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Well, then, be sensible of the evil of the times, but with comfort in the Lord, and hope in the promises.
Object. But 3'ou will say, These are generals that concern the whole church : especially at such a season, what do you say to our distem- pers and distractions ?
Sol. Though the part followeth the reason of the whole, and God's dispensations are alike to both the catholic and particular churches, so that what is said of the whole may be applied to a part, as many times, on the contrary, promises made to particular persons are reputed as catholic and of a more universal use, and so applied to the whole, yet I shall speak a little more expressly to our own case.
Much may be spoken in this matter about the cause and cure of our distempers, the danger of the times and the hopes. But because this would engage to too large a digression, and the discourse will rather be managed and carried on by rational conjectures than sure and theo- logical grounds, therefore I shall wait for a more convenient season, and but a little touch upon matters that otherwise would challenge an accurate discussion.
None can be ignorant of the state of the times, — that a spirit of division and delusion is let loose and gone abroad amongst us, so that the pillars of religion are shaken, the most concerning truths ques- tioned, nay, exploded with scorn and contempt ; great agitations there are everywhere, and God only knoweth whereunto they will grow. It is a thing of great advantage and benefit to us to consider the ground and rise of our distempers, and what is the special genius of that spirit of error that worketh amongst us, and so possibly we may come to conceive some hope of the allaying and removal of it. Divers concurring causes there are that help to beget, conceive, bring forth, and midwife such foul productions into the world, and therefore, before I touch upon the hopes, I shall a little reflect upon the rise and growth of our dissentiency and division, and how it came to be thus with us as now it is. We may let pass the general causes, viz., God's providence, who usually maketli the morning of a glorious day misty and dark ; Satan's malice, who, when his own holds are shaken, loveth to ruin all the world together with himself ; the corruptions of embased nature, by which the heart is either weak, and so apt to prostitute itself to the grossest fancies if left by God, or wicked, and so naturally opposite to the truths of God, very willing to blot out those impressions and that sense that we have of them. I say, if we let pass these general causes, we shall find upon an inquiry that thus our evils grew upon us : First, they were hatched by the ignorance, iniquity, and violence of the former times (when things are very bad, men are apt to fly out into the contrary extremities), and began to break out upon this great change, which the former corruptions did even neces- sitate and enforce ; as usually, you know, great and violent changes occasion great tumults, ill humours in the body discover themselves upon a strain. When God changed his own ordinances, erroneous spirits were busy; I mean, in the first times of the gospel. When a people begin to innovate, it is a hard matter to keep them within the bounds of any moderation ; and, therefore, it is the policy of the church of
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Eome to change nothing, ne videatur errasse ; reformations are very perilous, especially to corrnpt bodies. Here, then, was the occasion, and indeed a sad occasion to many, who, in the extremity of opposition to antichristian ways, obtruded themselves upon as sad or worse in- conveniences, going off not only from vain rites, but religion itself ; and instead of leaving corruptions, left worship ; and, indeed, any other thing could not be expected, if we consider how loose and slack the reins of government have been of late, with what violence and tumult this change was managed, not in the solemn, grave way of conviction and humiliation. Buildings stand whose foundations are laid in those deeps ; but otherwise it will be hard to settle things ; partly because till the error be rightly stated the truth is not found out ; partly be- cause such changes make men lose all awe and reverence in the mat- ter of religion, and so every man digresseth into his own way, and adoreth the idol of his own brain. Usually you will find whatever is carried on by scoffs and popular tumults seldom succeedetli well. I confess God loveth to ' pour contempt upon the sons of Levi that are partial in the covenant,' Mai. ii. 9 ; and, it is his way many times to cause the voice of many waters (id est, of the confused multitude) to go before the voice of mighty thunderings. Rev. xix. 6 {id est, the regular act of the magistrate, whose sentences and decrees ai-e terrible as thunder) ; and therefore I do adore the justice of divine providence in causing the former ministry to become base and contemptible before all the people. But, however, I cannot but sadly bewail the mischiefs that abound amongst us by the neglect of men. Though the corrup- tions of Episcopacy made it justly odious, yet it would have been better it had been disputed down rather than jested down ; arguments would have done more good than scoffs, besides the danger of returning to folly. Do but consider the present inconveniences of making so great a change without more public and rational conviction, when things that before were of reverend esteem are of a sudden decried. What is the effect ? Why ! religion itself is of less esteem ; men suspect all can as well scoff out truth as error. Calvin's observation is excellent : he saith that in times of changes there are lucianici homines qui jocose etper ludi- hrium garriunt adversus superstitiones papatiis, interim radio tangiin- tur tiviore Dei, &c. — many that are of Lucian's temper, who, by jesting against received rites, insensibly lose all sense and awe of religion, and by scoffing at false gods, come the less to dread the true. Consider and see if the former liberty of tongues and pens hath not begotten that present irreverence and fearlessness that is in the spirits of men against things that undoubtedly are of God. But this is not all ; do but consider how many are hardened in their old ways, and prejudiced against the reformers, as if they were men that did procedei^e non ad perfectionem sed ad 'permutationem, were men given to changes, Prov. xxiv. 21, merely to leave things out of passion and present dislike, or, which is worse, out of self-aims, and are ready to say of them, as Austin said of some one who appeared against the pagans, non pietate evertemnt idola, sed avaritia — only to divide the spoil ; and all this because the grounds, reasons, and necessity of the change have not been publicly enough discovered. And truly it were very well if the loose principles and in- direct practices of some did not give occasion to these slanders. ' All