132 General! diretflons fora and unworthily fnatched from the invenomed tongue of a Talebearer; from the flanderousfolly offoie fcurrill Iefler, the frothy raving of a greafie drunken Ale-houfe haunter, . nay rather then falle, forge it out ofa fufpieious felfe- guilti neffe in their owne prophane fancies, and fuck it, as they fay, out of their owne fingers. But let them know, that when a fonof Belial cenfures a fincere Profeffor, it is as ifthe darkeft . nooke in Hell fhould find fault with the Moone, that great Light ofHeaven, for thofelittle fpots in her face, whereas otherwife fhe is a faire and goodly creature : as if the moil loathfome dunghill fhould challenge the faireft garden for unfavouriueflè, becaufe there is here andtherea weedeamidl varietieof other fragrant flowers : as ifa worthlefle lumpe of droffe fhould cenfure anangeli of gold, for want of a graine or two in weight : as if a fellow almofi eaten up with the x Vella fi aliquis filthy French difeafe, " fhould cry out of the danger of a ;lei óiÚet growing Ague in another. For in this cafe he who as yet is tmroeiicabilt lap- nothingbut an accurfed lumpe offinne and lull , damnation guo e coufteiCus, and hell loades withcenforious lies that happy foule, quidemet, ' ppy fl , which am d;eg.gat, eum in the fountaine of Chrifls meretorious blond, is made farre vet cmpet, qu i whiter then the Snow in Salmon, and fairer then the wooll eorp°ris fui paire ofthe fheepecomming up fromwaffling, though forge fpots non curet turno- andRaines ofinfirmities and frailtiescleave unto it, while it rem. Ch;yftofl. kwm.24.in sap. q yet dwels in an honfeofflefh,and Tabernacle ofclay. But now on the other fide, the ordinary objeo} of the Chriflians Cenfure, is according toChrifts rule : thofe trees which difcover themfelves tobe ftarkenaught, by the rotten fruits, which bange vpon them in the fight ofthe Sunne. And yet that alfo mull be feafonedwith charitie, difcretion, fea- fonableneflè, freedome from fpleene, humour, paffion, per ionall hatred, infolencie, or any other exorbitant diflemper. ThofeProfeffors prove too often, either utterly unfound, or not fo througly humbled, who unmercifully infult either over the damnable eflate ofthofe which are without, orun-* charitably blaze abroad the infirmities and failings of the brethren, which they ought to conceale; and as the hand faf}eneth a faire upon any forepart of the body, and then co, vers
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=