^ Hugo Miscel. lib. ii. cap.52.
2 See Shepherd's Sound Believer, p. 250.
' See Paulus Diaconus.
428 England's spieitual languishing. [Rev. III. 2.
religion maketh justly odious. I only speak now, as supposing other grounds by way of aggravation, and to show how inexcusable it is for us to judge others for the same things which we now do ourselves, Rom. ii. 3. And truly it is observable, that many, when these corruptions were set on by violence, did stubbornly enough bear up against the heat of opposition ; whereas now, by erroneous insinuations, their revolt is made facile, so as they may come oif from truth with the less shame and regret, and therefore do now allow in themselves those errors which formerly, with so much heat and sharpness, they opposed in others, Dent. xii. 29, 30. You shall see there, of all sins the Jews were to beware of the way of the heathens, whom God had cast out before them. Hear the words : ' When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, and thou goest and dwellest in their land, take heed thou be not ensnared by following them, after they be de- stroyed before thee.' Truly we have the same nature, and having the same possessions, may be easily tempted to the same sins, as pride, looseness, ease, and error, &c. You see that is brought as a great aggravation, 2 Kings xvii. 8, ' They walked in the way of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before them.' These opinions and practices have proved destructive to others, and they will be fatal to us too. Such apostasy is a sin of a double dye, as being against former experience of God's judgments on others, and the former judg- ment of our own consciences. Why were we so keen against that in them, to which we are now revolted ourselves ?
5. By the wounds religion hath received in the house of her friends. Many have acted of late under the name and colour of religion, as if they went on purpose to make godliness odious, and religion stink in the land, engaging themselves in all unwarrantable practices, odious and gross heresies, prostituting the holy profession to all kinds of im- purities and injuries, whereby the mouth of iniquity is opened, the hatred of enemies justified, their reproaches made good, and a great occasion and advantage given to wicked men to speak evil of this way. It was the glory of Christianity heretofore to be hated unjustly, and that only of the worst men, which was an argument of the goodness and purity of it. That which Nero hateth must needs be excellent,^ and the only fault that could be charged upon the primitive Christians was their Christianity , they were just and honest, good subjects, and good neighbours, saith Pliny the younger ; only they had their hijmnos a7itelucanos, their morning meetings to praise their God ; and Ter- tullian saith, the heathens were wont to say, Caius Sejus vir bonus nisi quod Christianus, — Caius Sejus was a good man, all his fault was that he was a Christian. You see still their profession was their only crime ; nay, to come nearer home, the Bishop of Aliffe, in the Council of Trent, confessed that we had orthodoxos mores, but hcereticamjidem, a good life, but a bad belief ; and truly this was our glory when no evil could be charged upon us but our private opinion and profession. But alas ! now it is otherwise ; many of those that profess religion,
1 VideTertull. in Apol. — ' Tali dedicatore damnatienis nostra) gloriamur, qui enim Nero- nem scit intelligere potest non nisi grande bonuni a Nerone daiunari.' Vide Notas Francis. Zephyri ibidem. — ' Divina providentia eii'ectum ut Cliristiaua religio eos haberet Lostes, qui aliis virtutibus iufensi,' &c.
Eev. III. 2.] England's spiritual languishing. 429
have done that which a moral heathen would scarce do. Oh ! what a dishonour to Christ is this, that those that pretend to him should he less civil, just, discreet, &c. ! Oh ! how is the holy profession exposed to the shame and reproach of the adversaries ! How is Christ crucified and put to shame again in your scandals ! How will the Hams of the world laugh to discover this nakedness ! Thus it hath been of old.^ The apostle Peter speaketh of some impure deceivers by whom the 'way of truth was evil spoken of/ 2 Peter ii. 1. Thus the ancient Christians were loaded with all kinds of scorn and contempt, and hated for the heretics' sake, because of the Gnostics ; they were called lumi- num extinctores, putters out of the candles, and doers of obscene things in the dark.^ The unclean conversation of the Priscillianists made Pagans detest all Christians, and by the rage of Maximus they fared all alike ; malice will know no distinction. Alas ! what a sad thing is this, that religion's own friends should betray her ; that you that are called Christians should be called so to the disgrace of Jesus Christ,^ that you should give occasion to them that desire occasion, and make good all their reproaches !
6. By religion's being made the stalking-horse to every self-seeking design. Many hold it forth only out of a desire to advance some private ends, to get preferment and honour in the world, or some opportunity to enrich themselves with the public spoils. And truly this is very sad, that every malicious, covetous, or ambitious project should be clothed with this glorious pretence. Thus the apostle Peter speaketh of some in his days that abused their profession by making it a * cloak of maliciousness,' 1 Peter ii. 6. And Lactantius observeth the same also of many in his time, who wounded the Christian name and honour by using it as a cover to their sinful and corrupt practices.* And others show what prejudice was done to religion by the pride, desire of greatness, and contention, that was between the pastors and pro- fessors of it ; insomuch that Diocletian thought that Christianity was nothing else but a wretched device of wicked men,^ set afoot out of some private aims. Thus, also, Ignatius speaketh of some that were ov 'XpicTTLavoi, aXka ^pi'O'TefMTropoc, not Christians so much as Christ-sellers,^ like Judas, that followed Christ only to make gain of him. I have brought these instances because they do but give us the description of many in our age, who make God ' to serve with their sins,' Isa. xliii. 24, and godliness to be only the specious outside of every unclean intent and worldly design. Thus poor religion, that delighteth to breathe in the air of self-denial, is made the usual stale to self-seeking ; and godliness, that checketh carnal projects, by a vUe submission is forced to serve them.