Againjl: Scandali· ing. Is their in11ruCting their families> and fand:ifying the Lords day bad ? Is their fearing fin, and obey~ ing God bad? tf not, why do you not fay as much to commend the:m for rhefe, or at l~o:afi to corn.. mend rhcfc in rhemfetves. as you do to difcommcnd them for their f~ults? Why do you not fear left the hmers fhould be drawn <0 difiike a Godly life by your difgracing porfons accounted Godly? and therefore warn rhem to think never the worfe of Godlmefs for this? You that give the po){on fhm.tld in reafon give an Antidote, if it be not your defign to poyfon fouls. Is it really your defign by lpeak– ing agai~ men accounted Godly, eo di'aw the hearers to the hatred of Godlinefs, or is it not? If ir be, you are incarnate Devils. If it be not, why do you endeavour it, by making odious the per{on1, under the name of Profi.JF.urJ and Godly men l And why do you not fpeak more ro draw people w a Godly life? And to irnirace them in that which is good, while they diklaim rhcm in that which is fVil? 87 ~· 40· Din6t. J8. Be rfprciJUy twdcr ef th• rcp>tatioffsof tho[e, thatthe {oult of me• have moft de- DireC/. I 8; pmd:mce on: AI tbe Preacher! of the Gojpet and the eminrnteji men for K;rowlcdge .mdReligiouforfi. Not Ita coalpara– thar I ddire that fin' fllould be the better thought of for being theirs, or that evil thouId be c:ii.lled good :;;:~~emur~on in any : But experience harh told lhc World, fince God and the Devil had their fcveral wayes and fufpiciJm~s, fervants upon earth, that it hath been the D..:vils malt: ufual fuccefsful courfe, to wound Religion nrquc cjus t!uou~h the fides of the Religious, and to blame theper[on1, when he would turn men from tht way! ~;ndt:;~nd~ . . For he knoweth th~t ~eligious ptrfons have their ~aul_rs, .an~ in them his ~alie~: may find fomewhat ro pi~~~,c~if{ faficn on: but Rel1g10n bath no fauh ; and malice 1t {elf IS feldome fa 1mpudenr, as ro fpeak dire[/ly eum in quo againll a Holy Heavenly life : Bm the way is ro make thofc difgraceful and odious, who are nored tHonfpici– to lead fuch a life; and then fccretly to infer, [If thofc: that fcern Godly be no better, you need not ~ur, fun~mo be Godly, you are as well as you are : This Religion is but a fanfie: a needlefs, if not a rro~ble- a:oo:: profe_. f0me, hmrful thing]. Seeing therefore that the Devil hath no blow at Religion, fa fair as by fin king qu;~mur. at the perfons of the Preacher! and projiffiurJ of it, every friend of Chrilt mufi be acquainted wirh l'L~tar.incat, his dcfign, and mufi not fervc him in it, but counterwork him, and prcfervethe reputation even of the uuc. perfont of the Rdigiou. : Not fo much in Charity to them, but for the peoples fouls, and the honour of Chrirt. . ~· 4'· Dire6t.I9· Let a11 tlw prtac1Jand p_rofefi the Gofpcl, and a Godly life, be Jure tb·•t thry live Dire[/. 19' according.te theirprofoffion: That the mme of God _be no~ evil fpoken at among the wicked through their mi!doings, Rom.1. lr was the aggravation of DaviiJ; fin which God would not quite forgive, that he made the enemies of the Lord btafpheam, 2 Satn. 12• 14· Servants mull: count tbcir ma{terJ tJMthy of all bonour, that tbt n.zme of God and hH dclirine be not N11fpheamed, I Tim. 6. J. The duties Rom. 2 , 24 • of good women are p:uticularly named by the Apofile, 1it. 2. 3, 4, 5· with this motive ro the praCtice of lhem [that the worSof God be not bJa[pheamed. J Obedience to Government is comm~nded with thismotive, I Pet. 2. I)· For fo Mthe wiU of God, that n ith w£0 doing,you may put to filence, the ig~ noranct of foolijh men: And verf. II, 12· Dearly beloved, I befeech you, aJ JirangerJ and pilgrim1, ab- . ftain from fltjhly lufts which war againjlthe foul : having your COIIVtrfation honejt among the Gentilu, that whereaJ they JPeaJt.. again}l you a1 evil doer I, they may by your good work..J which they jhall behold, glorifie God in the day of Vifitation. And it was the aggravation of the Hercticks fin, that [many jhaU follow their perniciour wayu, by rea[on of rvhc;m 1he way of uutb fhall bt evil fpolten of, J 2 Pr:r. 2• 2. 0 then how carefully fhould Mininers and all that are Godly walk' The blind world cannot read the Gofpel in it felf, but only as it is exemplified by tht lives of men : They judle not of the Aliiont of men by the Law, but of the Law of God by mens adions! Therefore the faving or damning of mens fouls, doth lie much upon thelives of the:: Profcffours of Religion! becaufe thtir lik.jng or dijlikjng a holy life doth depend upon them; Saith Paul of young \Vomen [I will thar--thry give m7 occ~fion to 1ht .,d1Jtrfary tofpet~J?. rrproachfully : for Jomt are alre~dy turned Rfide after Sattm. J 1 Tim. ~· 14, I5· Hence it is fhat even the appearance of evil H (o care[uVy to be avoided, by all that fear God, Id\ others be drawn by it to fpeak tvil of Godlintfs! Every fcandal (truly fo called) is a fiab to the foul of him that is fcandalized, and a reproachful blot ro the Chrifiian caufe, I may fay of the faults of Chrifiians as Plutark_. doth of the faults of Princes ; A w:zrt or bluniftJ i~ the fo~.ce, i1 more coHfpic~W~tl and difgract[Hl th:zn in othrr pari/. ~ 42. Dirtd-.20· Letnoprettnceoftbe evilo[HypocriftemaJte yo~t/o conte1lted A>ith ;•our {tcrtt in.. Direl/.AO' nocency, a1 tomgldl the edific:~tjon aJtd {atiJfatlWn of your neighbums. When it is only your ort>n interejf that is concerned in the bufincfs, then it is no matter whether any man be acquainted with any good that you do; And it is a very final\ matter how they judge, or what they fay of you : The approbation of God alone is enough? No matter who condemneth you if he jufiifie you. But when the vindication of your innoccncy, or the manifefiation of your virtue, is necelfuy to the good of your neighbours fouls, or to che honour of you So1cred prof, ffion; the neglect of it is not fi;;ccrity, but cruelty. Mrummmmmt. CHAP,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=