But shall I suffer myself, and in me the cause of Christ, to be trampled upon ?
Ans. You are allowed a modest vindication of the truth and your own innocency : Prov. xxvi. 4, 5, ' Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit' You will say, Here is hot and cold in one breath. I answer — Solomon speaketh of a scoffing, railing fool ; and the meaning is, — do not imitate him in his foolish passion. This were to be evil because he is so ; and it is against reason, that because I am sensible of indecent carriage in him, therefore I should allow it in myself; but yet answer him, — that is to the purpose, and with solid reason beat down his presumption and ignorance with a meek but a strong reply, such as may check his ]iride, but not imitate his folly. It is observable, when it was said of Christ, John viii. 48, 49, ' Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil/ he answered not a word to the per-
2G2 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [YeR. 9.
sonal reproach ; but where his commission was touched, to that he replieth, saying, ' I have not a devil, but I honour my father.' It is but weakness of mind, or strength of passion, to regard personal in- vectives. In short, we may answer, but not with harsh and contume- lious language.
Use. 2. Secondly, Here is a direction to public persons, and those that can handle the pen of the writer. Passion is apt to taint our re- ligious defences ; but check it. Michael ' durst not bring a railing accusation ;' leave all unhandsomeness of prosecution to them that defend an evil cause : ' The servant of God must be gentle and patient,' 2 Tim. ii. 24. Opprobrious language doth but darken a just quarrel and contention. But you will say. May we not reprove the sins of men, and that somewhat sharply ? I answer — Yea, it is lawful, as appeareth both by the practice of the prophets and angels, yea, of Christ himself, and also by the precepts of the word. Paul saith, Titus i. 7, that ' a bishop must not be self-willed, and soon angry ;' and yet (ver. 13) he biddeth him eXe'yxelv uTroTo/jLOix;, to rebuke some gainsayers sharpl}^ There is a great deal of difference between railing and a reproof. A sermon without some warmth and keenness in it is but like a cold ration ; men that speak from their brain will speak coldly, because they only declaim against things for fashion's sake, without any sense or touch upon their hearts ; an affectionate pleading for Christ is like strong water, whereas a formal narration is but like river water, without any strength and vigour. They that love Christ will be zealous for his truths and ordinances, and zeal cannot deliver itself without some smartness and earnestness ; but a cold indifferency is more tame and fiat. But then this must be done with great cau- tion ; you had need look to your spirits. Partly because Satan loveth to corrupt a religious affection ; partly because, in these businesses, God is not only engaged, but ourselves ; and many times the savour of the main river is lost when it is mingled with other streams ; too, too often do we begin in the spirit and end in the flesh. The cautions which I shall give respect — (1.) The object, or cause ; (2.) The persons ; (3.) Manner ; (4.) Principle ; (.5.) End.
1. The cause must be regarded, that it be real and weighty: iveighiy it must be ; it is preposterous to be all of a fire about question- able truths and matters of a less regard. The flaming sword was set about paradise. And real it must be ; the sin we reprove must be manifest, and the faults we charge apparent : Mat. v. 22, ' If any be angry with his brother without a cause,' &c. Otherwise Christ and his apostles called Kaca, Mat. xxiii. 17, '0 fools and blind ;' and Luke xxiv. 25, ' 0 fools and slow of heart to believe,' &c. ; and Gal. iii. 1, ' 0 foolish Galatians ; ' and James ii. 20, ' 0 vain man,' &c. But in all these cases there was a cause. False and ra-sh imputations are but rail- ing ; zeal being a fierce and strong passion, you must not let it fly upon the throat of anything but what is certainly evil.
2. ^hQ persons must be considered ; weak sinners are to be distin- guished from the malicious, and the tractable from the obstinate. God's tender lambs, though straying, must be gently reduced ; ' put a difference,' saith our apostle, ver. 19. Ad evangelizandum, non male- dicendum, missus es, said CEcolampadius to Farel, who was a good
VeR. 9.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 263
man, but a little too violent — Thou wert not sent to revile, but to preach the gospel. But on the other side, there is a difference to be used in the case of hypocrites, that gain by that repute and esteem which they have, Christ himself inveiglied against the Pharisees, asperrimis verbis, in the roughest ways : Mat. xxiii., ' Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,' &c. We may pluck off the disguise from a hypocrite, especially when they seduce and deceive the miserable mul- titude by an opinion of holiness. The Pharisees and Sadducees, to keep up their repute, submitted to John's baptism, but doth he treat them gently ? No ; Mat. iii. 7, ' 0 generation of vipers,' &c. So Paul to Elymas the sorcerer, Acts xiii., ' O thou full of all subtlety and mis- chief, thou child of the devil, and enemy Of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the holy ways of the Lord ? ' In these cases there is a regard had to others, that they may not perish by too good an opinion of such deceivers ; and. here that of Solomon is of regard. Prov. xxviii. 4, ' They that forsake the law, praise the wicked ; and they that keep the law, set themselves against them ;' a vigorous opposition doth better here than a cold dislike.