Tbe hard task.,of Man.pleafers. Chmch, they will hate you as not promoting their opinions, but weakning them by forne abhorred Syr.crerifms. As in Civil, fo in Eccldlafi_ical :wars, the Fire·brand.1 cannot endure .rhe Peaceabl~: If you will be Nwtcrs, you {hall .be ufed as enemJ~s. · Ifyou be never fo ~uch ~or Chnfi, and Holmefs, omd Coinmon Truth, all's nothmg, nnlefs you be alfo[vr them, aqd rhcu conwu. ' 9· 4 o. S· ifd}f of~he world are h.~ras of holincjf, and ha~c aforpentine enmity to. the Image_ofGod; hring not rcncwl'd by the Holy Ghojf ; and wilt 1tot be plM[ed wztb you, tmlejf you wzll jilt agamjf your Lord, and diJ a.f thty da. I Per. 4· 3, 4, 5· TP'all{_i11g in lafciviou{nrfl, lujls, excefi of win:, revellings, banqueJ~ ti;rgs, and abomiii::Jble idoi.J_tries, wherein tbey tbi~lt,_ it jlra11ge th~t ye run. not TPttb th.tm to tbt fa~ne c:x.ceji of riot, [peaki-ng evtl ofym ; wbo Jh.tll grve account ts IJJm that u ready to 1udge tbt qmcft • and the dead. You mull be counted as Lot among the Sodllmitu, a bufie fellow that comes among them to makC himfelf their Judge, and to controll them, if you tell them of their fin. You £hall be called a preci{C ·hrpocritical Coxcomb (or fomewhat much worfe) if you will not be as bad as they, and if by your abHincnce ( though you fay nothing) you.feem to ~cprehend their fenfuality and conttmpt ot God. Among Bed lams you mull pl•y the Bedhm rf you wrll efcape the fangs of their revilings. A1·d on you hf pc tO pleaf<: fuch men as theft? . . §. 41• 6. Youjh.tb' bave Satanicul God~hattrJ,ai1d men ~f{ellrrtl anddeJPerate confcteneu to plea[e,that are maliciou1 and cmcJ, a11d n·ill be pleafi!d witb mthing but {ome horrid iniquity, and tiJe damning of yortr onmjimJ1, a;td drawing 9rlhr! to dmm.uion• . Like that Mon~er. of !t'liUa11, that w~en he ~ad got down his enemy, made IHm BL.fpht.me God mhope to fave h1s hfc, and then Jlabd h1m, callmg it a noble revenge, that kdlu:l the body, and damned the foul at once. There arc fuch in the world, r 1 thJt wil! fo vifibly ad: the D vds.parr, that they would debl_uch your Confciences. with the moll hor- ;\~ 01~~~~t Iid perjuriLS, ped1dioufnefs and impiety, that they may triumph over your m1ferabJe fouls. And quibus. la– ifyou think it \\'Orth the wilful damning of your fi)uls, its p.:>ffible they may be pleafed. If you (:ue1~d' .a tell them, we cannot.pleafe you, unlcfs we will b~ dilhondl, a~d difpleafe G~d, and fin againfi: our ci~~U':.,~~d-4..: knowledge and confc1ences, and hazard our falvanon, they wtll make bur a JeaCt of fuch arguments tur ? Deo · as the[c, and expect you fhould venture yom fouls and all upon their opinions, and care as little dJfpliccm., (j for God and your fouls as they do. D~.:fperate finnets are loth to go to Hell alone: [t is a torment u:emt; ha:" to them to fee .others b~tter than themfdve~. They that. are crud and unmerciful to themfelve!, ~~~;~su~ and have no pay on thetr own fouls, but wdl fell them for a Whore, or for preferment, and ho- SaJ 11 ia 11 • 4 d nour, or fen{Ual delights, will fcarce have mercy on the fouls of others, Matth. 27. 25. Hi-1 blood Etclej.Catb.t. .,~ be on ut, ai!d ou ou1· childreu. . 9· 42· 7· You will have rigoroHJ, captioui, uncharitable a1td unri~teoUJ men toplta[e: whn niill 'maR,; a man ~lt nffendtr for a word , and l.ly a {nare for him that reprovetb in the gate , and tum afirk tbe juft for a thing of noztgJu, a11d 1vatch for iniqui~y, lfa. 29 zo, 2 l· That have none of that charity Ev~11 for ttrO which covereth faults, and intcrpreteth1 words and actions favourably ; nor none of that jufiice \Vhich grt:ttnfltfs?f . ca~fcth men to do as. they woul~ be done by? and judge as they would be judged 1 but .judging ;.~~rm~~v~;~.: wubout mercy, arc hke to have JUdgement WJthour mercy. And an: glad whc:n they can find any ri11~,. by the matter to Hproach yo!-1-: And if once they meet with it (true or falfe) they will never forge~ it, but /HfpMo'lf. ::~nd 'dwell as tht: Flie on the ulcerated place. ' envy of thvfe great ones fervcd : As i~ proved by the cafe of Saul :mJ David, Bcl/iftrit;s, '!-.~zrfa, BIJnifaci:u, the two .Som of R:;11;ades, imprifo:~dmaldcuone lhin, and multitudes fucll hke. . ~·43· S.Tou will have paffionate perfont to pleafe, whofc judgements are hlindcd,and arc not capable of beipg pleafed. Like the fick and fore: that are hurt with every touch; and at bfi, faith Senec.J, with the very conceit that you touched them. How can you plea[t them, when Djfpfeaftdnef$ is their di... feafe that abiderh within rhem, at the very heart. §. 44• 9· You will find that Cenforiou[11efi i1 a commm Fice, and though few art competent judgu uf your aWo1t1, a; not bci,g acquainted with aU tbe cafe: )'et evEry one almajf wiU be venwri1tg to clljf in bii ce11jitre: A pr~ud prc:fumptuous unde!fi:anding is a very common vice; which thinks it [elf prefently capable of Judging as fOon as it heareth but a piece of the cafe, and is not confcious of its own fallibility, though it have daily experience of it. Few are at your elbow, and none in your hearr, and therefore know not the circumfiances and rea[ons of all that you do, nor heu whar you have t_o fay for your {elves; and yet they will prefume to cc:nfure you, who n·ould have abfolved you, tf they had but heard you fpeak. It is rare to meet even with profeffor5 of greatefl lincerity t~at are very tender and feartul ot !inning, in this point of ralh ungrounded judsing, without capl– ctry or call. §. 45• IO· You fiv~ armmg unpeaceabJe· tWatlcrJ and tale-carryers, that would p/eafe othcrJ by ac– cufing y u. Who ts Jt that hath cars that hath not not fuch Vermine as ·thefC Earwigs butie at them? Except here and there an upright man, whoiC:: angry countenance hath Hill driven :~way fuch backbiting tongues. And all lhall be faid behind your backs, when you are uncap.able of an– fwering for your felves. And if it,be a man that the hearers think well of that accufeth or b 3 ck– bireth you, they chink it lawtul t.han to believe them: And mofi that are their friend,, and of their party; and ior thc:ir intcrcjf, (hall be fun: tO be thought fo bonejl as to be credible. And it is not: thange, for· a lea.rned, ingenious, yea, a godly perlon to be too forward in uttering from che mouths of ~cher~, an ~vJl report: And ~hep_the ~carer thinks he _is fully jufiitlcd for believing it, and re– ponmg Jt agam to ~thers. Davzd. h1mfc_lt by the temptatiOn of a Ziba, is drawn ro wrong Mephi– bejh<tb the Son of Ius great defcrvrng frrend, 2 Sam. 16. 3, 4• No wonder th<n if Saul do hearken Gg m
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