102 THE church's blackness.
Thus we have heard the church's apology for her blackness. The next verse, which I cannot now speak of as I would, contains the remainder of her answer, wherein she proceeds to shew thus much, that the church and Christians, even at the worst, are not to be despised for infirmities. This she takes for granted, as formerly proved, and then goes on to shew the causes which wrought her blackness and misery.
1. First, outwardly; The sun had j^ arched her, that is, many afflictions had overtaken her; and then, in her particular, her mother's sons had crossed her; false hypocrites, erroneous, proud professors, carrying the name of brethren, had vilified and taken all occasions to put base drudgery upon her.
2. The second cause was inward ; She kept not her ou-n vineyard, that is, she did not husband her own soul aright ; she looked not to her own work and charge ; which words contain not an extenuation of her blackness, but an amplification of the causes of it rather. Thus you see the church's mind : she thinks men should rather comfort and encourage her, than despise her for her many aftlictions, seeing she doth so freely confess them ; and those who are in misery ought to be comforted. Not to stand upon it : hence we learn,
Doct. 4. We must not still he jwring into the deformities of God's church and people, like flies on galled places, or dogs upon garbage and raw flesh. For,
lleason 1. First, This is a practice which utterly crosseth God in his commandments, who chargeth us ' not to despise the day of small things,' Zech. iv. 10.
Eeason 2. Secondly, This is quite against justice ; for Christians have beauty as well as blackness, graces as well as corruptions.
Reason 3. Thirdly, This neither cometh from any good, nor worketh good. It ariseth from pride, ignoi-ance, &c., and sheweth that a man neither knows his own estate, nor God's proceedings with his people, who brings them to honour through baseness, acd confounds the glory of the world with base things.
Use 1. This condemneth those Christians who have their eyes still upon the blackness of the church, who are of three sorts :
First, papists, who deck a whore, and call her Christ's spouse, and in the mean time despise the church of Christ for blackness and outward defor- mities.
Secondly, against such who stumble as much at our inward deformities, as these at our outward debasements, at our discipline, preaching, ministry, sacraments, calling, ordinances, as though all were antichristian. Why will not such see white with black ? good with bad ? We confess that in our church, as in every church visible, there is corn and tares, fish, good and bad, sometimes children, sometimes bastards, only sons by the mothers' side : we never knew it otherwise in any church.
Thirdly, This is against such as like bats can see to fly in the dark only. The prosperity of Christians they cannot see, or graces, nor com- forts, nor good works, to be provoked thereby to obedience ; but if any one be crossed in his profession, they speak of it ; if any fall into sin, they remember him ; if any sufler shipwreck, if any live "less comfortably, or die less cheerfully, oh then there is work enough : who would be a Chris- tian ? How doth it make men mopish and lumpish, and bring men out of their wits? And whence is all this; but from ignorance or great hypo- crisy, or malice ? In love there is no such offence, as John speaks, and
THE church's blackness. 103
therefore to these the church speaks, ' Look not upon me, because I am black, &c,
A word only of the causes of her affliction, and so I have done — which came by her mother's sons, such as Hve in the church. So that we see the church hath those who afflict her and persecute her even within her- self. See for this point: Kebekah's sorrow and struggling within her, two nations, Gen. xxv. 22. Next, see how they use -her, and why ? They take her by violence, and force her to slavery, and exercise too much hard- ness over her ; and the reason that she apprehends is, the neglects in her own business ; lay these together : so we learn,
Doct. 5. Then God's children X"^]! for it, ivhen they do not their own u-ork, not keeping their oivn standing. It is with them as soldiers and scholars, when they keep not their own places, and learn not their own lessons : they are met with on every side. And that,
Reason 1. First, because no man speeds well out of his own place, but Christians worst of all ; as Prov. xxvii. 8, a thousand inconveniences befall to one's self, to his charge, when absent. God will be upon him, and leave him to himself, till he hath wound himself into woeful brakes.*
Reason 2. Secondly, Men will be upon his back, as Paul on Peter's, or else grow strange till he be humbled ; but bad men they will curse him, all the h3'pocrites in the town will be at his heels.
Reason 3. Thirdly, The devil will be upon them, and having drawn them out of the way, will either still mislead them, or else cut their throats and steal all, or hold them, if possible he may, from returning unto God ; as in the prodigal son.