^ Gen. ix. 22, 25, and xxi. 9, 15. The apostle interprets Ishmael's mocking to be persecution. Gal. iv. 27; 2 Kings ii. 23, 24; 2 Chron. xxx. 10, and xxxvi. 15, 21; 2 Kings xix. 20, seq.
* Theod. iii. 25, and cf. Amm. Marcellinus, xxv. 3. — G. » = * Capital'.— G.
* Pb. 1. 1. In cathedra pestilentice, [The Greek is ivl KaOiSpq. Xoinw.— Q.']
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 85
daily, every one mocketh me.' So Paul, Acts xvii. 18, * What wiU this babbler say ?' So the apostles, Acts ii. 13, ' Others mocking, said, These men are full of new wine.' So those worthies of whom this Avorld was not worthy, Heb. xi, 36, 'Others had trial of cruel mockings.' But, above all, how sadly, how frequently, yea, how fearfully was our Lord Jesus Christ scoffed and scorned by Herod and Pilate, and flouted by the rascally soldiers ! but the vengeance of his Father over- took them all.i And in the primitive times, as Tertullian observes, the saints were called herds of asses, vile fellows, the disciples of a man crucified : Galileans, Nazarites, eaters of men's flesh, and drinkers of men's blood.2 The heathens, as the same author observes, painted the God of the Christians with an ass's head, and a book in his hand ; to signify that though the Christians pretended to knowledge, yet they were a company of silly ignorant asses. The libertines of old have cast much scorn and contempt upon all the apostles : they call Matthew a usurer, Peter an apostate, Luke a pelting^ physician, Paul a broken vessel, and John a foolish young man, &c., by way of scorn and con- tempt; Athanasius was called Sathanasius, and Cyprian w^as called Coprian, one that gathers up dung ; and so Luther, Calvin, and almost every one that hath attained to any eminency in holiness, they have been commonly accounted as the offscouring and refuse among the people, 1 Cor. iv. 13, 14; Lam. ii. 15, 16, and iv. 2. Now cer- tainly if holiness be the only way to happiness, &c., then such as are scorners and scoffers at holiness are out of the very way to happi- ness ; and how such are like to come to heaven, that scorn the very path that leads to heaven, I shall leave you to judge. If the ravens of the valley shall pick out his eyes that mocketh his father, and the young eagles eat out his eyes that despiseth the instruction of his mother, as Solomon speaks, then of how much sorer punishment are they guilty of, who mock and scoff at holiness, which is the very image, picture, and glory of God himself ! * Holiness is so near akin to God, that no man can deride holiness but he derides God himself. As he that ' mocks the poor, derides him that made him,' Prov. xvii. 5, so he that mocks holy ones derides that God that made them holy. And will God take this at the scorner's hands ? No, he will retaliate ; he loves to retaliate scorn upon the scorner : Prov. iii. 34, ' Surely he scorneth the scorners : God will pay home scorners in their own coin ; scorners shall be sure to have scorning enough. God so scorns the persons and prayers of scorners, that he will have nothing to do with them, Prov. i. 24-33 ; Ps. ii. 4 ; Isa. xxxvii. 36. The angels so scorn scorners, that instead of being a life-guard to them, they stand ready prest^ to execute the vengeance of heaven upon them. And saints are so far to scorn them, by a divine precept, as not to reprove
1 Mat. xxvi. 68, and xxvii. 29, 31 ; Luke xxii. 63, and xxiii, 11 ; Mark xv. 31. Yea, the philosophers called Christ a magician, and affirmed that he did all by necromancy.— Calv. Just. Ad vers. Libert., c. 9.
* ' Apology,' c. xvi., et alibi. — G.
3 'Peddling,' = a pedlar; paltry, petty : another Shakesperian word: 'Measure for Measure,' ii. 2. — G.
* Prov. XXX. 17. The first thing that eagles do when they have found a carcase, is to pick out its eyes,
86 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, EARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
them : Prov, ix. 8, * Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee/ Yea, God in his just judgments will make scorners to be an abomination to all sorts of men : Prov. xxiv. 9, ' The scorner is an abomination to men ;' that is, to all sorts of men. The scorner is an abomination not only to holy men, but also to all ingenious ^ men, and to all civil and moral honest men. As the scorners tongue and hand is against every man, so every man's tongue and hand shall be against him. Now if the scorners of men be abominable to men, then much more are the scorners of holiness abominable to God, and therefore certainly such shall be shut out from a glorious fruition of God.