and in this inquiry he will find1 #a4 ,that ,god hath first prescribed to him in nature1 the necessary sustentation of his own life4 ,and1 #b4 ,the necessary maintenance of his children and family4 #c4 ,the necessary maintenance of the preachers of the gospel1 for the worship of ,god1 and the salvation of men1 #a ,cor4 ix42 ,phil4 iv4 #aj1 #aa1 #ad1 #ag1 #ah2 ,luke x4 #g2 #a ,tim4 v4 #ag1 #ah4 #d4 ,the necessary maintenance of the commonwealth1 and paying tribute to the higher powers1 who are the ministers of ,god to us for good2 attending continually upon this very thing1 ,rom4 xiii4 #d1 #f4 #e4 ,the saving of the lives of those that are in apparent danger of famine or perishing1 within our sight or reach1 #a ,john iii4 #ag2 ,luke x4 #cc4 ,thus far ,god hath prescribed to us1 how he would have us use our estates in an ordinary way4 ,in many other things he hath left us to more general directions4 #c4 ,to know among good works1 which is to be preferred1 it principally concerneth us next to know1 what works do most contribute to our chiefest ends2 which ,god is most honoured by2 which tend to the greatest good3 and here we shall find that1 cteris paribus1 #a4 ,the souls of men are to be preferred before their bodies1 in estimation and intention2 but in time1 the body is oft to be preferred before the soul1 because if the body be suffered to perish1 the helping of the soul will be past our power4 #b4 ,and so the church is finally and estimatively to be preferred before the commonwealth2 but the commonwealth must be first served in time1 when it is necessary to the church's support and welfare2 for the church will else perish with the commonwealth4 #c4 ,the good of many is to be preferred before the good of few1 and public good to be valued above private1 ,rom4 ix4 #c4 #d4 ,a continued good is greater than a short and transitory good4 ,and so necessary is it to have chief respect in all our works to our chiefest end1 7the greatest good17 that even when ,god seemeth to have prescribed to us the way of our expenses1 yet that is but as to our ordinary course3 for if in an extraordinary case it fall out1 that another way is more to ,god's glory and the common good1 it must be then preferred2 for all means are to be judged of by the end1 and chosen and used for it4 ,for example1 if the good of church and commonwealth1 or of the souls of many1 do stand up against our corporal provision of our children or families1 it is to be preferred2 which is easily proved a fortiore1 because it is to be preferred before our own good1 even the saving of our lives4 ,a good subject will lose his life to save the life of his king2 and a good soldier will die to save his general or the army2 and a useless member of the church should be content to die1 if it be necessary1 to save the life of a pastor that is greatly useful4 ,if a poor1 ordinary christian then had been so put to it1 that either ,paul or he must famish1 no doubt but his ultimate end would have commanded him to prefer the apostle before himself3 so that in extraordinary cases1 the end and greatest good must be our guide4 #d4 ,though ,i may ordinarily prefer my own life before another's1 yet ,i must not prefer my mere delight or health before another's life3 and though men must provide for the lives of their children before the lives of others1 yet the life of a poor neighbour 7cteris paribus7 must be preferred and provided for1 before the portions of your own children1 and before the supply of their tolerable wants3 so that as long as there are poor about you1 that are in necessity of food to save their lives1 the portions or comeliest clothing of your children must rather be neglected1 than the poor be suffered to perish4 ,how else do ,i love my neighbour as myself1 if ,i make so great a difference between myself and him8 #e4 ,even the food and raiment1 and other necessaries1 which a christian useth himself1 he must use for ,god1 and not for his carnal self at all2 not taking it as his own1 which he may use at and for his own pleasure1 but as part of his ,master's goods1 which are all to be used only for his service4 ,as a steward1 that when he giveth every servant his part1 and taketh his own part1 it is not as if it were primarily his own1 but as a servant on the same account with the rest3 so when ,i devote all that ,i have to ,god1 ,i am so far from excepting my own part1 even my food and raiment1 that ,i do more confidently intend the serving of ,god with that1 than with the rest1 because it is more in my power1 and there is in it more of my duty4 ,the same ,i may say of that which is given to our children and other relations4 #f4 ,therefore when more of the service and interest of ,god1 lieth upon your own or your children's using of his talents1 than upon other men's1 you are bound 7for ,god1 and not for yourselves7 to retain so much the more to yourselves and children4 ,it is a fond conceit that a man is bound to give all to others1 rather than to himself or children1 when it is most probable1 that those others would do ,god less service with it1 than himself or his children would do3 as suppose such a man as ,mr4 ,elliot in ,new ,england 7that devoteth himself to the conversion of the ,indians7 had riches1 when some neighbour ministers were poor1 that are engaged in no such work4 ,he that knoweth that ,god hath given him a heart and an opportunity to do him more service with it than another would do1 is not bound to put it out of his own hands into another's1 that is less like to be a faithful improver of it4 ,if you have a son of your own that is a preacher of the gospel1 and is more able and serviceable than other ministers in equal want1 no doubt you have then a double obligation to relieve your own son before another2 as he is your son1 and as he is more serviceable to ,god4 ,if other men are bound to supply your want for the work and interest of the gospel1 you are not bound to give away your own supplies1 to the disabling you from your work1 unless when you see a greater work1 or the present absolute necessity of others1 doth require it4 #g4 ,it is imprudent and unsafe1 and therefore unlawful1 ordinarily1 to tie yourself unchangeably for continuance1 to any one particular way of using your estates for ,god2 as to vow that you will give it to ministers1 or to the poor1 or to schools1 c42 because the changes may be such which ,god will make1 as shall make that way to be one year necessary1 which before was not1 and so change your duty4 ,we cannot prescribe to ,god what way he shall appoint us for the future1 to use his talents in4 ,his word bids us prefer the greatest good2 but which is the greatest his providence must tell us4 #h4 ,he that hath no more than is necessary to the very preservation of his own life and his family's1 is not bound to give to others 7unless in some extraordinary case1 which calleth him to prefer a greater and more public good73 and he that hath no more than is needful to the comfortable support of himself and family1 is not bound to relieve those that have no greater wants than himself4 ,and his own necessity is not to be measured merely by what he hath1 but by the use he hath for it3 for a magistrate1 or one that is engaged in public works1 may have need of as many hundreds a year1 as a private man of pounds4 #i4 ,those that have many children to provide for1 or poor kindred that nature casteth on them1 cannot give so much 7proportionably7 to other poor1 as those are bound to do that have few or none2 for these are bound to give all1 except their personal necessaries1 to public1 pious1 or charitable works1 because ,god calleth not for it any other way4 #aj4 ,to pamper the flesh1 is a sin as well in the rich as in the poor3 the rich therefore are bound not only to give all that the flesh can spare1 when its own inordinate desires are satisfied1 but deny themselves1 and mortify the flesh1 and be good husbands for ,god1 and studious to retrench all unnecessary expenses1 and to live laboriously and thriftily1 that they may have the more to do good with4 ,it is a great extenuation of the largest gifts1 as to ,god's esteem1 when they are but the leavings of the flesh1 and are given out of men's abundance1 and when we offer that to ,god that costeth us nothing3 as ,christ doth purposely determine the case2 comparing the rich man's gifts with the widow's two mites1 he said1 ,of a truth ,i say unto you1 that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all3 for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of ,god2 but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had1 ,luke xxi4 #a-d2 that is1 all the stock she had beforehand1 though she had need of it herself4 ,it is a very considerable thing in our charity1 how much mortification and self-denial is expressed in it1 and how much it costeth our own flesh to give to others4 ,and therefore they that think they are excused from doing good to others1 as long as they have any need of it themselves1 and will give nothing but what they have no need of1 7it being not of absolute necessity to their lives17 do offer a sacrifice of no great value in the eyes of ,god4 ,what then shall we say of them1 that will not give even out of their abundance1 and that which without any suffering they may spare8 #aa4 ,the first and principal thing to be done by one that would give as ,god would have him1 is1 to get a truly charitable heart1 which containeth all these parts3 #a4 ,that we see ,god in his needy creatures1 and in his cause or work that needs our help4 #b4 ,that we be sensible of his abundant love in ,christ to us1 in giving pardon and eternal life1 and that from the sense of this our thankful hearts are moved to do good to others4 #c4 ,that therefore we do it ultimately as to ,christ himself2 who taketh that which is done for his cause and servants1 as done to him1 ,matt4 xxv4 #dj4 #d4 ,that we conquer the cursed sin of selfishness1 which makes men little regard any but themselves4 #e4 ,that we love our neighbours as ourselves1 and love most where there is most of ,god and goodness1 and not according to self-interest3 and that as members of the same body1 we take our brethren's wants and sufferings as our own2 and then we should be as ready to help them as ourselves4 #f4 ,that we know the vanity of worldly riches1 and be not earthly-minded1 but regard the interest of ,god and our souls above all the treasures of the world4 #g4 ,that we unfeignedly believe the promises of ,god1 who hath engaged himself to provide for us1 and everlastingly to reward us in glory with himself4 ,if these seven qualifications be wrought upon the heart1 good works will plentifully follow4 ,make but the tree good1 and the fruit will be good4 ,but when the heart is void of the root and life which should produce them1 the judgment will not be persuaded that so much is necessary1 and required of us2 and the will itself will still hang back1 and be delaying to do good1 and doing all pinchingly and hypocritically1 with unwillingness and distrust4 ,no wonder if good works are so rare1 when it is evident that to do them sincerely and heartily as our trade and business1 it is necessary that the whole soul be thus renewed by faith1 and love1 and self-denial1 and mortification1 and by a heavenly hope and mind4 ,they are the fruits and works of the new creature 7which is1 alas1 too rare in the world73 ,for we are his workmanship1 created in ,christ ,jesus unto good works1 which ,god hath before ordained that we should walk in them1 ,eph4 ii4 #aj4 ,therefore our first and chiefest labour should be to be sure that we are furnished with such hearts1 and then if we have wherewith to do good1 such hearts will be sure to do it3 such hearts will best discern the time and measure1 as a healthful man's appetite will in eating2 for they will take it for a mercy and happiness to do good1 and know1 that it is they that give that are the great receivers4 ,it is but a little money or alms that the poor receive of us1 but it is ,god's acceptance1 and favour1 and reward that we receive1 which is in this life a hundred-fold1 7in value17 and in the world to come eternal life1 ,matt4 xix4 #bi4 ,but if we have little or nothing to give1 such a heart is accepted1 as if we had given as much as we desire to give2 so that if you have a heart that would give thousands if you had it1 ,god will set down upon your account1 so many thousands given 7in desire74 ,your two mites shall be valued above all the superfluities of sensual worldlings3 ,for if there be first a willing mind1 it is accepted according to that a man hath1 and not according to that he hath not1 #b ,cor4 viii4 #ab4 ,but ,god taketh not that for a willing mind1 which only saith1 ,i would give if ,i should suffer nothing by it myself1 or were ,i sure ,i should not want2 but that which saith1 ,i will serve ,god as well as ,i can with my estate while ,i have it1 and deny my flesh1 that ,i may have to do good with1 and trust ,god for my provision and reward2 for if there be a readiness to will1 there will be a performance also out of that which you have1 #b ,cor4 viii4 #aa4 #ab4 ,such a holy1 self-denying1 charitable heart1 with the help of prudence1 is the best judge of the due proportion which we should give3 for this willing readiness being supposed1 prudence will discern the fittest objects1 and the fittest time1 and the fittest measure1 and will suit the means unto the end3 when once a man's heart is set upon doing good1 it will not be very hard to perceive how much ourselves1 our families1 the poor1 and religious uses should have2 for if such a person be prudent himself1 he hath always with him a constant counsellor1 with a general rule1 and directing providence2 if he want prudence sufficient to be his own director1 he will take direction from the prudence of others4 #ac4 ,such a truly willing mind will not be much wanting in the general of doing good1 but one way or other will serve ,god with his estate2 and then if in any particulars he should come short1 it will comparatively be a very small sin1 when it is not for want of willingness1 but of skill4 ,the will is the chief seat of all moral good and evil2 there is no more virtue than there is will1 nor any more sin or vice than there is will4 ,he that knoweth not how much he should give1 because he is not willing to give it1 and therefore not willing to know it1 is indeed the miser and sinfully ignorant2 but if it be not for want of a willing mind that we mistake the proportion1 it will be a very pardonable mistake4 #ad4 ,your proportion of the tenth part is too much for some1 and much too little for others1 but for the most1 ,i think it as likely a proportion as it is fit for another to prescribe in particular1 with these following explications4 #a4 ,he that hath a full stock of money1 and no increase by it1 must give proportionably out of his stock2 when he that hath little or no stock1 but the fruits of his daily industry and labour1 may possibly be bound to give less than the other4 #b4 ,it is not the tenth of our increase1 deducting first all our families' provision1 that you mean when you direct to give the tenth 7for it is far more1 if not all1 that after such provision must be given72 but it is the tenth without deduction that you mean2 therefore when family necessaries cannot spare the tenth1 it may be too much 7else even the receivers must all be givers73 but when family necessities can spare much more than the tenth1 then the tenth is not enough4 #c4 ,in those places where church1 and state1 and poor are all to be maintained by free gift1 there the tenth of our increase is far too little1 for those that have any thing considerable to spare1 to give to all these uses4 ,this is apparent in that the tenths alone were not thought enough even in the time of the law1 to give towards the public worship of ,god3 for besides the tenths1 there were the first-fruits1 and oblations1 and many sorts of sacrifices2 and yet at the same time1 the poor were to be maintained by liberal gifts besides the tenths3 and though we read not of much given to the maintenance of their rulers and magistrates1 before they chose to have a king1 yet afterwards we read of much2 and before1 the charges of wars and public works lay upon all4 ,in most places with us1 the public ministry is maintained by glebe and tithes1 which are none of the people's gifts at all1 for he that sold or leased them their lands1 did suppose that tithes were to be paid out of it1 and therefore they paid a tenth part less for it1 in purchase1 fines1 or rents1 than otherwise they should have done2 so that ,i reckon1 that most of them give little or nothing to the minister at all4 ,therefore they may the better give so much the more to the needy1 and to other charitable uses4 ,but where minister1 and poor1 and all are maintained by the people's contribution1 there the tenths are too little for the whole work2 but yet to most1 or very many1 the tenths to the poor alone1 besides the maintenance of the ministry and state1 may possibly be more than they are able to give4 ,the tenths even among the heathens1 were given in many places to their sacrifices1 priests1 and to religious1 public1 civil works1 besides all their private charity to the poor4 ,i find in ,diog4 ,laertius1 lib4 i4 7mihi7 #cb4 that ,pisistratus the ,athenian tyrant1 proving to ,solon 7in his epistle to him7 that he had nothing against ,god or man to blame him for1 but for taking the crown2 telling him1 that he caused them to keep the same laws which ,solon gave them1 and that better than the popular government could have done1 doth instance thus3 ,atheniensium singuli decimas frugum suarum separant1 non in usus nostros consumendas1 verum sacrificiis publicis1 commodisque communibus1 et si quando bellum contra nos ingruerit1 in sumptus deputandas3 that is1 ,every one of the ,athenians do separate the tithes of their fruits1 not to be consumed to our uses1 but to defray the charge in public sacrifices1 and in the common profits1 and if war at any time invade us4 ,and ,plautus saith1 ,ut decimam solveret ,herculi4 ,indeed as among the heathens the tithes were conjunctly given for religious and civil uses1 so it seems that at first the christian emperors settled them on the bishops for the use of the poor1 as well as for the ministers1 and church service1 and utensils4 ,for to all these they were to be divided1 and the bishop was as the guardian of the poor3 and the glebe or farms that were given to the church1 were all employed to the same uses2 and the canons required that the tithes should be thus disposed of by the clergy2 non tanquam propri1 sed domino oblat3 and the emperor ,justinian commanded the bishops1 ,ne ea qu ecclesiis relicta sunt sibi adscribant sed in necessarios ecclesi usus impendant2 lib4 xliii4 cap4 de ,episc4 et ,cler4 vid4 ,albert4 ,ranzt4 ,metrop4 lib4 i4 cap4 #b4 et sax4 lib4 vi4 cap4 #eb4 ,and ,hierom 7ad ,damasc47 saith1 ,quoniam quicquid habent clerici pauperum est2 et domus illorum omnibus debent esse communes2 susceptioni peregrinarum et hospitum invigilare debent2 maxime curandum est illis1 ut de decimis et oblationibus1 cnobiis et ,xenodochiis qualem voluerint et potuerint sustentationem impendant4 ,yet then the paying of tithes did not excuse the people from all other charity to the poor3 ,austin saith1 ,qui sibi aut prmium comparat1 aut peccatorum desiderat indulgentiam promereri1 reddat decimam1 etiam de novem partibus studeat eleemosynam dare pauperibus4 ,and in our times there is less reason that tithes should excuse the people from their works of charity1 both because the tithes are now more appropriate to the maintenance of the clergy1 and because 7as is aforesaid7 the people give them not out of their own4 ,i confess1 if we consider how decimation was used before the law by ,abraham and ,jacob1 and established by the law unto the ,jews1 and how commonly it was used among the gentiles1 and last of all by the church of ,christ1 it will make a considerate man imagine1 that as there is still a divine direction for one day in seven1 as a necessary proportion of time to be ordinarily consecrated to ,god1 besides what we can spare from our other days2 so that there is something of a divine canon1 or direction1 for the tenth of our revenues or increase to be ordinarily consecrated to ,god1 besides what may be spared from the rest4 ,and whether those tithes1 that are none of your own1 and cost you nothing1 be now to be reckoned to private men1 as any of their tenths1 which they themselves should give1 ,i leave to your consideration4 ,amongst ,augustine's works we find an opinion that the devils were the tenth part of the angels1 and that man is now to be the tenth order among the angels1 the saints filling up the place that the devils fell from1 and there being nine orders of angels to be above us1 and that in this there is some ground of our paying tenths2 and therefore he saith1 that ,hc est ,domini justissima consuetudo2 ut si tu illi decimam non dederis1 tu ad decimam revocaberis1 id est1 dmonibus1 qui sunt decima pars angelorum1 associaberis4 ,though ,i know not whence he had this opinion1 it seemeth that the devoting of a tenth part ordinarily to ,god1 is a matter that we have more than a human direction for4 #ae4 ,in times of extraordinary necessities of the church1 or state1 or poor1 there must be extraordinary bounty in our contributions3 as if an enemy be ready to invade the land1 or if some extraordinary work of ,god 7as the conversion of some heathen nations7 do require it1 or some extraordinary persecution and distress befall the pastors1 or in a year of famine1 plague1 or war1 when the necessities of the poor are extraordinary2 the tenths in such cases will not suffice1 from those that have more to give3 therefore in such a time1 the primitive christians sold their possessions1 and laid down the price at the feet of the apostles4 ,in one word1 an honest1 charitable heart being presupposed as the root or fountain1 and prudence being the discerner of our duty1 the apostle's general rule may much satisfy a christian for the proportion1 #a ,cor4 xvi4 #b1 ,let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him2 and #b ,cor4 viii4 #ab1 according to that a man hath3 though there be many intimations1 that ordinarily a tenth part at least is requisite4 ,,iii4 ,having thus resolved the question of the quota pars or proportion to be given1 ,i shall say a little to the question1 ,whether a man should give most in his lifetime1 or at his death8 ,answ4 #a4 ,it is certain that the best work is that which is like to do most good4 #b4 ,but to make it best to us1 it is necessary that we do it with the most self-denying1 holy1 charitable mind4 #c4 ,that1 cteris paribus1 all things else being equal1 the present doing of a good work1 is better than to defer it4 #d4 ,that to do good only when you die1 because then you can keep your wealth no longer1 and because then it costeth you nothing to part with it1 and because then you hope that this shall serve instead of true repentance and godliness2 this is but to deceive yourselves1 and will do nothing to save your souls1 though it do never so much good to others4 #e4 ,that he that sinfully neglecteth in his lifetime to do good1 if he do it at his death1 from true repentance and conversion1 it is then accepted of ,god2 though the sin of his delay must be lamented4 #f4 ,that he that delayeth it till death1 not out of any selfishness1 backwardness1 or unwillingness1 but that the work may be better1 and do more good1 doth better than if he hastened a lesser good4 ,as if a man have a desire to set up a free-school for perpetuity1 and the money which he hath is not sufficient2 if he stay till his death1 that so the improvement of the money may increase it1 and make it enough for his intended work1 that is to do a greater good with greater self-denial3 for1 7#a47 ,he receiveth none of the increase of the money for himself4 7#b47 ,and he receiveth in his lifetime none of the praise or thanks of the work4 ,so also1 if a man that hath no children1 have so much land only as will maintain him1 and desireth to give it all to charitable uses when he dieth1 this delay is not at all to be blamed1 because he could not sooner give it2 and if it be not in vain-glory1 but in love to ,god and to good works that he leaveth it1 it is truly acceptable at last4 ,so that all good works that are done at death1 are not therefore to be undervalued1 nor are they rejected of ,god2 but sometimes it falleth out that they are so much the greater and better works1 though he that can do the same in his lifetime1 ought to do it4 ,,iv4 ,but though ,i have spent all these words in answering these questions1 ,i am fully satisfied that it is very few that are kept from doing good by any such doubt or difficulty1 in the case which stalls their judgments2 but by the power of sin and want of grace1 which leave an unwillingness and backwardness on their hearts4 ,could we tell how to remove the impediments in men's wills1 it would do more than the clearest resolving all the cases of conscience1 which their judgments seem to be unsatisfied in4 ,i will tell you what are the impediments in your way1 that are harder to be removed than all these difficulties1 and yet must be overcome before you can bring men to be like true christians1 rich in good works4 #a4 ,most men are so sensual and selfish1 that their own flesh is an insatiable gulf that devoureth all1 and they have little or nothing to spare from it to good uses4 ,it is better cheaply maintaining a family of temperate1 sober persons1 than one fleshly person that hath a whole litter of vices and lusts to be maintained3 so much a year seemeth necessary to maintain their pride in needless curiosity and bravery1 and so much a year to maintain their sensual sports and pleasures2 and so much to please their throats or appetites1 and to lay in provision for fevers1 and dropsies1 and coughs1 and consumptions1 and a hundred such diseases1 which are the natural progeny of gluttony1 drunkenness1 and excess2 and so much a year to maintain their idleness1 and so of many other vices4 ,but if one of these persons have the pride1 and idleness1 and gluttony1 and sportfulness of wife1 and children1 and family also to maintain1 as well as their own1 many thousand pounds a year perhaps may be too little4 ,many a conquering army hath been maintained at as cheap a rate1 as such an army of lusts 7or garrison at least7 as keep possession of some such families1 when all their luxury goeth for the honour of their family1 and they glory in wearing the livery of the devil1 the world1 and the flesh 7which they once renounced1 and pretended to glory in nothing but the cross of ,christ72 and when they take care in the education of their children1 that this entailed honour be not cut off from their families3 no wonder if ,god's part be little from these men1 when the flesh must have so much1 and when ,god must stand to the courtesy of his enemies1 and have but their leavings4 ,i hope the nobility and gentry of ,england that are innocent herein1 will not be offended with me1 if ,i tell them that are guilty1 that when ,i foresee their accounts1 ,i think them to be the miserablest persons upon earth1 that rob ,god1 and rob the king of that which should defray the charges of government1 and rob the church1 and rob the poor1 and rob their souls of all the benefits of good works1 and all to please the devouring flesh4 ,it is a dreadful thing to foresee with what horror they will give up their reckoning1 when instead of so much in feeding and clothing the poor1 and promoting the gospel1 and the saving of men's souls1 there will be found upon their account1 so much in vain curiosities and pride1 and so much in costly sports and pleasures1 and so much in flesh-pleasing luxury and excess4 ,the trick that they have got of late1 to free themselves from the fears of this account1 by believing that there will be no such day1 will prove a short and lamentable remedy3 and when that day shall come upon them unawares1 their unbelief and pleasures will die together1 and deliver them up to never-dying horror and despair4 ,i have heard it often mentioned as the dishonour of ,france1 that the third part of the revenues of so rich a kingdom should be devoted and paid to the maintaining of superstition3 but if there be not many 7and most7 kingdoms in the world1 where one half of their wealth is devoted to the flesh1 and so to the devil1 ,i should be glad to find myself herein mistaken3 and judge you which is more disgraceful1 to have half your estates given in sensuality to the devil1 or a third part too ignorantly devoted to ,god6 ,if men laid out no more than needs upon the flesh1 they might have the more for the service of ,god and of their souls4 ,you cannot live under so much a year1 as would maintain twice as many frugal1 temperate1 industrious persons1 because your flesh must needs be pleased1 and you are strangers to christian mortification and self-denial4 ,laertius tells us that ,crates ,thebanus put all the money into the banker's or usurer's hands1 with this direction1 ,that if his sons proved idiots it should all be paid to them1 but if they proved philosophers it should be given to the poor2 because philosophers can live upon a little1 and therefore need little4 ,so if we could make men mortified christians1 they would need so little for themselves1 that they would have the more to give to others1 and to do good with4 #b4 ,men do not seriously believe ,god's promises2 that he will recompense them in this life 7with better things7 an hundred-fold1 and in the world to come with life eternal6 ,matt4 xix4 #bi4 ,and that by receiving a prophet1 or righteous man1 they may have a prophet's or righteous man's reward1 ,matt4 x4 #da4 ,and that a cup of cold water 7when you have no better7 given to one of ,christ's little ones in the name of a disciple1 shall not be unrewarded1 ,matt4 x4 #db4 ,they believe not that heaven will pay for all1 and that there is a life to come in which ,god will see that they be no losers4 ,they think there is nothing certain but what they have in hand1 and therefore they lay up a treasure upon earth1 and rather trust to their estates than ,god2 whereas if they verily believed that there is another life1 and that judgment will pass on them on the terms described1 ,matt4 xxv4 they would more industriously lay up a treasure in heaven1 ,matt4 vi4 #bj1 and make themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness1 and study how to be rich in good works1 and send their wealth to heaven before them1 and lay up a good foundation against the time to come1 that they may lay hold upon eternal life1 and then they would be ready to distribute1 and willing to communicate1 #a ,tim4 vi4 #ag-ai2 ,luke xvi4 #i4 ,they would then know how much they are beholden to ,god1 that will not only honour them to be his stewards1 but reward them for distributing his maintenance to his children1 as if they had given so much of their own2 they would then see that it is they that are the receivers1 and that giving is the surest way to be rich1 when for transitory things 7sincerely given7 they may receive the everlasting riches4 ,then they would see that he that saveth his riches loseth them1 and he that loseth them for ,christ doth save them1 and lay them up in heaven2 and that it is more blessed to give than to receive2 and that we should ourselves be laborious that we may have wherewith to support the weak1 and to give unto the needy4 ,read ,acts xx4 #ce2 ,eph4 iv4 #bh2 ,prov4 xxxi4 #bj1 c4 ,then they would not be weary of well-doing1 if they believed that1 in due season1 they shall reap if they faint not2 but as they have opportunity1 would do good to all men2 but especially to them that are of the household of faith1 ,gal4 vi4 #i1 #aj4 ,they would not forget to do good1 and communicate1 as knowing that with such sacrifices ,god is well pleased1 ,heb4 xiii4 #af4 ,a true belief of the reward1 would make men strive who should do most4 #c4 ,another great hinderance is the want of love to ,god and our neighbours1 to ,christ and his disciples4 ,if men loved ,christ1 they would not deal so niggardly with his disciples1 when he has told them that he taketh all that they do to the least of them1 7whom he calleth his brethren17 as done to himself1 ,matt4 xxv42 x4 #ci1 #dj4 ,if men loved their neighbours as themselves1 ,i leave you to judge in what proportion and manner they would relieve them6 ,whether they would find money to lay out on dice and cards1 and gluttonous feastings1 on plays1 and games1 and pomp1 and pride1 while so many round about them are in pinching want4 ,the destruction of charity or christian love is the cause that works of charity are destroyed4 ,who can look that the seed of the serpent1 that hath an enmity against the holy seed1 should liberally relieve them8 or that the fleshly mind1 which is enmity against ,god1 should be ready to do good to the spiritual and holy servants of ,god8 ,gen4 xv42 ,rom4 viii4 #f-h2 or that a selfish man should much care for any body but himself and his own8 ,when love is turned into the hatred of each other1 upon the account of our partial interests and opinions2 and when we are like men in war1 that think he is the bravest1 most deserving man that hath killed most2 when men have bitter1 hateful thoughts of one another1 and set themselves to make each other odious1 and to ruin them1 that they may stand the faster1 and think that destroying them is good service to ,god2 who can look for the fruits of love from damnable uncharitableness and hatred2 or that the devil's tree should bring forth holy fruit to ,god8 #d4 ,and then 7when love is well spoken of by all1 even its deadly enemies7 lest men should see their wickedness and misery1 7and is it not admirable that they see it not87 the devil hath taught them to play the hypocrite1 and make themselves a religion which costs them nothing1 without true christian love and good works1 that they may have something to quiet and cheat their consciences with4 ,one man drops now and then an inconsiderable gift1 and another oppresseth1 and hateth1 and destroyeth 7and slandereth and censureth1 that he may not be thought to hate and ruin without cause72 and when they have done1 they wipe their mouths with a few hypocritical prayers or good words1 and think they are good christians1 and ,god will not be avenged on them4 ,one thinks that ,god will save him because he is of this church1 and another because he is of another church4 ,one thinks to be saved because he is of this opinion and party in religion1 and another because he is of that4 ,one thinks he is religious because he saith his prayers this way1 and another because he prayeth another way4 ,and thus dead hypocrites1 whose hearts were never quickened with the powerful love of ,god1 to love his servants1 their neighbours1 and enemies1 do persuade themselves that ,god will save them for mocking and flattering him with the service of their deceitful lips2 while they want the love of ,god1 which is the root of all good1 and are possessed with the love of money1 which is the root of all evil1 #a ,tim4 vi4 #aj1 and are lovers of pleasures more than of ,god1 #b ,tim4 iii4 #d4 ,they will join themselves forwardly to the cheap and outside actions of religion2 but when they hear much less than ,one thing thou yet wantest3 sell all that thou hast and distribute to the poor1 and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven3--they are very sorrowful1 because they are very rich1 ,luke xviii4 #bb1 #bc4 ,such a fruitless love as they had to others1 ,james ii4 such a fruitless religion they have as to themselves4 ,for pure religion and undefiled before ,god1 is to visit the fatherless and widows in their adversity1 and to keep yourselves unspotted from the world1 ,james i4 #bg4 ,see #a ,john ii4 #ae2 iii4 #ag1 ,whoso hath this world's goods1 and seeth his brother have need1 and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him1 how dwelleth the love of ,god in him8 ,there are three texts that describe the case of sensual1 uncharitable gentlemen4 #a4 ,luke xvi4 ,a rich man clothed in purple and silk1 7for so1 as ,dr4 ,hammond noteth1 it should rather be translated17 and fared sumptuously every day1 you know the end of him4 #b4 ,ezek4 xvi4 #di4 ,sodom's sin was pride1 fulness of bread1 and abundance of idleness1 neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy4 #c4 ,james v4 #a-g4 ,go to now1 ye rich men1 weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you4--,ye have lived in pleasure on earth1 and been wanton2 ye have nourished your hearts1 as in 7or for7 the day of slaughter4--,ye have condemned and killed the just1 and he doth not resist you--4 ,and remember ,prov4 xxi4 #ac1 ,whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor1 he also shall cry himself and shall not be heard4 ,and ,james ii4 #ac1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy that showed no mercy1 and mercy rejoiceth against judgment4 ,yea1 in this life it is oft observable that1 ,prov4 xi4 #bd1 ,there is that scattereth1 and yet increaseth1 and there is that withholdeth more than is meet1 but it tendeth to poverty4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,works of ,charity4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,love ,god1 and be renewed to his image2 and then it will be natural to you to do good2 and his love will be in you a fountain of good works4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,love your neighbours1 and it will be easy to you to do them all the good you can2 as it is to do good to yourselves1 or children1 or dearest friends4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,learn self-denial1 that selfishness may not cause you to be all for yourselves1 and be ,satan's law of nature in you1 forbidding you to do good to others4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,mortify the flesh1 and the vices of sensuality3 pride and curiosity1 gluttony and drunkenness1 are insatiable gulfs1 and will devour all1 and leave but little for the poor3 though there be never so many poor families which want bread and clothing1 the proud person must first have the other silk gown1 or the other ornaments which may set them out with the forwardest in the mode and fashion2 and this house must first be handsomer built1 and these rooms must first be neatlier furnished2 and these children must first have finer clothes3 let ,lazarus lie never so miserable at the door1 the sensualist must be clothed in purple and silk1 and fare deliciously and sumptuously daily1 ,luke xvi4 ,the glutton must have the dish and cup which pleaseth his appetite1 and must keep a full table for the entertainment of his companions that have no need4 ,these insatiable vices are like swine and dogs1 that devour all the children's bread4 ,even vain recreations and gaming shall have more bestowed on them1 than church or poor 7as to any voluntary gift74 ,kill your greedy vices once1 and then a little will serve your turns1 and you may have wherewith to relieve the needy1 and do that which will be better to you at your reckoning day4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,let not selfishness make your children the inordinate objects of your charity and provision1 to take up that which should be otherwise employed4 ,carnal and worldly persons would perpetuate their vice1 and when they can live no longer themselves1 they seem to be half alive in their posterity1 and what they can no longer keep themselves1 they think is best laid up for their children to feed them as full1 and make them as sensual and unhappy as themselves4 ,so that just and moderate provisions will not satisfy them2 but their children's portions must be as much as they can get1 and almost all their estates are sibi et suis1 for themselves and theirs3 and this pernicious vice is as destructive to good works1 as almost any in the world4 ,that ,god who hath said that he is worse than an infidel who provideth not for his own family1 will judge many thousands to be worse than christians1 and than any that will be saved must be1 who make their families the devourers of all which should be expended upon other works of charity4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,take it as the chiefest extrinsical part of your religion to do good2 and make it the trade or business of your lives1 and not as a matter to be done on the by4 ,james i4 #bg1 ,pure religion and undefiled before ,god and the ,father is this1 to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction1 and to keep himself unspotted from the world4 ,if we are created for good works1 ,eph4 ii4 #aj2 and redeemed and purified to be zealous of good works1 ,tit4 ii4 #ad2 and must be judged according to such works1 ,matt4 xxv42 then certainly it should be our chiefest daily care and diligence1 to do them with all our hearts and abilities4 ,and as we keep a daily account of our own and our servants' business in our particular callings1 so should we much more of our employment of our ,master's talents in his service2 and if a heathen prince could say with lamentation1 ,alas1 ,i have lost a day6 if a day had passed in which he had done no one good1 how much more should a christian1 who is better instructed to know the comforts and rewards of doing good6 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,give not only out of your superfluities1 when the flesh is glutted with as much as it desireth2 but labour hard in your callings1 and be thrifty and saving from all unnecessary expenses1 and deny the desires of ease and fulness1 and pride and curiosity1 that you may have the more to do good with4 ,thriftiness for works of charity is a great and necessary duty1 though covetous thriftiness for the love of riches be a great sin4 ,he that wasteth one half of his master's goods through slothfulness or excesses1 and then is charitable with the other half1 will make but a bad account of his stewardship4 ,much more he that glutteth his own and his family's and retainers' fleshly desires first1 and then giveth to the poor only the leavings of luxury1 and so much as their fleshly lusts can spare4 ,it is a dearer1 a laborious and a thrifty charity1 that ,god doth expect of faithful stewards4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,delay not any good work which you have present ability and opportunity to perform4 ,delay signifieth unwillingness or negligence4 ,love and zeal are active and expeditious2 and delay doth frequently frustrate good intentions4 ,the persons may die that you intend to do good to2 or you may die1 or your ability and opportunities may cease2 that may be done to-day which cannot be done to-morrow4 ,the devil is not ignorant of your good intentions1 and he will do all that possibly he can to make them of no effect2 and the more time you give him1 the more you enable him to hinder you4 ,you little foresee what abundance of impediments he may cast before you2 and so make that impossible which once you might have done with ease4 ,prov4 iii4 #bh1 ,say not to thy neighbour1 ,go and come again1 and to-morrow ,i will give1 when thou hast it by thee4 ,prov4 xxvii4 #a1 ,boast not thyself of to-morrow1 for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,distrust not ,god's providence for thy own provision4 ,an unbelieving man will needs be a ,god to himself1 and trust himself only for his provisions1 because indeed he cannot trust ,god4 ,but you will find that your labour and care are vain1 or worse than vain1 without ,god's blessing4 ,say not distrustfully1 ,what shall ,i have myself when ,i am old8 ,though ,i am not persuading you to make no provision1 or to give away all2 yet ,i must tell you1 that it is exceeding folly to put off any present duty1 upon distrust of ,god1 or expectation of living to be old4 ,he that over-night said1 ,i have enough laid up for many years1 did quickly hear1 ,thou fool1 this night shall thy soul be required of thee2 and whose then shall the things be which thou hast provided8 ,luke xii4 #bj4 ,rather obey that1 ,eccles4 ix4 #aj1 ,whatsoever thy hand findeth to do1 do it with thy might3 for there is no work1 nor device1 nor knowledge1 nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest4 ,do you think there is not a hundred thousand whose estates are now consumed in the flames of ,london1 who could wish that all that had been given to pious or charitable uses8 ,do but believe from the bottom of your hearts1 that he that hath pity on the poor1 lendeth to the ,lord1 and that which he layeth out he will pay him again1 ,prov4 xix4 #ag4 ,and that1 ,matt4 x4 #dj-db1 ,he that receiveth you1 receiveth me1 and he that receiveth me1 receiveth him that sent me3 he that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet1 shall receive a prophet's reward2 and he that receiveth a righteous man1 in the name of a righteous man1 shall receive a righteous man's reward3 and whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones1 a cup of cold water only 7i4 e4 when he hath no better7 in the name of a disciple1 verily ,i say unto you1 he shall in no wise lose his reward4 ,i say1 believe this1 and you will make haste to give while you may1 lest your opportunity should overslip you4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,what you cannot do yourselves1 provoke others to do who are more able3 ,provoke one another to love and to good works4 ,modesty doth not so much forbid you to beg for others as for yourselves4 ,some want but information to draw them to good works3 and some that are unwilling1 may be urged to it1 to avoid the shame of uncharitableness3 and though such giving do little good to themselves1 it may do good to others4 ,thus you may have the reward when the cost is another's as long as the charity is yours4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,hearken to no doctrine which is an enemy to charity or good works2 nor yet which teacheth you to trust in them for more than their proper part4 ,he that ascribeth to any of his own works1 that which is proper to ,christ1 doth turn them into heinous sin4 ,and he that ascribeth not to them all that which ,christ ascribeth to them1 is a sinner also4 ,and whatever ignorant men may prate1 the time is coming1 when neither ,christ without our charity1 nor our charity without ,christ1 7but in subordination to him17 will either comfort or save our souls4 #agc ,see the ,preface to my book1 called1 ,the ,crucifying of the ,world4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,confessing ,,sins ,,and ,,injuries ,,to ,,others4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases about ,confessing ,sins and ,injuries to others4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,in what cases is it a duty to confess wrongs to those that we have wronged8 ,answ4 #a4 ,when in real injuries you are unable to make any restitution1 and therefore must desire forgiveness1 you cannot well do it without confession4 #b4 ,when you have wronged a man by a lie1 or by false witness1 or that he cannot be righted till you confess the truth4 #c4 ,when you have wronged a man in his honour or fame1 where the natural remedy is to speak the contrary1 and confess the wrong4 #d4 ,when it is necessary to cure the revengeful inclination of him whom you have wronged1 or to keep up his charity1 and so to enable him to love you1 and forgive you4 #e4 ,therefore all known wrongs to another must be confessed1 except when impossibility1 or some ill effect which is greater than the good1 be like to follow4 ,because all men are apt to abate their love to those that injure them1 and therefore all have need of this remedy4 ,and we must do our part to be forgiven by all whom we have wronged4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what causes will excuse us from confessing wrongs to others8 ,answ4 #a4 ,when full recompence may be made without it1 and no forgiveness of the wrong is necessary from the injured1 nor any of the aforesaid causes require it4 #b4 ,when the wrong is secret and not known to the injured party1 and the confessing of it would but trouble his mind1 and do him more harm than good4 #c4 ,when the injured party is so implacable and inhumane that he would make use of the confession to the ruin of the penitent1 or to bring upon him greater penalty than he deserveth4 #d4 ,when it would injure a third person who is interested in the business1 or bring them under oppression and undeserved misery4 #e4 ,when it tendeth to the dishonour of religion1 and to make it scorned because of the fault of the penitent confessor4 #f4 ,when it tendeth to set people together by the ears1 and breed dissension1 or otherwise injure the commonwealth or government4 #g4 ,in general1 it is no duty to confess our sin to him that we have wronged1 when1 all things considered1 it is like in the judgment of the truly wise1 to do more hurt than good3 for it is appointed as a means to good1 and not to do evil4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,if ,i have had a secret thought or purpose to wrong another1 am ,i bound to confess it1 when it was never executed8 ,answ4 #a4 ,you are not bound to confess it to the party whom you intended to wrong1 as any act of justice to make him reparation2 nor to procure his forgiveness to yourself3 because it was no wrong to him indeed1 nor do thoughts and things secret come under his judgment1 and therefore need not his pardon4 #b4 ,but it is a sin against ,god1 and to him you must confess it4 #c4 ,and by accident1 finis gratia1 you must confess it to men1 in case it be necessary to be a warning to others1 or to the increase of their hatred of sin1 or their watchfulness1 or to exercise your own humiliation1 or prevent a relapse1 or to quiet your conscience1 or in a word1 when it is like to do more good than hurt4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,to whom1 and in what cases1 must ,i confess to men my sins against ,god1 and when not8 ,answ4 ,the cases about that confession which belongeth to church discipline1 belongeth to the second part2 and therefore shall here be passed by4 ,but briefly and in general1 ,i may answer the question thus3 ,there are conveniences and inconveniences to be compared together1 and you must make your choice accordingly4 ,the reasons which may move you to confess your sins to another are these3 #a4 ,when another hath sinned with you1 or persuaded or drawn you to it1 and must be brought to repentance with you4 #b4 ,when your conscience hath in vain tried all other fit means for peace or comfort1 and cannot obtain it1 and there is any probability of such advice from others as may procure it4 #c4 ,when you have need of advice to resolve your conscience1 whether it be sin or not1 or of what degree1 or what you are obliged to in order to forgiveness4 #d4 ,when you have need of counsel to prevent the sin for the time to come1 and mortify the habit of it4 ,the inconveniences which may attend it1 are such as these3 #a4 ,you are not certain of another's secrecy2 his mind may change1 or his understanding fail1 or he may fall out with you1 or some great necessity may befall him to drive him to open what you told him4 #b4 ,then whether your shame or loss will not make you repent it1 should be foreseen4 #c4 ,and how far others may suffer in it4 #d4 ,and how far it will reflect dishonour on religion4 ,all things being considered on both sides1 the preponderating reasons must prevail4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions about ,confessing ,sin to others4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,do nothing which you are not willing to confess1 or which may trouble you much1 if your confession should be opened4 ,prevention is the easiest way3 and foresight of the consequents should make a wise man still take heed4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,when you have sinned or wronged any1 weigh well the consequents on both sides before you make your confession3 that you may neither do that which you may wish undone again1 nor causelessly refuse your duty3 and that inconveniences foreseen may be the better undergone when they cannot be avoided4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,when a well-informed conscience telleth you that confession is your duty1 let not self-respects detain you from it1 but do it whatever it may cost you4 ,be true to conscience1 and do not wilfully put off your duty4 ,to live in the neglect of a known duty1 is to live in a known sin3 which will give you cause to question your sincerity1 and cause more terrible effects in your souls1 than the inconveniences of confession could ever have been4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,look to your repentance that it be deep and absolute1 and free from hypocritical exceptions and reserves4 ,for half and hollow repentance will not carry you through hard and costly duties4 ,but that which is sincere1 will break over all3 it will make you so angry with yourselves and sins1 that you will be as inclined to take shame to yourselves in an honest revenge1 as an angry man is to bring shame upon his adversary4 ,we are seldom over-tender of a man's reputation whom we fall out with3 and repentance is a falling out with ourselves4 ,we can bear sharp remedies1 when we feel the pain1 and perceive the mortal danger of the disease3 and repentance is such a perception of our pain and danger4 ,we will not tenderly hide a mortal enemy1 but bring him to the most open shame3 and repentance causeth us to hate sin as our mortal enemy4 ,it is want of repentance that maketh men so unwilling to make a just confession4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,take heed of pride1 which maketh men so tender of their reputation1 that they will venture their souls to save their honour3 men call it bashfulness1 and say they cannot confess for shame2 but it is pride that maketh them so much ashamed to be known by men to be offenders1 while they less fear the eye and judgment of the ,almighty4 ,impudence is a mark of a profligate sinner2 but he that pretendeth shame against his duty1 is foolishly proud2 and should be more ashamed to neglect his duty1 and continue impenitent in his sin4 ,a humble person can perform a self-abasing1 humbling duty4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,know the true uses of confession of sin1 and use it accordingly4 ,do it with a hatred of sin1 to express yourselves implacable enemies to it3 do it to repair the wrong which you have done to others1 and the dishonour you have done to the christian religion1 and to warn the hearers to take heed of sin and temptation by your fall2 it is worth all your shame1 if you save one sinner by it from his sin3 do it to lay the greater obligation upon yourselves for the future1 to avoid the sin and live more carefully2 for it is a double shame to sin after such humbling confessions4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,satisfaction ,,and ,,restitution4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,satisfaction and ,restitution4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,when is it that proper restitution must be made1 and when satisfaction8 and what is it8 ,answ4 ,restitution properly is ejusdem1 of the same thing1 which was detained or taken away4 ,satisfaction is solutio quivalentis1 vel tantidem1 alias indebiti1 that which is for compensation or reparation of loss1 damage1 or injury2 being something of equal value or use to the receiver4 ,primarily res ipsa debetur1 restitution is first due1 where it is possible2 but when that is unavoidably hindered or forbidden by some effectual restraint1 satisfaction is due4 ,whilst restitution of the same may be made1 we cannot put off the creditor or owner with that which is equivalent without his own consent2 but by his consent we may at any time4 ,and to the question1 ,what is due satisfaction8 ,i answer1 that when restitution may be made1 and he that should restore doth rather desire the owner to accept some other thing in compensation1 there that proportion is due satisfaction which both parties agree upon4 ,for if it be above the value it was yet voluntarily given1 and the payer might have chosen3 and if it be under the value1 it was yet voluntarily accepted1 and the receiver might have chosen4 ,but if restitution cannot be made1 or not without some greater hurt to the payer than the value of the thing1 there due satisfaction is that which is of equal value and use to the receiver2 and if he will not be satisfied with it1 he is unjust1 and it is quoad valorem rei et debitum solventis1 full satisfaction1 and he is not 7unless by some other accident7 bound to give any more2 because it is not another's unrighteous will that he is obliged to fulfil1 but a debt which is to be discharged4 ,but here you must distinguish betwixt satisfaction in commutative justice1 for a debt or injury1 and satisfaction in distributive1 governing justice1 for a fault or crime4 ,the measure of the former satisfaction1 is so much as may compensate the owner's loss2 not only so much as the thing was worth to another1 but what it was worth to him3 but the measure of the latter satisfaction1 is so much as may serve the ends of government instead of actual obedience2 or so much as will suffice to the ends of government1 to repair the hurts which the crime hath done1 or avoid what it would do4 ,sidenote3 ,why did they restore fourfold8 ,and here you may see the answer to that question1 ,why a thief was commanded to restore fourfold1 by the law of ,moses2 for in that restitution there was a conjunction of both these sorts of satisfaction1 both in point of commutative and distributive justice3 so much as repaired the owner's loss was satisfaction to the owner for the injury3 the rest was all satisfaction to ,god and the commonwealth for the public injury that came by the crime or violation of the law4 ,other answers are given by some1 but this is the plain and certain truth4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,how far is restitution or satisfaction necessary8 ,answ4 ,as far as acts of obedience to ,god and justice to man are necessary3 that is1 #a4 ,as a man that repenteth truly of sin against ,god1 may be saved without external obedience1 if you suppose him cut off by death immediately upon his repenting1 before he hath any opportunity to obey2 so that the animus obediendi is absolutely necessary1 and the actus obediendi if there be opportunity3 so is it here1 the animus restituendi1 or true resolution or willingness to restore1 is ever necessary to the sincerity of justice and repentance in the person1 as well as necessary necessitate prcepti2 and the act of restitution primarily1 and of satisfaction secondarily1 is necessary1 if2 there be time and power3 ,i say necessary always as a duty1 necessitate prcepti2 and necessary necessitate medii1 as a condition of pardon and salvation1 so far as they are necessary acts of true repentance and obedience1 as other duties are3 that is1 as a true penitent may in a temptation omit prayer or church communion1 but yet hath always such an habitual inclination to it1 as will bring him to it when he hath opportunity by deliberation to come to himself2 and as in the same manner a true penitent may omit a work of charity or mercy1 but not give over such works2 even so is it in this case of restitution and satisfaction4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,who are they that are bound to make restitution or satisfaction8 ,answ4 #a4 ,every one that possesseth and retaineth that which is indeed another man's1 and hath acquired no just title to it himself1 must make restitution4 ,yet so1 that if he came lawfully by it 7as by finding1 buying1 or the like7 he is answerable for it only upon the terms in those titles before expressed4 ,but if he came unlawfully by it1 he must restore it with all damages4 ,the cases of borrowers and finders are before resolved4 ,he that keepeth a borrowed thing longer than his day1 must return it with the damage4 ,he that loseth a thing which he borrowed1 must make satisfaction1 unless in cases where the contract1 or common usage1 or the quality of the thing1 excuseth him4 #b4 ,he that either by force1 or fraud1 or negligence1 or any injustice1 doth wrong to another1 is bound to make him a just compensation1 according to the proportion of the guilt and the loss compared together2 for neither of them is to be considered alone4 ,if a servant neglect his master's business1 and it fall out that no loss followeth it1 he is bound to confess his fault1 but not to pay for a loss which might have been1 but was not4 ,and if a servant by some such small and ordinary negligence1 which the best servants are guilty of1 should bring an exceeding great damage upon his master1 7as by dropping asleep to burn his house1 or by an hour's delay which seemed not very dangerous1 to frustrate some great business7 he is obliged to reparation as well as to confession2 but not to make good all that is lost1 but according to the proportion of his fault4 ,but he that by oppression or robbery taketh that which is another's1 or bringeth any damage to him1 or by slander1 false-witness1 or any such unrighteous means1 is bound to make a fuller satisfaction2 and those that concur in the injury1 being accessories1 are bound to satisfy4 ,as1 #a4 ,those that teach or command another to do it4 #b4 ,those who send a commission1 or authorize another to do it4 #c4 ,those who counsel1 exhort1 or persuade another to do it4 #d4 ,those who by consenting are the causes of it4 #e4 ,those who co-operate and assist in the injury knowingly and voluntarily4 #f4 ,those who hinder it not when they could and were obliged to do it4 #g4 ,those who make the act their own1 by owning it1 or consenting afterward4 #h4 ,those who will not reveal it afterward1 that the injured party may recover his own1 when they are obliged to reveal it4 ,but a secret consent which no way furthered the injury1 obligeth none to restitution1 but only to repentance2 because it did no wrong to another1 but it was a sin against ,god4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,to whom must restitution or satisfaction be made8 ,answ4 #a4 ,to the true owner1 if he be living and to be found1 and it can be done4 #b4 ,if that cannot be1 then to his heirs1 who are the possessors of that which was his4 #c4 ,if that cannot be1 then to ,god himself1 that is1 to the poor1 or unto pious uses2 for the possessor is no true owner of it2 and therefore where no other owner is found1 he must discharge himself so of it1 to the use of the highest and principal ,owner1 as may be most agreeable to his will and interest4#agd ,quest4 ,v4 ,what restitution should he make who hath dishonoured his governors or parents8 ,answ4 ,he is bound to do all that he can to repair their honour1 by suitable means2 and to confess his fault1 and crave their pardon4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,how must satisfaction be made for slanders1 lies1 and defaming of others8 ,answ4 ,by confessing the sin1 and unsaying what was said1 not only as openly as it was spoken1 but as far as it is since carried on by others1 and as far as the reparation of your neighbour's good name requireth1 if you are able4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,what reparation must they make who have tempted others to sin1 and hurt their souls8 ,answ4 #a4 ,they must do all that is in their power to recover them from sin1 and to do good to their souls4 ,they must go to them1 and confess and lament the sin1 and tell them the evil and danger of it1 and incessantly strive to bring them to repentance4 #b4 ,they must make reparation to the ,lord of souls1 by doing all the good they can to others1 that they may help more than they have hurt4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,what reparation can or must be made for murder or manslaughter8 ,answ4 ,by murder there is a manifold damage inferred3 #a4 ,god is deprived of the life of his servant4 #b4 ,the person is deprived of his life4 #c4 ,the king is deprived of a subject4 #d4 ,the commonwealth is deprived of a member4 #e4 ,the friends and kindred of the dead are deprived of a friend4 #f4 ,and perhaps also damnified in their estates4 ,all these damages cannot be fully repaired by the offender2 but all must be done that can be done4 #a4 ,of ,god he can only beg pardon1 upon the account of the satisfactory sacrifice of ,christ2 expressing true repentance as followeth4 #b4 ,to the person murdered no reparation can be made4 #c4 ,to the king and commonwealth1 he must patiently yield up his life1 if they sentence him to death1 and without repining1 and think it not too dear to become a warning to others1 that they sin not as he did4 #d4 ,to disconsolate friends no reparation can be made2 but pardon must be asked4 #e4 ,the damage of heirs1 kindred1 and creditor1 must be repaired by the offender's estate1 as far as he is able4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,is a murderer bound to offer himself to death1 before he is apprehended8 ,answ4 ,yes1 in some cases3 as1 #a4 ,when it is necessary to save another who is falsely accused of the crime4 #b4 ,or when the interest of the commonwealth requireth it4 ,but otherwise not2 because an offender may lawfully accept of mercy1 and nature teacheth him to desire his own preservation3 but if the question be1 ,when doth the interest of the commonwealth require it8 ,i think much oftener than it is done3 as the common interest requireth that murderers be put to death1 when apprehended2 so it requireth that they may not frequently and easily be hid1 or escape by secrecy or flight2 for then it would imbolden others to murder3 whereas when few escape1 it will more effectually deter men4 ,if therefore any murderer's conscience shall constrain him in true repentance1 voluntarily to come forth and confess his sin1 and yield up himself to justice1 and exhort others to take heed of sinning as he did1 ,i cannot say that he did any more than his duty in so doing2 and indeed ,i think that it is ordinarily a duty1 and that ordinarily the interest of the commonwealth requireth it2 though in some cases it may be otherwise4 ,the execution of the laws against murder1 is so necessary to preserve men's lives1 that ,i do not think that self-preservation alone will allow men to defeat the commonwealth of so necessary a means of preserving the lives of many1 to save the life of one1 who hath no right to his own life1 as having forfeited it4 ,if to shift away other murderers from the hand of justice be a sin1 ,i cannot see but that it is so ordinarily to do it for oneself3 only ,i think that if a true penitent person have just cause to think that he may do the commonwealth more service by his life than by his death1 that then he may conceal his crime or fly2 but otherwise not4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,is a murderer bound to do execution on himself1 if the magistrate upon his confession do not8 ,answ4 ,no3 because it is the magistrate who is the appointed judge of the public interest1 and what is necessary to its reparation1 and hath power in certain cases to pardon3 and though a murderer may not ordinarily strive to defeat ,god's laws and the commonwealth1 yet he may accept of mercy when it is offered him4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,what satisfaction is to be made by a fornicator or adulterer8 ,answ4 ,chastity cannot be restored1 nor corrupted honour repaired4 ,but1 #a4 ,if it was a sin by mutual consent1 the party that you sinned with must by all importunity be solicited to repentance2 and the sin must be confessed1 and pardon craved for tempting them to sin4 #b4 ,where it can be done without a greater evil than the benefit will amount to1 the fornicators ought to join in marriage1 ,exod4 xxii4 #af4 #c4 ,where that cannot be1 the man is to put the woman into as good a case for outward livelihood1 as she would have been in if she had not been corrupted by him2 by allowing her a proportionable dowry1 ,exod4 xxii4 #ag2 and the parents' injury to be recompensed1 ,deut4 xxii4 #bh1 #bi4 #d4 ,the child's maintenance also is to be provided for by the fornicator4 ,that is1 #a4 ,if the man by fraud or solicitation induced the woman to the sin1 he is obliged to all as aforesaid4 #b4 ,if they sinned by mutual forwardness and consent1 then they must jointly bear the burden2 yet so that the man must bear the greater part1 because he is supposed to be the stronger and wiser to have resisted the temptation4 #c4 ,if the woman importuned the man1 she must bear the more3 but yet he is responsible to parents and others for their damages1 and in part to the woman herself1 because he was the stronger vessel1 and should have been more constant3 and volenti non fit injuria1 is a rule that hath some exceptions4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,in what case is a man excused from restitution and satisfaction8 ,answ4 #a4 ,he that is utterly disabled cannot restore or satisfy4 #b4 ,he that is equally damnified by the person to whom he should restore1 is excused in point of real equity and conscience1 so be it that the reasons of external order and policy oblige him not4 ,for though it may be his sin 7of which he is to repent7 that he hath equally injured the other1 yet it requireth confession1 rather than restitution or satisfaction1 unless he may also expect satisfaction from the other4 ,therefore if you owe a man an hundred pounds1 and he owe you as much and will not pay you1 you are not bound to pay him1 unless for external order sake1 and the law of the land4 #c4 ,if the debt or injury be forgiven1 the person is discharged4 #d4 ,if nature or common custom do warrant a man to believe that no restitution or satisfaction is expected1 or that the injury is forgiven1 though it be not mentioned1 it will excuse him from restitution or satisfaction3 as if children or friends have taken some trifle1 which they may presume the kindness of a parent or friend will pass over1 though it be not justifiable4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,what if the restitution will cost the restorer far more than the thing is worth8 ,answ4 ,he is obliged to make satisfaction1 instead of restitution4 ,quest4 ,,xiv4 ,what if the confessing of the fault may engage him that ,i must restore to1 so that he will turn it to my infamy or ruin8 ,answ4 ,you may then conceal the person1 and send him satisfaction by another hand2 or you may also conceal the wrong itself1 and cause satisfaction to be made him1 as by gift1 or other way of payment4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions about ,restitution and ,satisfaction4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,foresee the trouble of restitution1 and prevent it4 ,take heed of covetousness1 which would draw you into such a snare4 ,what a perplexed case are some men in1 who have injured others so far as that all they have will scarce make them due satisfaction6 ,especially public oppressors1 who injure whole nations1 countries1 or communities3 and unjust judges1 who have done more wrong perhaps in one day or week than all their estates are worth3 and unjust lawyers1 who plead against a righteous cause3 and false witnesses1 who contribute to the wrong3 and unjust juries1 or any such like3 also oppressing landlords2 and soldiers that take men's goods by violence2 and deceitful tradesmen1 who live by injuries4 ,in how sad a case are all these men6 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,do nothing which is doubtful1 if you can avoid it1 lest it should put you upon the trouble of restitution4 ,as in case of any doubtful way of usury or other gain1 consider1 that if it should hereafter appear to you to be unlawful1 and so you be obliged to restitution1 7though you thought it lawful at the taking of it17 what a snare then would you be in1 when all that use must be repaid6 ,and so in other cases4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,when really you are bound to restitution or satisfaction1 stick not at the cost or suffering1 be it never so great1 but be sure to deal faithfully with ,god and conscience4 ,else you will keep a thorn in your hearts1 which will smart and fester till it be out3 and the ease of your consciences will bear the charge of your costliest restitution4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,if you be not able in your lifetime to make restitution1 leave it in your wills as a debt upon your estates2 but never take it for your own4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,if you are otherwise unable to satisfy1 offer your labour as a servant to him to whom you are indebted2 if at least by your service you can make him a compensation4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,if you are that way unable also1 beg of your friends to help you1 that charity may enable you to pay the debt4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,but if you have no means at all of satisfying1 confess the injury and crave forgiveness1 and cast yourself on the mercy of him whom you have injured4 #agd ,heb4 v4 #bc2 #a ,sam xii4 #c2 ,neh4 v4 #aa2 ,numb4 v4 #h2 ,luke xix4 #h4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,our ,,obtaining ,,pardon ,,from ,,god4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,obtaining ,pardon of ,sin from ,god4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,is there pardon to be had for all sin without exception1 or not8 ,answ4 #a4 ,there is no pardon procured or offered1 for the final non-performance of the conditions of pardon2 that is1 for final impenitency1 unbelief1 and ungodliness4 #b4 ,there is no pardon for any sin1 without the conditions of pardon1 that is1 without true faith and repentance1 which is our conversion from sin to ,god4 #c4 ,and if there be any sin which certainly excludeth true repentance to the last1 it excludeth pardon also2 which is commonly taken to be the case of blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost2 of which ,i have written at large in my ,treatise against ,infidelity4 ,but1 #a4 ,all sin1 except the final non-performance of the conditions of pardon1 is already conditionally pardoned in the gospel2 that is1 if the sinner will repent and believe4 ,no sin is excepted from pardon to penitent believers4 #b4 ,and all sin is actually pardoned to a true penitent believer4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what if a man do frequently commit the same heinous sin2 may he be pardoned8 ,answ4 ,whilst he frequently committeth it 7being a mortal sin7 he doth not truly repent of it2 and whilst he is impenitent he is unpardoned3 but if he be truly penitent1 his heart being habitually and actually turned from the sin1 it will be forgiven him2 but not till he thus forsake it4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,is the day of grace and pardon ever past in this life8 ,answ4 ,the day of grace and pardon to the penitent is never past in this life2#age there is no day or hour in which a true penitent person is not pardoned2 or in which the impenitent is not conditionally pardoned1 that is1 if he will truly repent and believe in ,christ3 and as for the day of true penitence1 it is not past to the impenitent2 for it never yet came1 that is1 they never truly repented4 ,but there is a time1 with some provoking1 forsaken sinners1 when ,god who was wont to call them to repentance by outward preaching and inward motions1 will call and move them so no more1 but leave them more quietly in the blindness and hardness of their hearts4 ,quest4 ,,iv4 ,may we be certain of pardon of sin in this life8 ,answ4 ,yes1 every man that understandeth the covenant of grace1 may be certain of pardon1 so far as he is certain of the sincerity of his faith and repentance1 and no further2 and if a man could not be sure of that1 the consolatory promises of pardon would be in a sort in vain2 and we could not tell how to believe and repent1 if we cannot tell when we truly do it4 ,quest4 ,v4 ,can any man pardon sins against ,god8 and how far8 ,answ4 ,pardon is the remitting of a punishment4 ,so far as man is to punish sinners against ,god1 so far they may pardon1 that is1 remit that punishment4 7,whether they do well in so doing1 is another question47 ,magistrates are to execute corporal penalties upon subjects for many sins against ,god1 and they may pardon accordingly4 ,the pastors of the church1 who are its guides as to public church communion1 may remove offenders from the said communion1 and they may absolve them when they are penitent1 and they may 7rightfully or wrongfully7 remit the penalty which they may inflict4 #b4 ,the pastors of the church may1 as ,god's officers1 declare the conditional general pardon1 which is contained in the covenant of grace2 and that with particular application to the sinner1 for the comforting of his mind3 q4 d4 ,having examined your repentance1 ,i declare to you as the minister of ,christ1 that if it be as you express it1 without dissembling or mistake1 your repentance is sincere1 and your sin is pardoned4 #c4 ,on the same terms a pastor may as the minister or messenger of ,christ1 deliver this same conditional pardon contained in the covenant of grace1 as sealed by the sacraments of baptism and the ,lord's supper2 which is an act of investiture3 q4 d4 ,i do as the minister of ,christ1 hereby seal and deliver to you in his name1 the pardon of all your sins through his blood2 supposing your professed faith and repentance be sincere2 otherwise it is void and of no such effect4 ,but this is1 #a4 ,but a conditional pardon1 though with particular application4 #b4 ,and it is but a ministerial act of delivery or investiture1 and not the act of the donor by himself2 nor the gift of the first title3 so that it is no whit proper to say1 that the minister pardoneth you2 but that the minister bringeth and delivereth you the pardon1 and sealeth it in his ,master's name2 or that ,christ doth pardon you1 and send it you by his minister4 ,as it is utterly improper to say1 that the king's messenger pardoneth a traitor1 because he bringeth him a pardon from the king4 ,and though 7if we agree of this sense7 the controversy remaining will be but de nomine1 yet it is not of small moment1 when abused words do tend to abuse the people's understandings3 he that saith1 ,i forgive your sins1 doth teach the people to take him for a god1 whatever he meaneth in himself2 and blasphemous words will not be sufficiently excused1 by saying that you have not a blaspheming sense4 ,so that a pastor may1 #a4 ,declare ,christ's pardon4 #b4 ,and seal and deliver it conditionally in ,christ's name4 ,but he cannot pardon the internal punishments in this life1 nor the eternal punishments of the next4 #c4 ,but the punishments of excommunication he may pardon1 who must execute them4 ,quest4 ,,vi4 ,doth ,god forgive sin before it be committed 7or justify the sinner from it78 ,answ4 ,no1 no3 for it is a contradiction to forgive that which is not1 or to remit a penalty which is not due2 but he will indeed justify the person1 not by ,christ's righteousness1 but by his own innocency in tantum1 so far as he is no sinner4 ,he that hath not committed a sin1 needeth no pardon of it1 nor any righteousness but his innocency1 to justify him against the false accusation of doing that which he never did4 ,god doth prepare the sacrifice and remedy before upon the foresight of the sin3 and he hath made a universal act of pardon beforehand1 which shall become an actual pardon to him who penitently accepteth it2 and he is purposed in himself to pardon all whom he will pardon2 so that he hath the decretive nolle punire before4 ,but none of this is proper pardon1 or the justification of a sinner1 in the gospel sense1 as shall be further showed4 ,quest4 ,,vii4 ,is an elect person pardoned and justified1 before faith and repentance8 ,answ4 7,laying aside the case of infants1 which dependeth on the faith of others7 the former answer will serve for this question4 ,quest4 ,,viii4 ,is pardon or justification perfect before death8 ,answ4 #a4 ,de re3 #a4 ,the pardon which you have this year extendeth not to the sins which you commit the next year1 or hour2 but there must be a renewed act of pardon for renewed sins2 though not a new gospel1 or covenant1 or act of oblivion to do it2 but the same gospel covenant doth morally perform a new act of pardon1 according to the ,redeemer's mind and will4 #b4 ,the pardon which we have now1 is but constitutive and in jure1 and but virtual as to sentential justification2 but the sentence of the judge is a more perfective act3 or if any think that ,god doth now sentence us just before the angels in any celestial court1 yet that at judgment will be a more full perfective act4 #c4 ,the executive pardon which we have now1 which is opposite to actual punishing1 is not perfect till the day of judgment2 because all the punishment is not removed till the last enemy1 death1 be overcome1 and the body be raised from the earth4 #b4 ,and now the controversy de nomine1 whether it be proper to call our present justification or pardon perfect1 is easily decided from what is said de re4 ,quest4 ,,ix4 ,is our pardon perfect as to all the sins that are past8 ,answ4 #a4 ,as to the number of sins pardoned1 it is2 for all are pardoned4 #b4 ,as to the species of the act1 and the plenary effect1 it is not4 ,for1 #a4 ,all the punishment is not removed4 #b4 ,the final absolving sentence is to come4 #c4 ,the pardon which we have is1 as to its continuance1 but conditional2 and the tenor of the covenant would cease the pardon even of all sins past1 if the sinner's faith and repentance should cease2 ,i speak not de eventu1 whether ever any do fall away1 but of the tenor of the covenant2 which may prevent falling away4 ,now a pardon which hath much yet to be done1 as the condition of its continuance1 is not so perfect1 as it will be when all those things are performed4 ,quest4 ,x4 ,may pardon or justification be reversed or lost8 ,answ4 ,whether ,god will eventually permit his true servants1 to fall so far as to be unjustified1 is a controversy which ,i have written of in a fitter place4 #b4 ,but quoad robur peccatoris1 it is1 alas1 too easy to fall away1 and be unjustified4 #c4 ,and as to the tenor of the covenant1 it continueth the promise and threatening conditionally1 and supposing the sinner defectible1 doth threaten damnation to them that are now justified1 if they should not persevere1 but apostatize1 ,col4 i4 #cc2 ,rom4 xi4 #bb2 ,john xv4 #i4 ,quest4 ,,xi4 ,is the pardon of my own sins to be believed fide divina8 ,and is it the meaning of that article of the creed1 ,i believe the pardon of my sins8 ,answ4 #a4 ,i am to believe fide divina1 that ,christ hath purchased and enacted a conditional pardon1 which is universal1 and therefore extendeth to my sins as well as to other men's2 and that he commandeth his ministers to offer me this1 and therein to offer me the actual pardon of all my sins1 to be mine if ,i truly repent and believe3 and that if ,i do so1 my sins are actually pardoned4 ,and ,i am obliged accordingly to believe in ,christ1 and take him for my ,saviour1 for the pardon of my sins4 ,but this is all the meaning of the creed1 and ,scripture1 and all that is of divine belief4 #b4 ,but that ,i am actually pardoned1 is not of divine faith1 but only on supposition that ,i first believe2 which ,scripture telleth not1 whether ,i do or not4 ,in strict sense1 ,i must first believe in ,christ for pardon3 and next1 in a larger sense1 ,i must believe that ,i am pardoned2 that is1 ,i must so conclude by an act of reason1 one of the premises being de fide1 and the other of internal self-knowledge4 ,quest4 ,,xii4 ,may a man trust in his own faith or repentance for his pardon and justification1 in any kind8 ,answ4 ,words must be used with respect to the understanding of the hearers2 and perilous expressions must be avoided lest they deceive men4 ,but de re1 #a4 ,you must not trust to your faith or repentance1 to do that which is proper to ,god1 or to ,christ1 or to the gospel1 or for any more than their own part1 which ,christ hath assigned them4 #b4 ,you must trust to your faith and repentance for that which is truly their own part4 ,and should you not trust them at all1 you must needs despair1 or trust presumptuously to you know not what3 for ,christ will not be instead of faith or repentance to you4 ,quest4 ,,xiii4 ,what are the several causes and conditions of pardon8 ,answ4 #a4 ,god the ,father is the principal efficient1 giving us ,christ1 and pardon with and through him4 #b4 ,christ's person by his sacrifice and merits is the meritorious cause4 #c4 ,the gospel covenant or promise is the instrumental cause1 or ,god's pardoning act or grant4 #d4 ,repentance is the condition sine qua non1 directly gratia finis1 in respect to ,god1 to whom we must turn4 #e4 ,faith in ,christ is the condition sine qua non1 directly gratia medii principalis1 in respect to the ,mediator1 who is thereby received4 #f4 ,the ,holy ,ghost worketh us to these conditions4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,obtaining ,pardon from ,god4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,understand well the office of ,jesus ,christ as our ,redeemer1 and what it is that he hath done for sinners1 and what he undertaketh further to do4 ,for if you know not ,christ's office and undertaking1 you will either be ignorant of your true remedy1 or will deceive yourselves by a presumptuous trust1 that he will do that which is contrary to his office and will4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,understand well the tenor of the covenant of grace2 for there it is that you must know what ,christ will give1 and to whom1 and on what terms4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,understand well the nature of true faith and repentance2 or else you can neither tell how to obtain pardon1 nor to judge of it4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,absolutely give up yourselves to ,christ1 in all the offices of a ,mediator1 ,priest1 ,prophet1 and ,king4 ,and think not to be justified by one act or part of christianity1 by alone believing in ,christ as a sacrifice for sin4 ,to be a true believer and to be a true christian is all one2 and is the faith in ,christ which is the condition of justification and salvation4 ,study the baptismal covenant2 for the believing in ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost there meant1 is the true faith1 which is the condition of our pardon4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,be sure that your repentance contain in it a desire to be perfectly holy and free from all sin1 and a resolution against all known and wilful sinning1 and particularly that you would not commit the same sins if you had again the same temptations 7supposing that we speak not of such infirmities as good men live in2 which yet you must heartily desire to forsake74 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,pray earnestly and believingly for pardon through ,christ2 even for the continuance of your former pardon1 and for renewed pardon for renewed sins2 for prayer is ,god's appointed means1 and included in faith and repentance1 which are the summary conditions4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,set all right between you and your neighbours1 by forgiving others1 and being reconciled to them1 and confessing your injuries against them1 and making them restitution and satisfaction2 for this also is included in your repentance1 and expressly made the condition of your pardon4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,despise not the sacramental delivery of pardon1 by the ministers of ,christ2 for this belongeth to the full investiture and possession of the benefit3 nor yet the spiritual consolation of a skilful1 faithful pastor1 nor public absolution upon public repentance1 if you should fall under the need of such a remedy4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,sin no more4 ,i mean1 resolvedly break off all that wilful sin of which you do repent3 for repentings1 and purposes1 and promises of a new and holy life1 which are uneffectual1 will never prove the pardon of your sins2 but show your repentance to be deceitful4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,set yourselves faithfully to the use of all those holy means1 which ,god hath appointed for the overcoming of your sins2 and to that life of holiness1 righteousness1 love1 and sobriety1 which is contrary to them4 ,otherwise your repentance is fraudulent and insufficient3 these means1 and no less than all these1 must be used by him1 that will make sure of the pardon of his sins from ,god3 and he that thinketh all these too much1 must look for pardon some other way1 than from the mercy of ,god1 or the grace of ,christ2 for ,god's pardon is not to be had upon any other terms1 than those of ,god's appointment4 ,he that will make new conditions of his own1 must pardon himself if he can1 on those conditions2 for ,god will not be tied to the laws of sinners4 #age ,some speak too ignorantly and dangerously about the day of grace being past in this life4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,,cases ,,and ,,directions ,,about ,,self-,,judging4 ,tit4 #a4 ,cases of ,conscience about ,self-judging4 ,because ,i have said so much of this subject in the third part of my ,saints' ,rest1 and in a ,treatise of ,self-acquaintance1 and in my ,directions for ,peace of ,conscience1 and before in this book1 ,i shall be here the briefer in it4 ,quest4 ,i4 ,what are the uses and reasons of self-judging1 which should move us to it8 ,answ4 ,in the three foresaid treatises ,i have opened them at large4 ,in a word1 without it we shall be strangers to ourselves2 we can have no well-grounded comfort1 no true repentance and humiliation1 no just estimation of ,christ and grace1 no just observance of the motions of ,god's ,spirit1 no true application of the promises or threatenings of the ,scripture1 yea1 we shall pervert them all to our own destruction2 no true understanding of the providence of ,god1 in prosperity or adversity2 no just acquaintance with our duty3 a man that knoweth not himself1 can know neither ,god1 nor any thing aright1 nor do any thing aright2 he can neither live reasonably1 honestly1 safely1 nor comfortably1 nor suffer or die with solid peace4 ,quest4 ,,ii4 ,what should ignorant persons do1 whose natural capacity will not reach to so high a work1 as to try and judge themselves in matters so sublime8 ,answ4 #a4 ,there is no one who hath reason and arts sufficient to love ,god1 and hate sin1 and live a holy life1 and believe in ,christ1 but he hath reason and parts sufficient to know 7by the use of just means7 whether he do these things indeed or not4 #b4 ,he that cannot reach assurance1 must take up with the lower degrees of comfort1 of which ,i shall speak in the directions4 ,quest4 ,,iii4 ,how far may a weak christian take the judgment of others1 whether his pastor1 or judicious acquaintance1 about his justification and sincerity8 ,answ4 #a4 ,no man's judgment must be taken as infallible about the sincerity of another2 nor must it be so far rested on1 as to neglect your fullest search yourself2 and for the matter of fact1 what you have done1 or what is in you1 no man can be so well acquainted with it as yourselves4 #b4 ,but in judging whether those acts of grace which you describe1 be such as ,god hath promised salvation to1 and in directing you in your self-judging1 and in conjecturing at your sincerity by your expressions and your lives1 a faithful friend or pastor may do that1 which may much support you1 and relieve you against inordinate doubts and fears1 and show you that your sincerity is very probable4 ,especially if you are assured that you tell him nothing but the truth yourselves2 and if he be one that is acquainted with you and your life1 and hath known you in temptations1 and one that is skilful in the matters of ,god and conscience1 and one that is truly judicious1 experienced1 and faithful1 and is not biassed by interest or affection2 and especially when he is not singular in his judgment1 but the generality of judicious persons who know you are of the same mind2 in this case you may take much comfort in his judgment of your justification1 though it cannot give you any proper certainty1 nor is to be absolutely rested in4 ,tit4 #b4 ,directions for ,self-judging as to our ,actions4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,let watchfulness over your hearts and lives be your continual work4 ,never grow careless or neglectful of yourselves3 keep your hearts with all diligence4 ,as an unfaithful servant may deceive you1 if you look after him but now and then2 so may a deceitful heart4 ,let it be continually under your eye4 ,object4 ,then ,i must neglect my calling1 and do nothing else4 ,answ4 ,it need not be any hinderance to you at all4 ,as every man that followeth his trade and labour1 doth still take heed that he do all things right1 and every traveller taketh heed of falling1 and he that eateth taketh heed of poisoning or choking himself1 without any hinderance1 but to the furtherance of that which he is about2 so is it with a christian about his heart3 vigilant heedfulness must never be laid by1 whatever you are doing4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,live in the light as much as is possible4 ,i mean under a judicious1 faithful pastor1 and amongst understanding1 exemplary christians2 for they will be still acquainting you with what you should be and do2 and your errors will be easily detected1 and in the light you are not so like to be deceived4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,discourage not those that would admonish or reprove you1 nor neglect their opinion of you4 ,no1 not the railings of an enemy2 for they may tell you that in anger 7much more in fidelity7 which it may concern you much to hear1 and think of1 and may give you some light in judging of yourselves4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,if you have so happy an opportunity1 engage some faithful bosom friend to watch over you1 and tell you plainly of all that they see amiss in you4 ,but deal not so hypocritically as to do this in the general1 and then be angry when he performeth his trust1 and discourage him by your pride and impatience4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,put yourselves in another's case1 and be impartial4 ,when you cannot easily see the faults of others1 inquire then whether your own be not as visible1 if you were as ready to observe and aggravate them4 ,and surely none more concern you than your own1 nor should be so odious and grievous to you2 nor are so1 if you are truly penitent4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,understand your natural temper and inclination1 and suspect those sins which you are naturally most inclined to1 and there keep up the strictest watch4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,understand what temptations your place1 and calling1 and relations1 and company do most subject you to2 and there be most suspicious of yourselves4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,mark yourselves well in the hour of temptation3 for then it is that the vices will appear1 which before lay covered and unknown4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,suspect yourselves most heedfully of the most common and most dangerous sins4 ,especially unbelief and want of love to ,god1 and a secret preferring of earthly hopes before the hopes of the life to come2 and selfishness1 and pride1 and sensual pleasing of the fleshly appetite and fancy3 these are the most common1 radical1 and most mortal1 damning sins4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,take certain times to call yourselves to a special strict account4 ,as1 #a4 ,at your preparation for the ,lord's day at the end of every week4 #b4 ,in your preparation for the sacrament of ,christ's body and blood4 #c4 ,and before a day of humiliation4 #d4 ,in a time of sickness or other affliction4 #e4 ,yea1 every night review the actions of the foregoing day4 ,he that useth to call his conscience seriously to account1 is likest to keep his accounts in order1 and to be ready to give them up to ,christ4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,make not light of any sin which you discover in your self-examination4 ,but humble yourselves for it before the ,lord1 and be affected according to its importance1 both in its guilt and evil signification4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,and let the end of all be the renewed exercise of faith and thankfulness1 and resolutions for better obedience hereafter4 ,that you may see more of the need and use of a ,saviour1 and may thankfully magnify that grace which doth abound where sin abounded2 and may walk the more watchfully and holily for the time to come4 ,tit4 #c4 ,directions for ,self-judging as to our ,estates1 to know whether we are in a ,regenerate and ,justified ,state1 or not4 ,direct4 ,i4 ,if you would so judge of the state of your souls1 as not to be deceived1 come not to the trial with an over-confident prejudice or conceit of your own condition1 either as good or bad4 ,he that is already so prepossessed as to resolve what to judge before he trieth1 doth make his trial but a means to confirm him in his conceit4 ,direct4 ,,ii4 ,let not self-love1 partiality1 or pride1 on the one side1 or fear on the other side1 pervert your judgment in the trial1 and hinder you from the discerning of the truth4 ,some men cannot see the clearest evidences of their unsanctified hearts1 because self-love will give them leave to believe nothing of themselves which is bad or sad4 ,they will believe that which is good and pleasant1 be it never so evidently false4 ,as if a thief could be saved from the gallows1 by a strong conceit that he is a true man2 or the conceit that one is learned1 would make him learned4 ,others through timorousness can believe nothing that is good or comfortable of themselves3 like a man on the top of a steeple1 who though he know that he standeth fast and safe1 yet trembleth when he looketh down1 and can scarce believe his own understanding4 ,silence all the objections of an over-timorous mind1 and it will doubt and tremble still4 ,direct4 ,,iii4 ,surprise not yourselves on the sudden and unprepared1 with the question1 whether you are justified or not2 but set about it as the most serious business of your life4 ,a great and difficult question must have a well-studied answer1 and not be answered hastily and rashly4 ,if one should meet you in the street1 and demand some great and long account of you1 you would desire him to stay till you review your memorials1 or have time to cast it up4 ,take some appointed time to do this1 when you have no intruding thoughts to hinder you2 and think not that it must be resolved easily or quickly upon the first inquiry1 but by the most sober and judicious consideration1 and patient attendance till it be done4 ,direct4 ,,iv4 ,understand the tenor of the covenant of grace1 which is the law that you must judge of your estates by3 for if you mistake that1 you will err in the conclusion4 ,he is an unfit judge1 who is ignorant of the law4 ,direct4 ,v4 ,mistake not the nature of true faith in ,christ4 ,those that think it is a believing that they are actually pardoned1 and shall be saved1 do some of them presume or believe it when it is false1 and some of them despair1 because they cannot believe it4 ,and those that think that faith is such a recumbency on ,christ as always quieteth the mind1 do think they have no faith when they have no such quietness4 ,and those that think it is only the resting on the blood of ,christ for pardon1 do take up with that which is no true faith4 ,but he that knoweth that faith in ,christ1 is nothing else but christianity1 or consenting to the christian covenant1 may know that he consenteth1 even when he findeth much timorousness and trouble1 and taketh not up with a deceitful faith4 ,direct4 ,,vi4 ,remember in your self-judging1 that the will is the man1 and what you truly would be1 that you are1 in the sense of the covenant of grace4 ,direct4 ,,vii4 ,but remember also that your endeavours must prove the truth of your desires1 and that idle wishes are not the denominating acts of the will4 ,direct4 ,,viii4 ,also your successes must be the proof of the sincerity of your endeavours3 for such striving against sin as endeth in yielding to it1 and not in victory1 is no proof of the uprightness of your hearts4 ,direct4 ,,ix4 ,mark what you are in the day of trial2 for at other times it is more easy to be deceived3 and record what you then discover in yourself3 what a man is in trial1 that he is indeed4 ,direct4 ,x4 ,especially try yourselves in the great point of forsaking all for ,christ1 and for the hopes of the fruition of ,god in glory4 ,know once whether ,god or the creature can do more with you1 and whether heaven or earth be dearer to you1 and most esteemed1 and practically preferred1 and then you may judge infallibly of your state4 ,direct4 ,,xi4 ,remember that in melancholy and weakness of understanding1 you are not fit for the casting up of so great accounts2 but must take up with the remembrance of former discoveries1 and with the judgment of the judicious1 and be patient till a fitter season1 before you can expect to see in yourselves the clear evidence of your state4 ,direct4 ,,xii4 ,neither forget what former discoveries you have made1 nor yet wholly rest in them1 without renewing your self-examination4 ,they that have found their sincerity1 and think that the next time they are in doubt1 they should fetch no comfort from what is past1 do deprive themselves of much of the means of their peace4 ,and those that trust all to the former discoveries of their good estate1 do proceed upon unsafe and negligent principles2 and will find that such slothful and venturous courses will not serve turn4 ,direct4 ,,xiii4 ,judge not of yourselves by that which is unusual and extraordinary with you1 but by the tenor and drift of your hearts and lives4 ,a bad man may seem good in some good mood2 and a good man may seem bad in some extraordinary fall4 ,to judge of a bad man by his best hours1 and of a good man by his worst1 is the way to be deceived in them both4 ,direct4 ,,xiv4 ,look not unequally at the good or evil that is in you2 but consider them both impartially as they are4 ,if you observe all the good only that is in you1 and overlook the bad2 or search after nothing but your faults1 and overlook your graces2 neither of these ways will bring you to true acquaintance with yourselves4 ,direct4 ,,xv4 ,look not so much either at what you should be1 or at what others are1 as to forget what you are yourselves4 ,some look so much at the glory of that full perfection which they want1 as that their present grace seemeth nothing to them2 like a candle to one that hath been gazing on the sun4 ,and some look so much at the debauchery of the worst1 that they think their lesser wickedness to be holiness4 ,direct4 ,,xvi4 ,suffer not your minds to wander in confusion1 when you set yourselves to so great a work3 but keep it close to the matter in hand1 and drive it on till it have come to some satisfaction and conclusion4 ,direct4 ,,xvii4 ,if you are not able by meditation to do it of yourselves1 get the help of some able friend or pastor1 and do it in a way of conference with him3 for conference will hold your own thoughts to their task2 and your pastor may guide them1 and tell you in what order to proceed1 and confute your mistakes1 besides confirming you by his judgment of your case4 ,direct4 ,,xviii4 ,if you cannot have such help at hand1 write down the signs by which you judge either well or ill of yourself2 and send them to some judicious divine for his judgment and counsel thereupon4 ,direct4 ,,xix4 ,expect not that your assurance should be perfect in this life2 for till all grace be perfect1 that cannot be perfect4 ,unjust expectations disappointed are the cause of much disquietment4 ,direct4 ,,xx4 ,distinguish between the knowledge of your justification1 and the comfort of it4 ,many a one may see and be convinced that he is sincere1 and yet have little comfort in it1 through a sad or distempered state of mind or body1 and unpreparedness for joy2 or through some expectations of enthusiastic comforts4 ,direct4 ,,xxi4 ,exercise grace whenever you would see it3 idle habits are not perceived4 ,believe and repent till you feel that you do believe and repent1 and love ,god till you feel that you love him4 ,direct4 ,,xxii4 ,labour to increase your grace if you would be sure of it4 ,for a little grace is hardly perceived2 when strong and great degrees do easily manifest themselves4 ,direct4 ,,xxiii4 ,record what sure discoveries you have made of your estate upon the best inquiry1 that it may stand you in stead at a time of further need2 for though it will not warrant you to search no more1 it will be very useful to you in your after-doubtings4 ,direct4 ,,xxiv4 ,what you can do at one time1 follow on again and again till you have finished4 ,a business of that consequence is not to be laid down through weariness or discouragement4 ,happy is he that in all his life hath got assurance of life everlasting4 ,direct4 ,,xxv4 ,let all your discoveries lead you up to further duty4 ,if you find any cause of doubt1 let it quicken you to diligence in removing it4 ,if you find sincerity1 turn it into joyful thanks to your ,regenerator2 and stop not in the bare discovery of your present state1 as if you had no more to do4 ,direct4 ,,xxvi4 ,conclude not worse of the effects of a discovery of your bad condition1 than there is cause4 ,remember that if you should find that you are unjustified1 it followeth not that you must continue so3 you search not after your disease or misery as uncurable1 but as one that hath a sufficient remedy at hand1 even brought to your doors1 and cometh a begging for your acceptance1 and is freely offered and urged on you2 and therefore if you find that you are unregenerate1 thank ,god that hath showed you your case2 for if you had not seen it1 you had perished in it3 and presently give up yourselves to ,god in ,jesus ,christ1 and then you may boldly judge better of yourselves3 it is not for despair1 but for recovery1 that you are called to try and judge4 ,nay1 if you do but find it too hard a question for you1 whether you have all this while been sincere or not1 turn from it1 and resolvedly give up yourselves to ,god by ,christ1 and place your hopes in the life to come1 and turn from this deceitful world and flesh1 and then the case will be plain for the time to come4 ,if you doubt of your former repentance1 repent now1 and put it out of doubt from this time forward1 ,direct4 ,,xxvii4 ,when you cannot at the present reach assurance1 undervalue not a true probability or hope of your sincerity3 and still adhere to universal grace1 which is the foundation of your special grace and comfort4 ,i mean1 #a4 ,the infinite goodness of ,god1 and his mercifulness to man4 #b4 ,the sufficiency of ,jesus ,christ our ,mediator4 #c4 ,the universal gift of pardon and salvation1 which is conditionally made to all men1 in the gospel4 ,remember that the gospel is glad tidings even to those that are unconverted4 ,rejoice in this universal mercy which is offered you1 and that you are not as the devils1 shut up in despair2 and much more rejoice if you have any probability that you are truly penitent and justified by faith3 let this support you till you can see more4 ,direct4 ,,xxviii4 ,spend much more time in doing your duty1 than in trying your estate4 ,be not so much in asking1 ,how shall ,i know that ,i shall be saved8 as in asking1 ,what shall ,i do to be saved8 ,study the duty of this day of your visitation1 and set yourselves to it with all your might4 ,seek first the things that are above1 and mortify your fleshly lusts2 give up yourselves to a holy1 heavenly life1 and do all the good that you are able in the world3 seek after ,god as revealed in and by our ,redeemer3 and in thus doing1 #a4 ,grace will become more notable and discernible4 #b4 ,conscience will be less accusing and condemning1 and will easilier believe the reconciledness of ,god4 #c4 ,you may be sure that such labour shall never be lost2 and in well-doing you may trust your souls with ,god4 #d4 ,thus those that are not able in an argumentative way to try their state to any full satisfaction1 may get that comfort by feeling and experience1 which others get by ratiocination4 ,for the very exercise of love to ,god and man1 and of a heavenly mind and holy life1 hath a sensible pleasure in itself1 and delighteth the person who is so employed3 as if a man were to take the comfort of his learning or wisdom1 one way is by the discerning his learning and wisdom1 and thence inferring his own felicity2 but another way is by exercising that learning and wisdom which he hath1 in reading and meditating on some excellent books1 and making discoveries of some mysterious excellencies in arts and sciences1 which delight him more by the very acting1 than a bare conclusion of his own learning in the general would do4 ,what delight had the inventors of the sea-chart and magnetic attraction1 and of printing1 and of guns1 in their inventions6 ,what pleasure had ,galileo in his telescopes1 in finding out the inequalities and shady parts of the moon1 the ,medicean planets1 the adjuncts of ,saturn1 the changes of ,venus1 the stars of the via lactea1 c46 ,even so a serious1 holy person1 hath more sensible pleasures in the right exercise of faith1 and love1 and holiness1 in prayer1 and meditation1 and converse with ,god1 and with the heavenly hosts1 than the bare discerning of sincerity can afford4 ,therefore though it be a great1 important duty to examine ourselves1 and judge ourselves before ,god judge us1 and keep close aquaintance with our own hearts and affairs1 yet is it the addition of the daily practice of a heavenly life1 which must be our chiefest business and delight4 ,and he that is faithful in them both1 shall know by experience the excellences of christianity and holiness1 and in his way on earth1 have both a prospect of heaven1 and a foretaste of the everlasting rest and pleasures4 ,a ,,moral ,,prognostication1 ,,first1 ,,what ,,shall ,,befall ,,the ,,churches ,,on ,,earth1 ,,till ,,their ,,concord1 ,,by ,,the ,,restitution ,,of ,,their ,,primitive ,,purity1 ,,simplicity1 ,,and ,,charity3 ,,secondly1 ,,how ,,that ,,restitution ,,is ,,likely ,,to ,,be ,,made1 7,,if ,,ever17 ,,and ,,what ,,shall ,,befall ,,them ,,thenceforth ,,unto ,,the ,,end1 ,,in ,,that ,,golden ,,age ,,of ,,love4 ,,written ,,by ,,richard ,,baxter2 ,,when ,,by ,,the ,,king',s ,,commission1 ,,we 7,,in ,,vain7 ,,treated ,,for ,,concord1 #affa4 ,,and ,,now ,,published1 ,,not ,,to ,,instruct ,,the ,,proud ,,that ,,scorn ,,to ,,learn2 ,,nor ,,to ,,make ,,them ,,wise1 ,,who ,,will ,,not ,,be ,,made ,,wise3 ,,but ,,to ,,instruct ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,love ,,and ,,peace1 ,,in ,,their ,,duties ,,and ,,expectations4 ,,to ,,tell ,,posterity1 ,,that ,,the ,,things ,,which ,,befall ,,them ,,were ,,foretold2 ,,and ,,that ,,the ,,evil ,,might ,,have ,,been ,,prevented1 ,,and ,,blessed ,,peace ,,on ,,earth ,,attained1 ,,if ,,men ,,had ,,been ,,but ,,willing2 ,,and ,,had ,,not ,,shut ,,their ,,eyes ,,and ,,hardened ,,their ,,hearts ,,against ,,the ,,beams ,,of ,,light ,,and ,,love4 ,,to ,,the ,,reader4 ,,reader1 ,it is many years since this ,prognostication was written 7#affa1 except the thirteen last lines72 but it was cast by1 lest it should offend the guilty4 ,but the author now thinketh1 that the monitory usefulness may overweigh the inconveniences of men's displeasure2 at least1 to posterity1 if not for the present age2 of which he is taking his farewell4 ,his suppositions are such as cannot be denied3 viz4 #a4 ,eccles4 i4 #i1 ,the thing that hath been1 is that which shall be2 and that which is done is that which shall be done3 and there is no new thing under the sun4 #b4 ,the same causes1 with the same circumstances1 will have the same effects on recipients1 equally disposed4 #c4 ,operari sequitur esse3 as natures are1 so they act2 except where overpowered4 #d4 ,the appetite1 sensitive and rational1 is the principle of motion2 and what any love they will desire and seek4 #e4 ,therefore1 interest will turn the affairs of the world2 and he that can best understand all interests1 will be the best moral prognosticator2 so far men are causes of the events4 #f4 ,the pleasing of ,god1 and the happiness of their own and others' souls1 being the interest of true believers2 and temporal life1 pleasure1 and prosperity1 being the seeming and esteemed interest of unbelievers' cross interests1 will carry them contrary ways4 #g4 ,contraries1 when near and militant1 will be troublesome to each other1 and seek each other's destruction or debilitation4 #h4 ,the senses and experience of all men1 in all ages1 are to be believed about their proper objects4 #i4 ,men of activity1 power1 and great numbers1 will have advantage for observance and success1 above those that are modest1 obscure1 and few4 #aj4 ,yet men will still be men2 and the rational nature will yield some friendly aspect towards the truth4 #aa4 ,those that are ignorant1 and misled by passion1 and carried down the stream1 by men of malignity or faction1 may come to themselves1 when affliction1 experience1 and considerateness have had time to work2 and may repent1 and undo somewhat that they have done4 #ab4 ,as sense will be sense1 when faith hath done its best2 so faith will be faith1 when flesh or sense hath done its worst4 #ac4 ,men that fix on a heavenly1 everlasting interest1 will not be temporizers1 and changed by the worldly men's wills or cruelties4 #ad4 ,when all men have tired themselves with their contrivances and stirs1 moderation and peace must be the quiet state4 #ae4 ,when all worldly wisdom hath done its utmost1 and men's endeavours are winged with the greatest expectations1 ,god will be ,god1 and blast what he nilleth2 and will overrule all things1 to the accomplishment of his most blessed will4 ,amen4 ,on these suppositions it is1 that the following ,prognostications are founded2 which ,i must admonish the reader1 not to mistake for historical narratives3 but ,i exhort him to know what hath been1 and what is1 if he would know what will be2 and to make sure of everlasting rest with ,christ1 when he must leave a sinful1 restless world4 ,a ,,moral ,,prognostication ,,of ,,what ,,must ,,be ,,expected ,,in ,,the ,,churches ,,of ,,christendom1 ,,till ,,the ,,golden ,,age ,,returns1 ,,or ,,till ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,true ,,reformation ,,and ,,unity4 #a4 ,mankind will be born in a state of infancy and nescience1 that is1 without actual knowledge4 #b4 ,yea1 with a nature that hath the innate dispositions to sloth1 and to diverting pleasures and business2 and more than so1 to an averseness from those principles which are needful to sanctification and heavenly wisdom4 ,the carnal mind will have an enmity against ,god1 and will not mind the things of the ,spirit1 nor be subject to ,god's law1 ,rom4 viii4 #e-h4 #c4 ,sound learning1 or wisdom1 in things of so high a nature as are the matters of salvation1 will not be attained without hard study1 earnest prayer1 and humble submission to instructions2 and all this a long time patiently endured1 or rather willingly and delightfully performed4 #d4 ,and if the seeds of wisdom be not born with us1 in a capacious disposition of understanding2 but contrarily a natural unapprehensiveness blocks up the way2 even time and labour will never 7without a miracle7 bring any to any great eminency of understanding4 #e4 ,and they that have both capacity1 and an industrious disposition1 must have also sound1 and able1 and diligent teachers2 or at least escape the hands of seducers1 and of partial1 factious guides4 #f4 ,there are few born with good natural capacities1 much less with a special dispositive acuteness2 and few that will be at the pains and patience1 which the getting of wisdom doth require2 and few that will have the happiness of sound and diligent teachers2 but fewest of all that will have a concurrence of all these three4 #g4 ,therefore there will be but few very wise men in the world2 ignorance will he common1 wisdom will be rare4 #h4 ,therefore error or false opinions will be common4 ,for unless men never think of the things of which they are ignorant1 or judge nothing of them one way or other1 they are sure to err1 so far as they judge in ignorance4 ,but when things of greatest moment are represented as true or false1 to be believed or rejected1 the most ignorant mind is naturally inclined to pass its judgment or opinion of them one way or other2 and to apprehend them according to the light he standeth in1 and to think of them as he is disposed4 ,so that ignorance and error will concur4 #i4 ,he that erreth1 doth think that he is in the right1 and erreth not3 for to err1 and to know that he erreth in judgment1 is a contradiction1 and impossible4 7,however in words and deeds a man may err1 and know that he erreth47 #aj4 ,he that knoweth not1 and that erreth1 perceiveth not that evidence of truth which should make him receive it1 and which maketh other men receive it2 and therefore knoweth not that indeed another is in the right1 or seeth any more than he4 #aa4 ,especially when every man is a stranger to another's mind and soul1 as to any immediate inspection2 and therefore knoweth not another's knowledge1 nor the convincing reasons of his judgment4 #ab4 ,as no man is moved against his own errors1 by the reasons which he knoweth not2 so pride1 self-love1 and partiality thence arising1 incline all men naturally to be overvaluers of their own understandings1 and so over-confident of all their own conceptions1 and over-stiff in defending all their errors4 ,as pride and selfishness are the firstborn of ,satan1 and the root of all positive evil in man's soul2 so a man is more naturally proud of that which is the honour of a man1 which is his understanding and goodness1 than of that which is common to a beast1 as strength1 beauty1 ornaments1 c4 ,therefore pride of understanding and goodness oft live1 when sordid apparel telleth you that childish pride of ornaments is dead4 ,and this pride maketh it very difficult1 to the most ignorant and erroneous1 to know their ignorance and error1 or so much as to suspect their own understandings4 #ac4 ,he that seeth but few things1 seeth not much to make him doubt1 and seeth not the difficulties which should check his confidence and stiffness in his way4 #ad4 ,he that seeth many things1 and that clearly knoweth much2 especially1 if he see them in their order1 and respects to one another1 and leaveth out no one substantial part which is needful to open the signification of the rest4 #ae4 ,he that seeth many things disorderly and confusedly1 and not in due method1 and leaveth out some substantial parts1 and hath not a digested knowledge1 doth know much1 and err much1 and may make a bustle in the world of ignorants1 as if he were an excellent1 learned man2 but hath little of the inward delight1 or of the power and benefits of knowledge4 #af4 ,he that seeth many things but darkly1 confusedly1 and not in the true place and method1 cannot reconcile truths among themselves2 but is like a boy with a pair of tarrying irons1 or like one that hath his clock or watch all in pieces1 and knoweth not how to set them together4 ,and therefore is inclined to be a sceptic4 #ag4 ,this sort of sceptics differ much from humble christians2 and have oft as high thoughts of their understandings as any others3 for they lay the cause upon the difficulties in the objects1 rather than on themselves3 unless when they incline to brutishness or ,sadducism1 and take man's understanding to be incapable of true knowledge1 and so lay the blame on human nature as such1 that is1 on the ,creator4 #ah4 ,few hope so much as to see the difficulty of things1 and make them doubt1 or sceptical4 ,but far fewer know1 so much as to resolve their doubts and difficulties3 therefore1 though 7as ,bishop ,jewel saith of faithful pastors7 ,i say not that there will be few cardinals1 few bishops1 few doctors1 few deans1 few ,jesuits1 few friars1 7there will be enow of these17 yet there will be few wise1 judicious divines and pastors1 even in the best and happiest countries4 #ai4 ,seeing he that knoweth not1 or that erreth1 knoweth not that another knoweth1 or is in the right1 when he is in the wrong2 therefore he knoweth not whose judgment to honour and submit to1 if he should suspect or be driven from his own3 and therefore is not so happy1 as to be able to choose the fittest teacher for himself4 #bj4 ,in this darkness therefore he either carnally casteth himself on the highest and most honoured in the world1 where he hath the most advantages for worldly ends2 or he followeth the fame of the time and country where he is1 or he falleth in with the major vote of that party1 whatsoever it be1 which his understanding doth most esteem and honour2 or else with some person that hath most advantage on him4 #ba4 ,if any of these happen to be in the right1 he will be also in the right materially1 and may seem an orthodox1 peaceable1 and praiseworthy man2 but where they are in the wrong1 he is contented with the reputation of being in the right1 and of the good opinion of those whom he concurreth with2 who flatter and applaud each other in the dark4 #bb4 ,when wise men are but few1 they can be but in few places2 and therefore will be absent from most of the people1 high or low1 that need instruction4 ,besides1 that their studiousness inclineth them1 like ,jerome1 to be more retired than others1 that know less4 #bc4 ,this confidence in an erring mind1 is not only the case of the teachers1 as well as of the flocks2 but is usually more fortified in them than in others3 for they think that the honour of learning and wisdom is due to their place1 and calling1 and name1 and standing in the universities2 how empty soever they be themselves4 ,and they take it for a double dishonour 7as it is7 for a teacher to be accounted ignorant2 and an injury to their work and office1 and to the people's souls1 that must by their honour be prepared to profit by them2 and therefore they smart more impatiently under any detection of their ignorance1 than the common people do4 #bd4 ,it is not mere honesty and godliness1 that will suffice to save ministers or people from this ignorance1 injudiciousness1 and error2 there having ever been among the very godly ministers1 a few judicious men1 that are fit to investigate a difficult truth1 or to defend it against a subtle adversary1 or to see the system of theological verities in their proper method1 harmony1 and beauty4 #be4 ,morality hath innumerable difficulties1 as well as school divinity2 because that moral good and evil are ordinarily such by preponderating accidents 7actions as actions1 being neither2 but only of physical consideration74 ,and the work of a true casuist is to compare so many accidents1 and to discern in the comparison which preponderateth1 that it requireth both an acute and a large1 capacious1 farseeing wit1 to make a man a true resolver of cases of conscience4 ,and consequently to be a judicious pastor1 that shall not lead the people into errors4 #bf4 ,as few teachers have natural capacity for exactness1 and a willingness and patience for long1 laborious studies2 so many by their pastoral oversight of souls1 and many by the wants of their families1 7especially in times of persecution1 when all their public maintenance is gone1 and they must live1 with their families1 on the charity of people1 perhaps poor and persecuted as well as they17 are hindered from those studies1 which else they would undergo4 #bg4 ,it is few that grow to much exactness of judgment without much writing 7for themselves or others72 for study which is to be exactly ordered and expressed by the pen1 is usually 7at last7 the exactest study3 as the ,lord ,bacon saith1 ,much reading maketh a man full2 much conference maketh a man ready2 and much writing maketh a man exact4 ,there are few ,cameros1 men of clear judgment1 and abhorring to write4 ,and there are few divines comparatively that have opportunity to write much4 #bh4 ,they that err in divinity1 do think their falsehoods to be ,god's truth2 and so will honour that which he hates1 with the pretence of his authority and name4 #bi4 ,therefore they will call up their own and other men's zeal1 to defend those falsehoods as for ,god1 and think that in so doing they do ,god service4 #cj4 ,and the interest of their own place1 and honour1 and ends1 will secretly insinuate when they discern it not1 and will increase their zeal against opposers4 #ca4 ,therefore1 seeing they are usually many1 and wise men but few1 they will expect that number should give the precedency to their opinions1 and will call those proud1 or heretical1 that gainsay them1 and labour to defame them1 as self-conceited1 opinionative men4 #cb4 ,therefore too many godly ministers will be great opposers of many of those truths of ,god1 which they know not1 and which they err about1 and will help on the service of ,satan in the world2 and will be the authors of factions and contentions in the churches2 whilst too many are proud1 knowing nothing1 7in those matters when they think they are most orthodox17 but doting about questions and strifes of words1 whereof cometh envy1 strife1 railing1 evil surmisings1 perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds1 7in this17 and destitute of the truth1 #a ,tim4 vi4 #d1 #e4 #cc4 ,and if many good men will erroneously stand up against that truth which any man wiser than themselves maketh known1 the worldly and malicious1 that have a manifold enmity against it1 will be ready to strengthen them by their concurrence1 and to join in the opposition4 #cd4 ,not they that are wisest at a distance1 but they that are nearest the people1 and are always with them1 are most likely to prevail to make disciples of them1 and bring them to their mind3 so great an advantage it is1 to talk daily and confidently to ignorant souls1 when there is none to talk against them1 and to make their folly known4 #ce4 ,especially if the same men can get interest in their esteem as well as nearness1 and make themselves esteemed the best or wisest men4 #cf4 ,therefore ,jesuitical1 worldly clergymen1 will always get about great men1 and insinuate into nobles1 and will still defame them that are wise and good1 that they may seem odious1 and themselves seem excellent1 and so may carry it by deceitful shows4 #cg4 ,and they will do their best1 to procure all wise and good men1 that are against their interest1 to be banished from the palaces of princes and nobles1 where they are2 lest their presence should confute their slanderers1 and they should be as burning and shining lights1 that carry their witness with them where they come3 and also to bring them under public stigmatizing censures and sufferings2 that their names may be infamous and odious in the world4 #ch4 ,and heretical pastors will play a lower game1 and creep into the houses of silly people1 prepared by ignorance and soul-disturbers to receive their heresies4 #ci4 ,between these two sorts of naughty pastors1 7the ,,worldly and the ,,heretical17 and also the multitude of weak1 erroneous1 honest teachers1 the soundest and worthiest will be so few1 that far most of the people 7high and low7 are like to live under the influences and advantages of erring men2 and1 therefore1 themselves to be an erring people4 #dj4 ,in that measure that men are carnal1 their own carnal interest will rule them4 ,and both the ,,worldly and ,,heretical clergy1 are ruled by carnal interests1 though not the same materially4 ,and the more honest1 erring ministers1 are swayed by their interests too much2 insomuch1 that on this account1 it was no overvaluing of ,timothy1 or wrong to the other pastors1 that it should plainly be said by ,paul1 ,for ,i have no man like-minded1 who will naturally care for your state4 ,for all seek their own1 not the things which are ,jesus ,christ's1 ,phil4 ii4 #bj1 #ba4 ,of your ownselves shall men arise1 and speak perverse things1 to draw away disciples after them1 ,acts xx4 #cj4 ,besides the grievous wolves which would not spare the flocks4 #da4 ,the interest then of the ,,worldly clergy1 will consist in pleasing the great ones of the world2 for lordships1 and worldly wealth1 and honour1 and to be made the rulers of their brethren1 and to have their wills3 and the interest of heretics will be to have many to be of their own opinion to admire them3 and the interest of upright ministers will be to please ,god1 and propagate the gospel1 increase the church1 and save men's souls2 yet so that they have a subordinate interest1 for food and raiment1 and families1 and necessary reputation1 which they are too apt to overvalue4 #db4 ,therefore1 it will be the great trade of the ,,worldly clergy1 to please and flatter the rulers of the world1 and by all artificial insinuations1 and by their friends1 to work themselves into their favour1 and by scorns and calumnies to work out all other that are against their interest4 #dc4 ,and it will be the trade of heretics1 to insinuate into the more ductile people1 especially as ministers of truth and righteousness1 that have somewhat more excellent in knowledge or holiness1 than the faithful ministers of ,christ4 #dd4 ,and it will be the work of faithful ministers1 to save men's souls4 ,but with such various degrees of self-denial or selfishness1 as they have various degrees of wisdom and holiness4 #de4 ,many great and piously disposed princes1 like ,constantine1 will think that to honour and advance the clergy1 into worldly power and wealth1 is to honour ,god and the christian religion2 and great munificence is fit for their own greatness4 #df4 ,and because such honour and wealth cannot possibly be bestowed on all1 it must make a great disparity1 and set some as lords over the rest4 #dg4 ,and the unavoidable weakness1 passions1 and divisions of the clergy1 will make rulers think1 that there is a necessity2 that besides the civil government1 there should1 be some of their own office1 to rule the rest1 and to keep them in order1 obedience1 and peace4 #dh4 ,ambition and covetousness will abuse this munificence of princes3 and whilst that any church preferments are so great 7beyond the degree of a mere encouraging subsistence7 as to be a strong bait to tempt the desires of a proud and worldly mind1 the most proud and worldly that are within the reach of hope1 will be the seekers1 by themselves1 and by their friends4 #di4 ,mortified1 humble1 heavenly men1 will either never seek them1 or with no great eagerness2 their appetite being less1 and their restraints much greater4 #ej4 ,therefore they that have the keenest appetites to church grandeur and preferments1 and are the eager seekers1 are most likely to find4 #ea4 ,therefore the lovers of wealth and honour1 are more likely still to be the lords among the clergy2 except in such marvellous happy times1 when wise and pious princes call the more worthy that seek it not1 and reject these thirsty seekers4 #eb4 ,the greatest lovers of worldly wealth and honour1 are the worst men1 #a ,john ii4 #ae2 ,james iv4 #d1 c4 #ec4 ,therefore1 except in such times as aforesaid1 the worst men will be still the rich and powerful in the clergy1 for the most part1 or at least1 the worldly that are very bad4 #ed4 ,these carnal minds are enmity to ,god1 and cannot be subject to his law4 ,and the friendship of the world is enmity to ,god4 ,and the honour and wealth of these worldly men1 will be taken by them for their interest2 and they will set themselves to defend it1 against all that would endanger it4 #ee4 ,the doctrine and practice of humility1 mortification1 contempt of the world1 forsaking all1 taking up the cross1 c4 is so much of the christian religion1 that however the worldly clergy may formally preach it1 their minds and interests are at enmity to it4 #ef4 ,such men will make church canons according to their interests and minds4 #eg4 ,and they will judge of ministers and people according to their interest and mind2 who is sound1 and who is erroneous2 who is honest1 and who is bad2 who is worthy of favour1 and who is worthy of all the reproaches that can be devised against him4 #eh4 ,the humble1 mortified ministers and people1 that are seriously the servants of a crucified ,christ1 and place their hopes and portion in another world1 have a holy disposition1 contrary to this worldly1 carnal mind2 and their manner of preaching will be of a different relish1 and the tenor of their lives of a contrary course4 #ei4 ,the generality of the best people in the christian churches will perceive the difference between the worldly and the heavenly manner of preaching and of living1 and will love and honour the latter far above the former2 because their new nature suiteth with things spiritual1 and fitteth them to relish them4 #fj4 ,the worst of vicious and worldly men will disrelish the spiritual manner of preaching and living1 and will join with the worldly clergy against it4 #fa4 ,the worldly clergy being hypocrites1 as to christianity and godliness1 7like ,judas that loved the bag better than ,christ17 they will make themselves a religion1 consisting of the mere corpse and dead image of the true religion2 of set words1 and actions1 and formalities1 and orders1 which in themselves are 7many1 at least1 if not all7 good2 but the life they will not endure4 #fb4 ,this image of true religion1 or corpse of godliness1 they will dress up with many additional flowers out of their own gardens1 some tolerable1 and some corrupting3 that so they may have something which both their own consciences and the world may take to be honourable religion2 lest known ungodliness should terrify conscience within1 and shame them in the world without4 #fc4 ,this image of religion1 so dressed up1 will suit their carnal auditors and people too1 to the same ends2 and therefore will become their uniting interest4 #fd4 ,that which is but a weed among these flowers1 the more heavenly ministers and people will dislike1 and much more dislike the loathsome face of death 7or lifelessness7 in their religion4 #fe4 ,these differences of mind and practice1 will engage both parties in some kind of opposition to each other4 ,the worldly clergy1 or hypocrites1 will have heart-risings against the ministers and people that think meanly of them1 and will take it for their interest to bring them down3 for enmity is hardly restrained from exercise4 ,and ,cain will be wroth that ,abel's sacrifice is better accepted than his own4 #ff4 ,the better ministers will be apt1 through passion1 to speak too dishonourably of the other2 and the rash and younger sort1 and the heretical hypocrites that fall in with them1 will take it for part of a godly zeal to speak against them to the people1 in such words as ,christ used of the scribes and ,pharisees4 #fg4 ,hereupon the exasperations of each party will be increased more and more2 and the powerful1 worldly clergy will think it their interest to devise some new impositions1 which they know the other cannot yield to1 to work them out4 #fh4 ,whether they be oaths1 subscriptions1 words1 or actions1 which they believe to be against ,god's word1 the spiritual and upright part of the clergy and people will not perform them2 resolving to obey ,god rather than man4 #fi4 ,hereupon the worldly part will take the advantage1 and call them disobedient1 stubborn1 proud1 schismatical1 self-opinionated1 disturbers of the public peace and order1 pestilent fellows1 and movers of sedition among the people1 that will let nothing be quiet1 but turn the world upside down1 ,acts xxiv4 #e1 #f2 and will endeavour to bring them to such sufferings1 as men really guilty of such crimes deserve4 #gj4 ,and because the suffering and dissenting party of ministers1 when silenced1 will leave many vacancies in the churches1 they will be fain to fill them with men1 how empty and unworthy soever1 that are of their own spirit1 and will be true to their interests4 #ga4 ,the exasperation of their sufferings will make many1 otherwise sober ministers1 too impatient1 and to give their tongues leave to take down the honour of the clergy whom they suffer by1 more than beseemeth men of humility1 charity1 and patience4 #gb4 ,when the people1 that most esteem their faithful ministers1 are deprived of their labours1 by the prohibitions of the rest1 and themselves also afflicted with them2 it will stir up in them an inordinate1 unwarrantable1 passionate zeal2 which will corrupt their very prayers1 and make them speak unseemly things1 and pray for the downfal of that clergy1 which they take to be the enemies of ,god1 and godliness4 ,and they will think that to speak easily or charitably of such men1 as dare forbid ,christ's ministers to preach his gospel1 and by notorious sacrilege alienate the persons and gifts that were consecrated solemnly to ,god1 is but to be lukewarm1 and indifferent between ,god and the devil4 #gc4 ,and when they take them as enemies to religion1 and to themselves1 the younger and rasher sort of ministers1 but much more the people1 will grow into a suspicion of all that they see their afflicters stand for3 they will dislike not only their faults1 but many harmless things1 yea1 many laudable customs1 which they use2 and will grow into some superstition in opposition to them1 making new sins in the manner of worship1 which ,god never forbad or made to be sins2 and taking up new duties1 which ,god never made duties2 yea1 ready to forsake some old and wholesome doctrines1 because their afflicters own them2 and to take up some new1 unsound doctrines1 and expositions of ,god's word1 because they are inclined by opinion and passion conjoined1 to go as far as may be from such men1 whom they think so bad of4 #gd4 ,and the vulgar people that have but little sense of religion1 7that are not by the aforesaid interest united to the afflicting clergy17 having a reverence to the worth of those that are afflicted1 and an experience of the rawness and differing lives of many that possess their rooms1 will grow to compassionate the afflicted1 and to think that they are injured themselves1 and so to think hardly of the causers of all this4 #ge4 ,hereupon the powerful clergy will increase their accusations against the party that is against them1 and declare to the world in print and from the pulpits1 their ignorance1 unpeaceableness1 unruliness1 giddiness1 false opinions and conceits about the manner of worship1 and how unsufferable a sort of men they are4 #gf4 ,by this time the devil will have done the radical part of his work2 which is to destroy much of christian love to one another1 and make them take each other for unlovely1 odious persons3 the one part1 for persecuting enemies of godliness1 and hypocrites1 and ,pharisees2 the other for peevish1 seditious1 turbulent1 unruly sectaries4 ,and on these suppositions1 all their after characters1 affections1 and practices towards each other will proceed4 #gg4 ,by this enmity and opposition against each other1 both parties will increase in wrath1 and somewhat in numbers4 ,the worldly1 afflicting clergy will multiply not only such as are disaffected to them1 but downright fanatics1 and sectaries that will run as far from them as they can1 into contrary extremes4 ,for when they are once brought into a distaste of the old hive1 the bees will hardly gather into one new one2 but will divide into several swarms and hives4 ,as every man's zeal is more against the afflicting party1 so he will go further from them2 some to be separatists1 some anabaptists1 some antinomians1 some seekers1 some quakers1 and some to they know not what themselves4 #gh4 ,for the women1 and apprentices1 and novices in christianity1 that have more passion than judgment1 will abundance of them quite overrun1 even their own afflicted teachers1 and will forsake them1 if they will not overrun their own judgments1 in forsaking those that do afflict them4 #gi4 ,and many hypocrites that have no sound religion2 but ignorance1 pride1 and uncharitableness1 will thrust in among them1 in these discontents2 or spring up in the nurseries of these briers of passion1 and will bring in new doctrines1 and new ways of worship1 and make themselves preachers1 and the heads of sects2 by reason of whom1 the way of truth shall be evil spoken of4 #hj4 ,and many unstable persons seeing this1 will dread and loathe so giddy a sort of men1 and will turn papists1 upon the persuasions of them that tell them that there is no true unity nor consistency but at ,rome2 and that all must thus turn giddy at last1 that are not fixed in the papal head4 ,and thus they that fly too far from the ,common ,prayer ,book1 will drive men to the mass2 and the afflicters will make sectaries1 and the sectaries will make papists4 #ha4 ,when the violent clergy1 instead of a fatherly government of the flocks1 have driven the people into passions1 distempers1 and uncharitable disaffections to themselves1 and have also been the great cause of multiplied heresies and sects by the same means1 instead of being humbled and penitent for their sin1 they will be hardened1 and justify all their violences1 by the giddiness and miscarriages of those sectaries1 which they themselves have made4 #hb4 ,and when they publish the faults of such1 for the justification of their own violence1 they will draw thousands into an approbation of their courses1 7to think that such a turbulent people can never be too hardly called or used17 and consequently into a participation of their guilt4 #hc4 ,by all this1 the dissenters will be still more alienated from them2 and many will aggravate the crime of the ministers that conform to their impositions1 and obey them3 and for the sake of a few that afflict them1 they will condemn many laudable conforming ministers1 that never consented to it1 but could heartily wish that it were otherwise4 #hd4 ,and the younger1 and more indiscreet1 passionate sort1 will frequently reproach such1 as unconscionable temporizers1 that will do any thing for worldly ends1 and that as hypocrites for a fleshly interest1 concur with the corrupters and afflicters of the godly4 #he4 ,these censures and reproaches will provoke those conforming ministers1 who are not masters of their passions1 nor conquerors of their pride1 to think as badly of the censurers as their afflicters do1 and to join with them in the displaying of all enormities1 and promoting their further sufferings1 and publishing the folly and turbulency of their spirits1 with spleen and partiality4 #hf4 ,by these kind of speeches1 preachings1 and writings1 multitudes of the debauched will be hardened in their sin against all religion3 for when they observe that it is the same party of men1 who are thus reproached1 that are the strictest reprovers of their lewdness1 their fornications1 tippling1 gaming1 luxuries1 and ungodliness2 they will think it is no great matter what such a defamed1 giddy sort of people say1 and that really they are worse themselves4 #hg4 ,each party of these adversaries will characterize the adverse party as hypocrites3 the passionate sufferers will call the afflicters hypocrites and ,pharisees1 that have no religion1 but a formal show of outside ceremonies and words1 and that tithe mint and cummin1 and wash the outside1 while within they are full of persecuting cruelty1 and are wolves in sheep's clothing1 loving the uppermost seats1 and great titles1 and ceremonious phylacteries1 whilst they are enemies to the preaching of the gospel of ,christ1 and get revenues to themselves1 and devour not only the houses1 but the peace and lives of others1 under pretence of long liturgies2 and that devour the living saints1 while they keep holy days and build monuments for the dead ones1 whom their fathers murdered1 c4 ,and the powerful clergy will call the others hypocrites1 and labour to show that the ,pharisees' character belongeth to them1 and that their pretences of strictness in religion1 and their long praying and preaching1 is but a cloak to cover their disobedience1 and covetousness1 and secret sins2 and that their hearts and inside are as bad as others1 and that their fervency in devotion is but a hypocritical1 affected whining and canting2 and that they are worse than the lesser religious sort of people1 because they are more unpeaceable1 and disobedient1 and add hypocrisy to their sin4 #hh4 ,the ignorant1 worldlings1 drunkards1 and ungodly despisers of holiness and heaven1 being in all countries most contradicted in their way1 by this stricter sort of men1 and hearing them in pulpit and press so branded for hypocrites1 will joyfully unite themselves with the censurers2 and so they will make up as one party1 in crying down the precise hypocrites2 and usually make some name to call them by1 as their brand of common ignominy3 and they will live the more quietly in all their sins1 and think they shall be saved as soon as the precisest1 that make more show1 but have no more sincerity1 but more hypocrisy1 than themselves4 #hi4 ,the suffering party1 seeing the ungodly and the conforming afflicters of them thus united1 and made one party in opposition to them1 will increase their hard thoughts of the adverse clergy1 and take them for downright profane1 and the leading enemies of godliness in the world1 that will be captains in the devil's army1 and lead on all the most ungodly against serious godliness1 for their worldly ends4 #ij4 ,and the young and indifferent sort of people1 in all countries1 that were engaged in neither part1 being but strangers to religion1 and to the differences1 will be ready to judge of the cause by the persons3 and seeing so many of the dignified1 advanced clergy1 and the more sensual sort of the people1 on one side1 and so many men of strict lives on the other1 that suffer also for their religion1 and hearing too that it is some name of preciseness that they are reproached by1 will think them to be the better side2 and so the title of the godly will grow by degrees to be almost appropriated to their party1 and the title of profane and persecutors to the other4 #ia4 ,all this while the nonconforming ministers will be somewhat differently affected1 according to the different degrees of their judiciousness1 experience1 and self-denial4 ,some of them will think these passions of the people needful1 to check the fierceness of the afflicters 7which doth but exasperate it72 and therefore will let them alone1 though they will not encourage them4 ,some of the younger or more injudicious1 hot-brained sort will put them on1 and make them believe1 that all communion with any conforming ministers or their parish churches is unlawful1 and their forms of worship are sinful and antichristian2 and that they are all temporizers and betrayers of truth and purity1 that communicate or assemble with them4 ,the judicious1 and experienced1 and most patient and self-denying sort1 will themselves abstain from all that is sin2 and as far as it is in their choice and power1 will join with the churches that worship ,god most agreeably to his word and will2 but so1 as that they will not be loud in their complaints1 nor busy to draw men to their opinions in controvertible points2 nor will unchurch and condemn all the churches that have something which they dislike as sinful2 nor will renounce communion of all faulty churches1 lest they renounce the communion of all in the world1 and teach all others to renounce theirs3 but they will sometimes communicate with the more faulty churches1 to show that they unchurch them not 7so they be not forced in it to any sin72 though usually they will prefer the purest3 yea1 ordinarily they will join with the more faulty1 when they can have no better1 or when the public good requireth it4 ,they will never prefer the interest of their nonconforming party1 before the interest of christianity1 or the public good4 ,they will so defend lesser truths1 as not to neglect or disadvantage the greater1 which all are agreed in4 ,they will so preserve their own innocency1 as not to stir up other men's passions1 nor to make factions or divisions by their difference4 ,they will so dislike the pride and worldliness of others1 and their injuries against ,god and godliness1 as not to speak evil of dignities1 nor to cherish in the people's minds any dishonourable1 injurious thoughts of their kings1 or any in authority over them4 ,they will labour to allay the passions of the people1 and to rebuke their censorious and too sharp language1 and to keep up all due charity to those by whom they suffer2 but especially loyalty to their kings and rulers1 and peaceableness as to their countries4 ,they will teach them to distinguish between the cruel that are masters of the game1 and all the rest that have no hand in it2 and at least not to separate from all the rest for the sake of a few4 ,if they will go as far as ,martin 7in ,sulpitius ,severus7 to avoid all communion with ,ithacius and ,idacius1 and the councils of bishops1 that prosecuted the ,priscillianists1 to the scandal of godliness itself2 yet not for their sakes to avoid all others1 that never consented to it3 nor with ,gildas1 to say of all the bad ministers1 that he was not eximius christianus1 that would call them ministers1 or pastors1 rather than traitors4 ,they will persuade the people to discern between good and evil1 and not to run into extremes1 nor to dislike all that their afflicters hold or use2 nor to call things lawful1 by the name of sin1 and anti-christianity2 nor to suffer their passions to blind their judgments1 to make superstitiously new sin and duties1 in opposition to their adversaries2 nor to disgrace their understandings and the truth1 by errors1 factions1 revilings1 or miscarriages2 nor to run into sects2 nor to divide ,christ's house and kingdom1 while they pretend to be his zealous servants4 ,they will persuade the people to patience1 and moderation1 and peace1 and to speak evil of no man1 nor by word or deed to revenge themselves2 much less to resist the authority that is set over them by ,god2 but to imitate their ,saviour1 and quietly suffer1 and being reviled not to revile again1 but to love their enemies1 and bless their cursers4 #ib4 ,the more sober sort of the people will be ruled by these counsels1 and will do much to quiet the rest4 ,but the heretical part1 with their own passions1 will exasperate many novices and injudicious persons1 to account this course and counsel aforesaid1 to be but the effect of lukewarmness and carnal compliance with sin1 and a halting between two opinions1 and a participation in the sin of persecutors and malignant enemies of godliness3 and they will believe that whoever joineth with the parish churches1 in their way1 is guilty of encouraging them in sin1 and of false worship4 #ic4 ,hereupon they will defame the nonconforming ministers last described1 as men of no zeal1 neither flesh nor fish2 and perhaps as men that would save their skin1 and shift themselves out of sufferings1 and betray the truth4 ,and when such ministers acquaint them with their unsound principles and passions1 they will say of them that they speak bitterly of the godly1 and join with the persecutors in reproaching them4 #id4 ,and they will carry about among themselves many false reports and slanders against them2 partly because passion taketh off charity and tenderness of conscience2 and partly because an opinionative model1 and siding religiousness1 hath ever more followers1 and a quicker zeal1 than true holiness2 and partly because they will think that human converse obligeth them to believe the reports which those that are accounted good men utter2 and partly because that they will think1 that the upholding of their cause 7which they think is ,god's7 doth need the suppression of these men's credit and reputation that are against it4 #ie4 ,but the greater part of the honest nonconformist ministers will dislike the headiness and rashness of the novices and the sectaries1 and will approve of the aforesaid moderate ways4 ,but their opportunities and dispositions of expressing it will be various4 ,some of them will do it freely1 whatever be thought of it2 and some of them that have impatient auditors1 will think that it is no duty to attempt that which will not be endured1 and that it is better to do what good they can1 than none4 ,and some will think1 that seeing the worldly clergy forbid them to preach the gospel of salvation1 they are not bound to keep up any of their reputation or interest1 as long as they have themselves no hand in the extremes and passions of the people4 ,and some that have wives and children1 and nothing but the people's charity to find them food and raiment1 being turned out of all public maintenance by their afflicters1 and prosecuted still with continued violence1 will think that it is not their duty to beg their bread from door to door2 nor to turn their families to be kept on the alms of the parish1 by losing the affection of those people1 whose charity only they can expect relief from3 and therefore1 they will think that necessity1 and preservation of their families' lives and health1 will better excuse their silence1 when they defend not those that would destroy them1 against the over-much opposition of the people2 than the command of their afflicters will excuse their silence1 if they neglect to preach the christian faith4 ,and some will think1 that finding themselves hated and hunted by one party1 if they lose the affection of the other also1 they shall have none to do their office with1 nor to do any good to2 and that they shall but leave the people whom they displease1 to follow those passionate leaders1 that will tempt them to more dangerous extremities1 against the peace of christian societies4 ,but the most judicious and resolved ministers1 that live not on the favour or maintenance of the people1 or are quite above all worldly interest1 will behave themselves wisely1 moderately1 and yet resolvedly2 and will do nothing that shall distaste sober and wise men1 nor yet despise the souls of the most impotent or indiscreet3 but by solid principles1 endeavour to build them upon solid grounds2 and to use them with the tenderness1 as nurses should do their crying children4 ,but yet they will not cherish their sin1 under the pretence of profiting their souls2 nor1 by silence1 be guilty of their blood2 nor so much as connive at those dangerous extremes1 that seem to serve some present exigence and job2 but threaten future ruin to the churches1 and dishonour to the christian cause4 ,and therefore they resolve not to neglect the duties of charity to the bitterest of their persecutors2 and the rather1 because it will prove in the end a charity to the church1 and to the souls of the passionate1 whose charity they labour to keep alive4 ,and silence at sin is contrary to their trust and office3 and they will not be guilty of that carnal wisdom1 which would do evil that good may come by it2 or that dare not seek to cure the principles of uncharitableness1 divisions1 or extremities in the people1 for fear of losing advantages of doing them good2 or that dare not disown unlawful schisms and separations1 for fear of encouraging those malignants that call lawful practices by that name4 ,they will do ,god's work 7though with prudence1 and not destructive rashness1 yet7 with fidelity and self-denial4 ,and they will lay at ,christ's feet1 not only their interest in the favour of superiors2 and their peace1 and safety1 and liberty1 and estates1 and lives1 which are exposed to malignant cruelty1 among the ,cainites of the world2 but also all the good thoughts1 and words1 and favour of the religious sort of people1 yea1 and pastors too4 ,and they will look more to the interest of the whole church1 than of a narrow party2 and of posterity1 than of the present time2 as knowing1 that at long running1 it is only truth that will stand uppermost1 when malignant violence1 and sectarian passions1 are both run out of breath4 ,and therefore1 in simplicity1 and godly sincerity1 they will have their conversations in the world2 and not in fleshly wisdom1 or selfish blinding passions or factions4 ,let all men use them how they will1 or judge or call them what they will2 they will not therefore be false to ,god and to their consciences4 ,and seeing it is their office to govern and teach the people1 they will not be governed by the favour of the most censorious1 ignorant1 or proud2 but will guide them as faithful teachers1 till they are deserted by them1 and disabled4 ,but the sober1 ancient1 wise1 and experienced1 will always cleave to them1 and forsake the giddy and sectarian way4 #if4 ,in the heat of these extremities1 the most peaceable and sober part1 both of the conformists and nonconformists1 will be in best esteem with the grave and sober people2 but in the greatest strait1 with both the extremes4 #ig4 ,the godly and peaceable conformists1 will get the love of the sober1 by their holy doctrine and lives3 but they will be despised by the sectaries1 because they conform2 and they will be suspected by the proud and persecuting clergy1 as leaning to the dissenters1 and strengthening them by their favour2 because these ministers will1 in all their parishes1 more love and honour the godly nonconformists1 than the irreligious1 ignorant1 worldly1 dead-hearted multitude1 or the malignant enemies of godliness4 #ih4 ,hereupon these conformists being taken for the chief upholders of the nonconformists1 will be under continual jealousies and rebukes4 ,and perhaps new points of conformity shall be devised1 to be imposed on them1 which it is known their consciences are against2 that so they may be forced also to be nonconformists1 because secret enemies are more dangerous than open foes4 #ii4 ,these conformists being thus troubled1 will feel also the stirring of passion in themselves2 and by the injury1 will be tempted to think more hardly of their afflicters than before4 ,and so will part of them turn downright nonconformists2 and the other part will live in displeasure1 till they see an opportunity to show it4 ,and these are the likeliest to cross and weaken the worldly1 persecuting clergy1 of any men4 #ajj4 ,and as for the moderate nonconformists1 that understand what they do1 and why1 and seek the reconciling of all dissenters2 they will also be loved and honoured by the sober1 grave1 and experienced christians3 but both extremes will be against them4 ,the sectaries will say1 as before1 that they are lukewarm1 and carnal1 selfish1 complying men4 ,the proud1 imposing clergy will say1 that it is they that have drawn the people into these extremes2 and then complain of them that they cannot rule them4 ,and they will tell them1 that till they conform themselves1 their moderation doth but strengthen the nonconformists1 and keep up the reputation of sobriety among them4 ,and the nearer they come to conformity1 the more dangerous they are1 as being more able to supplant it4 ,and thus the moderate and reconcilers1 will be as the wedge that is pressed by both sides1 in the cleft of church divisions2 and no side liketh them1 because they are not given up to the factious passions or interest of either4 #aja4 ,only those will1 in all these extremities and divisions1 keep their integrity2 who are1 #a4 ,wise4 #b4 ,humble and self-denying4 #c4 ,charitable1 and principled with a spirit of love4 #d4 ,and do take the favour of ,god and heaven alone for their hope and portion1 whatever becometh of them in the world4 ,but the ,,worldly persecuting1 and the ,,sectarian party1 will be both constituted by these contrary principles3 #a4 ,ignorance and error4 #b4 ,pride of their own understandings2 every one thinking that all are intolerable that are not of their mind and way4 #c4 ,uncharitableness1 malice1 or want of love to others as to themselves4 #d4 ,and overvaluing their worldly accommodations1 honours1 and estates4 #ajb4 ,hereupon the instruments of a foolish shepherd1 will still be used to the greater scattering of the flocks4 ,and because none are so able to dispute against them as the moderate1 therefore they will be taken for their most dangerous adversaries4 ,and when they are greatly inclined to the healing of these wounds1 the violent and lordly will not suffer them2 but will pour oil upon the flames1 which moderate men would quench4 ,and1 as if they were blindfolding and scourging ,christ again1 they will follow the people with afflicting wounds2 and then charge the moderate ministers with their discontents2 and charge them to reduce them to peace and conformity4 ,and if they cannot get them to love and honour those that are still scourging them with scorpions1 the scourgers will lay the blame on these ministers1 and say1 it is all long of them that the people love not those that wound them4 ,and they that cry out most for peace will not endure it1 nor give the peace-makers leave to do any thing that will accomplish it2 nor will keep the spur out of the people's sides1 whilst they look that others 7spurred more sharply7 should hold the reins2 which yet at the same time they take out of their hands1 and forbid them to hold1 by forbidding them to preach the gospel4 ,so that it will be the sum of their expectations1 ,perform not the office of pastors1 nor preach the gospel of peace and piety to the people any more3 but yet1 without preaching to them1 see that you teach them all to love and honour us1 while we silence you1 and afflict them2 or else we will account you intolerable1 seditious schismatics1 and use you as such4 #ajc4 ,in some kingdoms or countries1 it will be thought1 that the people will be brought to no obedience to the lordly pastors1 till their most able or moderate ministers are kept from them1 by banishment1 imprisonment1 or confinement2 which will accordingly be done4 #ajd4 ,when the ministers are banished or removed1 that restrained the people's passions1 the people will make preachers of themselves2 even such as are suited to their minds4 #aje4 ,where papists or heretics are shut out by laws1 they will secretly contribute the utmost of their endeavours1 to make the sufferings of dissenting protestants as grievous as possibly they can2 that in despite of them1 their own necessities may compel them to cry out for liberty1 till they procure a common toleration for all1 and open the door for papists and heretics1 as well as for themselves4 #ajf4 ,surely oppression will make wise men mad1 ,eccl4 vii4 #g4 #ajg4 ,madmen will speak madly1 and do madly4 #ajh4 ,they that speak and do madly1 will be thought meetest for ,bedlam1 and for chains4 #aji4 ,when the ministers are banished or removed1 and the people left to their passions1 and their own-made guides and teachers2 passionate women and boys1 and unsettled novices1 will run into unwarrantable words and deeds2 and will think those means lawful1 which seem to promise them deliverance1 though they be such as ,god forbiddeth4 #aaj4 ,the seditions and miscarriages of some few will be imputed to the innocent4 #aaa4 ,for the sake of such miscarriages1 in some kingdoms1 the sword will be drawn against them1 and the blood of many will be shed4 #aab4 ,hereupon the misguided1 passionate youth1 being by the proud clergy deprived of the presence of that ministry that should moderate them1 are likely enough to think rebellion and resisting of authority1 a lawful means for their own preservation2 and will plead the law of nature and necessity for their justification4 #aac4 ,if any of the sober1 wise1 experienced pastors be left among them1 that would restrain them from unlawful ways1 and persuade them to patient suffering2 they will be taken for complying betrayers of religion1 and of the people's lives2 that would have them tamely surrender their throats to butchery4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as in a parenthesis1 ,i will give them some instances for this prognostic4 7#a47 ,the great ,lord ,du ,plessis 7one of the most excellent noblemen that ever the earth bore1 that is known to us by any history7 being against the holding of an assembly of the ,french churches1 against the king's prohibition1 was rejected by the assembly1 as complying with the courtiers 7because they said1 the king had before promised or granted them that assembly72 but the refusing of his counsel cost the blood of many thousand protestants1 and the loss of all their garrisons and powers1 and that lowness of the protestant interest there that we see at this day4 7#b47 ,the great divine1 ,peter ,de ,moulin1 was also against the ,rochellers' proceedings against the king's prohibitions 7and so were some chief protestant nobles72 but he was rejected by his own party1 who paid for it1 by the blood of thousands1 and their ruin4 7#c47 ,i lately read of a king of ,france1 that hearing that the protestants made verses and pasquels against the mass and processions of the papists1 made a severe law to prohibit it4 ,when they durst not break that law1 their indiscreet zeal carried them to make certain ridiculous pictures of the mass priests and the processions2 which moderate ministers would have dissuaded them from1 but were accounted temporizers and lukewarm3 by which the king being exasperated1 shut up the protestant churches1 took away their liberties1 and it cost many thousand men their lives4 ,and the question was1 ,whether ,god had commanded such jeers1 and scorns1 and pictures1 to be made at so dear a rate1 as the rooting out of the churches1 and religion1 and the people's lives8 7#d47 ,great ,camero 7one of the most judicious divines in the world7 was in ,montabon1 when it stood out in arms against the king 7accounted formerly impregnable74 ,he was against their resistance1 and persuaded them to submit4 ,the people of his own religion reviled him as a traitor3 one of the soldiers threatened to run him through4 ,in a ,scottish passion he unbuttoned his doublet1 and cried1 ,feri1 miser1 ,strike1 varlet1 or do thy worst2 and in the heat1 striving to get his own goods out of the city1 fell into a fever and died4 ,the city was taken1 and the rest of the holds through the kingdom after it1 to the great fall of all the protestants1 and the loss of many thousand lives4 99 99 99 99 99 #aad4 ,where the devil can bring differences to extremities of violence1 the issues are not hard to be conjecturally foreseen2 but are such as my prognostics shall no further meddle with1 than to foretell you1 that both sides are preparing for the increase of their fury and extremities1 and at last for repentance1 or ruinous calamities1 if they do as ,i have described4 #aae4 ,carnal and discontented statesmen and politicians1 will set in on both sides1 to blow the coals1 and draw on feuds for their own ends1 and head the discontented people to their ruin4 #aaf4 ,but in those countries1 where the difference never cometh to such disorders1 there will be a war bred1 and kept up in the people's hearts2 and neighbours will be against neighbours1 as ,guelphs and ,gibellines4 #aag4 ,when kingdoms are thus weakened by intestine discontents1 it will increase the hopes and plots of foreign enemies1 and make them think that one party 7that suffer7 will be backward to their own defence1 as thinking they can be no worse 7which is the hopes of the ,turks in ,hungary74 #aah4 ,it will be a great injury1 and grief1 and danger to christian kings and states1 to have their kingdoms and commonwealths thus weakened1 and the cordial love and assistance of their subjects made so loose and so uncertain4 #aai4 ,and it will be a continual vexation to wise and peaceable princes1 to govern such divided1 discontented people2 but to rule a united1 loving1 concordant1 peaceable people1 will be their delight and joy4 #abj4 ,a ,,worldly1 covetous1 proud1 domineering1 malignant1 lazy clergy1 will1 in most christian nations1 be the great plague of the world1 and troublers of princes1 and dividers of churches2 who1 for the interest of their grandeur1 and their wills1 will not give the sober1 and peaceable1 and godly ministers1 or people1 leave to serve ,god quietly1 and live in peace4 ,and the impatient1 self-conceited1 sectarian spirit1 which1 like gunpowder1 takes fire upon such injuries1 is the secondary divider of the churches1 and hinderer of christian love and peace2 and by their mutual enmity and abuses1 they will drive each other so far into the extremity of aversion and opposition1 that they will but make each other mad2 and then1 like madmen1 run and quarrel1 while sober men stand by and pity them2 but can help neither the one party nor the other1 nor preserve their own or the public peace4 #aba4 ,the grand endeavour of the worldly clergy1 will be 7in most kingdoms of the world7 to engage princes on their side1 and to borrow their sword1 to do their work with1 against gainsayers3 for they have no confidence in the power of the keys2 but will despise them secretly in their hearts1 as leaden1 uneffectual weapons1 while they make it the glory of their order1 that the power of the keys is theirs4 #abb4 ,if princes suppress disorders by the sword1 the said clergy will ascribe the honour of it to themselves2 and say it was their order1 that kept up so much order in the churches4 ,and when they have put princes to that trouble1 will assume to themselves the praise4 #abc4 ,the devil will set in1 and do his utmost1 to make both rulers and people believe1 that all this confusion is long of the christian religion1 and the strict principles of the sacred ,scriptures2 and so to make men cast off all religion1 and take christianity to be contrary to their natural and civil interests4 #abd4 ,and the papists will every where persuade high and low1 that all this cometh by meddling so much with the ,scriptures1 and busying the common people with religion2 and leaving every man to be a discerning judge of truth and duty1 instead of trusting implicitly in the judgment of their church4 ,and so they would tempt princes tamely to surrender half their government 7that is1 in all matters of religion7 to the pope2 and persuade the people to resign their reason or humanity to him2 7that he who is so far off may rule it all over the world1 by his missionaries and agents1 who must live upon the prey27 and then he knoweth that he shall have both swords1 and be the universal king4 #abe4 ,to this end1 they will strive to make some rulers as bad as they would have them1 to do their work1 and to make the rest thought worse of than they are1 that they may have a fair pretence for their treasons and usurpations2 which was the case of all the writers1 that plead for ,pope ,gregory the ,seventh1 against the ,german emperors2 who took that advantage1 to settle the cardinals' power of elections2 and1 in a council at ,rome1 to declare the pope to be above the emperor1 and to have power to depose him3 and as bad was done in the general council1 at ,lateran1 under ,innocent the ,third4 ,can4 #b1 #c4 #abf4 ,concerning princes1 ,i shall give you no prognostics but ,christ's2 that it will be as hard for a rich man to enter into heaven1 as for a camel to go through a needle's eye4 ,and therefore1 you may know what men the rich will be1 in most countries of the world4 #abg4 ,and the rich will be the rulers of the world2 and it is meet it should be so3 not that men should rule because they are rich1 but they that rule should be rich2 and not exposed to contempt1 by a vulgar garb and state4 #abh4 ,but some wise and good princes and magistrates ,god will raise up1 to keep the interest of truth and justice from sinking in barbarousness1 and diabolical wickedness4 #abi4 ,and where princes and magistrates are bad1 they will seldom do so much hurt as good1 or prove very cruel1 where the worldly and corrupt clergy do not animate and instigate them2 their reason1 their interest1 and their experience will lead them1 by man-like usage1 to seek the people's love and quietness1 and their kingdom's unity and strength4 ,but bloody persecutions 7such as that of the ,waldenses1 ,piedmont lately1 ,france1 ,ireland1 ,queen ,mary's1 c47 are ordinarily the effects of clergy interest and zeal4 #acj4 ,the grand design of the devil1 through the world1 will be to corrupt the two great ordinances of ,god1 magistracy and ministry2 and turn them both against ,christ1 who giveth them their power4 ,the instances of his success1 are most notorious in the ,turkish empire1 and the papal kingdom1 called by them the catholic church2 which ,campanella1 de ,regno ,dei1 doth labour to prove1 by all the prophecies cited by the millenarians1 or fifth-monarchy men1 to be the true universal kingdom of ,christ2 in which1 by his vicar the pope1 he shall reign over all the kings and kingdoms of the earth4 ,a ,,prognostication ,,of ,,the ,,changes ,,that ,,will ,,be ,,in ,,christendom ,,in ,,the ,,golden ,,age1 ,,and ,,time ,,of ,,true ,,reformation ,,and ,,unity4 #a4 ,because it is made part of our prayers1 ,thy will be done on earth1 as it is in heaven2 and1 we look for a new heaven1 and a new earth1 wherein dwelleth righteousness4 ,i hope their opinion is not true1 who think that the earth shall still grow more and more like to hell1 till the general conflagration turn it into hell1 and make it the proper seat of the damned4 ,yet1 lest this should prove true1 ,i will place my chief hopes in heaven2 remembering who said1 ,sell all1 and follow me1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven 7and not on earth74 ,but supposing that ever the world will come to full reformation and concord1 7of which ,i am uncertain1 but do not despair of17 ,i proceed to my prognostics of the way4 #b4 ,god will stir up some happy king1 or governor1 in some country of christendom1 endowed with wisdom and consideration2 who shall discern the true nature of godliness and christianity1 and the necessity and excellency of serious religion2 and shall see what is the corruption and hinderance of it in the world2 and shall place his honour and felicity in pleasing ,god1 and doing good1 and attaining everlasting happiness2 and shall subject all worldly respects unto these high and glorious ends4 ,and shall know1 that wisdom1 and godliness1 and justice leave the most precious name on earth1 and prepare for the most glorious reward in heaven3 in comparison of which1 all fleshly pomp and pleasure is dross and dung1 and worthy of nothing but contempt4 #c4 ,this prince shall have a discerning mind1 to know wise men from foolish1 good from bad2 and among the ministers of ,christ1 to discern the judicious1 spiritual1 heavenly1 sober1 charitable1 and peaceable sort1 from self-seeking1 worldly men2 that make but a trade of the ministry1 and strive not so much for heaven1 and the people's salvation1 as they do for worldly honours1 power1 and wealth4 ,and he shall discern how such do trouble the churches and the world1 and cause divisions1 and stir up violence1 for their own worldly interests and ends4 #d4 ,he will take the counsel neither of worldlings1 nor true fanatics1 and dividing persons2 but of the learned1 godly1 self-denying1 sober1 peaceable divines2 with his grave and reverend senators1 judges1 and counsellors2 that know what is reason and justice1 and what belongeth to the public good1 as well as to the true interest of the church1 and of men's souls4 #e4 ,he will know those men1 whom he is concerned to use1 and to judge of1 as far as may be1 by personal acquaintance and observation2 and not by the partial reports of adversaries1 behind their backs3 and so he will neither be deceived in his instruments1 nor disappointed by them4 #f4 ,he will call together the wise1 peace-making persons2 and with the strictest charge1 commit to them the endeavours of reconciling and uniting the several parties2 by drawing their differences into the narrowest compass1 and stating them more correctly than passionate men do2 and by persuading them to love and peace1 and to all such abatements and forbearances1 as are necessary4 ,and his own prudent oversight and authority 7like ,constantine's at ,nice7 will facilitate the success4 #g4 ,he and his people will inquire1 what terms of concord are meet1 not only for some one corner or country1 but for all the christian world2 that when he hath found it out1 he and his kingdom may be a pattern to all christendom1 and the spring and leaven of a universal concord of all christians4 #h4 ,therefore1 he will inquire of ,vincent4 ,lirinensis1 ,catholic ,terms of ,quod1 #a4 ,ab omnibus4 #b4 ,ubique4 #c4 ,semper1 receptum est4 7#a47 ,what all christians are agreed in1 as christians1 in the essentials of their religion4 7#b47 ,what all christians did agree on1 in the apostles' time1 which was the time of greatest light1 love1 and purity4 7#c47 ,what all christians1 in all kingdoms of the world1 since then1 to this day1 in the midst of all their other differences1 have been and still are agreed in1 as their religion4 ,for he will see1 that there is no hope of agreeing the disagreeing world 7at least1 in many an age7 by changing men's judgments from what they are1 and bringing them all in controverted things to the mind of some party2 nor to agree them on any terms1 in which they do not really agree4 ,but that their concord must be founded in that1 which they are indeed all agreed in2 leaving the superfluities or additions of each party1 out of the agreement4 #i4 ,the peace-makers will then find1 that the christian religion is contained in three forms4 7#a47 ,in the sacramental covenant with ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 as the briefest formula4 7#b47 ,in the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue2 as the summaries of the credenda1 appetenda1 and agenda1 matters of faith1 will1 7or desire17 and practice1 as the larger form4 7#c47 ,in that canon of ,scripture1 which all the churches receive1 as the largest form or continent4 ,and that he who is understandingly a sacramental covenanter with ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 was ever taken for a visible christian4 ,and therefore baptism was called our christening2 and the baptized taken for christians1 before they knew the controversies of this church1 or that3 and that the competent1 explicit understanding of the creed1 the ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue1 was ever taken for a competent understanding of the sacramental covenant1 and more4 ,and that he that implicitly receiveth the commonly received canonical ,scripture1 as ,god's word1 7though he understand no more than as followeth17 and that explicitly understandeth the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue1 and receiveth them1 and consenteth to the sacramental covenant1 always was accounted1 and is still to be accounted1 a christian4 ,on these terms1 therefore1 the peace-makers will resolve to endeavour the union of the churches4 #aj4 ,therefore they will pare off1 and cast away1 7as the greatest enemy to unity17 all those unnecessary controversies1 or things doubtful1 which christians 7yea1 or divines7 were never agreed in1 and which never were the happy and successful means or terms of any extensive concord2 and which have long been tried to be the great occasions of all the scruples1 and contentions1 and divisions1 and woeful consequents in the churches4 ,and they will once more say1 ,,it ,,seemeth ,,good ,,to ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost1 ,,and ,,to ,,us1 ,,to ,,lay ,,upon ,,you ,,no ,,greater ,,burden ,,than ,,these ,,necessary ,,things1 ,acts xv4 #bh4 ,all christians shall1 in general1 receive the canonical ,scripture as ,god's word2 and more particularly1 the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue1 as the summary of necessaries2 and shall profess1 with competent understanding of it1 their consent to the sacramental covenant2 and vow and devote themselves therein to ,god4 ,and this shall be all the title1 which they shall be forced to show1 for their visible church communion4 ,and though a higher measure of the understanding of the same principles and rules1 shall be required in teachers1 than in the flock2 and accordingly1 the ordainers shall try their understandings1 together with their utterance and ministerial readiness of parts2 yet shall the teachers themselves be 7ordinarily7 forced to no other subscriptions1 professions1 or oaths1 7besides their civil allegiance17 than to assent and consent to all aforesaid2 and to promise ministerial fidelity in their places4 ,all councils1 called general or provincial1 canons1 decretals1 articles1 formulas1 rubrics1 c4 shall be reserved to their proper use2 but be no more used for insnaring and dividing subscriptions1 professions1 or oaths2 or made the engines to tear the churches4 #aa4 ,when all those superfluities1 and foot-balls of contention1 are cast out of the way1 the power of the keys1 or pastoral government1 shall come to be better known and exercised1 and the primitive discipline set up2 which took place before ,cyril of ,alexandria took up the sword1 and pride swelled the bishops into a secular state1 and way of rule4 ,then it shall be church government1 to see that the people be duly taken into the sacramental covenant1 and learn the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue2 and be instructed in the word of ,god1 and live together in sobriety1 righteousness1 and godliness4 ,and the pastors shall leave secular matters to the magistrates2 and be no more troubled nor corrupted by their use of any forcing power3 their government shall be a paternal1 authoritative exercise of instruction1 and of love1 and no more2 like that of a tutor to his pupils1 a physician in his hospital1 a philosopher in his school 7supposing a divine commission and rule74 ,the church itself shall be all their courts1 7supposing the magistrates17 and the people the witnesses2 and the present incumbent pastors be the judges1 without excommunicating and absolving lay-chancellors1 surrogates1 commissaries1 or officials4 ,and all the materials of contention being now gone1 they shall have nothing to do in these courts1 but to try whether the people have learned and understand their catechisms1 and consent to ,god's covenant1 and communicate in his worship with the church2 and when any are accused of wicked living1 contrary to sobriety1 righteousness1 and godliness1 to try whether these accusations be well proved3 and if so1 to persuade the offenders to repent2 and by plain ,scripture arguments1 to convince them of the sin2 and with tears1 or fatherly tenderness and love1 to melt them into remorse1 and bring them to confess and forsake the sin4 ,and if this cannot be done at once1 to try again and again1 and pray for their repentance4 ,and1 when there is no other remedy1 to declare such a one openly incapable of church communion2 and to require the church to avoid communion with him1 and him to forbear intruding into their communion3 and to bind him over by a ministerial denunciation of ,god's displeasure1 7as against the impenitent17 to answer it at the bar of ,god himself2 as one that is under his wrath1 till he do repent4 ,and this is the utmost of the pastoral power that shall then be used 7supposing private admonitions73 and this only in that church or congregation wherein the sinner had before his communion2 and not at a distance1 nor in other churches1 or parts of the world1 where the pastor hath no charge4 ,yea1 this much shall not be exercised irregularly1 and at random1 to the injury of the flock2 but under the rules and remedies afterward here expressed4 #ab4 ,the primitive church form shall be restored3 and as 7where there are christians enough7 no churches shall be too small1 so none shall be greater for number or distance1 than to be one true particular church2 that is1 a society of christians united as pastor and people1 for personal communion and assistance in ,god's public worship1 and holy living3 that is1 so many as may have this personal communion1 if not all at once1 yet per vices1 as oft as is fit for them to meet with the church 7which all in a family cannot usually do at once74 ,so that ,ignatius's church mark shall be restored1 ,to every church there is one altar1 and one bishop1 with his fellow-presbyters and deacons4 ,and there shall no more be a hundred1 or six hundred1 or a thousand altars to one bishop1 primi gradus1 and in one church of the first form1 called a particular church4 ,nor shall all the particular churches be unchurched for want of true bishops2 nor all their pastors degraded into a new order of teaching ministers1 that have no power of pastoral government2 nor the true discipline of the churches be made a mere impossible thing1 whilst it is to be exercised by one bishop only over many hundred congregations1 which do every one of them afford full work for a present bishop4 ,nor shall the bishop's office be thought so little holy1 any more than preaching1 and sacramental administrations1 as to be performable by a lay-delegate1 or any one that is not really a bishop4 ,but the people shall know them that are over them in the ,lord1 which labour among them1 and admonish them2 and shall esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake2 and shall be at peace among themselves1 #a ,thess4 v4 #ab1 #ac4 ,such bishops as ,dr4 ,hammond in his ,annotations describeth2 that had but one church1 and preached1 baptized1 catechised1 visited the sick1 took care of the poor1 administered the ,lord's supper1 guided every congregation as at present in public worship1 and privately instructed and watched over all the flocks2 shall be in every church that can obtain such4 #ac4 ,where the churches are so great as to need1 7as most will do17 and so happy as to obtain1 many faithful presbyters or pastors1 whether they shall live together in a single college life1 or married1 and at a distance2 and whether one as the chief1 or bishop1 shall be president1 and have a negative voice1 or all be equal in a concordant guidance of the flocks2 shall be left to the choice and liberty of the several churches1 by mutual consent of pastors1 and people1 and magistrates1 to do and vary1 as their several states and exigences shall require3 and shall neither be called antichristian or odious tyranny on the one side1 nor made of necessity to the church's communion or peace on the other1 as long as the true pastoral or episcopal office is exercised in every particular church4 #ad4 ,neither magistrates nor other bishops shall make the bishop's or pastor's sermons and prayers for him2 but leave it as the work of the speaker's office1 to word his own sermons and prayers2 and to choose a set form or no set form1 the same or various1 as the case requireth3 yet so as to be responsible 7as after7 for all abuses and mal-administrations1 and not suffered to deprave ,god's worship1 by confusion or hurtful errors1 or passionate and perverse expressions2 but to be assisted and directed to use his office in the most edifying ways1 by such kind of helps as his personal weaknesses shall require4 ,and where set forms are used1 none shall quarrel with them as unlawful4 #ae4 ,none of the people shall have the high privileges of church communion and sacraments bestowed on them1 against their wills2 no more than a man impenitent and unwilling1 shall be ministerially absolved from the guilt of sin4 ,for every sacramental administration1 whether of baptism1 or of the body and blood of ,christ1 is as full an act of ministerial absolution as any pastor can perform3 and what he doth to particular persons upon their penitence after a lapse1 that the pastor doth to the whole church at the ,lord's supper4 ,and as consent is made by ,christ the condition of pardon and covenant benefits1 which no non-consenter hath a title to2 so therefore professed consent is necessary to the sacramental collation or investiture3 and those that are but constrained by the apparent danger of a fine or gaols1 are not to be accounted voluntary consenters by the church2 when the ,lord of the church will account none for consenters1 that will not forsake all1 and endure fines and gaols1 rather than to be deprived of the benefits of mystical and visible church communion4 ,the magistrate therefore will wisely1 and moderately1 bring all the people to hear that which is necessary to their good2 but will not by penalties force the unwilling to receive either absolutions or communion with the church1 in its special privileges4 ,but if the baptized refuse church communion afterwards1 they lamentably punish themselves2 and if it be found meet to declare them excommunicate1 it will be a terrible penalty1 sufficient to its proper use4 #af4 ,the magistrate will not imprison1 harm1 confiscate1 banish1 or otherwise punish any of his subjects1 eo nomine1 because they are excommunicate2 for that is to punish his body because his soul is punished4 ,nor will he hearken to those unbelieving clergymen1 that cry up the power of the keys as their office2 and when they have done1 scorn it as an ineffectual shadow of power1 which will do nothing without the magistrate's force4 ,but he will himself hear and judge before he punish1 and not be debased to be the clergy's executioner1 to punish before he have tried the cause2 because clergymen's pride and passions may else engage him to be the instrument of their vices and revenge4 ,yea1 as he that seeth a man punished in one court1 will be the more dilatory to bring him to punishment in another1 for the same crime2 so the magistrate that seeth a man excommunicated for his fault1 will rather delay his civil force against that man1 to see what effect his excommunication will have3 because the conjunction of the sword against the excommunicate as such1 doth corrupt ,christ's ordinance1 and make the fruit of it utterly undiscernible1 so that no one can see whether ever it did any thing at all1 or whether all was done by the fear of the sword4 ,and verily1 a faithful minister1 that seeth a sinner come to confession of his fault1 but when he must else lie in gaol and be undone1 will be loth to take that man for a true penitent4 ,and to force pastors to absolve or give the sacrament to every one that had rather take it than lie in gaol and be undone1 is to set up such new terms of church communion1 which ,christ will give men little thanks for4 ,church communion is only a privilege due to volunteers and penitents4 ,but yet the magistrate may punish men with fines or other penalties for the same faults for which they are excommunicated1 having tried and judged them in his own court2 but not quarterus excommunicate1 but according to the nature of the crime4 #ag4 ,the schools of learning1 and academies1 shall not educate youth either in idleness1 luxury1 or hypocritical formality2 but under learned1 pious tutors1 in learning sobriety and piety2 from whence they shall not over-hastily leap into the pastoral office4 #ah4 ,none under thirty years of age 7at what time ,christ himself entered on his public works7 shall take a pastoral charge1 except in case of mere necessity of the church1 no1 not on pretence of extraordinary fitness2 but till then shall employ themselves as learners1 catechists1 schoolmasters1 or probationers4 ,nor shall they meddle in the pulpits with matters of such controversies as the church is in danger to be troubled with4 #ai4 ,ministers shall all be commanded by the magistrate1 and advised by the neighbour pastors1 to forbear all unnecessary controversies in the pulpits2 and to teach the people the foresaid substantials1 the covenant of grace1 the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 and decalogue1 the duties of faith1 love1 repentance1 and obedience2 and shall reserve their subtle and curious speculations for schools and theological writings3 and so the christian people shall be bred up in the primitive1 plain simplicity of doctrine and religion2 and their brains shall not be heated and racked with those new-coined phrases and subtleties1 which will but distemper them into a proud1 contentious1 wrangling disease2 but will not be truly understood by them1 when all is done4 ,and so1 when it is the people's work to hear only 7usually7 the doctrine of the catechism1 and simple old christianity1 and to talk of no other2 #a4 ,their time will be employed in promoting faith1 repentance1 love1 and obedience1 which was wont to be spent in vain janglings and strife of words4 ,and1 #b4 ,religion will be an easier thing2 and1 consequently1 will be more common 7as cheap food and raiment is every one's pennyworth73 and ministers may hope to bring the generality of their people to be savingly and practically religious3 whereas the fine-spun religion of novelists1 and wranglers1 that pretend new light and increase of knowledge1 doth not only dwindle into a cobweb of no use1 or life1 or power2 but must be confined to a few1 that can have leisure to learn to talk in new phrases1 and will but become the matter of ignorant men's pride and ostentation2 and make them think1 that they only are the religious people2 and all that cannot talk as they1 are profane1 and not to be admitted to their communion4 ,whenas the apostolic1 primitive1 plain religion1 without the laces1 and whimsies1 that dreamers have since introduced1 would make men humble1 holy1 heavenly1 obedient1 meek1 and patient2 and spare men the loss of a great deal of time4 #bj4 ,the maintenance of the ministry shall neither be so poor1 as to discourage men from devoting their children to the office1 or disable them from a total addictedness to their proper work1 by any distracting wants or cares2 nor yet wholly disable them from works of charity3 nor yet so great1 as may be a strong bait to proud1 covetous1 worldly-minded men1 to intrude into the ministry for fleshly ends4 ,it shall be so much1 as that the burden of their calling may not be increased by want2 but yet not so much1 but that self-denial shall be exercised by all that undertake the ministry2 and of the two1 the burden of the ministerial labours1 with its proper sufferings1 shall to flesh and blood seem to preponderate the worldly advantage4 ,so greatly needful is it to the church1 that all ministers be self-denying men2 that valuing things spiritually can practise humility1 mortification1 and contempt of the world1 as well as preach it4 #ba4 ,there shall be a treble lock upon the door of the ministry3-- 7#a47 ,whether they are fit to be ministers in general1 the ordainers shall judge4 7#b47 ,whether they are fit to be the pastors of this or that particular church1 the members of the church shall so far judge1 as that none shall become their pastors without their own consent4 7#c47 ,whether they be fit for the magistrate's countenance1 maintenance1 and protection1 the magistrate himself shall judge4 ,and therefore1 all three shall severally try and approve each pastor3 yet so1 that the two first only be taken as necessary to the office itself2 and the third only to the maintenance and encouragement or defence of the officer4 ,and though sometimes this may occasion disagreements and delays for a time2 yet1 ordinarily1 the securing of a faithful ministry1 and other good effects1 will countervail many such inconveniences4 #bb4 ,no one church shall have the government of another church2 and the secular differences of metropolitans1 patriarchs1 c4 which was set up in one empire1 upon secular accounts1 and from secular reasons1 shall all cease4 ,and no differences shall be made necessary among them1 which ,christ hath not made necessary4 ,but christian princes shall take warning by the ,greek and ,latin churches1 and by all the calamities and ruins which have been caused in the christian world1 by bishops striving who should be the greatest1 when ,christ decided the controversy long ago1 ,luke xxii4 #bc4 ,as christians hold personal1 christian communion1 in their several particular churches2 so churches hold a communion of churches1 by necessary correspondencies and associations3 not making a major vote of bishops in synods1 to have a proper government over the minor part2 but that by counsel and concord1 that may help and strengthen one another1 and secure the common interest of christianity4 ,and that he that is a member of one church1 may be received of the rest2 and he that is cast out of one1 may not be received by the rest1 unless he be wronged4 ,so that it shall not be one politic church1 but a communion of churches4 #bd4 ,the means of this communion shall be1 7#a47 ,by messengers4 7#b47 ,by letters and certificates communicatory4 7#c47 ,by synods4 #be4 ,these synods shall1 as to a few neighbour churches1 be ordinary and stated2 and the meetings of ministers in them shall be improved1 7#a47 ,to the directing and counselling of one another1 in matters doubtful2 especially of discipline4 7#b47 ,to edify each other by conference1 prayer1 and disputations4 7#c47 ,that the younger may be educated under the grave advice and counsels of the elder4 7#d47 ,that the concord of themselves1 and the churches under them1 may be preserved4 ,but if they would grow imperious1 tyrannical1 heretical1 or contentious1 the magistrate shall hinder their stated1 ordinary meetings2 that it be not accounted a thing simply necessary1 nor used to the disturbance of the church or state4 ,and all provincial1 national1 and larger councils1 shall be held by the magistrate's consent4 #bf4 ,he that taketh himself to be wrongfully excommunicated in one church1 shall have a treble remedy3 7#a47 ,to have his cause heard by the associated pastors of the neighbour churches2 though not as rulers of the bishop or pastor of that particular church1 yet as counsellors1 and such whose judgment bindeth to concord in lawful things4 7#b47 ,to be admitted by another church1 if it appear that he is wronged4 ,and1 7#c47 ,to appeal to the magistrate1 as the preserver of justice and order in all societies4 #bg4 ,the magistrate shall appoint some of the most grave1 and wise1 and godly1 and moderate of the ministers1 to have a general inspection over many churches2 and to see that they be well taught and ordered1 and that pastors and people do their duty3 who shall therefore oft visit them1 and shall instruct and exhort the younger ministers2 and with the countenance of the magistrate1 and their own seniority and ability1 shall rebuke the slothful and faulty ministers2 and persuade them to diligence and fidelity3 but shall exercise no outward force by the sword2 nor any excommunication by themselves alone1 or otherwise than in the aforesaid regular way4 #bh4 ,all ordinations shall be performed1 7except in case of necessity17 either in the assembly of the associated pastors1 with their president2 or in the vacant church1 by some of them1 appointed by the rest2 or by the general visitor1 last mentioned1 with a competent number of assistants4 ,but still1 an ordination to the ministry in general1 shall not be taken to be formally the same as the affixing him to this or that church in particular2 nor more than the licensing of a physician is the same with the affixing him to a particular hospital4 #bi4 ,a catalogue shall be drawn up of some of the greatest verities1 which are not expressly found in the creed1 ,lord's prayer1 or decalogue2 which1 as the articles of confession of the associated churches of the nation1 shall serve for these three uses3-- 7#a47 ,to satisfy all foreign churches1 against any accusation1 that they are orthodox4 7#b47 ,to examine the knowledge of such as are admitted to the ministry by 7but not to be subscribed1 unless only as to a general acknowledgment of the soundness of their doctrine2 without saying that1 ,there is nothing faulty in them74 7#c47 ,to be a rule of restraint to ministers1 in their preaching2 that none be allowed publicly1 after admonition1 to preach against any doctrine contained in them4 #cj4 ,the usurped ecclesiastical power of bishops1 and presbyteries1 and councils1 7which were coercive1 or imitated secular courts1 or bound the magistrate to execute their decrees17 being cast out1 and all pastors restrained from playing the bishops in other churches1 out of their own charge1 the magistrate shall exercise all coercive church government himself2 and no more trust the sword directly1 or indirectly1 in the hands of the clergy1 who have long used it so unhappily1 to the disturbance of the christian world1 and the shedding of so much innocent blood4 ,where it may be had1 there shall be a church justice1 or magistrate1 in every considerable parish2 who1 being present1 shall himself hear how ministers preach1 and behave themselves among their people4 ,and all ministers and churches shall be responsible to the magistrate1 for all abuses1 and mal-administration4 ,if any minister preach or pray seditiously1 abusively1 factiously1 railingly1 against tolerable dissenters1 to the destroying of christian love and unity2 or heretically1 to the danger of the people's souls2 or shall exercise tyranny over the people1 or live a vicious life2 or be negligent in his office of teaching1 worship1 or discipline1 or otherwise grossly misbehave himself2 he shall be responsible both 7as aforesaid7 to the associated pastors and visitor1 7or archbishop17 and also to the magistrate2 who shall rebuke and correct him1 according to the measure of his offence4 ,and it shall appear1 that the magistrate is sufficient for all coercive church government1 without all the clergy's usurpations2 which uphold the ,roman and other tyrannical societies4 #ca4 ,the question1 ,who shall be judge of heresy1 schism1 or church sins8 shall be thus decided4 7#a47 ,the bishops or pastors of the particular churches shall be the judges1 who is to be denied communion in their churches as heretics1 schismatics1 c4 7#b47 ,the associated churches shall be judges1 7in their synods1 or by other correspondence17 who is to be commonly denied communion in all their churches2 and what pastors and churches shall have the dextram communionis1 and who not4 7#c47 ,the magistrate shall be the only judge1 who is to be punished for heresy or schism1 c4 with fines1 or any outward1 corporal penalty4 ,and no one shall usurp the other's right4 #cb4 ,the magistrate shall silence all preachers that1 after due admonition1 so grossly misbehave themselves in doctrine1 worship1 or conversation1 as to be the plagues of the churches1 and to do apparently more hurt than good4 ,but as to all worthy and able ministers1 if they commit any fault1 they shall be punished as other subjects1 only with such penalties as shall not1 by silencing or restraint1 be a punishment to the innocent people's souls1 nor hinder the preaching of the gospel of salvation3 even as if the common bakers1 brewers1 butchers1 carpenters1 perform their work perniciously1 7poisoning their beer1 bread1 and meat17 they shall be forbid the trade2 but for other faults1 they shall be so punished1 that the people be not left without bread1 beer1 meat1 houses1 for their faults4 #cc4 ,if any heretics 7as ,arians1 ,socinians1 c47 would creep into the ministry1 there shall not be new forms of subscription made to keep them out2 7which it is likely1 with their vicious consciences1 would be ineffectual1 and would open a gap to the old church tyrannies and divisions27 nor an uncertain evil be ineffectually resisted by a certain greater mischief4 ,but while he keepeth his error to himself1 he is no heretic as to the church 7non apparere being equal to non esse73 and when he venteth his heresy1 he is responsible all the ways aforesaid1 and may be by the magistrate punished for his crime1 and by the churches be branded as none of their communion2 which is the regular way of reforming crimes1 viz4 ,by judgment and execution1 and not by making new rules and laws1 as fast as men break the old2 as though laws could be made which no man can break4 #cd4 ,the magistrate shall countenance or tolerate no sin or error1 so far as he can cure it by just remedies1 which will not do more harm than good3 but he shall unwillingly tolerate many tolerable errors and faults2 because it is not in his power to remedy them1 but by such means4 ,but1 7#a47 ,the sound and concordant ministry only shall have his countenance and maintenance4 7#b47 ,smaller errors and disorder shall be best cured by gentle rebukes1 and discountenance1 and denial of maintenance2 together with the disgrace that will be cast upon them1 by the judgment and dissent of all the united1 concordant ministers and churches 7which together will do more and better1 than exasperating cruelties will do74 7#c47 ,the publishing of pernicious principles shall be restrained more severely4 ,but though men may be restrained from venting pernicious falsehoods1 they cannot be constrained to believe the truth2 7we are not so happy27 nor shall they be constrained to lie1 and say that they believe it when they do not4 #ce4 ,all matters of quarrels1 division1 and cruel usage of each other1 being thus cut off and gone1 bitterness and revengeful thoughts will cease1 and love will revive in all men's breasts1 and unity and peace will follow of its own accord4 ,and if any heretical or contentious sect arise1 the hearts of all united people will so rise against them1 that desertion and shame will quickly kill them4 #cf4 ,then will the hearts of the people cleave to their pastors3 and they will be no more put on the great difficulties of loving the bishops that hurt them1 or of loving them in gaols2 but it will be as easy to love them1 when they feel the love to their souls in the labours and kindness of their pastors1 as to love their dearest and nearest friends4 ,and then love will open the people's ears to the teacher's doctrine1 and it will do them good3 and then the labours and lives of faithful ministers will be sweet and easy1 when the love1 and the unity1 and faithfulness of the people1 is their daily encouragement4 ,oh how good1 and how happy1 will it be for pastors and people thus to live in love and unity6 ,it will not only remind us of ,aaron's perfume1 but of the ,spirit of love that dwelt in our ,redeemer1 and which he promised should be his seal and mark upon all his true disciples2 yea1 and of the celestial society1 and life of perfect love4 #cg4 ,then shall neighbours exercise their charity1 for the help of the ignorant about them1 without the suspicions of venting heresies1 or sedition1 or encroaching on the pastor's office4 ,and neighbours1 when they come together1 shall not take praying together1 or holy conference1 or singing ,god's praise1 or reading good books1 or repeating their teachers' sermons1 or counselling each other1 to be a bad or dangerous work3 but the ignorant1 that cannot spend the ,lord's day in holy exercises at home1 7because they cannot read or remember much17 shall join with the families of their more understanding neighbours1 who can help them2 7as they met1 ,acts xii4 #ab1 for prayer2 and as neighbour families were to join in eating the passover with the family that had not enough to eat it27 for love and unity shall end these jealousies4 ,and all shall be done under the guidance and oversight of their pastors2 and not in enmity of opposition to them1 or to the concordant church assemblies4 ,and oh what helps and comfort will this be to all faithful pastors1 when all the work lieth not on them alone2 but every one sets his hand to build1 in his proper place2 and when they that converse together all the week1 are seconding that which he more seldom teacheth them in public6 #ch4 ,the younger sort of ministers1 that are now bred up in ,vulcan's forge1 shall be then trained up under grave and peaceable men2 where uniting and peace-making principles shall be the rudiments of their literature4 #ci4 ,and the younger sort of the people shall be no more tempted into envious heats against their afflicters2 nor into contentious sects1 because of controversies2 but shall be fed with the milk of peaceable principles1 and be educated in the love of love itself4 ,and the names of sects1 and church divisions1 and proud pretendings1 shall1 by use1 be made as disgraceful1 as now the names of swearing1 drunkenness1 and whoredom are4 #dj4 ,and oh how dear1 how amiable1 how honourable will their governors be1 to such a people 7especially that blessed prince1 that shall first perform this work76 ,how heartily will they pray for them1 plead for them1 and fight for them6 and how freely will they contribute any thing in their power to their aid6 and how impatient will they be against every word that would dishonour them6 ,how blessed will the people be under such a prince6 and how sweet and easy will the life of that prince be1 that is to govern such a people6 ,,grant1 ,o ,,lord1 ,,that ,,this ,,great ,,honour ,,and ,,comfort ,,may ,,fall ,,into ,,the ,,hands ,,of ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,england1 ,,before ,,all ,,others ,,in ,,the ,,world4 ,kings will then see1 that it is their interest1 their honour1 and their greatest happiness on earth1 to be the wise1 pious1 righteous governors1 of a wise1 pious1 just1 united people2 that love them so much1 that still they would fain serve them better than they are able4 #da4 ,the ignorant1 vulgar1 and ruder sort1 observing this amiable concord1 and all the blessed fruits thereof1 will admire religion1 and fall in love with it3 and multitudes that shall be saved1 will be daily added to the seriously religious1 and the house of ,christ will be filled with guests4 #db4 ,hereupon the scandalous and flagitious lives of common protestants will be much cured2 for the number of the flagitious will grow small1 and crimes will be under common disgrace4 ,besides that1 they will be punished by the magistrate2 so that gross sin will be a marvel4 #dc4 ,the books of plain doctrine and holy living1 with the pacificatory treatises of reconcilers1 will then be most in esteem and use2 which now are so disrelished by turbulent1 discontented1 siding persons4 ,and abundance of controversial writings1 about church government1 liturgies1 ceremonies1 and many other matters1 will be forgotten and cast aside as useless things2 for the swords shall be made into plough-shares and pruning-hooks4 #dd4 ,the happy example of that happy prince and country1 that shall begin and first accomplish this work1 will be famous through all the protestant churches2 and will inflame such desires of imitation in them all1 and be such a ready direction in the way1 that it will greatly expedite their answerable reformation4 ,and the famous felicity of that prince1 in the reformation and concord of his subjects1 will kindle in the hearts of other protestant princes and states an earnest desire of the same felicity4 ,and so1 as upon the invention of printing1 and of guns1 the world was presently possessed of guns and of printed books1 that never before attained any such thing2 so here1 they that see the happiness of one kingdom brought about1 and see how it was done1 will have matter enough before their eyes1 both to excite their desires and guide their endeavours in the means to bring all this to pass4 #de4 ,the protestant kingdoms and states1 being thus reformed and united in themselves1 will be inflamed with an earnest desire of the good of all other churches1 and of all the world3 and therefore1 as divines have held something called general councils for the union of all those churches2 so these princes will by their agents hold assemblies for maintaining correspondence1 to the carrying on of the common good of the world1 by the advantage of their united counsels and strength2 and then no enemy can stand long before them4 ,for they that love and serve them zealously at home1 will venture their lives for them zealously abroad1 if there be cause4 #df4 ,the excellent and successful use of the magistrate's government of the churches in their dominions1 will quite shame all the usurping claims of the pope and general councils1 and their mongrel ecclesiastic courts1 and all the train of artifices and offices1 by which their government of the world is managed4 ,and the world1 and especially princes1 will plainly see how much they were abused by their usurpations1 and that there is no need of pope or cardinal1 nor any of those officers or acts at all2 but that these are the mere contrivances of carnal policy1 to keep up an earthly kingdom under the name of the catholic church4 ,and also the purity and unity of the reformed churches1 where the vulgar have more religion and union than their monasteries1 will dazzle the eyes of the popish princes1 states1 and people2 and when they see better1 and especially the happiness of the princes1 they will forsake the usurper that had captivated them by fraud1 and will assume their freedom and felicity2 and so the ,roman church kingdom will fall4 #dg4 ,the deluded ,mahometans seeing the unity and glory of christendom1 as they were before kept from ,christ by the wicked lives and the divisions of christians 7thinking that we are far worse than they72 so now they will be brought to admire and honour the christian name1 and fear the power of the christian princes4 ,and one part of them will turn christians2 and the rest1 even the ,turkish power1 the christian's force1 by the power of ,god1 will easily break4 ,and so the ,eastern churches will be delivered and reformed1 and the ,mahometans come into the faith of ,christ4 #dh4 ,the poor scattered ,jews also1 when they see the glory and concord of christians1 will be convinced that ,christ is indeed the true ,messias3 and being converted1 perhaps1 shall by the christian powers be some of them re-established in their own land2 but not to their ancient peculiarity1 or policy and law4 #di4 ,and then the christian zeal will work to the conversion of the poor idolatrous1 heathen world2 and part of them will yield to reason and faith1 and the rest by just victories be subdued4 ,and so the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdoms of the ,lord and his ,christ2 and the gospel shall be preached in all the world4 #ej4 ,and when the kingdom of grace is perfected1 and hath had its time1 the kingdom of glory shall appear1 upon the glorious appearing of ,christ our ,king2 and the dead shall arise1 and they that have overcome1 shall reign with ,christ1 and sit with him upon the throne1 even as he overcame1 and is set down with the ,father on his throne4 ,amen4 ,even so1 come1 ,lord ,jesus4 ,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also1 which shall believe on me through their word2 that they all may be one1 as thou1 ,father1 art in me1 and ,i in thee2 that they also may be one in us1 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me4 ,and the glory which thou gavest me1 ,i have given them1 that they may be one1 even as we are one4 ,i in them1 and thou in me2 that they may be made perfect in one2 and that the world may know that thou hast sent me1 and hast loved them1 as thou hast loved me4 ,father1 ,i will that they also whom thou hast given me1 be with me where ,i am1 that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me1 ,john xvii4 #bj-bd4 ,object4 ,but if this world should ever become so happy1 it would be more amiable1 and so be a greater snare to our affections1 and make us willing to stay from heaven4 ,answ4 ,no amiableness or pleasantness stealeth the heart from ,god1 or keepeth it from heaven1 but that which hideth the glory and goodness of ,god and heaven from our minds1 or corrupteth and diverteth the will and affections by some inconsistency or contrariety2 but the spiritual excellency of the reformed concordant church on earth1 will so much more clearly represent heaven to our conceptions1 and give our hearts so pleasant a foretaste of it1 that above all things it will excite our desires of that fuller glory1 and call us most powerfully to a heavenly mind and life3 as the first-fruits and earnest do make us desire the harvest1 and the full possession2 and as now those that live in the most heavenly society1 and under the most excellent helps and means1 have usually more heavenly minds and lives1 than they that in more tempting and distracting company never enjoy such heavenly beams4 ,,consectary4 ,all the ,romish dreams of church union arise from ignorance of the true state and interest of the church1 and the true and necessary terms of union4 ,and all the plots also of the moderating papists1 that talk of a political church catholic having a visible constitutive or governing head2 whether monarchical1 7the pope17 or aristocratical1 or democratical 7the patriarchs1 or a general council73 and that talk of universal laws of this church1 made by such a universal head1 besides the universal laws of ,christ2 and falsely feign the councils called general1 in a particular empire1 called or ruled by one emperor only1 in his own dominions1 to have been universal1 as to all the catholic churches on earth2 and that feign these councils to have been infallible1 which so often erred1 and crossed each other2 and that set the world upon the undeterminable controversy1 ,which were true general councils2 and1 ,how many we must receive and conform to3 whether only four1 or six1 or eight2 and till what age4 ,and that would persuade the christian world1 that whatever diversity of canons1 customs1 or church laws1 or ceremonies1 are allowed among them1 it must all be done or held by this same authority of the pope or council1 or both3 to which 7though foreign7 kings and bishops must all be subject2 and from which they must receive their christianity2 and by which all their reformations must be tried3 and that none must be taken as catholics1 nor any churches tolerated1 that hold not such a factious union1 under such a usurping head1 personal or collective3 but as ,tertullian speaketh1 rather than endure such wiser and better societies1 ,solitudinem facerent1 et vocarent pacem3 and as a ,,worldly ,,clergy1 whose church and kingdom is only of and in this world1 would banish from it all 7save a lifeless image7 which hath any kin to heaven2 and suffers none to live in this world among them but themselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i say1 all this is1 #a4 ,from ignorance of the true nature of the christian religion1 church state1 and terms of unity and concord2 which ,i have lately opened in a book1 entitled1 ,the ,true and only ,terms of the ,concord of all the ,churches4 #b4 ,and from contention about ambiguous words1 and self-conceitedness in their controversies1 ignorantly thence raised2 which ,i have sought to end in a book1 called1 ,catholic ,theology4 #c4 ,and from vicious passions and partiality2 which ,i have sought to heal in a book1 called1 ,the ,cure of ,church ,divisions4 ,all written long since the writing of this foregoing ,prognostication4 ,,the ,,reformed ,,liturgy4 ,,the ,,ordinary ,,public ,,worship ,,on ,,the ,,lord',s ,,day4 ,the ,congregation being reverently composed1 let the ,minister first crave ,god's assistance and acceptance of the ,worship1 to be performed in these or the like words4 ,eternal1 incomprehensible1 and invisible ,god1 infinite in power1 wisdom1 and goodness1 dwelling in the light which no man can approach1 where thousand thousands minister unto thee1 and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before thee1 yet dwelling with the humble and contrite1 and taking pleasure in thy people3 ,thou hast consecrated for us a new and living way1 that with boldness we may enter into the holiest1 by the blood of ,jesus1 and hast bid us seek thee while thou mayst be found3 ,we come to thee at thy call1 and worship at thy footstool4 ,behold us in thy tender mercies4 ,despise us not1 though unworthy4 ,thou art greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints1 and to be had in reverence of all that are about thee4 ,put thy fear into our hearts1 that with reverence we may serve thee2 sanctify us1 that thou mayst be sanctified of us1 when we draw nigh thee4 ,give us the ,spirit of grace and supplication to help our infirmities1 that our prayers may be faithful1 fervent1 and effectual4 ,let the desire of our souls be to thee3 let us draw near thee with our hearts1 and not only with our lips1 and worship thee1 who art a ,spirit1 in spirit and truth4 ,let thy word be spoken and heard by us as the word of ,god4 ,give us attentive1 hearing ears1 and opened1 believing1 understanding hearts1 that we may no more refuse thy calls1 nor disregard thy merciful1 outstretched hand1 nor slight thy counsels and reproofs2 but be more ready to hear1 than to give the sacrifice of fools4 ,put thy laws into our hearts1 and write them in our minds1 and let us be all taught of ,god4 ,let thy word be unto us quick and powerful2 a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart2 mighty to pull down strong-holds1 casting down imaginations and reasonings1 and every high thing that advanceth itself against the knowledge of ,god2 and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of ,christ4 ,let us magnify thee with thanksgiving1 and triumph in thy praise4 ,let us rejoice in thy salvation1 and glory in thy holy name4 ,open thou our lips1 ,o ,lord1 and let our mouths show forth thy praise4 ,and let the words of our mouths1 and the meditation of our hearts1 be acceptable in thy sight1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and only ,saviour4#agf ,amen4 ,or thus1 when brevity is necessary4 ,o eternal1 almighty1 and most gracious ,god1 heaven is thy throne1 and earth is thy footstool1 holy and reverend is thy name2 thou art praised by the heavenly hosts1 and in the congregation of thy saints on earth1 and wilt be sanctified in all that come nigh unto thee4 ,we are sinful and unworthy dust1 but being invited by thee1 are bold1 through our blessed ,mediator1 to present ourselves and our supplications before thee4 ,receive us graciously1 help us by thy ,spirit2 let thy fear be upon us2 let thy word come unto us in power1 and be received in love1 with attentive1 reverent1 and obedient minds4 ,make it to us the savour of life unto life4 ,cause us to be fervent in prayer1 and joyful in thy praises1 and to serve thee this day without distraction1 that we may find that a day in thy courts is better than a thousand1 and that it is good for us to draw near to ,god2 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,saviour4#agg ,amen4 ,next1 let one of the ,creeds be read by the ,minister1 saying1 ,in the profession of this christian faith we are here assembled4 ,i believe in ,god the ,father1 c4 ,i believe in one ,god1 c4 ,and sometimes ,athanasius' ,creed4 ,the ,ten ,commandments4 ,god spake these words1 and said1 c4 ,for the right informing and affecting the ,people1 and moving them to a penitent1 believing ,confession1 some of these ,sentences may be read4 ,god created man in his image4#agh ,by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin2 and so death passed upon all men1 for that all have sinned4#agi ,for all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4#ahj ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4#aha ,he that believeth on him shall not be condemned3 but he that believeth not is condemned already1 because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten ,son of ,god4#ahb ,and this is the condemnation1 that light is come into the world1 and men loved darkness rather than light1 because their deeds were evil4#ahc ,for every one that doth evil hateth the light1 neither cometh to the light1 lest his deeds should be reproved4#ahd ,christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law1 being made a curse for us4#ahe ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4#ahf ,that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4#ahg ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven4#ahh ,say unto them1 ,as ,i live1 saith the ,lord ,god1 ,i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked2 but that the wicked turn from his way and live3 turn ye1 turn ye from your evil ways2 for why will ye die1 ,o house of ,israel8#ahi ,i say unto you1 there is joy in the presence of the angels of ,god over a sinner that repenteth4#aij ,i will arise and go to my father1 and say unto him1 ,father1 ,i have sinned against heaven1 and before thee1 and am no more worthy to be called thy son4#aia ,the ,confession of ,sin1 and ,prayer for ,pardon and ,sanctification4 ,o ,most holy1 righteous1 and gracious ,god1 who hatest all the workers of iniquity1 and hast appointed death to be the wages of sin1 but yet for the glory of thy mercy hast sent thy ,son to be the ,saviour of the world1 and hast promised forgiveness of sin through his blood1 to all that believe in him1 and by true repentance turn unto thee1 and that whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sin1 shall have mercy2 we confess that we are vile and miserable sinners1 being conceived in sin2 by nature children of wrath1 and transgressors from the womb4 ,all we like sheep have gone astray1 and turned every one to his own way4 ,thou madest us1 and not we ourselves4 ,thou boughtest us with a price1 and we are not our own2 therefore we should have wholly given up ourselves unto thee1 and have glorified thee with our souls and bodies as being thine4 ,whatever we did should have been done to thy glory1 and to please thee1 in the obeying of thy will4 ,but we have displeased and dishonoured thee1 and turned from thee1 exalting1 seeking1 and pleasing ourselves4 ,thou art the ,king of all the world1 and thy laws are holy1 just1 and good4 ,but we have denied thee our due subjection and obedience1 being unruly and self-willed1 minding the things of the flesh1 and making provision for its lusts4 ,we have staggered at thy word through unbelief1 and have not fully placed our trust and hope in thee4 ,we have rather feared man that is dust1 and can but kill the body1 than thee1 that canst destroy both soul and body in hell4 ,thou art infinitely good1 and love itself1 yet have we not fully taken thee for our portion1 nor loved thee with all our heart1 and soul1 and might1 nor made thee our full desire and delight4 ,but we have inordinately loved ourselves1 and the world1 and the things of the world1 and lived by sense when we should have lived by faith1 and cared and laboured for the food that perisheth1 when we should have laboured for the one thing needful1 and that which endureth to everlasting life4 ,we have been slothful servants1 yielding to temptations1 ashamed of our duty1 losing our precious time1 when we should have been fervent in spirit1 serving the ,lord1 cleaving to thee with full resolution1 redeeming the time1 and with diligence making sure our calling and election4 ,we have not with due holiness and reverence drawn near thee1 and used thy holy name1 thy worship1 and thy day4 ,we have dishonoured and disobeyed our superiors1 and neglected our inferiors4 ,we have been guilty of not loving our neighbours as ourselves1 and not doing to others as we would they should do to us2 but have sought our own against their welfare1 not forbearing and forgiving1 not loving our enemies as we ought1 not following peace1 nor studying to do good to all according to our power4 ,we have sinned secretly and openly1 in thought1 word1 and deed1 ignorantly and presumptuously1 in passion and upon deliberation1 against thy precepts1 promises1 and threats2 against thy mercies and thy judgments1 under thy patience and in thy sight2 against our consciences1 our purposes1 and our covenants4 ,when we were hastening to death and judgment1 for which through all our lives we should have prepared1 thou hast commended thy wonderful love towards us in giving thy ,son to die for sinners1 to reconcile us to thee1 while we were enemies2 and all things being made ready1 thou hast sent thy messengers to invite us to come in1 preaching to us the glad tidings of salvation1 and freely offering us pardon and life in ,jesus ,christ2 but we have made light of it1 and neglected this great salvation1 and made excuses or too long delays2 undervaluing our ,redeemer1 his blood and merits1 his offered grace and endless glory1 rejecting his holy doctrine and example1 resisting his ,spirit1 ministers1 and word4 ,we have sinned1 ,o ,lord1 against thee1 and against our own souls1 and are not worthy to be called thy children4 ,we have deserved everlasting wrath2 to us belongeth confusion1 but mercy and forgiveness to thee4 ,have mercy upon us1 ,o ,god1 according to the multitude of thy mercies4 ,heal our souls that have sinned against thee1 and enter not into judgment with thy servants4 ,hide thy face from our sins1 and blot out all our iniquities4 ,cast us not away from thy presence1 and avenge not upon us the quarrel of thy covenant4 ,wash us in the blood of the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sin of the world4 ,accept us in thy beloved ,son1 who was made a curse for us1 and was wounded for our transgressions1 that we might be healed by his stripes4 ,turn us1 ,o ,god of our salvation1 and cause thy face to shine upon us4 ,give us repentance unto life3 cause us to loathe ourselves for all the evils that we have committed4 ,give us that broken1 contrite spirit which thou wilt not despise4 ,create in us a clean heart1 ,o ,god1 and renew a right spirit within us4 ,take out of us the old and stony heart1 and give us a new and tender heart4 ,give us the ,spirit of thy ,son1 and be our ,god1 and let us be thy people4 ,enlighten our understandings to know the wonderful things of thy law1 the dimensions of thy love in ,christ1 the mysteries of thy kingdom1 and the riches of the glory of thy inheritance in the saints1 and that we may approve the things that are excellent1 and may escape the snares of the devil1 and may hate every false way4 ,shed abroad thy love in our hearts by thy ,holy ,spirit1 and cause us so to love thee1 that nothing may separate us from thy love4 ,put thy fear into our hearts1 that we may never depart from thee4 ,cause us to seek first thy kingdom1 and its righteousness1 and 7as those that are risen with ,christ7 to seek the things that are above1 and to lay up a treasure in heaven1 and let our hearts and conversations be there4 ,mortify our earthly inclinations and desires4 ,crucify the world to us1 and us unto the world by the cross of ,christ4 ,cause us to live by faith1 and look at the things that are unseen2 and use the world as not over-using it1 seeing the fashion of it passeth away2 striving to enter in at the strait gate1 and running so as to obtain4 ,let us no longer live the rest of our time to the lust of men1 but the will of ,god1 studying in all things to please thee1 and to be accepted of thee4 ,let us not seek our own wills1 but the will of him that called us2 yea1 let us delight to do thy will1 ,o ,god2 let our delight be in thy law1 and let us meditate therein day and night4 ,cause us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts1 and to live soberly1 and righteously1 and godly in this present world1 as obedient children1 not fashioning ourselves to the former lusts of our ignorance2 but as he that hath called us is holy1 let us be holy in all manner of conversation4 ,cause us to love one another with a pure heart1 forbearing and forgiving one another1 if any have a quarrel against another1 even as ,christ forgave us4 ,give us the wisdom which is first pure1 and then peaceable4 ,in our eyes let a vile person be contemned1 but let us honour them that fear the ,lord4 ,cause us to walk circumspectly without offence1 and to be zealous of good works2 to love our enemies1 and not to give place to wrath2 and in patience to possess our souls4 ,help us to deny ourselves1 and take up our cross1 and follow ,christ2 esteeming his reproach to be greater riches than the treasures of the world2 that having suffered with him1 we may also be glorified with him4 ,though we must be tempted1 help us to overcome1 and be faithful unto the death2 and then let us receive that crown of life1 through the merits and intercession of ,christ ,jesus our ,lord and only ,saviour2 in whose comprehensive words we sum up our requests1 saying as he hath taught us1 ,our ,father which art in heaven1 hallowed be thy name4 ,thy kingdom come1 c4#aib ,or thus1 when brevity is necessary4 ,o ,most great1 most just1 and gracious ,god1 thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity1 thou condemnest the ungodly1 impenitent1 and unbelievers2 but hast promised mercy through ,jesus ,christ to all that repent and believe in him4 ,we confess that we were conceived in sin1 and are by nature children of wrath2 and have all sinned and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,in our baptism thou tookest us into the bond of the holy covenant1 but we remembered not our ,creator in the days of our youth1 with the fear1 and love1 and obedience which we owed thee3 not pleasing and glorifying thee in all things1 nor walking with thee by faith in a heavenly conversation1 nor serving thee fervently with all our might2 but fulfilled the desires of the flesh1 and of the carnal mind4 ,we have neglected and abused thy holy worship1 thy holy name1 and thy holy day4 ,we have dishonoured our superiors1 and neglected our inferiors4 ,we have dealt unjustly and uncharitably with our neighbours1 not loving them as ourselves1 nor doing to others as we would they should do to us4 ,we have not sought first thy kingdom and righteousness1 and been contented with our daily bread1 but have been careful and troubled about many things1 neglecting the one thing necessary4 ,thou hast revealed thy wonderful love to us in ,christ1 and offered us pardon and salvation in him2 but we made light of it1 and neglected so great salvation1 and resisted thy ,spirit1 word1 and ministers1 and turned not at thy reproof4 ,we have run into temptations2 and the sin which we should have hated1 we have committed in thy sight1 both secretly and openly1 ignorantly and carelessly1 rashly and presumptuously1 against thy precepts1 thy promises1 and threats1 thy mercies and thy judgments4 ,our transgressions are multiplied before thee1 and our sins testify against us4 ,if thou deal with us as we deserve1 thou wilt cast us away from thy presence into hell1 where the worm never dieth1 and the fire is not quenched4 ,but in thy mercy1 thy ,son1 and thy promise1 is our hope4 ,have mercy upon us1 most merciful ,father4 ,be reconciled to us1 and let the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanse us from all our sins4 ,take us for thy children1 and give us the ,spirit of thy ,son4 ,sanctify us wholly1 shed abroad thy love in our hearts1 and cause us to love thee with all our hearts4 ,o make thy face to shine upon thy servants2 save us from our sins1 and from the wrath to come2 make us a peculiar people to thee1 zealous of good works1 that we may please thee1 and show forth thy praise4 ,help us to redeem the time1 and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure4 ,give us things necessary for thy service1 and keep us from sinful discontent and cares4 ,and seeing all these things must be dissolved1 let us consider what manner of persons we ought to be1 in all holy conversation and godliness4 ,help us to watch against temptations1 and resist and overcome the flesh1 the devil1 and the world2 and being delivered out of the hand of all our enemies1 let us serve thee without fear1 in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of our life4 ,guide us by thy counsel1 and after receive us into thy glory1 through ,jesus ,christ our only ,saviour4 ,amen4#aic ,here use the ,lord's ,prayer as before4 ,for the strengthening of ,faith1 and raising the ,penitent1 some of these ,sentences of the ,gospel may be here read4 ,hear what the ,lord saith to the absolution and comfort of penitent believers4 ,the ,lord your ,god is gracious and merciful1 and will not turn away his face from you1 if ye return unto him4#aid ,if any man sin1 we have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous3 and he is the propitiation for our sins3 and not for ours only1 but also for the sins of the whole world4#aie ,be it known unto you1 men and brethren1 that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins3 and by him all that believe are justified from all things1 from which they could not be justified by the law of ,moses4#aif ,where sin abounded1 grace did much more abound3 that as sin reigned unto death1 even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4#aig ,if we walk in the light1 as he is in the light1 we have fellowship one with another1 and the blood of ,jesus ,christ his ,son cleanseth us from all sin4 ,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us4 ,if we confess our sin1 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4#aih ,come unto me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,take my yoke upon you1 and learn of me2 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart3 and ye shall find rest unto your souls4 ,for my yoke is easy1 and my burden is light4#aii ,whosoever will1 let him take of the water of life freely4#bjj ,all that the ,father hath given me shall come to me2 and him that cometh to me ,i will in nowise cast out4#bja ,i will be merciful to their unrighteousness1 and their sins and iniquities ,i will remember no more4#bjb ,hear also what you must be and do for the time to come1 if you would be saved4 ,now if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he is none of his4#bjc ,if any man be in ,christ1 he is a new creature3 old things are passed away2 behold1 all things are become new4#bjd ,there is no condemnation to them that are in ,christ ,jesus1 who walk not after the flesh1 but after the ,spirit4 ,for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh2 but they that are after the ,spirit the things of the ,spirit4#bje ,for to be carnally-minded is death1 but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace4#bjf ,for the carnal mind is enmity against ,god3 for it is not subject to the law of ,god1 neither indeed can be4#bjg ,so then they that are in the flesh cannot please ,god4#bjh ,for if ye live after the flesh1 ye shall die3 but if through the ,spirit ye mortify the deeds of the body1 ye shall live4#bji ,now the works of the flesh are manifest1 which are these2 ,adultery1 fornication1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1 hatred1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 seditions1 heresies1 envyings1 murders1 drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like3 of the which ,i tell you before1 as ,i have told you in time past1 that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4#baj ,but the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance3 against such there is no law4 ,and they that are ,christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts4#baa ,let us walk honestly1 as in the day2 not in rioting and drunkenness1 not in chambering and wantonness1 not in strife and envying4 ,but put ye on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and make no provision for the flesh1 to fulfil the lusts thereof4#bab ,love not the world1 neither the things that are in the world4 ,if any man love the world1 the love of the ,father is not in him4 ,for all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh1 the lust of the eye1 and the pride of life1 is not of the ,father1 but is of the world4#bac ,enter ye in at the strait gate3 for wide is the gate1 and broad is the way1 that leadeth to destruction1 and many there be that go in thereat3 because strait is the gate1 and narrow is the path1 that leadeth unto life1 and few there be that find it4#bad ,for the grace of ,god that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men1 teaching us that1 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 and righteously1 and godly1 in this present world2 looking for the blessed hope1 and the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ2 who gave himself for us1 that he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify to himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works4#bae ,blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly1 nor standeth in the way of sinners1 nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful4 ,but his delight is in the law of the ,lord2 and in his law doth he meditate day and night4#baf ,the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment1 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous4#bag ,wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved1 let us have grace1 whereby we may serve ,god acceptably with reverence and godly fear3 for our ,god is a consuming fire4#bah ,seeing then that these things shall be dissolved1 what manner of persons ought ye to be1 in all holy conversation and godliness1 looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of ,god8#bai ,therefore1 my beloved brethren1 be ye stedfast1 unmoveable1 always abounding in the work of the ,lord1 for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the ,lord4#bbj ,then may be said the ninety-fifth or the hundredth ,psalm1 or the eighty-fourth4 ,and next the ,psalms in order for the day2 and next shall be read a chapter of the ,old ,testament1 such as the ,minister findeth most seasonable2 or with the liberty expressed in the admonition before the second book of ,homilies4#bba ,after which may be sung a ,psalm1 or the ,te ,deum said2 then shall be read a chapter of the ,new ,testament1 and then the ,prayer for the ,king and ,magistrates4 ,and after that1 the sixty-seventh1 or ninety-eighth1 or some other ,psalm1 may be sung or said1 or the ,benedictus1 or ,magnificat4 ,and the same order to be observed at the ,evening ,worship1 if time allow it4#bbb ,next after the psalm the minister shall 7in the pulpit7 first reverently1 prudently1 and fervently pray1 according to the state and necessities of the church1 and those especially that are present1 and according to the subject that he is to preach on4 ,and after prayer1 he shall preach upon some text of holy ,scripture1 suiting his matter to the necessities of the hearers1 and the manner of delivery to their quality and benefit4 ,always speaking from faith and holy experience in himself1 with plainness and perspicuity1 with reverence and gravity1 with convincing evidence and authority1 with prudence1 caution1 faithfulness1 and impartiality1 with tender love and melting compassion1 with fervent zeal and persuading importunity1 and with frequency and unwearied patience1 waiting on ,god for the success4 ,after sermon he shall pray for a blessing on the word of instruction and exhortation1 which was delivered2 and in his prayers 7before or after sermon7 ordinarily he shall pray for the conversion of heathens1 ,jews1 and other infidels2 the subversion of idolatry1 infidelity1 ,mahometanism1 heresy1 papal tyranny and superstition1 schism and profaneness1 and for the free progress of the gospel1 and the increase of faith and godliness1 the honouring of ,god's name1 the enlargement of the kingdom of ,christ1 and the obedience of his saints through the nations of the earth4 ,and in special for these nations2 for the king's ,majesty1 and the rest of the royal family2 for the lords of his ,majesty's council1 the judges1 and other magistrates of the land2 for the pastors of the church1 and all congregations committed to their care and government4 ,always taking heed that no mixtures of imprudent1 disorderly expressions1 of private discontent and passion1 of unreverent1 disobedient1 seditious1 or factious intimations1 tending to corrupt1 and not to edify1 the people's minds1 do turn either prayer or preaching into sin4 ,and ordinarily in church communion1 especially on the ,lord's day1 7which is purposely separated for the joyful commemoration of the blessed work of man's redemption17 a considerable proportion of the public worship must consist of thanksgiving and praises to ,god1 especially for ,jesus ,christ1 and his benefits2 still leaving it to the minister's discretion to abbreviate some parts of worship1 when he seeth it needful to be longer on some other4#bbc ,the ,sermon and ,prayer being ended1 let the ,minister dismiss the ,congregation with a benediction1 in these or the like words4 ,blessed are they that hear the word of ,god1 and keep it4#bbd ,the ,lord bless you1 and keep you3 the ,lord make his face to shine upon you1 and be gracious unto you3 the ,lord lift up his countenance upon you1 and give you peace4#bbe ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and the love of ,god the ,father1 and the communion of the ,holy ,ghost1 be with you all4 ,amen4#bbf ,except there be a ,communion in the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper to be celebrated1 or any further ,worship to be performed1 and then the ,minister may delay the ,benediction till the ,end4 ,and because1 when there is leisure1 the ,prayers of the ,church should be as full as the ,rule and our ,necessities require2 let the following ,general ,prayer be used1 when the ,minister findeth it convenient1 instead of the ,litany and ,collects4 ,here are also adjoined a ,thanksgiving for ,christ and his benefits1 and a ,hymn to be used at the discretion of the minister1 either after sermon1 or at the communion1 or on other days4 ,a ,prayer for the ,king1 the ,royal ,family1 and ,magistrates4 ,almighty ,god1 by whom kings reign1 and princes decree justice1 who rulest in all the kingdoms of men1 and givest them to whomsoever thou wilt1 who by thy special providence hast set over us thy servant1 ,charles1 our king2 crown him with thy blessings1 and satisfy him with thy goodness4 ,save him by thy right hand1 and defend him against such as rise up against him2 prolong his life in peace and righteousness2 grant him the spirit of wisdom and counsel1 the spirit of holiness1 and the fear of the ,lord1 that he may know how to go in and out before this great people over whom thou hast set him4 ,let not thy law depart out of his mind1 or mouth1 but let him meditate in it day and night4 ,make him as an angel of ,god to discern between good and evil1 that in his eyes a vile person may be contemned1 but he may honour them that fear the ,lord2 that his eyes may be upon the faithful of the land1 that they may dwell with him1 and they that are perfect in the way serve him4 ,remove the wicked from before him1 that his throne may be established in righteousness2 and grant that under him we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty4 ,and when he hath finished his course on earth1 let him inherit a crown of righteousness1 and reign with ,christ for ever4 ,bless the queen mother1 the illustrious prince1 ,james1 duke of ,york1 and the rest of the royal family2 endue them with thy ,holy ,spirit1 enrich them with thy heavenly grace1 and make them blessings in their generation4 ,endue the lords of his ,majesty's council1 and all the nobility1 the judges1 and all the magistrates of the land1 with wisdom from above1 that they may rule as in thy fear1 and judge righteous judgment1 and may take heed what they do1 as judging not for man1 but for the ,lord1 that justice may run down as water1 and righteousness as a mighty stream4 ,let all his ,majesty's subjects duly submit to him and obey him1 not only for wrath1 but for conscience' sake4 ,let all his kingdoms be the kingdoms of the ,lord1 and of his ,son ,christ1 that ,god may dwell amongst us1 and that it may be said of them1 ,the ,lord bless thee1 ,o habitation of ,justice1 and mountain of ,holiness3 for thine1 ,o ,father1 with the ,son and ,holy ,ghost1 is the kingdom1 and power1 and glory for ever4 ,amen4#bbg ,the ,general ,prayer4 ,o most holy1 blessed1 and glorious ,trinity1 ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 ,three ,persons and ,one ,god1 our ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 our ,lord1 our ,governor and ,father1 hear us1 and have mercy upon us1 miserable sinners4 ,o ,lord our ,saviour1 ,god and man6 who1 having assumed our nature1 by thy sufferings1 and death1 and burial1 wast made a ransom to take away the sins of the world2 who being raised from the dead1 ascended and glorified1 art made head over all things to the church1 which thou gatherest1 justifiest1 sanctifiest1 rulest1 and preservest1 and which at thy coming thou wilt raise and judge to endless glory2 we beseech thee to hear us1 miserable sinners3 make sure to us our calling and election1 our unfeigned faith and repentance2 that being justified1 and made the sons of ,god1 we may have peace with him1 as our reconciled ,god and ,father4#bbh ,let thy ,holy spirit sanctify us1 and dwell in us1 and cause us to deny ourselves1 and to give up ourselves entirely to thee1 as being not our own1 but thine4 ,as the world was created for thy glory1 let thy name be glorified throughout the world2 let self-love1 and pride1 and vain-glory be destroyed2 cause us to love thee1 fear thee1 and trust in thee with all our hearts1 and to live to thee4#bbi ,let all the earth subject themselves to thee1 their ,king4 ,let the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of the ,lord1 and of his ,christ4 ,let the atheists1 idolaters1 ,mahometans1 ,jews1 and other infidels1 and ungodly people1 be converted4 ,send forth meet labourers into the harvest1 and let the gospel be preached throughout all the world4 ,preserve and bless them in thy work4 ,sustain in patience1 and seasonably deliver1 the churches that are oppressed by idolaters1 infidels1 ,mahometans1 or other enemies1 or by the ,roman papal usurpations4#bcj ,unite all christians in ,jesus ,christ1 the true and only universal ,head1 in the true christian and catholic faith and love2 cast out heresies and corruptions1 heal divisions1 let the strong receive the weak1 and bear their infirmities2 restrain the spirit of pride and cruelty1 and let nothing be done in strife or vain-glory4#bca ,keep us from atheism1 idolatry1 and rebellion against thee2 from infidelity1 ungodliness1 and sensuality2 from security1 presumption1 and despair4 ,let us delight to please thee1 and let thy word be the rule of our faith and lives2 let us love it1 and understand it1 and meditate in it day and night4#bcb ,let us not corrupt or neglect thy worship2 nor take thy holy name in vain4 ,keep us from blasphemy1 perjury1 profane swearing1 lying1 contempt of thy ordinances1 and from false1 unworthy1 and unreverent thoughts and speeches of ,god1 or holy things2 and from the neglect and profanation of thy holy day4#bcc ,put it into the hearts of the kings and rulers of the world to submit to ,christ1 and rule for him as nursing-fathers to his church3 and save them from the temptations that would drown them in sensuality2 or would break them upon ,christ as a rock of offence1 by engaging them against his holy doctrine1 ways1 and servants4#bcd ,have mercy on thy servant ,charles1 our king1 protect his person1 illuminate and sanctify him by thy ,spirit1 that above all things he may seek thine honour1 the increase of faith1 and holy obedience to thy laws2 and may govern us as thy minister1 appointed by thee for the terror of evil-doers1 and the praise of them that do well1 that under him we may live a quiet and peaceable life1 in all godliness and honesty4#bce ,have mercy upon all the royal family1 upon the lords of the council1 and all the nobility1 the judges1 and other magistrates of these lands4 ,let them fear thee1 and be ensamples of piety and temperance1 haters of injustice1 covetousness1 and pride1 and defenders of the innocent3 in their eyes let a vile person be contemned1 but let them honour them that fear the ,lord4#bcf ,let every soul be subject to the higher powers1 and not resist2 let them obey the king1 and all in authority1 not only for wrath1 but for conscience' sake4#bcg ,give all the churches able1 holy1 faithful pastors1 that may soundly and diligently preach thy word1 and guide the flocks in ways of holiness and peace2 overseeing and ruling them not by constraint1 but willingly1 not for filthy lucre1 but of a ready mind2 not as being lords over thy heritage1 but the servants of all1 and ensamples to the flock2 that when the chief ,pastor shall appear1 they may receive the crown of glory4#bch ,let the people know those that are over them in the ,lord1 and labour among them1 preaching to them the word of ,god2 let them highly esteem them in love for their work's sake1 account them worthy of double honour1 and obey them in the ,lord4#bci ,let parents bring up their children in holy nurture1 that they may remember their ,creator in the days of their youth2 and let children love1 honour1 and obey them4 ,let husbands love their wives1 and guide them in knowledge and holiness2 and let wives love and obey their husbands4 ,let masters rule their servants in thy fear1 and servants obey their masters in the ,lord4#bdj ,keep us from murders and violence1 and injurious passionate words and actions4#bda ,keep us from fornication and all uncleanness1 from chambering and wantonness1 from lustful thoughts and filthy communications1 and all unchaste behaviour4#bdb ,keep us from stealing or wronging our neighbour in his property1 from perverting justice1 from false witnessing and deceit1 from slandering1 backbiting1 uncharitable censuring or other wrong to the reputation of our neighbours4#bdc ,keep us from coveting any thing that is our neighbour's4 ,let us love our neighbours as ourselves1 and do to others as we would they should do to us4#bdd ,cause us to love ,christ in his members with a pure and fervent love1 and to love our enemies1 and do good to all1 as we are able2 but especially to the household of faith4#bde ,give us our necessary sustentation and provision for thy service and contentedness therewith4 ,bless our labours1 and the fruits of the earth in their season1 and give us such temperate weather as tendeth hereunto4 ,deliver us and all thy servants from such sickness1 wants1 and other distresses1 as may unseasonably take us off thy service4 ,keep us from gluttony and drunkenness1 slothfulness1 unlawful gain1 and from making provision for the flesh to satisfy its lusts4#bdf ,when we sin1 restore us by true repentance and faith in ,christ4 ,let us loathe ourselves for our transgressions2 forgive them all1 and accept us in thy well-beloved ,son2 save us from the curse and punishment which they deserve1 and teach us heartily to forgive others4 ,convert our enemies1 persecutors1 and slanderers1 and forgive them4#bdg ,cause us to watch against temptations1 to resist and overcome the flesh1 the devil1 and the world2 and by no allurements of pleasure1 profit1 or honour1 to be drawn from thee to sin4 ,let us patiently suffer with ,christ that we may reign with him4#bdh ,deliver us and all thy people from the enmity and rage of ,satan1 and all his wicked instruments2 and preserve us to thy heavenly kingdom4#bdi ,for thou only art the universal ,king2 all power is thine in heaven and earth3 of thee1 and through thee1 and to thee are all things1 and the glory shall be thine for ever4 ,amen4#bej ,concerning the ,psalms for public use4 ,we desire that instead of the imperfect version of the ,psalms in metre now in use1 ,mr4 ,william ,barton's ,version1 and that perused and approved by the ,church of ,scotland there in use1 7being the best that we have seen17 may be received and corrected by some skilful men1 and both allowed 7for grateful variety7 to be printed together on several columns or pages1 and publicly used2 at least until a better than either of them shall be made4 ,a ,thanksgiving for ,christ1 and his gracious ,benefits4 ,most glorious ,god1 accept1 through thy beloved ,son1 though from the hands of sinners1 of thanksgiving1 which thy unspeakable love and mercies1 as well as thy command1 do bind us to offer up unto thee4 ,thou art the ,father of mercies1 and the ,god of all consolation1 full of compassion1 gracious1 long-suffering1 plenteous in goodness and truth1 keeping mercy for thousands1 forgiving iniquity1 transgression1 and sin4 ,for thy glory thou didst create us after thine image2 thou madest us a little lower than the angels1 and crownedst us with glory and honour1 giving us dominion over the works of thy hands1 and putting all these things under our feet4 ,and when we forsook thee1 and broke thy covenant1 and rebelled against thee1 and corrupted ourselves1 and turned our glory into shame thou didst not leave us in the hands of death1 nor cast us out into utter desperation2 but thou didst so love the sinful world1 as to give thy ,son to be our ,saviour4 ,he took not upon him the nature of angels1 but of man2 the ,word was made flesh and dwelt among us4 ,this is the unsearchable mystery of love which the angels desire to pry into3 he was tempted1 that he might succour them that are tempted1 and conquered the tempter1 that had conquered us4 ,he became poor that was ,lord of all1 to make us rich4 ,he did not sin1 but fulfilled all righteousness1 to save us from our unrighteousness4 ,he made himself of no reputation1 but was reviled1 scorned1 and spit upon1 enduring the cross1 and despising the shame to cover our shame1 and to bring us unto glory2 thou laidst upon him the iniquity of us all4 ,he was bruised and wounded for our transgressions1 that we might be healed by his stripes4 ,he gave himself a ransom for us1 and died for our sins1 and rose again for our justification4 ,we thank thee for his death that saveth us from death1 and that he bore the curse to redeem us from the curse1 and for his life which opened to us the way to life4 ,thou hast given him to be ,head over all things to the church1 and hast given the heathen to be his inheritance1 and given him a name above every name1 and given all power and judgment unto him4 ,we thank thee for the new and better covenant1 for thy great and precious promises2 that thou hast given us eternal life in ,christ4 ,that we have the clear and sure revelation of thy will in the holy ,scriptures4 ,that thou foundest thy church upon apostles and prophets1 ,jesus ,christ himself being the head corner-stone4 ,and hast committed to thy ministers the word of reconciliation1 that as ambassadors speaking in the stead of ,christ1 they might beseech us to be reconciled unto thee4 ,we thank thee that by them thou hast opened our eyes1 and turned us from darkness unto light1 and from the power of ,satan unto ,god4 ,we were sometimes foolish1 disobedient1 deceived1 serving divers lusts and pleasures1 taken captive by ,satan at his will2 but thy mercy saved us by the washing of regeneration1 and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,thou mightest justly have left us to the blindness of our minds1 and to the hardness of our hearts1 to seared consciences1 to be past feeling1 to our own hearts' lusts1 to walk in our own counsels1 and to work uncleanness with greediness1 when we so oft refused to come to ,christ that we might have life1 and would not have him to reign over us4 ,but thy patience waited on us in our sin2 and all the day long didst thou stretch forth thy hand to a disobedient and gainsaying people4 ,when we turned from thee1 thou calledst after us1 to turn and live4 ,thou drewest us to thy ,son1 and openedst our hearts to attend to thy call4 ,thou lovedst us first1 and was found of them that sought thee not4 ,thou hast pardoned our great and manifold transgressions1 and justified us by faith in ,christ1 and given us repentance unto life4 ,thou hast adopted us to be thy sons1 and joint heirs with ,christ2 and made us his members1 and given us his ,spirit3 we are no more strangers1 but fellow-citizens with the saints1 and of thy household4 ,blessed be the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope1 by the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ from the dead1 to an inheritance incorruptible1 undefiled1 that fadeth not away1 reserved in heaven for us4 ,thou keepest us by thy mighty power through faith unto salvation3 ready at last to be revealed1 though 7when they are needful7 we must for a season be in heaviness under tribulations4 ,thou hast promised1 that all things shall work together for our good2 in all our straits thou grantest us access to the throne of grace1 bidding us call upon thee in the time of trouble1 and promising to deliver us1 that we may glorify thee3 every where we have leave to lift up unto thee holy hands1 especially in the house of prayer1 and the assembly of the saints4 ,thou hast heard the voice of our supplications when we have cried unto thee2 great is thy mercy towards us4 ,o ,lord1 thou hast delivered our souls from the lowest hell2 thou hast sent forth from heaven thy mercy and truth2 and saved us from the reproach of him that would swallow us up4 ,thou art our hiding-place3 in the secrets of thy presence thou preservest us from trouble1 from the pride of men1 and from the strife of tongues4 ,thou dost compass us about with songs of deliverance4 ,o love the ,lord1 all ye his saints6 for the ,lord preserveth the faithful1 and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer4 ,he dealeth not with us after our sins2 his anger is but for a moment1 but in his favour is life4 ,in his wrath he remembereth mercy3 all thy paths1 ,o ,lord1 are mercy and truth to such as keep thy covenant4 ,we come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies2 ,o give thanks unto the ,lord1 for he is good1 for his mercy endureth for ever4 ,glory ye in his holy name2 let the hearts of them rejoice that seek him4 ,blessed are the people that know the joyful sound2 they shall walk1 ,o ,lord1 in the light of thy countenance4 ,in thy name they shall rejoice all the day1 and in thy righteousness and favour shall they be exalted4 ,blessed are they that dwell in thy house1 they will be still praising thee4 ,o satisfy us early with thy mercy1 that we may rejoice and be glad in thee all our days4 ,guide us by thy counsel1 and afterwards receive us unto thy glory2 where with all the blessed host of heaven1 we may behold1 admire1 and perfectly and joyfully praise thee1 our most glorious ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 for ever and for ever4#bea ,amen4 ,the ,hymn4 ,the ,first ,part4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul3 and all that is within me1 bless his holy name4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all his benefits3 who forgiveth all thine iniquities1 and healeth all thy diseases2 who redeemed thy life from destruction1 and crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies4 ,as far as the east is from the west1 so far hath he removed our transgressions from us4 ,behold1 what love the ,father hath bestowed on us1 that we should be called the sons of ,god4 ,because thy loving-kindness is better than life1 my lips shall praise thee4 ,thus will ,i bless thee while ,i live2 ,i will lift up my hands in thy name4 ,my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness1 and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips4 ,whom have ,i in heaven but thee8 and there is none on earth that ,i desire besides thee4 ,my flesh and my heart faileth1 but ,god is the strength of my heart1 and my portion for ever4 ,for1 lo1 all that are far from thee shall perish2 but it is good for me to draw near to ,god4 ,i am continually with thee3 thou hast holden me by my right hand4 ,in the multitude of my thoughts within me1 thy comforts delight my soul4 ,thou shalt guide me with thy counsel1 and afterward receive me to glory4#beb ,the ,second ,part4 ,how excellent is thy loving-kindness1 ,o ,god6 therefore do the sons of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings4 ,they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house2 and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures3 for with thee is the fountain of life4 ,in thy light we shall see light4 ,therefore my heart is glad1 and my glory rejoiceth4 ,my flesh also shall rest in hope4 ,thou wilt show me the path of life4 ,in thy presence is fulness of joy1 and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore4 ,surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life2 and ,i shall dwell in the house of the ,lord for ever4 ,o continue thy loving-kindness to them that know thee1 and thy righteousness to the upright in heart4 ,to the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee1 and not be silent4 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i give thanks to thee for ever4#bec ,the ,third ,part4 ,glory to ,god in the highest3 on earth peace1 good will towards men4 ,praise ye the ,lord3 sing to the ,lord a new song2 his praise is in the congregation of saints4 ,for the ,lord taketh pleasure in his people2 he will beautify the meek with salvation4 ,let the saints be joyful in glory4 ,let the high praises of ,god be in their mouths4 ,all thy works praise thee1 ,o ,lord1 and thy saints shall bless thee4 ,they shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom1 and talk of thy power2 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty acts1 and the glorious majesty of thy kingdom4 ,thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom1 and thy dominion is through all generations4 ,the elders and saints about thy throne1 rest not day nor night1 saying1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 ,lord ,god ,almighty1 which was1 and is1 and is to come4 ,thou art worthy1 ,o ,lord1 to receive glory1 and honour1 and power2 for thou hast created all things1 and for thy pleasure they are and were created4 ,they sing unto thee the song of ,moses1 and of the ,lamb1 saying1 ,great and marvellous are thy works1 ,lord ,god ,almighty2 just and true are thy ways1 thou ,king of saints4 ,who shall not fear thee1 ,o ,lord1 and glorify thy name2 for thou only art holy3 for all nations shall come and worship before thee1 for thy judgments are made manifest4 ,worthy is the ,lamb that was slain1 to receive power1 and riches1 and wisdom1 and strength1 and honour1 and glory4 ,for thou hast redeemed us to ,god by thy blood1 and made us kings and priests to ,god4#bed ,the ,fourth ,part4 ,oh that men would praise the ,lord for his goodness1 and for his wonderful works to the children of men6 ,let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving1 and declare his works with rejoicing4 ,sing unto the ,lord1 bless his name2 show forth his salvation from day to day4 ,worship the ,lord in the beauty of holiness3 fear before him1 all the earth4 ,let the heavens rejoice1 and the earth be glad before the ,lord2 for he cometh1 for he cometh to judge the earth4 ,with righteousness shall he judge the world1 and the people with equity4 ,bless the ,lord1 ye his angels1 that excel in strength1 that do his commandments1 hearkening to the voice of his word4 ,bless ye the ,lord1 all ye his hosts1 ye ministers of his that do his pleasure4 ,bless the ,lord1 all his works in all places of his dominions4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul4 ,my mouth shall speak the praises of the ,lord2 and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever4 ,let every thing that hath breath praise the ,lord4 ,praise ye the ,lord4#bee ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,celebrating ,,the ,,sacrament ,,of ,,the ,,body ,,and ,,blood ,,of ,,christ4 ,this1 or the like ,explication of the ,nature1 ,use1 and ,benefits of this ,sacrament1 may be used at the ,discretion of the ,minister1 when he seeth it needful to the ,instruction of the ,communicants4 ,that you may discern the ,lord's body1 and understand the nature1 use1 and benefits of this sacrament2 you must know that ,god created man in his own image1 to know1 and love1 and serve his ,maker2 that man fell under the guilt of sin and condemnation1 and left his holy fitness for the work for which he was created4 ,that hereupon the wonderful love and wisdom of ,god provided us a remedy in our ,redeemer1 to the end he might not lose the glory of his creation1 that he might pardon and save us upon terms2 securing the honour of his justice1 and attaining the ends of his law and government1 and recover us to his love and service1 by appearing to the world1 in the greatest demonstrations of goodness1 love1 and mercy4 ,by the greatest miracle of condescension1 he first promised1 and then gave his only ,son1 the ,eternal ,word1 to take man's nature into personal union with his ,godhead2 that being ,god and man1 he might be a fit ,mediator between ,god and man1 to restore us1 and reconcile us to himself4 ,thus ,jesus ,christ1 conceived by the ,holy ,ghost1 and born of the ,virgin ,mary1 became the ,second ,adam1 the ,physician and ,saviour of undone sinners1 the ,captain of our salvation1 to be the glorious ,king and ,head of all that are sanctified and saved4 ,he revealed the holiness1 the goodness1 and the love of ,god1 by the perfect holiness1 goodness1 and love of his blessed person1 doctrine1 and conversation1 and by suffering for us all the afflictions of this life1 and at last the cursed death of the cross1 as a sacrifice and ransom for us4 ,that all this might be effectual to our recovery1 he made for us a new and better covenant1 and preached it himself1 undertaking the pardon1 justification1 and sanctification of all that by unfeigned faith do take him for their ,saviour1 repenting of their sins1 and consenting to be sanctified by his word and ,spirit 7by which also he inviteth and draweth men to himself1 and giveth them to believe73 into this blessed1 pardoning1 saving covenant1 we are first solemnly entered by baptism4 ,and when ,christ was ready to leave the world1 and to give up himself a sacrifice for us1 and intercede and exercise the fulness of his kingly power1 and the church's ,head2 and by his grace to draw men to himself1 and prepare them for his glory2 he did himself institute this sacrament of his body and blood at his last supper1 to be a continued representation and remembrance of his death1 and therein of his own and his ,father's love1 until his coming2 appointing his ministers1 by the preaching of the gospel1 and administration of these sacraments1 to be his agents without1 and his ,spirit within1 effectually to communicate his grace4 ,the ,lord's supper1 then1 is a holy sacrament instituted by ,christ1 wherein bread and wine being first by consecration made sacramentally1 or representatively1 the body and blood of ,christ1 are used by breaking and pouring out to represent1 and commemorate1 the sacrifice of ,christ's body and blood1 upon the cross once offered up to ,god for sin2 and are given in the name of ,christ unto the church1 to signify and solemnize the renewal of his holy covenant with them1 and giving of himself unto them1 to expiate their sins by his sacrifice1 and sanctify them further by his ,spirit1 and confirm their right to everlasting life3 and they are received1 eaten1 and drunk by the church1 to profess that they willingly receive ,christ himself to the ends aforesaid1 7their justification1 sanctification1 and glorification17 and to signify and solemnize the renewal of their covenant with him1 and their holy communion with him1 and with one another4 ,it being the renewing of a mutual covenant that is here solemnized1 as we commemorate ,christ's sacrifice1 and receive him and his saving benefits1 so we offer and deliver to him ourselves1 as his redeemed1 sanctified people1 to be a living acceptable sacrifice1 thankfully and obediently to live unto his praise4 ,before the receiving of his holy sacrament1 we must examine ourselves1 and come preparedly2 in the receiving of it1 we must exercise holy affections suited to the work2 and after the receiving of it1 we must1 by consideration of it1 endeavour to revive the same affections1 and perform our covenant there renewed4 ,the holy qualifications to be before provided1 and in receiving exercised1 and after receiving1 are these4 #a4 ,a true belief of the articles of the christian faith concerning ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost2 the person1 offices1 works1 sufferings1 and benefits of ,christ4 #b4 ,the sense of our sinful and undone condition1 as in ourselves1 and of our need of ,christ3 so as humbly to loathe ourselves for our transgressions1 with the sense of our present weaknesses to be strengthened1 and sins to be forgiven4 #c4 ,a true desire after ,christ for pardon1 and spiritual nourishment and salvation4 #d4 ,a thankful sense of the wonderful love of ,god1 declared in our redemption1 and in the present offers of ,christ1 and life4 #e4 ,the exercise of holy love and joy in the sense of this unspeakable love4 7,if these two be not felt before we come1 yet in and after the sacrament we must strive to exercise them47 #f4 ,a love to one another1 and forgiving wrongs to one another1 with a desire after the communion of saints4 #g4 ,the giving up ourselves in covenant to ,god1 with resolution for renewed obedience4 #h4 ,a patient hope for the coming of ,christ himself1 and of the everlasting kingdom1 where we shall be perfectly united in him1 and glorified with him4 ,those only are to be invited to the ,lord's table1 and to come1 that truly repent and believe1 and unfeignedly consent to the terms of the covenant 7though all are not to be invited thus to believe and repent1 and so to come74 ,but those are to be admitted1 by the pastors1 if they come1 who1 having the use of reason to understand what they do1 and examine themselves1 have made a personal profession of faith1 repentance1 and obedience2 and are members of the church1 and not justly for heresy or scandalous sin1 removed from its present communion4 ,the benefit of the sacrament is not to be judged of only by present experience and feeling1 but by faith4 ,god having appointed us to use it1 and promised his blessing1 we may and must believe1 that he will make good his promise2 and whatever we feel at present1 that we sincerely wait not on him in vain4 ,the ,exhortation4 ,you are invited hither1 dear brethren1 to be guests at this holy table1 by the ,lord's command1 to receive the greatest mercy1 and to perform the greatest duty4 ,on ,christ's part1 all things are made ready4 ,the feast is prepared for you1 even for you that by sin have deserved to be cast out of the presence of the ,lord2 for you that have so oft neglected and abused mercy4 ,a feast of the body and blood of ,christ1 free to you1 but dear to him4 ,you were lost1 and in the way to be lost for ever1 when by the greatest miracle of condescending love1 he sought and saved you4 ,you were dead in sin1 condemned by the law1 the slaves of ,satan2 there wanted nothing but the executing stroke of justice to have sent you into endless misery2 when our dear ,redeemer pitied you in your blood1 and shed his own to wash and heal you4 ,he suffered that was offended1 that the offender might not suffer4 ,he cried out on the cross1 ,my ,god1 my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 that we who had deserved it1 might not be everlastingly forsaken4 ,he died that we might live4 ,oh how would the mercy of redemption have affected you1 if you had first lain one year1 or month1 or day in hell6 ,had you but seen your dying ,lord1 or seen the damned in their misery1 how do you think you should have valued the salvation that is now revealed and tendered to you8 ,see here ,christ dying in this holy representation4 ,behold the sacrificed ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh away the sins of the world4 ,it is his will to be thus frequently crucified before your eyes4 ,oh how should we be covered with shame1 and loathe ourselves1 that have both procured the death of ,christ by sin1 and sinned against it6 ,and how should we all be filled with joy1 that have such mysteries of mercy opened1 and so great salvation freely offered to us6 ,o hate sin1 ,o love this ,saviour3 see that you come not hither without a desire to be more holy1 nor with a purpose to go on in wilful sin4 ,be not deceived1 ,god is not mocked2 but if you heartily repent1 and consent to the covenant1 come and welcome2 we have commission from ,christ to tell you1 that you are welcome4 ,let no trembling1 contrite soul draw back1 that is willing to be ,christ's upon his covenant terms1 but believe that ,christ is much more willing to be yours4 ,he was first willing1 and therefore died for you1 and made the covenant of grace1 and sent to invite and importune you to consent1 and stayed for you so long1 and gave you your repentance1 your willingness1 and desire4 ,question not then his willingness1 if you are willing4 ,it is ,satan and unbelief that would have you question it1 to the injury both of ,christ and you4 ,come near1 observe1 believe1 and wonder at the riches of his love and grace2 for he hath himself invited you to see and taste1 that you may wonder4 ,you are sinners1 but he inviteth you to receive a renewed1 sealed pardon of your sins1 and to give you more of his ,spirit to overcome them4 ,see here his broken body and his blood1 the testimonies of his willingness4 ,thus hath he sealed the covenant1 which pardoneth all your sins1 and secureth you of your reconciliation with ,god1 and your adoption1 and your right to everlasting blessedness4 ,deny not your consent1 but heartily give up yourselves to ,christ1 and then doubt not but your scarlet1 crimson sins shall be made as white as wool or snow4 ,object not the number or greatness of them against his grace4 ,there is none too great for him to pardon to penitent believers4 ,great sins shall bring great glory to his blood and grace4 ,but strive you then for great loathing of your sins1 and greater love to such a ,god1 and greater thanks to such a ,saviour4 ,unfeignedly say1 ,i am willing1 ,lord1 to be wholly thine1 and then believingly take ,christ1 and pardon1 and life1 as given you by his own appointment in the sealed covenant4 ,and remember that he is coming4 ,he is coming with thousands of his mighty angels1 to execute judgment on the ungodly1 but to be glorified in his saints1 and admired in all that do believe4 ,and then we shall have greater things than these4 ,then shall you see all the promises fulfilled1 which now are sealed to you1 on which he causeth you to trust4 ,revive now your love to one another1 and forgive those that have wronged you1 and delight in the communion of the saints2 and then you shall be admitted into the church triumphant1 where with perfect saints you shall perfectly rejoice1 and love and praise the ,lord for ever4 ,receive now a crucified ,christ here represented1 and be contented to take up your cross1 and follow him4 ,and then you shall reign with a glorified ,christ1 in the blessed vision and fruition of that ,god1 to whom by ,christ you are now reconciled4 ,let faith and love be working upon these things1 while you are at this holy table4 ,then shall the ,minister use this or the like ,prayer4 ,most holy ,god1 we are as stubble before thee1 the consuming fire4 ,how shall we stand before thy holiness1 for we are a sinful people1 laden with iniquity1 that have gone backward and provoked the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,when we were lost1 thy ,son did seek and save us2 when we were dead in sin1 thou madest us alive4 ,thou sawest us polluted in our blood1 and saidst unto us1 ,live4 ,in that time of love thou coveredst our nakedness1 and enteredst into a covenant with us1 and we became thine own4 ,thou didst deliver us from the power of darkness1 and translate us into the kingdom of thy dear ,son2 and gavest us remission of sin1 through his blood4 ,but we are grievous revolters1 we have forgotten the covenant of the ,lord our ,god4 ,we were engaged to love thee with all our hearts1 and to hate iniquity1 and serve thee diligently1 and thankfully to set forth thy praise4 ,but we have departed from thee1 and corrupted ourselves by self-love1 and by loving the world1 and the things that are in the world1 and have fulfilled the desires of the flesh1 which we should have crucified4 ,we have neglected our duty to thee1 and to our neighbour1 and the necessary care of our own salvation4 ,we have been unprofitable servants1 and have hid thy talents1 and have dishonoured thee1 whom in all things we should have pleased and glorified4 ,we have been negligent in hearing and reading thy holy word1 and in meditating and conferring of it1 in public and private prayer1 and thanksgiving1 and in our preparation to this holy sacrament1 in the examining of ourselves1 and repenting of our sins1 and stirring up our hearts to a believing and thankful receiving of thy grace1 and to love and joyfulness1 in our communion with thee and with one another4 ,we have not duly discerned the ,lord's body1 but have profaned thy holy name and ordinance1 as if the table of the ,lord had been contemptible4 ,and when thou hast spoken peace to us1 we returned again to folly4 ,we have deserved1 ,o ,lord1 to be cast out of thy presence1 and to be forsaken1 as we have forsaken thee1 and to hear our confusion1 ,depart from me1 ,i know you not1 ye workers of iniquity4 ,thou mayst justly tell us1 thou hast no pleasure in us1 nor wilt receive an offering at our hand4 ,but with thee there is abundant mercy4 ,and our advocate ,jesus ,christ the righteous1 is the propitiation for our sins2 who bare them in his body on the cross1 and made himself an offering for them1 that he might put them away by the sacrifice of himself3 have mercy upon us1 and wash us in his blood1 clothe us with his righteousness1 take away our iniquities1 and let them not be our ruin2 forgive them and remember them no more4 ,o thou that delightest not in the death of sinners1 heal our backslidings1 love us freely1 and say unto our souls1 that thou art our salvation4 ,thou wilt in nowise cast out them that come unto thee2 receive us graciously to the feast thou hast prepared for us2 cause us to hunger and thirst after ,christ and his righteousness1 that we may be satisfied4 ,let his flesh and blood be to us meat and drink indeed2 and his ,spirit be in us a well of living water1 springing up to everlasting life4 ,give us to know thy love in ,christ1 which passeth knowledge4 ,though we have not seen him1 let us love him2 and though now we see him not1 yet believing let us rejoice with joy unspeakable1 and full of glory4 ,though we are unworthy of the crumbs that fall from thy table1 yet feed us with the bread of life1 and speak and seal up peace to our sinful1 wounded souls4 ,soften our hearts that are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin3 mortify the flesh1 and strengthen us with might in the inner man2 that we may live and glorify thy grace1 though ,jesus ,christ our only ,saviour4#bef ,amen4 ,here let the ,bread be brought to the ,minister1 and received by him1 and set upon the ,table1 and then the ,wine in like manner1 7or if they be set there before17 however1 let him bless them1 praying in these or the like words4 ,almighty ,god1 thou art the ,creator and the ,lord of all things4 ,thou art the ,sovereign ,majesty whom we have offended2 thou art our most loving and merciful ,father1 who hast given thy ,son to reconcile us to thyself1 who hath ratified the new testament and the covenant of grace with his most precious blood2 and hath instituted this holy sacrament to be celebrated in remembrance of him till his coming4 ,sanctify these thy creatures of bread and wine1 which according to thy institution and command1 we set apart to this holy use1 that they may be sacramentally the body and blood of thy ,son ,jesus ,christ4#beg ,amen4 ,then 7or immediately before this ,prayer7 let the ,minister read the words of the ,institution1 saying1 ,hear what the apostle ,paul saith3 ,for ,i have received of the ,lord1 that which also ,i deliver unto you1 ,that the ,lord ,jesus1 the same night in which he was betrayed1 took bread2 and when he had given thanks1 he brake it1 and said1 ,take1 eat1 this is my body which is broken for you3 this do in remembrance of me4 ,after the same manner also he took the cup1 when he had supped1 saying1 ,this cup is the new testament in my blood3 this do ye1 as oft as ye drink it1 in remembrance of me2 for as often as ye eat this bread1 and drink this cup1 ye do show the ,lord's death till he come4#beh ,then let the ,minister say1 ,this bread and wine being set apart1 and consecrated to this holy use by ,god's appointment1 are now no common bread and wine1 but sacramentally the body and blood of ,christ4 ,then let him thus pray3 ,most merciful ,saviour1 as thou hast loved us to the death1 and suffered for our sins1 the just for the unjust1 and hast instituted this holy sacrament to be used in remembrance of thee till thy coming2 we beseech thee1 by thine intercession with the ,father1 through the sacrifice of thy body and blood1 give us the pardon of our sins1 and thy quickening ,spirit1 without which the flesh will profit us nothing4 ,reconcile us to the ,father2 nourish us as thy members to everlasting life4#bei ,amen4 ,then let the ,minister take the ,bread1 and break it in the sight of the people1 saying1 ,the body of ,christ was broken for us1 and offered once for all to sanctify us4 ,behold the sacrificed ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh away the sins of the world4 ,in like manner let him take the ,cup1 and pour out the ,wine in the sight of the ,congregation1 saying1 ,we were redeemed with the precious blood of ,christ1 as of a ,lamb without blemish1 and without spot4 ,then let him thus pray3 ,most ,holy ,spirit1 proceeding from the ,father and the ,son1 by whom ,christ was conceived1 by whom the prophets and apostles were inspired1 and the ministers of ,christ are qualified and called1 that dwellest and workest in all the members of ,christ1 whom thou sanctifiest to the image and for the service of their ,head1 and comfortest them that they may show forth his praise2 illuminate us1 that by faith we may see him that is here represented to us4 ,soften our hearts1 and humble us for our sins4 ,sanctify and quicken us1 that we may relish the spiritual food1 and feed on it to our nourishment and growth in grace4 ,shed abroad the love of ,god upon our hearts1 and draw them out in love to him4 ,fill us with thankfulness and holy joy1 and with love to one another3 comfort us by witnessing that we are the children of ,god4 ,confirm us for new obedience4 ,be the earnest of our inheritance1 and seal us up to everlasting life4#bfj ,amen4 ,then let the ,minister deliver the ,bread thus consecrated and broken to the ,communicants1 first taking and eating it himself as one of them1 when he hath said1 ,take ye1 eat ye2 ,this is the body of ,christ which is broken for you2 do this in remembrance of him4#bfa ,in like manner he shall deliver them the ,cup1 first drinking of it himself1 when he hath said1 ,this cup is the new testament in ,christ's blood1 or ,christ's blood of the new testament1 which is shed for you for the remission of sins2 drink ye all of it in remembrance of him4#bfb ,let it be left to the ,minister's choice1 whether he will consecrate the bread and wine together1 and break the bread and pour out the wine immediately2 or whether he will consecrate and pour out the wine1 when the ,communicants have eaten the bread4 ,if he do the latter1 he must use the foregoing ,prayers and expressions twice accordingly4 ,and let it be left to his discretion1 whether he will use any words at the breaking of the bread1 and pouring out the wine1 or not2 and if the ,minister choose to pray but once1 at the consecration1 commemoration1 and delivery2 let him pray as followeth1 or to this sense3 ,almighty ,god1 thou art the ,creator and the ,lord of all4 ,thou art the ,sovereign ,majesty whom we have offended4 ,thou art our merciful ,father1 who hast given us thy ,son to reconcile us to thyself2 who hath ratified the new testament and covenant of grace with his most precious blood1 and hath instituted this holy sacrament to be celebrated in memorial of him1 till his coming4 ,sanctify these thy creatures of bread and wine1 which1 according to thy will1 we set apart to this holy use1 that they may be sacramentally the body and blood of thy ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,and through his sacrifice and intercession1 give us the pardon of all our sins1 and be reconciled to us1 and nourish us by the body and blood of ,christ to everlasting life4 ,and to that end1 give us thy quickening ,spirit to show ,christ to our believing souls1 that is here represented to our senses4 ,let him soften our hearts1 and humble us for our sins1 and cause us to feed on ,christ by faith4 ,let him shed abroad thy love upon our hearts1 and draw them on in love to thee1 and fill us with holy joy and thankfulness1 and fervent love to one another4 ,let him comfort us by witnessing that we are thy children1 and confirm us for new obedience1 and be the earnest of our inheritance1 and seal us up to life everlasting2 through ,jesus ,christ1 our ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,let it be left to the ,minister's discretion1 whether to deliver the bread and wine to the people 7at the table7 only in general1 each one taking it1 and applying it to themselves2 or to deliver it in general to so many as are in each particular form2 or to put it into every person's hand3 as also at what season to take the contribution for the poor4 ,and let none of the people be forced to sit1 stand1 or kneel1 in the act of receiving1 whose judgment is against it4 ,the ,participation being ended1 let the ,minister pray thus1 or to this sense4 ,most glorious ,god1 how wonderful is thy power and wisdom1 thy holiness and justice1 thy love and mercy in this work of our redemption1 by the incarnation1 life1 death1 resurrection1 intercession1 and dominion of thy ,son6 ,no power or wisdom in heaven or earth could have delivered us but thine4 ,the angels desire to pry into this mystery1 the heavenly host do celebrate it with praises1 saying1 ,glory be to ,god in the highest2 on earth peace1 good-will towards men4 ,the whole creation shall proclaim thy praises4 ,blessing1 honour1 glory1 and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne1 and unto the ,lamb for ever and ever4 ,worthy is the ,lamb that was slain1 to receive power1 and honour1 and glory2 for he hath redeemed us to ,god by his blood1 and made us kings and priests unto our ,god4 ,where sin abounded1 grace hath abounded much more4 ,and hast thou indeed forgiven us so great a debt1 by so precious a ransom8 ,wilt thou indeed give us to reign with ,christ in glory1 and see my race1 and love thee1 and be beloved of thee for ever8 ,yea1 ,lord1 thou hast forgiven us1 and thou wilt glorify us1 for thou art faithful that hast promised4 ,with the blood of thy ,son1 with the sacrament1 and with thy ,spirit1 thou hast sealed up to us these precious promises4 ,and shall we not love thee1 that hast thus loved us8 ,shall we not love thy servants1 and forgive our neighbours their little debt8 ,after all this shall we again forsake thee1 and deal falsely in thy covenant8 ,god forbid6 ,o set our affections on the things above1 where ,christ sitteth at thy right hand4 ,let us no more mind earthly things1 but let our conversation be in heaven1 from whence we expect our ,saviour to come and change us into the likeness of his glory4 ,teach us to do thy will1 ,o ,god1 and to follow him1 who is the author of eternal salvation to all them that do obey him4 ,order our steps by thy word1 and let not any iniquity have dominion over us4 ,let us not henceforth live unto ourselves1 but unto him who died for us and rose again4 ,let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness1 but reprove them4 ,and let our light so shine before men1 that they may glorify thee4 ,in simplicity1 and godly sincerity1 and not in fleshly wisdom1 let us have our conversation in the world4 ,oh that our ways were so directed that we might keep thy statutes6 ,though ,satan will be desirous again to sift us1 and seek as a roaring lion to devour1 strengthen us to stand against his wiles1 and shortly bruise him under our feet4 ,accept us1 ,o ,lord1 who resign ourselves unto thee1 as thine own2 and with our thanks and praise1 present ourselves a living sacrifice to be acceptable through ,christ1 useful for thine honour3 being made free from sin1 and become thy servants1 let us have our fruit unto holiness1 and the end everlasting life1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,saviour4#bfc ,amen4 ,next add this1 or some such ,exhortation1 if there be time4 ,dear brethren1 we have been here feasted with the ,son of ,god at his table1 upon his flesh and blood1 in preparation for the feast of endless glory4 ,you have seen here represented1 what sin deserveth1 what ,christ suffered1 what wonderful love the ,god of infinite goodness hath expressed to us4 ,you have had communion with the saints2 you have renewed your covenant of faith1 and thankful obedience unto ,christ2 you have received his renewed covenant of pardon1 grace1 and glory unto you4 ,o carry hence the lively sense of these great and excellent things upon your hearts3 you came not only to receive the mercy of an hour1 but that which may spring up to endless joy3 you came not only to do the duty of an hour1 but to promise that which you must perform while you live on earth4 ,remember daily1 especially when temptations to unbelief and sinful heaviness assault you1 what pledges of love you here received2 remember daily1 especially when the flesh1 the devil1 or the world1 would draw your hearts again from ,god1 and temptations to sin are laid before you1 what bonds ,god and your own consent have laid upon you4 ,if you are penitent believers1 you are now forgiven1 and washed in the blood of ,christ4 ,o go your way1 and sin no more3 no more through wilfulness2 and strive against your sins of weakness4 ,wallow no more in the mire1 and return not to your vomit4 ,let the exceeding love of ,christ constrain you1 having such promises1 to cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of ,god2 and as a chosen generation1 a royal priesthood1 a holy nation1 a peculiar people1 to be zealous of good works1 and show forth the praises of him that hath called you4 ,next sing part of the ,hymn in metre1 or some other fit ,psalm of praise 7as the ,twenty-third1 ,one ,hundred and ,sixteenth1 ,one ,hundred and ,third1 or ,one ,hundredth1 c47 ,and conclude with this or the like ,blessing3 ,now the ,god of peace1 which brought again from the dead our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that great ,shepherd of the sheep1 through the blood of the everlasting covenant1 make you perfect in every good work1 to do his will1 working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight1 through ,jesus ,christ1 to whom be glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,,the ,,celebration ,,of ,,the ,,sacrament ,,of ,,baptism4 ,let no minister1 that is therein unsatisfied1 be forced against his judgment1 to baptize the child of open atheists1 idolaters1 or infidels1 or that are unbaptized themselves1 or of such as do not competently understand the essentials of christianity1 7what it is to be a christian17 and the essentials of baptism2 nor of such as never1 since they were baptized1 did personally own their baptismal covenant1 by a credible profession of faith and obedience1 received and approved by some pastor of the church1 as before confirmation is required1 and in his ,majesty's ,declaration4 ,nor yet the child of parents justly excommunicate1 or that live in any notorious1 scandalous sin1 or have lately committed such a sin1 7as if the child be gotten in adultery or fornication17 and being justly convicted of it1 refuseth penitently to confess it1 and promise reformation4 ,but if either of the parents be duly qualified1 and present the child to be baptized1 7or another for them in case they cannot be present17 the child is to be received unto baptism4 ,and if both the natural parents are infidels1 excommunicate1 or otherwise unqualified1 yet if any become the pro-parents and owners of the child1 and undertake to educate it in the faith of ,christ1 and fear of ,god1 and so present it to be baptized1 let it be done by a minister whose judgment doth approve it1 but let no minister be forced to it against his judgment4 ,let the parents or owners come to the minister at some convenient time the week before1 and acquaint him when they intend to offer their child to baptism1 and give an account of their foresaid capacity1 and receive his further ministerial assistance for the fuller understanding of the use and benefits of the sacrament1 and their own duty4 ,the font is to be placed to the greatest conveniency of the minister and people4 ,the child or children being there presented1 the minister may begin with this or the like speech directed to the parent or parents that present it4 ,that you may perform this service to ,god with understanding1 you must know1 that ,god having made man in his own image1 to love and serve him1 our first parents wilfully corrupted themselves by sin1 and became the children of death1 and the captives of ,satan1 who had overcome them by his temptation4 ,and as by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin1 so death passed upon all1 for that all have sinned1 and come short of the glory of ,god4 ,we are conceived in sin1 and are by nature children of wrath2 for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean8 ,by the offence of one1 judgment came upon all men to condemnation4 ,but the infinite wisdom and love of the ,father hath sent his ,son to be the ,saviour of the world4 ,the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt on earth1 and overcame the devil and the world2 fulfilled all righteousness1 and suffered for our sins upon the cross1 and rose again1 and reigneth in glory1 and will come again1 and judge the world in righteousness4 ,in him ,god hath made and offered to the world a covenant of grace1 and in it the pardon of sin to all true penitent believers1 and power to be the sons of ,god and heirs of heaven4 ,this covenant is extended to the seed also of the faithful1 to give them the benefits suitable to their age1 the parents dedicating them unto ,god1 and entering them into the covenant1 and so ,god in ,christ will be their ,god1 and number them with his people4 ,this covenant is to be solemnly entered into by baptism1 which is a holy sacrament instituted by ,christ1 in which a person professing the christian faith 7or the infant of such7 is baptized in water into the name of the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 in signification and solemnization of the holy covenant2 in which1 as a penitent believer1 7or the seed of such17 he giveth up himself 7or is by the parent given up7 to ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 from henceforth 7or from the time of natural capacity7 to believe in1 love1 and fear this blessed ,trinity1 against the flesh1 the devil1 and the world2 and this especially on the account of redemption2 and is solemnly entered a visible member of ,christ and his church1 a child of ,god1 and an heir of heaven4 ,how great now is the mercy1 and how great the duty that is before you6 ,is it a small mercy for this child to be accepted into the covenant of ,god1 and washed from its original sin in the blood of ,christ1 which is signified and sealed by this sacramental washing in water1 to be accepted as a member of ,christ and of his church1 where he vouchsafeth his protection and provision1 and the means and ,spirit of grace1 and the renewed pardon of sin upon repentance1 and for you to see this happiness of your child8 ,the duty on your part is1 first to see that you are stedfast in the faith and covenant of ,christ1 that you perish not yourself1 and that your child is indeed the child of a believer2 and then you are believingly and thankfully to dedicate your child to ,god1 and to enter it into the covenant in which you stand4 ,and you must know1 that your faith1 and consent1 and dedication will suffice for your children no longer than till they come to age themselves2 and then they must own their baptismal covenant1 and personally renew it1 and consent1 and give up themselves to ,god1 or else they will not be owned by ,christ4 ,you must therefore acquaint them with the doctrine of the gospel1 as they grow up1 and with the covenant now made1 and bring them up in the fear of the ,lord4 ,and when they are actually penitent believers1 they must present themselves to the pastors of the church1 to be approved and received into the communion of the adult believers4 ,if the persons be before well instructed in the nature of ,baptism1 and time require brevity1 the ,minister may omit the first part of this ,speech1 and begin at the description of ,baptism1 or after it4 ,if there be need of satisfying the people of the duty of baptizing infants1 the ,minister may here do it2 otherwise let the questions here immediately follow4 ,the ,minister shall here say to the ,parent1 and the ,parent answer as followeth4 ,it being the faithful and their seed to whom the promises are made2 and no man will sincerely dedicate his child to that ,god that he believeth not in himself2 ,i therefore require you to make profession of your own faith4 ,quest4 ,do you believe in ,god the ,father ,almighty1 c48 ,answ4 ,all this ,i do unfeignedly believe4 ,quest4 ,do you repent of your sins1 and renounce the flesh1 the devil1 and the world1 and consent to the covenant of grace1 giving up yourself to ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 as your ,creator and reconciled ,father1 your ,redeemer and your ,sanctifier8 ,answ4 ,i do4 ,or thus rather1 if the parent be fit to utter his own faith4 ,quest4 ,do you remain stedfast in the covenant which you made in baptism yourself8 ,answ4 ,repenting of my sins1 ,i do renounce the flesh1 the devil1 and the world1 and ,i give up myself to ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 my ,creator and reconciled ,father1 my ,redeemer and my ,sanctifier4 ,quest4 ,do you present and dedicate this child unto ,god1 to be baptized into this faith1 and solemnly engaged in this covenant unto ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 against the flesh1 the devil1 and the world8 ,answ4 ,it is my desire1 7or17 ,i do present and dedicate him for this end4 ,quest4 ,do you here solemnly promise1 that if ,god continue it with you till it be capable of instructions1 you will faithfully endeavour to acquaint this child with the covenant in which he was here by you engaged1 and to instruct and exhort him to perform this covenant1 as ever he looks for the blessings of it1 or to escape the curses and wrath of ,god2 that is1 that he renounce the flesh1 the world1 and the devil2 and live not after them3 and that he believe in this one ,god1 in three ,persons1 the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 his ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier4 ,that he resign himself to him as his absolute ,owner1 and obey him as his supreme ,governor1 and love him as his most gracious ,father1 hoping to enjoy him as his felicity in endless glory8 ,answ4 ,i will faithfully endeavour it4 ,quest4 ,will you to this end faithfully endeavour to cause him to learn the articles of the christian faith1 the ,lord's prayer1 and the ten commandments1 and to read or hear the holy ,scriptures1 and to attend on the public preaching of ,god's word8 ,will you endeavour1 by your own teaching1 and example1 and restraint1 to keep him from wickedness1 and train him up in a holy life8 ,answ4 ,i will faithfully endeavour it by the help of ,god4 ,then let the ,minister pray thus1 or to this sense3 ,o most merciful ,father1 by the first ,adam sin entered into the world1 and death by sin1 and we are all by nature children of wrath2 but thou hast given thy only ,son1 to be the ,seed or the woman1 the ,saviour of the world1 the ,captain of our salvation1 to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself1 and to wash us in his blood1 and reconcile us unto thee1 and to renew us by the ,holy ,ghost1 and to bruise ,satan under our feet4 ,in him thou hast established the covenant of grace1 and hast appointed this holy sacrament of baptism for our solemn entrance into the bonds of the covenant1 and stating us in the blessings of it1 which thou extendest to the faithful and their seed4 ,we dedicate and offer this child to thee1 to be received into thy covenant and church4 ,we beseech thee to accept him as a member of thy ,son1 and wash him in his blood from the guilt of sin1 as the flesh is washed by this water4 ,be reconciled to him1 and take him for thy child1 renew him to the image of thy ,son1 make him a fellow-citizen with the saints1 and one of thy household4 ,protect him and provide for him as thy own1 and finally preserve him to thy heavenly kingdom1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,saviour4#bfd ,amen4 ,then the ,minister shall ask of the ,parent the name of the child to be baptized1 and naming him1 shall either dip him under the water1 or else pour the water upon his face1 if he cannot be safely or conveniently dipt1 and shall use these words without alteration4 ,i ,baptize thee in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and he shall thus declare3 ,this child is now received by ,christ's appointment into his church1 and solemnly entered into the holy covenant1 and engaged1 if he lives to the use of reason1 to rise with ,christ to newness of life1 as being buried with him by baptism1 and to bear his cross1 and confess ,christ crucified1 and faithfully to fight under his banner against the flesh1 the devil1 and the world1 and to continue his faithful soldier and servant to the death1 that he may receive the crown of life4 ,then he shall give thanks and pray4 ,we thank thee1 most merciful ,father1 that when we had broken the law1 and were condemned by it1 thou hadst given us a ,saviour1 and life in him1 and hast extended thy covenant of grace to believers1 and to their seed1 and hast now received this child into thy covenant and church1 as a member of ,christ by this sacrament of regeneration4 ,we beseech thee1 let him grow up in holiness2 and when he comes to years of discretion1 let thy ,spirit reveal unto him the mysteries of the gospel1 and the riches of thy love in ,jesus ,christ2 and cause him to renew and perform the covenant that he hath now made1 and to resign himself1 and all that he hath1 entirely unto thee his ,lord1 to be subject and obedient to thee his ,governor1 and to love thee his ,father with all his heart1 and soul1 and might2 and adhere unto thee1 and delight in thee as the portion of his soul1 desiring and hoping to enjoy thee in everlasting glory4 ,save him from the lusts and allurements of the flesh1 the temptations of the devil1 and the baits of pleasure1 profit1 and honour of the world1 and from all the corruptions of his own heart1 and all the hurtful violence of his enemies4 ,keep him in communion with the saints1 in the love and use of thy word and worship4 ,let him deny himself1 and take up his cross and follow ,christ the ,captain of his salvation1 and be faithful unto the death1 and then receive the crown of life1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour4#bfe ,then use this ,exhortation or the like to the ,parents4 ,you that have devoted this child to ,god1 and engaged it in covenant to him1 must be thankful for so great a mercy to the child1 and must be faithful in performing what you have promised on your parts1 in instructing and educating this child in the faith and fear of ,god1 that he may own and perform the covenant now made1 and receive all the blessings which ,god hath promised4 ,hear what ,god hath made your duty1 ,fathers1 provoke not your children to wrath2 but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,train up a child in the way he should go1 and when he is old he will not depart from it4 ,the rod and reproof give wisdom2 but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame4 ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and with all thy soul1 and with all thy might3 and these words which ,i command thee this day1 shall be in thy heart2 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children1 and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house1 and when thou walkest by the way1 and when thou liest down1 and when thou risest up4 ,joshua saith1 ,as for me and my house1 we will serve the ,lord4 ,and ,paul saith of ,timothy1 ,from a child thou hast known the holy ,scriptures1 which are able to make thee wise unto salvation1 through faith which is in ,christ ,jesus4#bff ,then say to the ,people thus1 or to this sense4 ,you have heard1 beloved1 how great a dignity we were advanced to in our baptism1 to how great duty we are all engaged4 ,o search and try1 whether you have kept or broken the covenant which you made1 and have lived according to the dignity of your calling4 ,and if any of you be atheists1 unbelievers1 or ungodly1 and love not ,god above all1 and neglect ,christ and his salvation1 and are yet unsanctified1 and live after the flesh1 the devil1 and the world1 which you here renounced2 as you love your souls1 bewail your perfidious covenant-breaking with ,god4 ,trust not the water of baptism alone3 if you are not born again of the ,spirit also1 you cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,baptism will not save you1 if you have not the answer of a good conscience unto ,god4 ,if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 the same is none of his4 ,much less those wretches that hate sanctification1 and despise and scorn a holy life1 when they were by baptism engaged to the ,holy ,ghost the ,sanctifier4 ,can you think to be saved by the covenant which you keep not8 ,o no6 ,your perfidiousness aggravateth your sin and misery4 ,when thou vowest a vow to ,god1 defer not to pay it1 for he hath no pleasure in fools3 pay that which thou hast vowed3 better it is that thou shouldest not vow1 than that thou shouldest vow and not pay4 ,o bless the ,lord1 that it is a covenant of such grace which is tendered to you4 ,that upon true repentance and conversion1 even your covenant-breaking shall be forgiven2 and therefore penitently cast down yourselves before the ,lord1 and believingly cast yourselves on ,christ1 and yield to the teachings and sanctifying operations of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,yet know the day of your visitation1 and forsake the flesh1 the devil1 and the world1 and turn to ,god with all your hearts1 and give up yourselves entirely to your ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 and he will have mercy upon you1 and will abundantly pardon you4 ,but if you still live after the flesh1 you shall die3 and if you continue to neglect this great salvation1 there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin1 but a certain fearful looking for of judgment1 and fire1 which shall devour the adversaries4#bfg ,let no children be privately baptized1 nor any ,minister forced to baptize them any where1 besides in the public assembly1 unless upon some special weighty cause4 ,if there be occasion for baptizing the adult1 let the minister accordingly suit his expressions4 ,,of ,,catechising1 ,,and ,,the ,,approbation ,,of ,,those ,,that ,,are ,,to ,,be ,,admitted ,,to ,,the ,,lord',s ,,supper4 ,seeing none can be saved at years of discretion1 that do not actually believe1 and personally give up themselves in covenant to ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost2 therefore as parents must do their parts1 so ministers must catechise the ignorant1 and diligently labour to cause them both to learn the form of wholesome words1 7even the ,lord's prayer and the ten commandments1 and some brief1 yet full and sound catechism17 and to understand the meaning of them1 and to engage their hearts into the love of ,god1 and a holy obedience to his laws4 ,to this end1 let the minister1 either every ,lord's day1 before the evening prayers1 or at some convenient hour1 or on some other day of the week1 as oft as he can1 examine publicly such as are not admitted to the ,lord's supper1 and take an account of their learning1 and understanding the creed1 the ten commandments1 the ,lord's prayer1 and the catechism4 ,and let him by questioning and explication1 help them to understand them4 ,and let such of the several families of the parish come in their turns1 when they are called by the minister to be thus catechised4 ,also let the minister either go to their houses1 or rather appoint the persons aforesaid in their courses at a certain hour and place1 7in the church or any other fit place17 to come to him for personal instructions1 where he may confer with those that are unmeet to be catechised publicly1 or unwilling to submit to it2 and there with humble1 prudent1 serious instruction and exhortation1 let him endeavour to acquaint them with the substance of christian faith and duty1 and to help them to make sure their calling and election1 and to prepare for death and judgment1 and exhort them to love and to good works1 and warn them lest they be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin4 ,but let him not in public or private meddle with impertinencies1 or spend the time about smaller matters1 or singular opinions1 nor sift people to know things unfit or unnecessary to be disclosed1 nor meddle with matters that do not concern him as a minister to inquire after2 but help them to learn1 and understand1 and practise the christian religion expressed in the catechism4 ,the ,catechism4 ,sidenote3 ,see the ,rubric for ,catechism and ,confirmation in the ,common ,prayer1 and also his ,majesty's ,declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs4 ,let none be admitted by the minister to the sacrament of the ,lord's supper1 till they have at years of discretion understood the meaning of their baptismal covenant1 and with their own mouths1 and their own consent openly before the church1 ratified and confirmed1 and also promised1 that by the grace of ,god1 they will evermore endeavour themselves faithfully to observe and keep such things as by their mouth and confession they have assented to2 and so being instructed in the christian religion1 do openly make a credible profession of their own faith1 and promise to be obedient to the will of ,god4 ,a profession is credible1 when it is made understandingly1 seriously1 voluntarily1 deliberately1 and not nullified by contradiction in word or deed4 ,and that profession is incredible1 that is made ignorantly1 ludicrously1 forcedly1 rashly1 or that is nullified by verbal or practical contradiction4 ,and it must be practice first1 that must make words credible1 when the person by perfidiousness hath forfeited his credit4 ,it is not private persons only1 but the pastors of the church that must approve of this profession4 ,therefore1 before any are admitted to the ,lord's supper1 they shall give a good account of their knowledge1 faith1 and christian conversation conformable thereunto1 unto the pastors of their respective congregations1 or else shall produce a certificate1 that they have been approved or admitted to the ,lord's supper in another congregation1 of which they were members1 and that by an allowed minister1 upon such approved profession as aforesaid4 ,if the person be able and willing1 let him before the congregation give the aforesaid account at large1 of his knowledge1 faith1 and obedience2 but if through backwardness1 or disability for public speech1 he shall refuse it1 let him make the same profession privately to the minister1 and own it in the assembly1 when the minister shall declare it1 and ask him whether he owns it4 ,but unless it be in case of some extraordinary natural imperfection1 and disability of utterance1 let him at least openly recite the creed1 and profess his consent to the covenant with ,god the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,let the minister of every parish keep a double register3 one of the names of all that are there baptized2 another of the names of all that are approved upon their foresaid credible profession1 and so admitted into the number of communicants1 or that have a certificate of such approbation1 regularly elsewhere performed4 ,and if confirmation be continued1 let his ,majesty's ,declaration be observed1 requiring1 ,that confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed1 by the information1 and with the consent1 of the minister of the place4 ,let no minister be enforced to admit any himself to the ,lord's supper1 who hath been clancularly and irregularly approved4 ,those that after this approbation prove scandalous offenders1 shall not by the minister be suffered to partake of the ,lord's table1 until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented1 and amended their former naughty lives4 ,,of ,,the ,,celebration ,,of ,,matrimony4 ,before the solemnizing of marriage between any persons1 their purpose of marriage shall be published by the minister1 three several ,lord's days in the congregation1 at the place or places of their most usual abode respectively4 ,and of this publication1 the minister who is to join them in marriage shall have sufficient testimony1 before he proceed to solemnize the marriage2 the parents' consent being first sufficiently made known4 ,at the celebration1 the minister shall either by a sermon1 or other exhortation1 open to them the institution1 ends1 and use of marriage1 with the conjugal duties which they are faithfully to perform to each other4 ,and then shall demand of them whether it be their desire and purpose to be joined together in the bond of the marriage covenant2 and if they answer affirmatively1 he shall say to them1 ,i require and charge you1 as you will answer at the dreadful day of judgment1 7when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed17 that if either of you do know any impediment by pre-contract or otherwise1 why you may not lawfully be joined together in marriage1 you discover it1 and proceed not4 ,if no impediment be discovered by them or others1 he shall proceed to pray4 ,sidenote3 ,if they be young1 it may be said1 ,bless them with children1 and let them be devoted1 c4 ,most merciful ,father1 who hast ordained marriage for mutual help1 and for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue1 and of the church with a holy seed1 and for prevention of uncleanness2 bless thy own ordinance to these persons1 that entering this state of marriage in thy fear1 they may there entirely devote themselves unto thee1 and be faithful in all conjugal affections and duties unto each other2 and if thou bless them with children1 let them be devoted unto thee1 and accepted as thine own1 and blessed with thy grace1 and educated in thy fear4 ,subdue those corruptions that would make their lives unholy or uncomfortable1 and deliver them from temptations to impiety1 worldliness1 unquietness1 discontent1 or disaffection to each other1 or to any unfaithfulness to thee or to each other4 ,make them meet helps to each other in thy fear1 and in the lawful management of the affairs of this world4 ,let them not hinder1 but provoke one another to love and to good works2 and foreseeing the day of their separation by death1 let them spend their days in a holy preparation1 and live here together as the heirs of life that must rejoice at the great marriage day of the ,lamb1 and live for ever with ,christ and all the holy angels and saints in the presence of thy glory4#bfh ,amen4 ,the woman if she be under ,parents or ,governors1 being by one of them1 or some deputed by them1 given to be married1 the man with his right hand shall take the woman by the right hand1 and shall say1 ,i ,a4 do take thee ,b4 to be my married wife1 and do promise and covenant in the presence of ,god1 and before this congregation1 to be a loving and faithful husband to thee1 till ,god shall separate us by death4 ,then the woman shall take the man by the right hand with her right hand1 and say1 ,i ,b4 do take thee ,a4 to be my married husband1 and ,i do promise and covenant in the presence of ,god1 and before this congregation1 to be a loving1 obedient1 and faithful wife unto thee1 till ,god shall separate us by death4 ,then let the ,minister say1 ,these two persons1 ,a4 and ,b4 being lawfully married according to ,god's ordinance1 ,i do pronounce them husband and wife4 ,and those whom ,god hath conjoined1 let no man put asunder4 ,next he may read the duty of ,husbands and ,wives out of ,eph4 v4 #b2 ,col4 iv4 #b2 #a ,pet4 iii42 and ,psalm cxxviii4 or some other pertinent ,psalm1 may be said or sung3 and let the minister exhort them to their several duties1 and then pray3 ,most merciful ,father1 let thy blessings rest upon these persons now joined in lawful marriage2 sanctify them and their conversations1 their family1 estates1 and affairs1 unto thy glory4 ,furnish them with love to thee and to each other1 with meekness1 patience1 and contentedness4 ,let them not live unto the flesh1 but unto the ,spirit1 that of the ,spirit they may reap everlasting life1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and ,saviour4#bfi ,amen4 ,then let him conclude with a ,benediction4 ,god ,almighty1 the ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 bless you in your souls and bodies1 families and affairs1 and preserve you to his heavenly kingdom4 ,amen4 ,,the ,,visitation ,,of ,,the ,,sick1 ,,and ,,their ,,communion4 ,the visitation of the sick being a private duty1 and no part of the public ,liturgy of the church1 and the case of the sick being so exceeding various1 as to soul and body2 and it being requisite that ministers be able to suit their exhortations and prayers to the condition of the sick1 but the words of such exhortations and prayers be left to their prudence4 ,so urgent is the necessity of the sick1 and so seasonable and advantageous the opportunity1 that ministers may not negligently overpass them1 but in love and tenderness instruct them according to their several conditions2 endeavouring the conversion of the ungodly1 the strengthening of the weak1 and comforting such as need consolation2 directing them how to improve their afflictions1 and helping them to be sensible of the evil of sin1 the negligences and miscarriages of their lives1 the vanity of the world1 their necessity of a ,saviour1 the sufficiency of ,christ1 the certainty and excellency of the everlasting glory2 exhorting them to repentance and to faith in ,christ1 and to set their affections on the things above2 and 7if they are penitent believers7 comfortably to hope for the kingdom which ,god hath promised to them that love him1 committing their souls to their ,redeemer1 and quietly resting in the will1 and love1 and promises of ,god2 resolving if ,god shall recover them to health1 to redeem the time1 and live the rest of their lives unto his glory2 and being willing1 if it be their appointed time1 to depart and be with ,christ4 ,and they must be exhorted to forgive such as have wronged them1 and to be reconciled to those with whom they have been at variance1 and to make a pious1 just1 and charitable disposal of their worldly estates4 ,,the ,,order ,,of ,,solemnizing ,,the ,,burial ,,of ,,the ,,dead4 ,it is agreeable to nature and religion1 that the burial of christians be solemnly and decently performed4 ,as to the cases1 ,whether the corpse shall be carried first into the church1 that is to be buried in the church-yard2 and whether it shall be buried before the sermon1 reading1 or prayer1 or after1 or in the midst of the reading1 or whether any prayer shall be made at the grave1 for the living2 let no christians uncharitably judge one another about these things4 ,let no people keep up groundless usages1 that being suspicious grieve their minister and offend their brethren4 ,let no minister that scrupleth the satisfying of people's ungrounded desires in such things1 be forced to do it against his conscience2 and let ministers that do use any of these customs or ceremonies1 have liberty1 when they suspect that the people desire them upon some error1 to profess against that error1 and teach the people better4 ,whether the minister come with the company that brings the corpse from the house1 or whether he meet them1 or receive them at the burial-place1 is to be left to his own discretion4 ,but while he is with them1 let him gravely discourse of man's mortality1 and the useful truths and duties thence to be inferred3 and either at the grave1 or in the reading place1 or pulpit1 by way of sermon1 according to his discretion1 let him 7at least if it be desired7 instruct and exhort the people concerning death1 and the life to come1 and their necessary preparation2 seeing the spectacle of mortality1 and the season of mourning1 do tend to prepare men for a sober1 considerate entertainment of such instructions3 and he may read such scriptures as may mind them of death1 resurrection1 and eternal life1 as #a ,cor4 xv4 or from verse #aj to the end1 and ,job i4 #ba2 xix4 #be1 #bf1 #bg2 ,john xi4 #be1 #bf2 v4 #bh1 #bi4 ,and his prayer shall be suited to the occasion4 ,whenever the rain1 snow1 or coldness of the season1 make it unhealthful to the minister or people to stand out of doors1 at least then let the reading1 exhortation1 and prayers1 be used within the church4 ,,of ,,extraordinary ,,days ,,of ,,humiliation ,,and ,,thanksgiving1 ,,and ,,anniversary ,,festivals4 ,when great afflictions lie upon the church1 or any special part or members of it1 or when any great sins have been committed among them1 it is meet that in public1 by fasting and prayer1 we humble ourselves before the ,lord1 for the averting of his displeasure2 and on such occasions it is the pastor's duty to confess his own and the people's sins1 with penitence1 and tenderness of heart1 and by his doctrine and exhortation1 to endeavour effectually to bring the people to the sight and sense of their sin1 and the deserts of it1 and to a firm resolution of better obedience for the time to come1 being importunate with ,god in prayer for pardon and renewed grace4 ,upon the receipt of great and extraordinary mercies1 the church 7having opportunity7 is to assemble for public thanksgiving unto ,god1 and the minister to stir up the people to a lively sense of the greatness of those mercies1 and joyfully to celebrate the praises of ,god1 the author of them4 ,and it is not unmeet on these days to express our joy in feasting and outward signs of mirth1 provided they be used moderately1 spiritually1 and inoffensively1 and not to gratify our sensual desires1 and that we relieve the poor in their necessities 7which also on days of humiliation and other seasons we must not forget74 ,the occasions of such days of humiliation and thanksgiving being so various1 as cannot be well suited by any standing forms1 the minister is to apply himself to the respective duties1 suitable to the particular occasions4 ,though it be not unlawful or unmeet to keep anniversary commemoration by festivals1 of some great and notable mercies to the church or state1 the memory whereof should be transmitted to posterity2 nor to give any persons their due honour who have been the instruments thereof3 yet because the festivals of the church's institution now observed1 are much abused1 and many sober1 godly persons1 ministers1 and others1 are unsatisfied of the lawfulness of the celebrating them as holidays1 let the abuse be restrained2 and let not the religious observation of those days by public worship1 be forced upon any that are thus unsatisfied1 provided they forbear all offensive behaviour thereupon4 ,,of ,,prayer ,,and ,,thanksgiving ,,for ,,particular ,,members ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,besides the petitions that are put up for all in such distresses1 in the general prayer1 it is meet that persons in dangerous sickness1 or other great affliction of body or mind1 and women that are near the time of child-bearing1 when they desire it1 shall be particularly recommended to ,god in the public prayers of the church4 ,because all the members constitute one body1 and must have the same care one for another1 as suffering all with one that suffereth1 and rejoicing all with one that is honoured4 ,and the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous1 especially of the whole congregation1 availeth much with ,god4 ,but because diseases1 distresses1 and grief of mind1 are so various that no forms that are particular can suit them all2 and because every minister should be able to suit his prayers to such various necessities of the people2 we desire that it may be left to his discretion to pray for such according to their several cases1 before or after sermon4 ,but we desire that except in case of sudden necessity1 they may send in their bills of request to him the night before1 that he may consider of their cases1 and may publish only such1 and in such expressions1 as in prudence he shall judge meet for the ears of the assembly4 ,in the more ordinary cases of persons in sickness1 danger1 and distress1 and that are delivered from them2 these following prayers may be used1 or such like4 ,a ,prayer for the ,sick1 that is in hopes of ,recovery4 ,most merciful ,father1 though our sin doth find us out1 and we are justly afflicted for our transgressions1 yet are we not consumed in thy wrath2 but thou punishest us less than our iniquities do deserve3 though thou causest grief1 yet wilt thou have compassion according to the multitude of thy mercies1 for thou dost not willingly afflict and grieve the children of men4 ,thou revivest the spirit of the humble1 and the heart of the contrite ones1 for thou wilt not contend for ever1 neither wilt thou be always wroth1 for the spirit would fail before thee1 and the soul which thou hast made4 ,look down in tender mercy on the affliction of this thy servant4 ,o ,lord1 rebuke him not in thy wrath2 neither chasten him in thy hot displeasure4 ,all his desire is before thee1 and his groaning is not hid from thee2 have mercy upon him1 ,o ,lord1 for he is weak4 ,o ,lord1 heal him1 whose bones and soul is vexed4 ,in death there is no remembrance of thee3 in the grave who shall give thee thanks8 ,remember that we are but flesh2 a wind that passeth away and cometh not again4 ,wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro8 and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble8 ,remember not the iniquities of his youth1 or his transgressions3 look upon his affliction1 and his pain1 and forgive all his sins4 ,though the sorrows of death do compass him about1 yet if it be for thy glory and his good1 recover him1 and let him live and praise thy name4 ,rebuke his sickness2 direct unto such means as thou wilt bless4 ,in the time of his trouble we call upon thee1 do thou deliver him1 and let him glorify thee3 however1 show him the sin that doth offend thee2 let him search and try his ways1 and confess and turn from his iniquity1 and let it be good for him that he was afflicted4 ,let this be the fruit of it1 to purge and take away his sin1 that being chastened of the ,lord1 he may not be condemned with the world4 ,and though chastisement for the present seemeth not to be joyous1 but grievous1 yet afterwards let it yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness to this thy servant1 that is exercised therein4 ,in the mean time1 ,o ,lord1 be thou his portion1 who art good to the soul that seeketh thee1 and waiteth for thee4 ,let him patiently and silently bear thy yoke2 let him hope and quietly wait for thy salvation3 considering that thou wilt not cast off for ever2 that thy anger is but for a moment1 but in thy favour is life4 ,weeping may endure for a night1 but joy cometh in the morning3 and that whom thou lovest1 thou chastenest1 and scourgest every son whom thou receivest2 and that if he endure chastening1 thou dealest with him as a son4 ,if he be recovered1 let him devote himself entirely to they glory3 that when thou hast put off his sackcloth and mourning1 and girded him with gladness1 he may speak thy praise1 and give thee thanks4 ,if he receive the sentence of death in himself1 let it cause him to trust in thee that raisest the dead1 knowing that as thou didst raise up the ,lord ,jesus1 thou wilt raise him up also by ,jesus3 therefore suffer not his hope to faint2 but though his outward man perish1 yet let his inner man be renewed from day to day2 and let him live by faith1 and look at the things which are not seen1 ever at the exceeding eternal weight of glory4 ,let him be found in ,christ1 not having his own righteousness1 but that which is of ,god by faith4 ,restrain the tempter1 and deliver thy servant from the sinful fears of death1 by ,christ1 who1 through death destroyed the devil that had the power of death2 that he may find that death hath lost its sting1 and triumph over it by faith in him1 through whom we are made more than conquerors4 ,that1 by faith and love1 his soul may now ascend unto his ,father and our ,father1 and to his ,god and our ,god2 and is gone to prepare a place for us2 and hath promised1 that where he is1 there his servants shall be also1 that they may behold the glory which thou hast given him4 ,magnify thyself in his body1 whether by life or death1 and safely bring him into thy glorious presence1 where is fulness of joy1 and everlasting pleasures1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,life and ,righteousness4#bgj ,amen4 ,a ,prayer for ,women drawing near the time of ,child-bearing4 ,most merciful ,father1 who hast justly sentenced woman1 that was first in the transgression1 to great and multiplied sorrows1 and particularly in sorrow to bring forth children2 yet grantest preservation and relief1 for the propagation of mankind4 ,be merciful to this thy servant2 be near her with thy present help1 in the needful time of trouble2 and though in travail she hath sorrow1 give her strength to bring forth4 ,being delivered1 let her remember no more the anguish1 for joy that a child is born into the world4 ,bless her in the fruit of her body2 and being safely delivered1 let her return thee hearty thanks1 and devote it and the rest of her life to thy service1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour4#bga ,amen4 ,a ,thanksgiving for those that are restored from ,dangerous ,sickness4 ,we thank thee1 ,o most gracious ,god1 that thou hast heard us when we cried unto thee1 for thy servant in his weakness and distress2 that thou hast not turned away our prayer nor thy mercy from him4 ,we cried to thee1 and thou hast delivered and healed him1 thou hast brought him from the grave1 thou hast kept him alive1 that he should not go down into the pit1 thou hast forgiven his iniquity1 and healed his diseases1 thou hast redeemed his life from destruction1 and hast crowned him with loving-kindness and tender mercies1 thou hast not deprived him of the residue of his years1 thou hast repented thee of the evil4 ,his age is not departed2 thou hast renewed his youth1 and given him to see man1 with the inhabitants of the world2 and to see the goodness of the ,lord in the land of the living4 ,day and night thy hand was heavy upon him1 but thou hast turned away thy wrath1 and hast forgiven the iniquity of his sin3 for this every one that is godly shall pray unto thee in a time of trouble4 ,thou art a hiding-place1 thou preservest us from trouble3 when our flesh and our heart faileth us1 thou art the strength of our heart1 and our portion for ever2 indeed1 ,lord1 thou art good unto thine ,israel2 even to such as are clean of heart4 ,many are the afflictions of the righteous1 but thou deliverest them out of all3 though all the day long they be afflicted1 and chastened every morning1 yet are they continually with thee2 thou holdest them by thy right hand2 thou art a present help in trouble1 when all the help of man is vain4 ,let thy servant love thee1 because thou hast heard his voice and supplication4 ,let him offer unto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving2 and pay his vows to the ,most ,high2 and take the cup of salvation1 and call upon thee all his days4 ,let him be wholly devoted to thy praise1 and glorify thee in soul and body1 as being thine1 and seasonably depart in peace unto thy glory2 through ,jesus ,christ1 our ,life and ,righteousness4#bgb ,amen4 ,a ,thanksgiving for the ,deliverance of ,women in ,child-bearing4 ,we return thee thanks1 most gracious ,god1 that thou hast heard our prayers for this thy handmaid2 and hast been her help in the time of her necessity1 and delivered her from her fears and sorrows4 ,death and life are in thy power2 thou killest1 and thou makest alive2 thou bringest down to the grave1 and thou bringest up2 thou makest the barren to keep house1 and to be a joyful mother of children4 ,we thank thee1 that thou hast given thy servant to see the fruit of her womb1 and that thou hast brought her again to thy holy assembly1 to go with the multitude to thy house1 and worship thee with the voice of joy and praise1 that she may enter into thy gates with thanksgiving1 and into thy courts with praise1 and we may all be thankful to thee on her behalf1 and speak good of thy name4 ,thou art good1 ,o ,lord1 to all1 and thy tender mercies are over all thy works2 thou preservest them that love thee2 thou raisest up them that are bowed down2 thou fulfillest the desire of them that fear thee2 thou also dost hear their cry1 and save them4 ,command thy blessing yet upon thy servant and her offspring2 let her not forget thee and thy mercies1 but let her devote the life which thou hast given her to thy service1 and educate her offspring1 as a holy seed1 in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,and as thou hast said1 that thy curse is in the house of the wicked1 but thou blessest the habitation of the just2 let her and her house serve thee1 and let holiness to the ,lord be written upon all wherewith thou blessest her3 let her make thee her refuge and habitation4 ,give her the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit1 which in thy sight is of great price4 ,let her not love the world1 nor mind earthly things1 but use the world as not abusing of it2 seeing the time is short1 and the fashion of this world passeth away4 ,restore her soul1 and lead her in the paths of righteousness3 though she must walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 let her fear no evil4 ,let thy goodness and mercy follow her all the days of her life1 and let her dwell for ever in thy glorious presence1 through ,jesus ,christ1 our ,lord and ,saviour4#bgc ,amen4 ,if the ,child be dead1 those passages which imply its living must be omitted2 and if the ,woman be such as the ,church hath cause to judge ungodly1 the ,thanksgiving must be in words more agreeable to her condition1 if any be used4 ,,of ,,pastoral ,,discipline1 ,,public ,,confession1 ,,absolution1 ,,and ,,exclusion ,,from ,,the ,,holy ,,communion ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,the recital of the curses are said in the book of ,common ,prayer1 to be instead of the godly discipline of the primitive church1 till it can be restored again1 which is much to be wished1 which is the putting of notorious sinners to open penitence4 ,his ,majesty's ,declaration concerning ecclesiastical affairs1 determineth that all public diligence be used for the instruction and reformation of scandalous offenders1 whom the minister shall not suffer to partake of the ,lord's table1 until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives1 provided there be place for due appeals to superior powers4 ,and the law of ,christ commandeth1 that if thy brother trespass against thee1 go and tell him his faults between him and thee alone3 if he shall hear thee1 thou hast gained thy brother1 but if he will not hear thee1 then take with thee one or two more1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses1 every word may be established2 and if he shall neglect to hear them1 tell it unto the church2 but if he shall neglect to hear the church1 let him be unto thee as a heathen man1 or as a publican4 ,and it is the office of the pastors of the several congregations1 not only to teach the people in general1 and guide them in the celebration of the public worship1 but also to oversee them1 and watch over each member of their flock particularly2 to preserve them from errors1 heresies1 divisions1 and other sins1 defending the truth1 confuting gainsayers and seducers1 instructing the ignorant1 exciting the negligent1 encouraging the despondent1 comforting the afflicted1 confirming the weak1 rebuking and admonishing the disorderly and scandalous1 and directing all according to their needs in the matters of their salvation2 and the people in such needs should have ordinary recourse to them1 as the officers of ,christ1 for guidance1 and resolution of their doubts2 and for assistance in making their salvation sure2 and in proving1 maintaining1 or restoring the peace of their consciences1 and spiritual comfort4#bgd ,if therefore any member of the church be a scandalous sinner1 and the crime be either notorious or fully proved1 let the pastor admonish him1 and set before him the particular command of ,god which he transgresseth1 the supreme authority of ,god which he despiseth1 the promises and mercies which he treadeth under foot1 and the curse and dreadful condemnation which he draweth upon himself4 ,let this be done with great compassion and tender love to the offender's soul1 and with gravity1 reverent and serious importunity1 as beseemeth men employed on the behalf of ,god1 for the saving of a soul2 and yet with judgment1 and cautelous prudence1 not taking that for sin which is no sin1 nor that for a gross and scandalous sin1 which is but an ordinary human frailty2 not dealing as unreverently with a superior as with an inferior2 not making that public which should be concealed2 nor reproving before others when it should be done more secretly2 nor unreasonably speaking to those who through drink or passion are incapable of the benefit2 nor yet offending by bashfulness1 or the fear of man1 or lukewarmness1 negligence1 or slighting over great offences1 on the other extreme4 ,prudence also requireth them to be cautelous of over-meddling1 where the magistrate's honour or concernment1 or the church's unity or peace1 or the reputation of others1 or the interest of their ministry1 requireth them to forbear4 ,these cautions observed1 if the scandalous offender continue impenitent1 or unreformed1 after due admonitions and patience1 let the pastor in the congregation1 when he is present1 rebuke him before all1 that the church may sufficiently disown the crime1 and others may see the odiousness and danger of the sin4 ,but let this also be with the love and prudence before mentioned4 ,if the offender in obstinacy will not be there1 the pastor may open the crime before the congregation3 and present or absent1 7in case he remain impenitent17 if the case will bear so long a delay1 it is convenient1 that the pastor publicly pray for his conviction and repentance1 that he may be saved4 ,and this he may do one1 or two1 or three1 or more days1 as the nature of the case and prudence shall direct him4 ,if during these means for his recovery 7after the proof of the crime7 there be a communion of the church in the ,lord's supper1 let the pastor require him to forbear1 and not suffer him to partake of the ,lord's table4 ,if yet the offender remain impenitent1 let the pastor openly declare him unmeet for the communion of the church1 and require him to abstain from it1 and require the church to avoid communion with him4 ,and let him bind him by the denunciations of the threatenings of ,god against the impenitent4 ,but before this is done1 let no necessary consultation with other pastors1 or concurrence of the church1 be neglected3 and after let there be place for due appeals1 and let ministers consent to give account when they are accused of mal-administration4 ,but if1 after private admonition1 7while the offence is such as requireth not public confession17 the sinner be penitent1 let the minister privately apply to his consolation the promises of the gospel1 with such cautelous prudence1 as is most suitable to his condition4 ,and if he repent not till after public admonition1 or that the scandal be so great and notorious1 as that a public confession is necessary1 let him1 at a seasonable time appointed by the pastor1 with remorse of conscience1 and true contrition1 confess his sin before the congregation1 and heartily lament it1 and clear the honour of his christian profession which he had stained1 and crave the prayers of the church to ,god for pardon and reconciliation through ,christ1 and also crave the ministerial absolution and restoration to the communion of the church1 and profess his resolution to do so no more2 but to live in new obedience to ,god1 desiring also their prayers for corroborating and preserving grace4 ,it is only a credible profession of repentance1 that is to be accepted by the church4 ,the foregoing cautions must be carefully observed in such confessions1 that they be not made to the injuring of the magistrate1 or of the church1 or of the reputation of others1 or of the life1 estate1 or liberty of the offender1 or to any other shame than is necessary to the manifesting of his repentance1 and the clearing of his profession1 and the righting of any that he hath wronged1 and the honour and preservation of the church4 ,when he hath made a credible profession of repentance1 it is the pastor's duty1 ministerially to declare him pardoned by ,christ1 but in conditional terms4 ,if his repentance be sincere4 ,and to absolve him from the censure of non-communion with the church1 if he was under such a censure before his penitence1 and to declare him meet for their communion1 and to encourage him to come1 and require the church to entertain him into their communion with gladness1 and not upbraid him with his fall1 but rejoice in his recovery1 and endeavour his confirmation and preservation for the time to come3 and it is his duty accordingly to admit him to communion1 and theirs to have loving communion with him3 all which the penitent person must believingly1 lovingly1 and joyfully receive4 ,but if any by notorious perfidiousness1 or frequent covenant-breaking1 have forfeited the credit of their words1 or have long continued in the sin which they do confess1 so that their forsaking it hath no proof2 the church then must have testimony of the actual reformation of such as these1 before they may take their professions and promises as credible3 yet here the difference of persons and offences is so great1 that this is to be much left to the prudence of pastors that are present1 and acquainted with the persons and circumstances of the case4 ,in the transacting of all this1 these following forms1 to be varied as the variety of cases do require1 may be made use of4 ,a ,form of ,public ,admonition to the ,impenitent4 ,sidenote3 ,the sin may be named and aggravated when it is convenient4 ,a4 ,b4 you are convict of a gross and scandalous sin2 you have been admonished and entreated to repent4 ,the promises of mercies to the penitent1 and the threatenings of ,god against the impenitent1 have not been concealed from you4 ,we have waited in hope of your repentance1 as having compassion on your soul1 and desiring your salvation2 but we must say with grief1 you have hitherto disappointed us4 ,we are certain from the word of ,god1 that you must be penitent1 if ever you will be pardoned1 and that except you repent1 you shall everlastingly perish4 ,to acquaint you publicly with this1 and yet here to offer you mercy from the ,lord1 is the next duty laid upon us for your recovery4 ,oh6 blame us not1 if1 knowing the terrors of the ,lord1 we thus persuade you1 and are loth to leave you in the power of ,satan1 and loth to see you cast out into perdition1 and that your blood should be required at our hands1 as not having discharged our duty to prevent it4#bge ,be it known unto you therefore1 that it is the ,god of heaven and earth1 the great1 the jealous1 and the terrible ,god1 whose laws you have broken1 and whose authority you despise4 ,you refuse his government1 who is coming with ten thousands of his saints1 to execute judgment upon all1 and to convince all that are ungodly of their ungodly deeds and speeches2 who hath told us that evil shall not dwell with him4 ,the foolish shall not stand in his sight4 ,he hateth all workers of iniquity4 ,the ungodly shall not stand in judgment1 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous4 ,god hath not his laws in vain4 ,though the wicked contemn ,god1 and say in their hearts he will not require it2 yet their damnation slumbereth not1 they are reserved to the day of judgment1 to be punished4 ,and he seeth that their day is coming4 ,if men cut off the lives of those that break their laws1 will ,god be outfaced by the pride and stubbornness of sinners8 ,he will not2 you shall know he will not2 he threateneth not in jest4 ,who hath hardened himself against him1 and hath prospered8 ,are you not as chaff and stubble8 and is not our ,god a consuming fire8 ,if briers and thorns be set against him in battle1 will he not go through them1 and burn them up together8 ,can your heart endure1 or your hands be strong1 in the day when ,god shall deal with you8 ,it is the ,lord that hath spoken it1 and he will do it4 ,what will you do1 when you must bear with the pains of hell from ,god1 that now can scarce endure to be thus openly and plainly warned of it8 ,if we to please you should be silent and betray you1 do you think the ,god of heaven will fear or flatter you to please a worm8 ,do you provoke the ,lord to jealousy8 are you stronger than he8 ,o man6 for your soul's sake1 let not ,satan abuse your understanding1 and sin befool you4 ,must you not die8 ,and doth not judgment follow1 when all secrets shall be opened1 and ,god will no more entreat you to confess4 ,behold1 the ,judge standeth at the door4 ,will sin go then with you for as light a matter as it doth now8 ,will you then deny it1 or will you stand to all the reasonings1 or excuses1 by which you would now extenuate or cover it8 ,will you defend it as your friend2 and be angry with ministers and reprovers as your enemies8 ,or will you not mourn at last1 7with weeping and gnashing of teeth17 and say1 ,how have ,i hated instruction1 and my heart despised reproof2 and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers1 nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me6 ,oh that you were wise1 that you understood this1 and that you would consider your latter end6 ,believe ,god's wrath before you feel it3 be convinced by the word and servants of the ,lord1 before you are confounded by the dreadfulness of his majesty4 ,yet there is hope2 but shortly there will be none1 if you neglect it4 ,yet if you confess and forsake your sins1 you shall have mercy2 but if you cover them1 you shall not prosper4 ,and if1 being oft reproved1 you harden your neck1 you shall suddenly be destroyed1 and that without remedy4 ,be not deceived1 ,god is not mocked4 ,whatsoever you sow1 that shall you also reap4 ,o man6 you know not what it is to deal with an offended and revenging ,god4 ,nor what it is to hear ,christ say1 ,depart from me1 ye workers of iniquity2 ,i never knew you3 depart from me1 ye wicked1 into everlasting fire4 ,you know not what it is to be shut out of heaven1 and concluded under utter desperation2 and in hell to look back upon this obstinate impenitence1 and rejecting of the mercy that would have saved you2 and there to have conscience telling you for ever1 what it is that you have done4 ,did you know what this is1 could you1 think a penitent confessing and forsaking your sin to be a condition too hard for the preventing of such a doleful state8 ,o no6 ,you know not what a case you are casting your immortal soul into4 ,the ,lord give you repentance1 that you may never know it by experience4 ,to prevent this1 is our business with you3 we delight not to displease or shame you4 ,but ,god hath told us1 ,that if any do err from the truth1 and one convert him1 let him know1 that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way1 shall save a soul from death1 and shall hide a multitude of sins4 ,i do therefore by the command1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 require and beseech you1 that you do1 without any more delay1 confess your sins and heartily bewail them2 and beg pardon of them1 and resolve and promise by the help of ,god to do so no more4 ,and bless ,god that you have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous1 whose blood will cleanse you from your sins1 if you penitently confess them2 and that mercy may be yet had on so easy terms4 ,if you had any sense of your sin and misery1 or any sense of the dishonour done to ,god1 or of the wrong that you have done to others1 and of the usefulness of your penitent confession1 and amendment1 to the reparation of all these1 you would cast yourself in the dust1 in shame and grief before the ,lord1 and before the church4 ,to-day1 therefore1 if you will hear his voice1 harden not your heart1 lest ,god forsake you1 and give you over unto your own heart's lust1 to walk in your own counsels1 and resolve in his wrath1 you shall never enter into his rest4 ,and then ,god and this congregation will be witnesses that you were warned2 and your blood will be upon your own head4 ,but if1 in penitent confession1 you fly to ,christ1 and loathe yourself for your iniquities1 and heartily forsake them1 ,i have authority to promise you free forgiveness1 and that your iniquity shall not be your ruin4#bgf ,a ,form of ,confession1 to be made before the ,congregation4 ,sidenote3 99 ,here the sin must be named and aggravated1 when by the pastor it is judged requisite4 ,i do confess before ,god and this congregation1 that ,i have greatly sinned4 99 ,i have offended and dishonoured ,god1 wronged the church1 and the souls of others4 ,i have deserved to be forsaken of the ,lord1 and cast out of his presence and communion of saints1 into desperation1 and remediless misery in hell4 ,i am no more worthy to be called thy son1 or to have a name or place among thy servants4 ,i do here declare mine iniquity1 and am sorry for my sins2 they are gone over my head as a heavy burden1 they are too heavy for me1 they take hold upon me4 ,i am ashamed1 as unworthy to look up towards heaven1 but my hope is in the blood and grace of ,christ1 who made his life a sacrifice for sin1 and came to seek and save that which was lost2 whose grace aboundeth where sin hath abounded4 ,the ,lord be merciful to me a sinner4 ,i humbly beg of the congregation that they will earnestly pray1 that ,god will wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity1 and cleanse me from my sins2 that he will forgive them1 and blot them out1 and hide his face from them1 and remember them no more2 that he will not cast me away from his presence1 nor forsake me as ,i have forsaken him1 nor deal with me according to my deserts3 but that he will create in me a clean heart1 and renew a right spirit in me1 and grant me the joy of his salvation4 ,and ,i beg pardon of the church1 and all that ,i have wronged2 and resolve by the grace of ,god to do so no more2 but to walk more watchfully as before the ,lord4 ,and ,i desire all that are ungodly1 that they think never the worse of the laws1 or ways1 or servants of the ,lord for my misdoings2 for if ,i had been ruled by ,god1 and by his servants1 ,i had never done as ,i have done4 ,there is nothing in religion that befriendeth sin2 there is nothing so contrary to it1 as ,god and his holy laws1 which ,i should have obeyed4 ,rather let all take warning by me1 and avoid temptations1 and live not carelessly1 and hearken not to the inclinations or reasonings of the flesh1 nor trust their weak and sinful hearts2 but live in godly fear and watchfulness1 and keep under the flesh1 and keep close to ,god1 and hearken to the faithful counsel of his servants4 ,and ,i entreat your prayers to ,god1 that ,i may be strengthened by his grace1 that ,i may sin thus no more1 lest worse befall me4#bgg ,a form of ,prayer for a ,sinner impenitent1 after ,public ,admonition4 ,most gracious ,god1 according to thy command we have warned this sinner1 and told him of thy threatenings1 and foretold him of thy certain terrible judgments1 that he might flee from the wrath to come2 but alas1 we perceive not that he repenteth or relenteth1 but hardeneth his heart against reproof2 as if he were able to contend with thee1 and overcome thy power4 ,o let us prevail with thee for grace1 that we may prevail with him for penitent confession and reformation4 ,o pity a miserable sinner6 so miserable1 as that he layeth not to heart his misery1 nor pitieth himself4 ,o save him from the gall of bitterness1 and from the bonds of his iniquity4 ,give him repentance unto life1 that he may recover himself out of the snare of the devil1 who is taken captive by him at his will4 ,give him not up to a blind mind1 to a seared conscience1 a heart that is past feeling1 nor to walk in his own counsels1 and after his own lusts4 ,let him no longer despise the riches of thy goodness1 and forbearance1 and long-suffering1 nor with a hardened1 impenitent heart1 treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of thy righteous judgment2 who wilt render to every man according to his deeds1 even to them that are contentious and obey not the truth1 but obey unrighteousness1 indignation and wrath1 tribulation and anguish1 upon every soul of man that doeth evil4 ,let him be sure that the judgment of ,god is according to truth against them that commit such things2 and let him not think in his impenitency to escape thy judgment4 ,o suffer him not1 when he heareth the threatenings of thy word1 to bless himself in his heart1 and say1 ,i shall have peace1 though ,i walk in the imaginations of my heart1 and add sin to sin2 lest thy anger and jealousy smoke against him1 and thou wilt not spare him1 but blot out his name from under heaven1 and all thy curses lie upon him1 and thou separate him to evil1 even to the worm that dieth not1 and to the fire that is not quenched4 ,o save him from his sins1 from his impenitency1 and the pride and stubbornness of his heart4 ,o save him from the everlasting flames1 and from thy wrath1 which he is the more in danger of1 because he feeleth not1 and feareth not his danger4 ,let him know how hard it is for him to kick against the pricks1 and how woeful to strive against his ,maker4 ,lay him at thy footstool in sackcloth and ashes1 in tears and lamentation1 crying out1 ,woe unto me that ,i have sinned2 and humbling his soul in true contrition1 and loathing himself1 and begging thy pardoning and healing grace1 and begging the prayers and communion of thy church1 and resolving to sin wilfully no more1 but to live before thee in uprightness and obedience all his days4 ,o let us prevail with thee for the conversion of this impenitent sinner1 and so for the saving of his soul from death1 and the hiding and pardoning of his sins2 that he that is lost may be found1 and he that is dead may be alive1 and the angels of heaven1 and we thy unworthy servants here on earth1 may rejoice at his repenting4 ,let us see him restored by thy grace1 that we may joyfully receive him into our communion1 and thou mayst receive him at last into thy heavenly kingdom1 and ,satan may be disappointed of his prey2 for thy mercy' sake1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord and only ,saviour4#bgh ,amen4 ,a ,form of ,rejection from the ,communion of the ,church4 ,jesus ,christ1 the ,king and ,lawgiver of the church1 hath commanded1 that1 ,if a brother trespass against us1 we go and tell him his fault between him and us alone2 and if he will not hear us1 we shall then take with us one or two more1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established2 and if he shall neglect to hear them1 that he tell it to the church2 and if he neglect to hear the church1 that he be to us as a heathen man1 and a publican4 ,and that we keep no company1 if any that is called a brother1 be a fornicator1 or covetous1 or an idolater1 or a railer1 or a drunkard1 or an extortioner1 with such a one1 no1 not to eat4 ,and that we withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly1 and note him1 and have no company with him1 that he may be ashamed4 ,according to these laws of ,christ1 we have admonished this offending brother1 who hath greatly sinned against ,god1 and grieved and injured the church2 we have earnestly prayed and patiently waited for his repentance1 but we have not prevailed4 ,but after all1 he continueth impenitent1 and will not be persuaded to confess and forsake his sin3 we do therefore1 according to these laws of ,christ1 declare him unmeet for the communion of the church1 and reject him from it2 requiring him to forbear it1 and requiring you to avoid him2 and we leave him bound to the judgment of the ,lord1 unless his true repentance shall prevent it4#bgi ,a ,form of ,absolution1 and ,reception of the ,penitent4 ,sidenote3 99 ,this must be omitted if the person was not first rejected4 ,though you have greatly sinned against the ,lord1 and against his church1 and your own soul1 yet seeing you humble yourself before him1 and penitently fly to ,christ for mercy1 resolving to do so no more2 hear now the glad tidings of salvation1 which ,i am commanded to declare unto you4 ,if any man sin1 we have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous1 and he is the propitiation for our sins4 ,if we confess our sins1 he is faithful to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness4 ,seek the ,lord while he may be found2 call upon him while he is near4 ,let the wicked forsake his way1 and the unrighteous man his thoughts1 and let him return unto the ,lord1 and he will have mercy upon him1 and to our ,god1 for he will abundantly pardon4 ,he that covereth his sins shall not prosper2 but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy4 ,brethren1 if a man be overtaken in a fault1 restore such a one in the spirit of meekness1 considering thyself lest thou also be tempted4 ,according to this word of grace1 99 ,i do loose the bonds here laid upon you1 and receive you again into the communion of the church1 requiring to receive you1 and not upbraid you with your sin1 but rejoice in your recovery4 ,and ,i do declare to you the pardon of all your sins in the blood of ,christ1 if your repentance be sincere4 ,and ,i exhort and charge you1 that you believingly and thankfully accept this great1 unspeakable mercy1 and that you watch more carefully for the time to come1 and avoid temptations1 and subdue the flesh1 and accept reproofs1 and see that you return not to your vomit1 or to wallow again in the mire1 when you are washed2 but obey the ,spirit1 and keep close to ,god in the means of your preservation4#bhj ,a ,form of ,thanksgiving1 or ,prayer1 for the ,restored ,penitent4 ,sidenote3 99 ,leave out this if he was not rejected4 ,o most merciful ,father1 we thank thee that thou hast brought as under so gracious a covenant1 as not only to pardon the sins of our unregenerate state2 but also upon our penitent confession1 and return1 to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness1 and pardon our falls by the blood of ,christ1 and to restore our souls1 and lead us again in the paths of righteousness1 and command thy servants to receive us4 ,we thank thee that thou hast thus restored this thy servant1 giving him repentance and remission of sin1 99 and returning him to the communion of thy church4 ,we beseech thee1 comfort him with the believing apprehensions of thy forgiveness and reconciliation through ,jesus ,christ4 ,restore unto him the joy of thy salvation1 and uphold him by thy free ,spirit2 stablish1 strengthen1 settle him1 that with full purpose of heart he may cleave unto thee2 and now thou hast spoken peace to him he may not return again to folly4 ,as he nameth the name of ,christ1 let him depart from iniquity1 and never more dishonour thee1 thy church or truth1 nor his holy profession1 but save him from temptation4 ,let him watch and stand fast1 and sin no more1 lest worse befall him4 ,let him not receive this grace in vain1 nor turn it into wantonness1 nor continue in sin1 that grace may abound4 ,but let his old man be crucified with ,christ1 and the body of sin be destroyed2 that henceforth he may no more serve sin1 remembering what fruit he had in those things whereof he is now ashamed1 and that the end and wages of sin is death3 and let us all take warning by the falls of others1 and be not high-minded1 but fear2 and let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall4 ,let us watch and pray that we enter not into temptation1 remembering that the flesh is weak2 and our adversary the devil walketh about seeking whom he may devour4 ,and let none of us hate our brother in our hearts1 but in any wise rebuke our neighbour1 and not suffer sin upon him3 and confirm us unto the end1 that we may be blameless in the day of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 to whom with thee1 ,o ,father1 and thy ,holy ,spirit1 be kingdom1 and power1 and glory for ever4#bha ,amen4 ,,appendix4 ,a ,,larger ,,litany1 ,,or ,,general ,,prayer1 ,,to ,,be ,,used ,,at ,,discretion4 ,o most holy1 blessed1 and glorious ,trinity1 ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,ghost1 three ,persons and one ,god1 infinite in power1 wisdom1 and goodness1 our ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier2 our ,owner1 ,governor1 and ,father2 hear our prayers1 and have mercy upon us1 miserable sinners4 ,o ,lord our ,saviour1 whose incarnation1 nativity1 subjection1 fasting1 temptation1 poverty1 reproaches1 agony and bloody sweat1 scourging1 desertion1 crucifying1 death1 and burial1 were all undergone to take away the sins of the world2 who being risen1 ascended1 and glorified1 art the great ,priest1 and ,prophet1 and ,king of thy universal church1 for which thou makest intercession1 which thou dost gather1 teach1 and guide by thy ,spirit1 word1 and ministers1 which thou dost justify and wilt glorify with thyself1 who wilt come again1 and raise the dead1 and judge the world in righteousness2 we beseech thee hear us1 miserable sinners4 ,cast us not out that come unto thee4 ,make sure to us our calling and election1 our unfeigned faith and repentance1 that being justified1 and made the sons of ,god1 we may have peace with him as our reconciled ,god and ,father4#bhb ,let our hearts be right with thee our ,god1 and stedfast in thy covenant4 ,cause us to deny ourselves1 and give up ourselves entirely unto thee1 our ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 as being not our own1 but thine4#bhc ,let thy ,holy ,spirit dwell in us1 and sanctify us throughout1 that we may be new creatures1 and holy as thou art holy2 let it be in us the ,spirit of adoption and supplication1 and the seal and earnest of our glorious inheritance2 and let us know that we are thine1 and thou abidest in us1 by the ,spirit which thou hast given us4#bhd ,as thy name1 ,o ,lord1 is holy1 and thy glory covereth the heavens1 so let the earth be filled with thy praises4 ,let our souls ever magnify thee1 ,o ,lord1 and our tongues extol thee4 ,let us speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty1 of thy greatness1 thy power1 thy glorious kingdom1 thy wisdom1 holiness1 truth1 and righteousness1 thy goodness1 thy mercy1 and thy wondrous works4 ,let all flesh bless thy holy name4#bhe ,let the desire of our souls be to thy name3 cause us to love thee with all our hearts1 to fear thee1 trust in thee1 and to delight in thee1 and be satisfied in thee as our portion1 and whatever we do to do it to thy glory4#bhf ,keep us from inordinate self-love2 from pride1 and vain-glory1 and self-seeking2 and from dishonouring thee1 thy word1 or service in the world4#bhg ,let the world acknowledge thee1 the universal ,king4 ,give thy ,son the heathen for his inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession4 ,let the kingdoms of the world become his kingdoms4 ,convert the atheistical1 idolatrous1 infidel1 ,mahometan1 and ungodly nations of the earth1 that every knee may bow to ,christ1 and every tongue confess him the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords1 to the glory of ,god the ,father4#bhh ,let the word of thy kingdom and salvation be preached to all the world2 let it have free course and be glorified3 and by the power of thy ,spirit convert many unto ,christ2 and let him be thy salvation to the ends of the earth4 ,send forth more labourers into the harvest1 which is great1 and fit them for so great a work2 and deliver them from unreasonable and wicked men1 that 7to fill up their sins7 forbid them to speak to the people1 that they might be saved4#bhi ,deliver the churches that are oppressed by idolaters1 ,mahometans1 or other infidels and enemies4 ,give all thy servants prudence1 patience1 and innocency1 that1 suffering as christians1 and not as evil-doers1 they may not be ashamed1 but may glorify thee1 and wait for thy salvation1 committing the keeping of their souls unto thee1 in hope of a reward in heaven4#bij ,deliver the church from the ,roman papal usurpations and corruptions4 ,dispel the deceits of heresies1 and false worship1 by the light of thy prevailing truth4 ,unite all christians in ,christ ,jesus1 the true and only universal ,head2 that by the true christian1 catholic faith and love1 they may grow up in him1 and may keep the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace2 the strong receiving and bearing the infirmities of the weak4 ,heal the divisions that are among believers4 ,let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory1 but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than himself2 and let all men know that we are ,christ's disciples1 by our fervent love to one another4#bia ,let us be heartily and entirely thy subjects1 believing that thou art just1 and the rewarder of them that diligently seek thee4 ,keep us from atheism1 idolatry1 and disobedience2 from infidelity1 ungodliness1 and sensuality2 from security1 presumption1 and despair4#bib ,let us study to please thee in all things4 ,let thy law be written in our hearts2 and let us delight to do thy will4 ,let our faith and lives be ruled by thy word1 which is able to make us wise unto salvation2 let us love it1 search it1 and understand it1 and meditate in it day and night4#bic ,let us not please ourselves or other men against thee1 nor be led by the wisdom or desires of the world and flesh1 nor regard lying vanities1 nor through carelessness1 rashness1 or presumption1 offend thee4#bid ,as all nations must be judged by thee1 let them be ruled by thy laws1 and not make them void by men's traditions1 nor worship thee in vain1 teaching for doctrine the commandments of men4 ,but whatever thou commandest1 let them take heed to do2 let them add nothing thereto1 nor take aught therefrom4#bie ,let us not take thy holy name in vain1 but use it in truth and reverence4 ,keep us from all blasphemy1 perjury1 profane swearing2 from lying before the ,god of truth2 and from contempt and forgetfulness of thy presence2 from false1 unworthy1 unreverent thoughts or speeches of ,god1 and holy things2 and from neglecting or abusing thy holy word and worship4#bif ,help us to keep holy thy day1 in remembrance of the blessed work of our redemption1 and reverently to attend thee in public worship2 and obediently to receive thy word2 and fervently to call upon thy name2 and to delight ourselves in thanksgiving and joyful praises to thy holiness in the communion of thy saints3 and let us carefully see that our households1 and all within our gates1 do serve thee1 and not abuse thy holy day4#big ,have mercy on the kings and rulers of the earth1 that they may escape the temptations of worldly greatness1 honours1 and prosperity1 which would captivate them to the flesh1 and draw their hearts from thee1 thy laws1 and ways1 and would engage them against thee and thy servants4 ,and as they are thy ministers1 and magistracy is thine ordinance1 sanctify and dispose them to be nursing fathers to thy church1 to own thy interest1 and rule for thee4#bih ,especially have mercy on thy servant ,charles1 our king3 illuminate and sanctify him by thy ,holy ,spirit1 that above all things he may seek thy glory1 the increase of faith and obedience to thy laws1 and may rule us as being thy minister for good1 not to be a terror to good works1 but to evil2 that under him we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty4#bii ,have mercy upon all the royal family1 the lords of the council1 and all the nobility1 the judges1 and magistrates of these lands4 ,cause them to fear thee1 and to be eminent in sobriety1 righteousness1 and godliness1 to protect the innocent1 and be a terror to the wicked1 hating injustice1 covetousness1 and pride4#cjj ,let every soul be subject to the higher powers1 and not resist4 ,let them obey the king1 and all that are in authority under him1 not only for wrath1 but for conscience' sake1 as knowing that they rule by thee1 and for thee4#cja ,give all the churches able1 holy1 faithful pastors2 and cause them laboriously to preach1 and rightly to divide the word of truth1 to feed thy people with knowledge1 and lead them in the way of faith and love1 of holiness and peace1 and to watch for their souls as those that must give account2 overseeing and ruling them1 not by constraint1 but willingly1 not for filthy lucre1 but of a ready mind1 not as being lords over thy heritage1 but as the servants of all1 and ensamples to the flock2 that when the chief ,pastor shall appear1 they may receive a crown of glory4#cjb ,let the congregations know those that have the ruling of them1 and are over them in the ,lord1 that labour among them1 preaching to them the word of ,god4 ,let them submissively and obediently hear1 and esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake1 and account them worthy of double honour4#cjc ,let parents bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord1 diligently teaching them thy word1 talking of it when they are in their house1 and when they walk by the way1 when they lie down1 and when they rise up1 that they may know their ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier1 in the days of their youth3 and cause children to hear1 love1 honour1 and obey their parents1 that they may have the blessing of thine especial promise unto such4#cjd ,let husbands love their wives1 and prudently guide them in knowledge and holiness2 and let wives love1 honour1 and obey their husbands1 as meet helpers to them4#cje ,let masters rule their servants in holiness and mercy1 remembering they have a ,master in heaven2 and let servants reverently1 singly1 and willingly be obedient1 and do service to their masters as to the ,lord1 from him expecting their reward4#cjf ,keep us from murder1 violence1 and all injury to our neighbour's life or health2 from malice1 cursing1 reviling1 and unadvised anger4 ,let us not resist evil with evil1 but forbear one another1 and not give place to wrath4#cjg ,keep us from adultery1 fornication1 and all uncleanness1 and the occasions and appearances thereof4 ,let us take care as becometh saints1 that they be not immodestly named among us1 and that no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths4 ,keep us from chambering and wantonness1 from lustful thoughts1 and all immodest attire1 behaviour1 looks1 and actions4#cjh ,keep us from theft and oppression1 and any way wronging our neighbour in his property and estate4#cji ,keep us from false witness-bearing1 lying1 and deceiving2 from slandering1 backbiting1 unjust1 uncharitable censuring or reproaching2 from all perverting of justice1 and wronging the reputation of our neighbour2 and from all consent or desire of such wrongs4#caj ,keep us from envy1 and from coveting any thing that is our neighbour's1 to his wrong1 and from seeking our own1 or drawing to ourselves1 to the injury of his welfare2 but let us love our neighbours as ourselves1 and do to others as we would they should do to us4#caa ,teach us to love ,christ and his holy image in his members1 with a dear and special love1 and to love our enemies1 and pray for them that hate and persecute us1 and to do good to all as we are able1 but especially to them of the household of faith4#cab ,cause us with patience to submit to all the disposals of thy will1 and wait thy end1 and to love the demonstrations of thy holiness and justice1 though grievous to the flesh2 and keep us from impatient murmurings1 and discontent1 and arrogant reasoning against thy will4#cac ,give us our daily bread1 our necessary sustentation and provision for thy service2 and let us use it for thee1 and not to satisfy the flesh4 ,let us depend on thee1 and trust thee for it in the lawful use of the means4 ,and bless thou our labours1 and give us the fruits of the earth in season1 and such temperate weather as tendeth thereunto4#cad ,deliver us and all thy servants from such wants1 distresses1 griefs1 and sickness1 as will unseasonably take us off thy service1 and from untimely death2 and teach us to value and redeem our time1 and work while it is day4#cae ,keep us from gluttony1 drunkenness1 and all intemperance2 from sloth and idleness2 from inordinate desires of pleasures or abundance2 but having food and raiment1 let us be therewith contented4#caf ,of thy abundant mercy1 through the sacrifice and merits of thy ,son according to thy promise1 forgive us all our sins1 and save us from thy deserved wrath and condemnation4 ,remember not1 ,o ,lord1 our offences1 nor the offences of our forefathers2 but though our iniquities testify against us1 spare us and save us for thy mercy's sake4 ,o let not our sin deprive us of thy ,spirit1 or of access unto thee1 or communion with thee1 or of thy favour or comfort1 or the light of thy countenance1 or of everlasting life4#cag ,cause us to forgive from our hearts1 the injuries done against us1 as we expect to be forgiven by thee the greatest debt4 ,keep us from all revengeful desires and attempts4 ,and do thou convert and pardon our enemies1 slanderers1 oppressors1 persecutors1 and others that have done us wrong4#cah ,keep us from running upon temptations3 suffer not the tempter by subtlety or importunity to corrupt our judgments1 wills1 affections1 or conversations4 ,cause us to maintain a diligent and constant watch over our thoughts and hearts1 our senses and appetites1 our words and actions2 and as faithful soldiers1 by the conduct and strength of the ,captain of our salvation1 with the whole armour of ,god1 to resist and overcome the world1 the devil1 and the flesh unto the end4#cai ,save us from the temptations of prosperity and adversity4 ,let us not be drawn from thee to sin by the pleasures1 profits1 or honours of the world4 ,strengthen us for sufferings4 ,let us not forsake thee1 or fall in time of trial4 ,help us to deny ourselves1 and take up our cross and follow ,christ1 accounting the sufferings of this present time unworthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed4#cbj ,deliver us from the enmity and rage of ,satan and his instruments2 and give not up thy servants1 their souls or bodies1 their peace or liberties1 estates or names1 to their malicious wills2 but save us and preserve us to thy heavenly kingdom4#cba ,we ask all this of thee1 ,o ,lord2 for thou art the universal ,king1 holy and just1 to whom it belongeth in righteousness to judge the world1 and save thy people4 ,all power is thine to execute wrath upon thine enemies1 and to deliver and glorify thy flock2 and none is able to resist thee4 ,of thee1 and through thee1 and to thee1 are all things1 and the glory shall be thine1 for ever4#cbb ,amen4 ,,the ,,church',s ,,praise ,,for ,,our ,,redemption1 ,,to ,,be ,,used ,,at ,,discretion4 ,our souls do magnify thee1 ,o ,lord2 our spirits rejoice in ,god our ,saviour1 who remembered us in our low and lost estates1 for his mercy endureth for ever4 ,by one man sin entered into the world1 and death by sin4 ,we kept not the covenant of ,god1 and refused to walk in his law2 for all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god1 and judgment came upon all men to condemnation4 ,but blessed be the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 that hath visited and redeemed his people1 and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us in the house of his servant ,david3 as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets1 which have been since the world began4 ,a virgin hath conceived and brought forth3 the ,holy ,ghost did come upon her2 the power of the ,highest did overshadow her2 therefore the ,holy ,one that is born of her1 is called the ,son of ,god3 his name is called ,jesus1 for he saveth his people from their sins4 ,to us is born a ,saviour1 which is ,christ the ,lord3 he is the image of the invisible ,god1 the firstborn of every creature2 for by him all things were created that are in heaven and in earth1 visible and invisible1 whether thrones or dominions1 or principalities or powers1 all things were created by him and for him1 and he is before all things1 and by him all things do consist4 ,he is the power of ,god and the wisdom of ,god2 the true ,light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world4 ,the ,word was made flesh and dwelt among us1 and men beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and truth2 for it pleased the ,father that in him should all fulness dwell4 ,when the fulness of time was come1 ,god sent his ,son1 made of a woman1 made under the law1 to redeem them that are under the law4 ,this is the beloved ,son in whom the ,father is well pleased4 ,for such a ,high ,priest became us1 who is holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 separate from sinners4 ,he did no sin1 neither was there any guile found in his mouth2 when he was reviled1 he reviled not again1 leaving us an example3 who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree2 for ,god laid on him the iniquity of us all1 and by his stripes we are healed4 ,when we were without strength1 in due time ,christ died for the ungodly1 the just for the unjust3 in this was manifest the love of ,god towards us1 that ,god sent his only begotten ,son into the world1 that we might live by him4 ,forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood1 he himself likewise took part with them1 that he might destroy through death him that had the power of death1 that is1 the devil2 and might deliver them1 who through fear of death1 were all their lifetime subject to bondage4 ,having spoiled principalities and powers1 he made a show of them openly1 triumphing over them in his cross4 ,he was buried1 and rose again the third day according to the ,scriptures2 for ,god raised him1 having loosed the pains of death1 because it was not possible that he should be holden of it4 ,he hath abolished death1 and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel4 ,o death6 where is thy sting8 ,o grave6 where is thy victory8#cbc ,all power is given him in heaven and earth4 ,when he ascended up on high1 he led captivity captive1 and gave gifts to men4 ,and he gave some apostles1 and some prophets1 and some evangelists1 and some pastors1 and some teachers1 for the perfection of the saints1 for the work of the ministry1 for the edifying of the body of ,christ1 till we all come in the unity of the faith1 and of the knowledge of the ,son of ,god1 to a perfect man4 ,he is set at ,god's right hand in the celestials1 far above all principalities1 and powers1 and might1 and dominion1 and every name that is named1 not only in this world1 but in that to come4 ,god hath put all things under his feet1 and gave him to be ,head over all things to the church1 which is his body1 the fulness of him that filleth all in all4#cbd ,without controversy great is the mystery of godliness3 ,god manifested in the flesh1 justified in the spirit1 seen of angels1 preached to the ,gentiles1 believed on in the world1 received up into glory4 ,this is the record1 that ,god hath given us eternal life1 and this life is in his ,son4 ,he that hath the ,son hath life1 and he that hath not the ,son hath not life4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by him1 and the world knew him not4 ,he came to his own1 and his own received him not4 ,this is the condemnation1 that light is come into the world1 and men loved darkness rather than light1 because their deeds are evil4 ,but as many as receive him1 to them gives he power to become the sons of ,god1 even to them that believe in his name4 ,there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in ,christ ,jesus1 who walk not after the flesh1 but after the ,spirit4 ,he forgiveth our iniquities1 and will remember our sins no more4 ,who shall lay any thing to the charge of ,god's elect8 ,it is ,god that justifieth3 who is he that condemneth8 ,it is ,christ that died2 yea rather1 that is risen again1 who is even at the right hand of ,god1 who also maketh intercession for us4 ,who gave himself for us1 that he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify to himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works4 ,if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 the same is none of his4 ,he that nameth the name of ,christ must depart from iniquity4 ,if we regard iniquity in our hearts1 ,god will not hear our prayers4 ,but we are washed1 we are sanctified1 we are justified in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 and by the ,spirit of our ,god4 ,not by works of righteousness which we have done1 but according to his mercy he saved us1 by the washing of regeneration1 and renewing of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and being justified by faith1 we have peace with ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand1 and rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god2 and hope maketh not ashamed1 because the love of ,god is shed abroad in our hearts by the ,holy ,ghost which is given us4 ,for if when we were enemies we were reconciled to ,god by the death of his ,son1 much more being reconciled1 we shall be saved by his life4 ,he that spared not his own ,son1 but gave him up for us all1 how shall he not with him also freely give us all things8 ,he that is gone to prepare a place for us1 will come again and receive us to himself1 that where he is1 there we may be also4 ,it is his will that they that the ,father hath given him be with him where he is1 that they may behold the glory that is given him4 ,because he liveth we shall live also2 for we are dead1 and our life is hid with ,christ in ,god4 ,when ,christ who is our life shall appear1 then shall we also appear with him in glory2 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints1 and to be admired in all them that do believe4 ,then shall men discern between the righteous and the wicked1 between those that serve ,god1 and those that serve him not4 ,then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their ,father4 ,he that overcometh shall inherit all things4 ,he shall enter into the joy of his ,lord4 ,he shall be a pillar in the temple of ,god1 and shall go out no more4 ,christ will grant him to sit with him in his throne1 even as he overcame and is set down with his ,father in his throne4 ,he will rejoice over us with joy1 he will rest in his love1 then1 in the holy city1 the new ,jerusalem1 prepared as a bride adorned for her husband1 where the tabernacle of ,god will be with men1 and he will dwell with them1 and they shall be his people1 and ,god himself shall be with them1 their ,god1 and shall wipe away all tears from their eyes1 and there shall be no more death1 nor sorrow1 no crying1 nor pain1 for the former things are passed away4 ,and the city needeth not the sun1 or the moon to shine in it1 for the glory of ,god doth lighten it1 and the ,lamb is the light thereof4 ,the throne of ,god and of the ,lamb shall be in it1 and his servants shall serve him1 and shall see his face1 who is the blessed and only ,potentate1 the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords4 ,of him1 through him1 and to him1 are all things2 to whom be glory for ever4#cbe ,amen4 #agf #a ,tim4 #a4 #ae2 ,psal4 #adg4 #e2 ,matt4 #ai4 #ag2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #af2 ,dan4 #g4 #aj2 ,isa4 #eg4 #ae2 ,psal4 #adi4 #d2 ,heb4 #aj4 #ai1 #bj2 ,isa4 #ee4 #f2 ,psal #ie4 #f2 #ab4 #b2 #ii4 #e2 #ea4 #a1 #ag2 #hi4 #g2 ,jer4 #cb4 #dj2 ,heb4 #ab4 #bh2 #a ,thess4 #e4 #bc2 ,lev4 #aj4 #c2 ,zech4 #ab4 #aj2 ,rom4 #h4 #bf2 ,james #e4 #af2 #a4 #f2 ,isa4 #bf4 #h2 ,matt4 #ae4 #ah2 ,john #d4 #bc1 #bd2 #a ,thess4 #b4 #ac2 ,acts #af4 #ad2 ,mark #d4 #ab2 ,phil4 #a4 #bi2 ,prov4 #a4 #bd1 #be2 ,eccles4 #e4 #a2 ,john #f4 #de2 ,heb4 #d4 #bb1 #ac2 #b ,cor4 #aj4 #d1 #f2 ,psal4 #fi4 #cj2 #ajf4 #df2 #i4 #ad2 #aje4 #c2 #ea4 #ae2 #ai4 #ad2 ,heb4 #ac4 #ba4 #agg ,isa4 #ff4 #a2 ,psal4 #aaa4 #i2 ,luke #b4 #ac2 ,psal4 #ajc4 #bj2 ,heb4 #a4 #f2 ,psal4 #adi4 #a2 ,lev4 #aj4 #c2 ,gen4 #ah4 #bg2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #e2 ,dan4 #i4 #ah2 ,hos4 #ad4 #b2 ,rom4 #h4 #bf2 ,heb4 #ab4 #bh2 #b ,thess4 #b4 #aj2 ,luke #ai4 #dh2 ,isa4 #a4 #ai2 #b ,cor4 #b4 #af2 ,james #e4 #af2 ,psal4 #fc4 #e2 #a ,cor4 #g4 #ce2 ,psal4 #hd4 #aj2 #gc4 #bh4 #agh ,gen4 #a4 #bg4 #agi ,rom4 #e4 #ab4 #ahj ,rom4 #c4 #bc4 #aha ,john #c4 #af4 #ahb ,ver4 #ah4 #ahc ,ver4 #ai4 #ahd ,ver4 #bj4 #ahe ,gal4 #c4 #ac4 #ahf ,john #c4 #e4 #ahg ,ver4 #f4 #ahh ,matt4 #ah4 #c4 #ahi ,ezek4 #cc4 #aa4 #aij ,luke #ae4 #aj4 #aia ,ver4 #ah1 #ai4 #aib ,psal4 #e4 #e2 ,rom4 #f4 #bc2 ,eph4 #a4 #f1 #ab2 ,john #d4 #db2 ,rom4 #c4 #be2 ,eph4 #a4 #e2 ,luke #bd4 #dg2 ,acts #e4 #cg2 ,prov4 #bh4 #ac2 ,rev4 #c4 #ag2 ,psal4 #ea4 #e2 ,eph4 #b4 #c2 ,isa4 #dh4 #h2 #ec4f2 ,psal4 #ajj4 #c2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #bj2 #b ,cor4 #h4 #e2 #a ,cor4 #aj4 #ca2 #g4 #cb2 #a ,thess4 #d4 #a2 #a ,john #c4 #bb2 ,rom4 #b4 #bc2 #a ,chron4 #ba4 #g2 ,phil4 #b4 #ba2 ,luke #ah4 #ad2 ,rom4 #ae4 #a2 ,psal4 #dg4 #g2 ,rom4 #g4 #ab2 ,dan4 #i4 #i1 #aj2 ,tit4 #a4 #g1 #aj2 ,rom4 #h4 #e2 #ac4 #ad2 #d4 #bj2 ,psal4 #gh4 #g1 #bb2 ,isa4 #ea4 #g1 #h2 ,luke #ab4 #d1 #e2 ,psal4 #ajj4 #e2 #a ,john #d4 #af2 ,psal4 #af4 #e2 ,matt4 #bb4 #g1 #c2 ,psal4 #cg4 #d2 #a ,john #b4 #ae2 #b ,tim4 #e4 #g2 ,john #f4 #bg2 ,luke #aj4 #ba1 #bb2 ,matt4 #be4 #bf2 ,rom4 #ab4 #aa2 ,eph4 #f4 #aa1 #ac1 #ad2 ,mark #h4 #ch2 #b ,tim4 #a4 #h2 ,eph4 #e4 #ae2 ,rom4 #ab4 #a1 #ai2 ,acts #aa4 #bc2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #aj2 ,luke #a4 #ga2 ,heb4 #ab4 #bh2 ,psal4 #aaa4 #i2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #ai2 ,phil4 #c4 #c2 ,psal4 #bi4 #b2 ,rev4 #a4 #aj2 ,rom4 #ac4 #g2 ,tit4 #c4 #a2 ,eph4 #f2 ,matt4 #bi4 #ci2 #g4 #ab2 #a ,cor4 #aj4 #bd2 ,eph4 #d4 #b1 #cb2 ,matt4 #e4 #dd2 ,heb4 #ab4 #ad2 ,gal4 #f4 #aj2 ,psal4 #ai4 #ab1 #ac2 ,rom4 #b4 #d2 ,psal4 #ea4 #d2 ,rom4 #b4 #ae2 ,psal4 #gh4 #cb1 #cg1 #db2 ,luke #ab4 #ce1 #cf1 #dj2 ,rom4 #e4 #f1 #h1 #aj2 ,luke #ad4 #ag2 #h4 #a2 ,acts #ac4 #bf2 ,rev4 #bb4 #ag2 #a ,john #e4 #aa1 #ab2 ,matt4 #bb4 #e2 ,heb4 #b4 #c2 ,psal4 #aai4 #fj2 ,john #ab4 #dj2 ,heb4 #ab4 #be2 ,acts #g4 #ea2 #b ,tim4 #c4 #h2 ,luke #ae4 #ah2 ,numb4 #af4 #ch2 ,rom4 #a4 #ah2 ,eph4 #e4 #f2 ,dan4 #i4 #g1 #h2 ,psal4 #ea4 #a2 #da4 #a2 #adc4 #b2 #ea4 #i1 #aa2 ,lev4 #bf4 #be2 ,rev4 #a4 #e2 ,john #a4 #bi2 ,eph4 #a4 #f2 ,matt4 #ab4 #ah2 ,gal4 #c4 #ac2 ,isa4 #ec4 #e2 ,psal4 #he4 #d2 #fg4 #a2 ,acts #aa4 #ah2 ,ezek4 #bj4 #dc2 ,psal4 #ea4 #ag2 ,ezek4 #cf4 #bf2 ,gal4 #d4 #f1 #b2 #b ,cor4 #f4 #af2 ,jer4 #ac4 #ac2 ,ezek4 #aa4 #bj2 ,psal4 #aai4 #ah2 ,eph4 #c4 #ah2 ,matt4 #ac4 #aa2 ,eph4 #a4 #ah2 ,rom4 #b4 #ah2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #bf2 ,psal4 #aai4 #ajd2 ,rom4 #e4 #e2 #h4 #ce1 #ci2 ,jer4 #cb4 #dj2 ,matt4 #f4 #c2 ,col4 #c4 #a2 ,matt4 #f4 #bj1 #ba2 ,phil4 #c4 #bj2 ,col4 #c4 #e2 ,gal4 #f4 #ad2 ,rom4 #a4 #ag2 ,heb4 #aa4 #a2 #a ,cor4 #d2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #aa2 ,luke #ac4 #ad2 #a ,cor4 #i4 #bd2 #a ,pet4 #d4 #b2 ,col4 #a4 #aj2 #b ,cor4 #e4 #i2 ,john #f4 #ch2 ,psal4 #dj4 #h2 #a4 #b2 ,tit4 #b4 #ab2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #ad1 #ae2 #a4 #bb2 ,eph4 #d4 #b1 #cb2 ,james #e4 #ag2 ,psal4 #ae4 #d2 ,eph4 #e4 #ae2 ,phil4 #a4 #aj2 ,titus #b4 #ad2 ,matt4 #e4 #dd2 ,rom4 #ab4 #ai2 ,luke #ba4 #ai2 ,mark #h4 #cd2 ,heb4 #aa4 #bf2 ,rom4 #h4 #ag2 ,rev4 #b4 #aj1 #aa4 #aic ,hab4 #a4 #ac2 ,jude #ae4 ,luke #ac4 #c2 ,mark #af4 #af2 ,psal4 #ea4 #e2 ,eph4 #b4 #c2 ,rom4 #c4 #bb2 ,ezek4 #bj4 #cg2 ,matt4 #bh4 #ai2 ,eccl4 #ab4 #a2 ,deut4 #aa4 #a2 ,col4 #a4 #aj2 #a ,cor4 #aj4 #ca2 ,gen4 #e4 #bb2 #b ,cor4 #e4 #g2 ,phil4 #c4 #bj2 ,rom4 #ab4 #aa2 ,deut4 #f4 #e2 ,eph4 #b4 #c2 ,rom4 #h4 #g2 ,exod4 #bj4 #d1 #g1 #h1 #aa1 #ab1 c42 #b ,pet4 #b4 #i2 ,rom4 #ac4 #h1 #i2 ,mat4 #g4 #ab2 ,mark #f4 #cc4 #a ,tim4 #f4 #h2 ,luke #aj4 #da1 #db2 ,rom4 #e4 #h2 ,luke #bd4 #dg2 ,rom4 #c4 #be2 ,matt4 #bb4 #d1 #e2 ,heb4 #b4 #c2 ,acts #g4 #ea2 ,prov4 #a4 #bc2 ,jam4 #d4 #g2 #a ,pet4 #e4 #i2 ,psal4 #ea4 #d2 ,psal4 #ai4 #ab1 #ac2 ,isa4 #ei4 #ab2 ,psal4 #ajc4 #aaj2 #ej4 #aa2 ,mark #i4 #dd2 ,psal4 #eb4 #h2 ,eph4 #a4 #ab1 #ac2 ,psal4 #ga4 #e2 #gh4 #g2 #aai4 #ha2 #ea4 #a2 #b ,cor4 #e4 #ah2 #a4 #ai2 ,john #a4 #g2 ,gal4 #d4 #f2 #a ,thess4 #e4 #bc2 ,rom4 #e4 #e2 ,deut4 #cj4 #f2 ,psal4 #ca4 #af2 ,matt4 #a4 #ba2 #a ,thess4 #a4 #aj2 ,tit4 #b4 #ad2 ,col4 #a4 #aj2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #c2 ,ephes4 #e4 #af2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #aj2 ,matt4 #f4 #aa2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #d2 ,heb4 #ac4 #e2 ,matt4 #f4 #be2 #b ,pet4 #c4 #aa2 ,matt4 #bf4 #da2 ,james #d4 #f2 ,gal4 #e4 #ag2 #a ,john #e3 #d1 #e2 ,rev4 #b4 #ag2 #b ,pet4 #b4 #aj2 ,luke #a4 #ag2 ,psal4 #gc4 #bd4 #aid #b ,chron4 #cj4 #i4 #aie #a ,john #b4 #a1 #b4 #aif ,acts4 #ac4 #ch1 #ci4 #aig ,rom4 #e4 #bj1 #ba4 #aih #a ,john #a4 #g1 #h1 #i4 #aii ,matt4 #aa4 #bh-cj4 #bjj ,rev4 #bb4 #ag4 #bja ,john #f4 #cg4 #bjb ,heb4 #h4 #ab4 #bjc ,rom4 #h4 #i4 #bjd #b ,cor4 #e4 #ag4 #bje ,rom4 #h4 #a1 #e4 #bjf ,ver4 #f4 #bjg ,ver4 #g4 #bjh ,ver4 #h4 #bji ,ver4 #ac4 #baj ,gal4 #e4 #ai-ba4 #baa ,ver4 #bb-bd4 #bab ,rom4 #ac4 #ac1 #ad4 #bac #a ,john #b4 #ae1 #af4 #bad ,matt4 #g4 #ac1 #ad4 #bae ,tit4 #b4 #aa-ad4 #baf ,psal4 #a4 #a1 #b4 #bag ,ver4 #e4 #bah ,heb4 #ab4 #bh1 #bi4 #bai #b ,pet4 #c4 #aa1 #ab4 #bbj #a ,cor4 #ae4 #ef4 #bba ,luke #d4 #af-ah4 #bbb ,acts #ac4 #bg2 #a4 #b4 #bbc ,neh4 #h4 #d1 #f2 #i4 #b-f1 #aj1 #ch2 ,acts #ab4 #ab2 #a ,tim4 #d4 #e2 ,acts #a4 #ad2 #af4 #ac1 #af2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #h2 #a ,cor4 #ad1 #ae1 #af2 ,luke #d4 #af1 #ah2 ,neh4 #h4 #h2 ,acts #bj4 #g1 #i2 #b ,tim4 #d4 #a1 #b2 ,acts #d4 #bj2 #b ,cor4 #d4 #ac2 ,john #af4 #bj2 #a ,cor4 #b4 #g1 #ac2 ,matt4 #g4 #bi4 ,tit4 #b4 #ae2 ,matt4 #ba4 #de2 ,mark #ab4 #ab1 #ac1 #ag2 ,eph4 #f4 #ai1 #bj2 ,jude #bb1 #bc2 ,acts #ah4 #be2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #bd1 #be2 #a ,tim4 #e4 #ag2 ,acts #bj4 #cf2 ,psal4 #b2 ,rev4 #aa4 #ae2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #a-c2 #b ,thess4 #b4 #a1 #b2 #b4 #h2 #a ,thess4 #b4 #af2 ,rev4 #ah4 #ai2 ,matt4 #f4 #i2 #i4 #cg1 #ch2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #c2 ,eph4 #f4 #ai2 #a ,thess4 #e2 #b ,john #ag1 #bj2 #a ,sam4 #ab4 #bc2 #b ,cor4 #d4 #e2 ,phil4 #a4 #ae1 #af2 ,james #c4 #a1 #ae-ag2 ,luke #i4 #ee2 #a ,cor4 #ad4 #bf2 #b ,cor4 #aj4 #h2 ,psal4 #ib4 #a2 ,rev4 #a4 #aj2 ,acts #bj4 #g2 ,col4 #c4 #af1 #ag2 ,psal4 #aah2 #a ,cor4 #d4 #a1 #b2 #a ,tim4 #c4 #e2 #c4 #ae2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #b1 #ae2 ,acts #bj4 #g1 #i4 #bbd ,luke #aa4 #bh4 #bbe ,num4 #f4 #bd-bf4 #bbf #b ,cor4 #ac4 #ad4 #bbg ,prov4 #h4 #ae2 ,dan4 #d4 #cb2 ,heb4 #b4 #i2 ,psal4 #fe4 #aa2 #ic4 #ad2 #fe4 #d2 #fj4 #e2 #hj4 #ac2 #ei4 #a2 #fa4 #f2 ,isa4 #de4 #ac2 ,matt4 #c4 #c2 ,isa4 #ei4 #h2 #aa4 #b2 #a ,kings #a4 #c1 #g1 #i2 ,josh4 #a4 #h2 ,zech4 #ab4 #h2 #b ,sam4 #ad4 #ag2 ,psal4 #ae4 #d2 #aja4 #f4 ,prov4 #be4 #e2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #b2 #b ,tim4 #d4 #g1 #h2 ,rev4 #ba4 #e2 ,zech4 #h4 #ac2 ,isa4 #fj4 #ae2 ,james #c4 #ag2 #b ,sam4 #bc4 #c2 ,john #g4 #bg2 #b ,chron4 #ai4 #f2 ,amos #e4 #bd2 ,rom4 #ac4 #a-c2 ,rev4 #aa4 #af2 ,psal4 #fh4 #bh2 ,jer4 #ca4 #bc2 ,matt4 #f4 #ac4 #bbh ,matt4 #bh4 #ai2 ,john #e4 #g2 #a ,cor4 #h4 #d1 #f2 #a ,tim4 #a4 #ag2 ,mal4 #b4 #aj2 ,heb4 #a4 #b1 #c1 #e1 #h2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #h2 ,psal4 #bb4 #bh2 #a ,cor4 #ab4 #d-f2 ,psal4 #ajc4 #ai2 ,acts #g4 #ei2 ,heb4 #b4 #ad1 #i2 #a ,cor4 #ae4 #d2 #a ,tim4 #c4 #f2 ,john #a4 #bi2 ,eph4 #a4 #bj1 #bb2 ,rom4 #h4 #cj1 #cc1 #bd2 ,eph4 #e4 #a2 #a ,thess4 #d4 #af1 #ag2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #aj2 #b ,tim4 #a4 #e2 ,rom4 #e4 #a1 #b1 #aj2 #b ,cor4 #f4 #ah2 ,gal4 #d4 #f4 #bbi #a ,pet4 #a4 #b2 ,rom4 #h4 #aa2 ,matt4 #h4 #cd1 #ce2 #b ,cor4 #h4 #e2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #ai1 #bj2 ,rev4 #d4 #aa2 ,john #ab4 #bh2 ,matt4 #e4 #af2 ,psal4 #bb4 #bc1 #bg1 #bh2 #b ,tim4 #c4 #b2 ,matt4 #g4 #bb2 ,gal4 #e4 #bf2 #b4 #ai4 #bcj ,psal4 #b42 #dg4 #g2 ,rev4 #aa4 #ae2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #bf2 ,acts #bf4 #ah2 ,rom4 #aa4 #be2 ,matt4 #i4 #ch2 #bd4 #ad2 #b ,thess4 #c4 #a1 #b2 ,rev4 #b4 #c1 #ai2 #c4 #aj2 ,luke #ah4 #g2 ,rev4 #ah42 #ai4 #bca ,eph4 #d4 #c1 #e1 #ac1 #ae1 #af2 ,tit4 #c4 #aj2 #b ,cor4 #b4 #ag2 #a ,cor4 #a4 #aj2 ,rom4 #ad4 #a2 #ae4 #a2 #c ,john #i2 ,rom4 #a4 #ca2 ,luke #i4 #ee2 ,psal4 #gg4 #aj2 ,phil4 #b4 #c4 #bcb ,psal4 #ad42 ,eph4 #b4 #c1 #ab2 #b ,tim4 #c4 #b-d2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #i2 #b ,thess4 #b4 #aj2 ,rom4 #h4 #bd2 ,psal4 #dj4 #h2 #a4 #b2 ,isa4 #h4 #bj2 ,psal4 #aai4 #ig1 #bg4 #bcc ,matt4 #ae4 #i2 ,exod4 #bj4 #d1 #g1 #h2 ,mark #g4 #ba1 #bb2 ,jam4 #e4 #ab2 ,eccl4 #e4 #a1 #f2 ,ezek4 #b4 #bf2 ,neh4 #ac4 #ag2 ,rev4 #a4 #aj4 #bcd ,prov4 #ba4 #a2 ,psal4 #b4 #aj-ab2 ,isa4 #di4 #bc2 #b ,chron4 #ai4 #f2 ,rom4 #a4 #aa2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #i2 ,matt4 #ba4 #dd2 ,john #aa4 #dh2 ,psal4 #b4 #b-d4 #bce #a ,tim4 #b4 #b2 ,psal4 #ei4 #a2 #b ,chron4 #a4 #aj2 #bi4 #c2 #ae4 #ab1 #ac2 ,rom4 #ac4 #c1 #d2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #ad2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #b4 #bcf ,psal4 #gb4 #a2 ,prov4 #h4 #af2 ,exod4 #ah4 #ba4 ,job #bi2 ,isa4 #a4 #ag1 #bc2 ,psal4 #ae4 #d4 #bcg ,rom4 #ac4 #a1 #b1 #e2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #b2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #ac4 #bch #b ,cor4 #c4 #f2 ,jer4 #c4 #ae2 #b ,tim4 #d4 #b2 ,eph4 #d4 #aa1 #ac2 ,james #c4 #ag2 ,ezek4 #cd42 #a ,pet4 #e4 #a-d2 ,matt4 #bj4 #be1 #bf1 #bg4 #bci ,heb4 #ac4 #g1 #ag2 #a ,thess4 #e4 #ab1 #ac2 #a ,tim4 #e4 #ag4 #bdj ,eph4 #f4 #a2 ,eccl4 #ab4 #a2 ,exod4 #bj4 #ab2 ,eph4 #f4 #a1 #b2 #e4 #be1 #bb2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #g2 ,col4 #d4 #a2 #c4 #bb-bd4 #bda #a ,john #c4 #ae2 ,luke #c4 #ad2 #b ,cor4 #g4 #b2 ,prov4 #bi4 #bb2 ,matt4 #e4 #bb4 #bdb ,matt4 #e4 #bg1 #bh2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #i2 ,rom4 #ac4 #ac2 ,eph4 #e4 #c1 #d1 #ab4 #bdc ,eph4 #d4 #bh2 #a ,thess4 #d4 #f2 ,psal4 #hb4 #b2 ,prov4 #ai4 #e2 #aj4 #ah2 ,psal4 #ae4 #c2 ,matt4 #g4 #ab4 #bdd ,exod4 #bj4 #ag2 ,matt4 #bb4 #ci2 #g4 #ab2 #be4 #dj4 #bde #a ,pet4 #a4 #bb4 #bdf ,matt4 #e4 #dd2 ,gal4 #f4 #aj2 ,luke #aa4 #c2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #h2 ,deut4 #bh4 #c1 #d2 ,psal4 #aab42 #abh42 ,deut4 #aa4 #ad2 ,phil4 #b4 #bg2 ,rom4 #ac4 #ac1 #ad2 #ab4 #aa2 ,mark #h4 #cf4 #bdg #a ,john #b4 #a1 #b2 ,gal4 #f4 #a2 ,jam4 #e4 #ai1 #bj2 ,ezek4 #f4 #i2 ,eph4 #a4 #f1 #g2 ,heb4 #g4 #be2 ,matt4 #f4 #ab1 #ad1 #ae2 #e4 #dd2 ,luke #bc4 #cd2 ,matt4 #bf4 #da4 #bdh ,jam4 #d4 #g2 #a ,john #b4 #ac2 #e4 #d2 ,rom4 #h4 #ac2 ,gal4 #e4 #ag2 #a ,john #b4 #af1 #ag2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #ah2 ,rom4 #h4 #ag4 #bdi #a ,pet4 #e4 #h2 ,psal4 #adj4 #a-c2 #b ,tim4 #d4 #ah4 #bej #a ,tim4 #a4 #ag2 ,matt4 #f4 #ac2 ,rom4 #aa4 #cf4 #bea ,psal4 #aai4 #ajh2 ,eph4 #a4 #f2 ,psal4 #aaf4 #ag2 #b4 ,cor4 #i4 #ae2 ,psal4 #ajg4 #bb2 #b ,cor4 #a4 #c2 ,psal4 #hf4 #ae2 ,exod4 #cc4 #f1 #g2 ,isa4 #dc4 #g2 ,rev4 #d4 #aa2 ,gen4 #a4 #bg2 ,psal4 #h4 #e1 #f2 ,deut4 #ca4 #af2 #cb4 #e2 ,hos4 #d4 #g2 ,psal4 #f4 #aj2 ,hos4 #ac4 #d2 ,gen4 #d4 #d2 ,john #c4 #af2 ,heb4 #b4 #af2 ,john #a4 #ad2 ,eph4 #c4 #h2 #a ,tim4 #c4 #af2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #ab2 ,heb4 #b4 #ah2 ,matt4 #d4 #aj2 #b ,cor4 #h4 #i2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #bb2 ,matt4 #d4 #aj2 #a ,john #a4 #i2 ,phil4 #b4 #g2 ,heb4 #ab4 #b2 ,rev4 #c4 #ah2 ,psal4 #cb4 #a2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #bc2 ,heb4 #b4 #aj2 ,isa4 #ec4 #e1 #f2 #a ,tim4 #a4 #f2 #a ,cor4 #ae4 #c2 ,heb4 #b4 #ad2 ,gal4 #c4 #ac2 ,matt4 #aa4 #bh2 ,rev4 #bb4 #ad2 ,eph4 #a4 #bb2 ,psa4 #b4 #h2 ,phil4 #b4 #i2 ,matt4 #bh4 #ai2 ,john #e4 #bb2 ,heb4 #h4 #f2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #d2 #a ,john #e4 #aa2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #ai2 ,psal4 #aai4 #acj2 ,eph4 #b4 #bj2 #b ,cor4 #e4 #ai1 #bj2 ,acts #bf4 #ag1 #ah2 ,tit4 #c4 #c-f2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #be2 ,eph4 #d4 #ah2 ,john #ab4 #dj2 #a ,tim4 #d4 #b2 ,psal4 #ha4 #aa1 #ab2 ,john #e4 #d2 ,luke #ai4 #bg2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #bj2 ,rom4 #aj4 #ba2 ,heb4 #ab4 #be2 ,ezek4 #cc4 #aa2 ,prov4 #a4 #bb1 #bc2 ,john #f4 #dd2 ,acts #af4 #ad2 #a ,john #d4 #ai2 ,rom4 #aj4 #bj2 ,amos #e4 #ab2 ,rom4 #e4 #a2 ,acts #aa4 #ah2 ,rom4 #h4 #ad-ag2 ,eph4 #e4 #cj2 ,gal4 #d4 #f2 ,eph4 #b4 #ai2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #c-f2 ,rom4 #h4 #bh2 ,eph4 #c4 #ab2 ,heb4 #d4 #af2 ,psal4 #ej4 #ae2 #a ,tim4 #b4 #h2 ,matt4 #aa4 #ac2 ,psal4 #hi4 #g2 #bh4 #f2 #ca4 #bb2 #hf4 #ac2 ,psal4 #eg4 #c2 #ca4 #bj2 #cb4 #g2 #ca4 #cc2 #ajc4 #aj2 #cj4 #e2 ,hab4 #c4 #b2 ,psal4 #cb4 #f2 #be4 #aj2 #e4 #g2 #ajg4 #a2 #aje4 #c2 #hi4 #ae1 #af2 ,psal4 #hd4 #d2 #ij4 #ad2 #gc4 #bd2 ,john #ag4 #bd2 ,rev4 #bb4 #d4 #beb ,psal4 #ajc4 #a-d1 #ab2 #a ,john #c4 #a2 ,psal4 #fc4 #c1 #d2 ,psal4 #gc4 #be-bg1 #bc2 #id4 #ai2 #gc4 #bd4 #bec ,psal4 #cf4 #g-i2 #af4 #i1 #aa2 #bc4 #f2 #cf4 #aj2 #cj4 #ab4 #bed ,luke #b4 #ad2 ,psal4 #adi4 #a1 #d-f2 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#a4 #e2 ,hos4 #ad4 #b2 ,ezek4 #ah4 #ch2 ,heb4 #h4 #ab2 ,ezek4 #cc4 #aa2 ,hos4 #ad4 #d2 ,psal4 #ce4 #c2 ,john #f4 #cg2 ,hos4 #ad4 #b2 ,matt4 #bb4 #d2 #e4 #f2 ,john #f4 #ee2 #d4 #ad2 ,eph4 #c4 #ah1 #ai2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #h2 ,matt4 #ae4 #bg2 ,john #f4 #ce1 #ea2 ,psal4 #he4 #h2 ,eph4 #d4 #cj2 ,heb4 #c4 #ac2 ,col4 #c4 #e2 ,eph4 #c4 #af2 ,psal4 #aai4 #age4 #beg ,psal4 #ajj4 #c2 ,rev4 #d4 #aa2 #a ,tim4 #a4 #ag2 ,psal4 #ea4 #d2 ,deut4 #cb4 #f2 #a ,john #c4 #a2 ,john #c4 #af2 ,luke #bb4 #bj2 ,heb4 #i4 #ag2 ,luke #bb4 #ai4 #beh #a ,cor4 #aa4 #bc-bf4 #bei ,acts #g4 #ei1 #fj2 ,rev4 #a4 #e2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #ah2 ,luke #bb4 #b1 #ai1 #bj2 #a ,cor4 #aa4 #bf2 ,heb4 #g4 #be1 #bg2 #i4 #bf2 ,john #d4 #aj2 #f4 #fc2 ,rom4 #h4 #i1 #aa2 ,heb4 #b4 #ag2 ,col4 #b4 #ai2 ,john #f4 #bg2 ,matt4 #bf4 #bf2 ,heb4 #aj4 #ab2 ,john #a4 #bi4 #bfj ,matt4 #bh4 #ai2 ,john #ae4 #bf2 ,matt4 #a4 #bj2 #b ,pet4 #a4 #ba2 ,acts #bj4 #bc2 ,rom4 #h4 #i2 #a ,cor4 #ab4 #aa2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #ae2 #b4 #i2 ,john #ad4 #af2 ,eph4 #a4 #ag1 #ah2 ,luke 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,john #c4 #ae2 ,luke #c4 #ad2 #b ,cor4 #g4 #b2 ,matt4 #e4 #bb1 #ci2 ,rom4 #ab4 #ag4 #cjh ,eph4 #d4 #b2 ,rom4 #ab4 #ai2 ,matt4 #e4 #bg1 #bh2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #i2 ,rom4 #ac4 #ac2 #a ,thess4 #e4 #bb2 ,eph4 #e4 #c2 #d4 #bi2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #b1 #c2 ,job #ca4 #a4 #cji ,eph4 #d4 #bh2 ,psal4 #fb4 #aj2 #gc4 #h2 #a ,thess4 #d4 #f4 #caj ,prov4 #ai4 #e2 #ab4 #ag2 #aj4 #aj2 ,matt4 #g4 #a1 #b2 ,psal4 #ae4 #c2 #hb4 #b2 ,lev4 #ai4 #ag2 ,prov4 #bc4 #caa ,gal4 #e4 #ba1 #bf2 ,exod4 #bj4 #ag2 ,phil4 #b4 #ba2 ,matt4 #bb4 #ci2 #g4 #ab4 #cab ,matt4 #ae4 #dj2 #a ,pet4 #a4 #bb2 ,matt4 #e4 #dd-df2 ,gal4 #f4 #aj4 #cac ,psal4 #ci4 #i2 ,matt4 #bf4 #cj2 ,acts #ba4 #ad2 ,jam4 #e4 #g1 #h1 #aa2 #b ,kings #bj4 #ai2 ,mal4 #c4 #ac1 #ad4 #cad ,luke #aa4 #ac2 ,deut4 #bh4 #de2 ,rom4 #ac4 #ad2 ,luke #ab4 #bj2 ,eph4 #e4 #af2 ,john #i4 #d4 #cae ,deut4 #bh4 #f1 #h1 c42 ,phil4 #b4 #bg2 ,psal4 #ajb4 #bd2 ,luke #ab4 #bj2 ,eph4 #e4 #af2 ,john #i4 #d4 #caf ,rom4 #ac4 #ac2 #a ,cor4 #i4 #be2 #a ,tim4 #e4 #f1 #ac2 ,eph4 #d4 #bh2 ,prov4 #ba4 #ag2 #bc4 #d2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #h1 #i4 #cag ,psal4 #ea4 #a2 #a ,john #a4 #b2 ,heb4 #h4 #ab2 ,dan4 #i4 #f1 #af2 ,jer4 #ad4 #g2 ,psal4 #ca4 #af2 #ea4 #aa1 #ab1 #ai2 ,rom4 #h4 #a4 #cah ,matt4 #f4 #b1 #ad1 #ae2 ,rom4 #ab4 #ai2 ,luke #f4 #bg-bi2 ,acts #g4 #fj4 #cai ,matt4 #bf4 #da2 ,james #d4 #g2 ,prov4 #d4 #bc2 ,job #ca4 #a2 ,matt4 #ab4 #cf2 ,heb4 #b4 #aj2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #c2 #a ,john #b4 #ac2 #e4 #d2 ,rom4 #h4 #ac2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #h4 #cbj ,prov4 #cj4 #h1 #i2 #a ,john #b4 #ae1 #af2 ,rom4 #h4 #ag2 ,matt4 #ac4 #ba1 #bb2 #h4 #bd2 ,rom4 #h4 #ah4 #cba ,matt4 #f4 #ac2 ,rom4 #af4 #bj2 ,psal4 #adj4 #a-c2 #ca4 #h2 #ag4 #b1 #ab2 #a ,tim4 #d4 #ah4 #cbb #a ,tim4 #a4 #ag2 ,psal4 #ade4 #ag2 ,acts #ag4 #ca2 ,psal4 #gb4 #d1 #ac2 ,jude #ad1 #ae2 #b ,thess4 #a4 #aj2 ,psal4 #fb4 #a2 #adg4 #e2 ,job #i4 #d2 ,rom4 #aa4 #cf4 #cbc ,luke #a4 #df2 ,psal4 #acf4 #bc2 ,rom4 #e4 #ab2 ,psal4 #gh4 #aj2 ,rom4 #c4 #bc2 #e4 #ah2 ,luke #a4 #fh-gj2 ,isa4 #g4 #ad2 ,luke #a4 #ce2 ,matt4 #a4 #ba2 ,luke #b4 #ag2 ,col4 #a4 #ae-ag2 #a ,cor4 #a4 #bd2 ,john #a4 #i1 #ad2 ,col4 #a4 #ai2 ,gal4 #d4 #d2 ,matt4 #ag4 #e2 ,heb4 #g4 #bf2 #a ,pet4 #b4 #bb1 #bc1 #bd2 ,isa4 #ec4 #e1 #f2 #a ,pet4 #c4 #ah2 #a ,john #d4 #d2 ,heb4 #b4 #ad1 #ae2 ,col4 #b4 #ae2 #a ,cor4 #ae4 #d2 ,acts #b4 #bd2 #b ,tim4 #a4 #aj2 #a ,cor4 #ae4 #ee4 #cbd ,matt4 #bh4 #ah2 ,eph4 #d4 #h-ac2 ,eph4 #a4 #bj-bc4 #cbe #a ,tim4 #c4 #af2 #a ,john #e4 #aa2 ,john #a4 #aj1 #aa2 #c4 #ai2 #a4 #ab2 ,rom4 #h4 #a2 ,psal4 #ajc4 #c2 ,heb4 #h4 #ab2 ,rom4 #h4 #cc1 #cd2 ,tit4 #b4 #ad2 ,rom4 #h4 #i2 #b ,tim4 #b4 #ai2 ,psal4 #ff4 #ah2 #a ,cor4 #f4 #aa2 ,tit4 #c4 #e2 ,rom4 #e4 #a1 #b1 #e1 #aj2 #h4 #cb2 ,john #ad4 #b1 #c2 #ag4 #bd2 #ad4 #ai2 ,col4 #c4 #d2 #b ,thess4 #a4 #aj2 ,mal4 #c4 #ah2 ,matt4 #ac4 #cd2 ,rev4 #ba4 #g2 ,matt4 #be4 #ba2 ,rev4 #c4 #ab1 #ba2 ,zeph4 #c4 #ag2 ,rev4 #ba4 #b-d1 #bc2 #bb4 #c1 #d2 #a ,tim4 #f4 #ae2 ,rom4 #aa4 #cf4 ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,john ,,childs ,,and ,,son1 ,,bungay4