86 .Jfgainft Scandali~ng. Vircll. 12· ~· .3 +· DireCt. 12· En;,age not your [elves in a11 evil caufe: for if you do) it will.~gc you to dni.w in others: You will expect your friends fhould take your parr, and think as ·\S j 1 fhink and fay as you fay ; though it be never fo much againfl: truth or rightcoufnefs. H , Vir~C1- . I3· ~·35· Dire&. 13. Spealt H~t rajhly againft a1ry caufe or perfonJ brfore you are acquainted Trith tiJtm ; or have rPtU cmt]idered wb~t you fay. EJPeci:sCy ta~e heed how yowbelieve what a tna 1 t of any SeD in Religion, doth JPeak. or wrJte againjt hM Adverfarier of a contrary [ea : If experience l1ad noc Pfal. ll 9· 69. proved it in our dayes, beyond contradiction, it would fecm incredible how little men are to be be– lieved in this cafe, and how rhe falfctl: reports will run among the people of a Sect) againfl thofe whom the intcre{\ of their opinion and party engageth them. to mi[-rcprefent ! Think nor that you arc excufable for receivi?.g er vrnthrg an ill reporr, becaufc you can fay, he wu an hondi man that fpoke it: f'or many that are otherwtfc hondl, do make it a puc of their honefly to be difhone'{i: Jn Vix equidcm this: They think they are not zealous enough fOr t~rofc opinions which rhcy call their Religion, un– cr~dJ.r: f~<~ ltfs t~1ey arc ea(ie in bclifving and Jpeakjng evil ot thofe that are the Adverfaries of it. When it ~~i:,~m.prx~ may be npon a jufi: tryal, all pr?veth falfc; And then al~ the words which you ignOrantly urttr againfi: Nulla; r~- the truth, or thofe that follow tt, are fcandals or flumblmg blocks eo the hearers, to turn ;:hem from um debet it, and make them hate it. ·I am not fpeaking againfi a jufi: credulity ; There mufi be humane be– te~~h~i~I1. lief, o: clfe ~h~re _can be no humamconverfe I' Bur ever fL~fpeCt parti~lity in a party. For tile interctl ~:m: 3 . 7 , B. of the1r ReligiOn 1s a more powerful charm to the C?nfcaenccs of cvtl fpcakers, than pt:r(onal inrercfi }:tm. 3 . 14. or bribes would be : How many Legends tell us tlm, how qtily fame men counted Godly, have been Job t;. ~, s. prevailed with to Lie for God l . Dire[r, 14· §· 36. Direct.I4• 'tal<! herd of mocking at a ReligioiH lift; yea " of breaking any jeajiJ or fcorni at tbe we..zlzntf[es of a1ry in Religious txercifet, wbich ·may poffibly rtjlcU upon tbe excrci[es themfelves: Many a thoufand fouls have been kept from a ·holy lite, by rh~ fcorns of the vulgar, thar !peak of it as a matter of derition or fJ:~ort. Reading the Scriptures, and holy conference, and prayer, and inltructing our families, and the holy obfervation of the Lords day, and Church-difcipline, are com– monly the derifiori of ungodly perfons, who can fcorn that which they can neither confute, no~ learn. And weak people are greatly mj>vtd by fuch fenfeltfs means: A mock or jear doth more with them rhan an argument: They cannot endure to be made a laughing-flock : Thus was the mme of a Crucified God, the derifion of the Heathens, and the'fcandal of the World, both Jews and Gentiles. And there is fcarce a greater fcandal or fiumbling block at this day, which kccpeth multitudes from Heaven, than when the Devil can make it either a matter ofd:mger or of jhamt to be a Chrifiian, or w live a holy mortified life. Pcrfccution and Derifion are the great fuccefsful fcandals of the World. And therefore feeing mrn are fo apt to be turned off from Chrifi and God~itlcfs, never fpeak unrcvc::~ rently or difrefpectfully of them 1 lt is a prophane and fcandalous courfe of fome, that if a Preacher have but an unhanfomc tone or gellure, they make a jeafi of it, and fay, He whined, or he /pok,.e t!Jrough the nfl{e, or fome fuch [corn they eaU upon him; which the hearers qu~ckly apply to all orh~rs, and turn to a fcorn of Preaching or.Prayer or Religion it felf. Or if men dtlfer from each orher in opinion in matters of Religion, they are prefently enclined to deride them for fomething in their Worlhippingof God ! And while they deridea rn1n as a,n Anabaptifi, as an Independant, as aPresby– terian, as Prelatical, they little know what a malignant tinCture it may leave upon 'the hearers mind, and teach carnal perfons to make a jeafi ofall alike. Dirtfr• •S• ~· 37· Direct. 15· Impute not tbefaulu of men to Chrij!, and blame not Religion f"' thcfaulu of thtm that jiJJ againft it. This is the malignant trick of Satan> and his blinded int\rumems : If an Hypocrite mifcany, or if a maa that in all things elfe hath walked uprightly be ovenhrown by a temptation in ·fame odious fin, they prefcntly cry out, Thrfe are your Profiffours I ymr ReligioJU people! tbat art fo precift, a;tdprtre, and flriU I Try them and thty'U appear af bad ar other 1 ! Jf a Noab bt once drunk, or a Lot be overthrown thereby, or a Davidcommit adultery and murder, or a Peter deny his Mafier, or a JuflaJ betray him, they prefently er)' out, 1bey art aU a!ik,_e! and turn it to the fcorn of Godlinefs it fdf: Unworthy beafls! As if Chrifls Laws were therefore to be fcorncd, bccaule men break them ? and Obedience to God were bad, becaufe fome arc difobedient ! Hath Chntl forbidden the fins which you blame, or hath he not? lfhc have nor, blame them not, for they are no fins: If he have commend the jufinefs and holinefs of his Laws! Either the offenders you blame did weDor iU1 If, they did weU, why do youblame them l Ifiheydid ill, why do you not commend Religion and the Scripture which condemneth them ? Either it is beft for all men to live in fi1ch tlns as thofc which thefe lapfcd perfons or hypocrites committed, or it i! mt : If it be, why are you offcncfed with them {or that which you allow? If it he not, why do youfoorh up the wicked in their fins, and excurc an ungodly lite, becaufe of the falls of fuch. as feem Religious. There is no common ingenuity in rhis, but malicious fpite againfi God and holinefs; ( of which more in the next Chapter ). Dirtl1· 1 6. 9· 38. Dir,a-. 16. Mfll{e not ufi ofCivil quarrels telay tm odium ttpon religion. It is ordin3.ry wilh ungodly rnalictous men, to labour to turn the difpleafure of Rulers, againfi: mm of integrity; and if there be any breiles or Civil Wars, to fnatch any pretence how falfe foever to call them TraytoiS and Enemies to Government. If it be but bccaufe they are againfi: aUfurper, or b;;caufc fame Fanariclr per– fans (whom they oppofe,) have behaved themfelves rebellioufly or difobeditntly ; aholy life ( which is the greateft friend toLoyalty) mufl be blamed for all; And all is but to gratifie the D.vil in driving poor fouls from God and holinefs. Dire[/. , 7 , §. 3s>· Direct. 17• When you think.. it your duty to fpeall. ofthe fau/1! of mtn that plofofs a Godly lift, lay the blame enly on tht per{on, but fPeak as muchand more in commend.Jtions of Godlineji it {tlf ; llnd commend that wliich i1 good in them, JPhile you difcommend that which i1 c11il. Is their Pr:Jying b11d? Is
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