A Christian Directory Volume I Part 95

_Direct._ VII. Take heed of being engaged in a sect or faction, and take heed of the carnal zeal of schism, and of the spirit of faction, which ordinarily makes men think it lawful, if not necessary, to scorn the persons that seem against them, that so they may disable them from hindering the interest of their cause or party. Thus papists, and thus--the factious ones of every party, think that their revilings are but the necessary disarming of the enemies of G.o.d (for such all must seem that differ from them); and a stripping them of that honour by which they might do hurt. Thus good is pretended for the most odious evil, and G.o.d is set up against that love which is the fulfilling of his law; and made the patron of the scorners of his children; but surely he scorneth the scorners, Prov. iii. 34.

_Direct._ VIII. Take heed of error and infidelity: for if the understanding be once deluded, and take religion itself to be but a deceit or fancy, and G.o.dliness to be but conceit and hypocrisy, no wonder if it be made a scorn by such. And such scorners will justify themselves in it, and think they do no harm; so great a plague is a blinded mind.

I have said less against this devilish sin than the nature of it requireth, because I have already said so much, especially in three treatises, viz. "The vain Religion of the Formal Hypocrite;" that called "Now or Never;" and "A Saint or a Brute."

I conclude with these earnest requests to the G.o.dly: 1. Give men no occasion of scorn by your imprudence, scandal, selfishness, or pa.s.sions, as you tender the honour of G.o.d and men's salvation. As Chrysostom saith, "As he that beareth the king's standard in fight had need to be well guarded, so he that carrieth the name and profession of G.o.d and G.o.dliness."[566] 2. Be not discouraged by scorners: these are but easy in comparison of what Christ suffered for you, and what the scorners themselves must suffer.

FOOTNOTES:

[474] See the directions for holy conference, part ii. ch. 10.

[475] Psal. lvii. 8; xvi. 9; x.x.x. 12.

[476] Matt. vii. 16-18; xii. 33, 34.

[477] Lingua index mentis. Aristippus being asked, Quid differat sapiens ab insipiente? Mitte, inquit, ambos nudos ad ignotos, et disces. Laert. in Aristip.

[478] Psal. lxvi. 2; xcvi. 2; cx.x.xv. 3; cxlviii. 13; xxix. 2; c.

[479] Matt. xii. 31. They who use but few words need not many laws, said Charyllus, when he was asked why Lycurgus made so few laws. Plut.

Apophtheg. p. 423.

[480] Plato recte dicere, in quatuor scindit: 1. Quid dicere oportet.

2. Quam multum dicere. 3. Ad quos. 4. Quando sit dicendum: ea oportet dicere quae sint utilia et dicenti et auditori: nec nimis multa nec pauciora quam satis est. Si ad peccantes seniores dicendum sit, verba illi aetati congrua loquamur: sin vero ad juniores dicendum sit, majore autoritate utamur in dicendo. Laert. in Plat.

[481] Quod facere inst.i.tuis noli praedicare: nam si facere nequiveris, rideberis. Pittaci Sent. in Laert.

[482] Didymus Alex. on James iii. of bridling the tongue, saith, Non putandum est de peccato prolativi sermonis, quae solcismos et barbarismos quidam vocant, haec fuisse dicta.

[483] Existimant loquacitatem esse facundiam, et maledicere omnibus, bonae conscientiae signum arbitrantur. Hieron Cont. Helvid.

[484] Indignum hominem divitiarum gratia laudare noli. Bias in Laert.

[485] Loqui quae sentis, et sentire quae loqueris, ut Seneca.--Fidum nihil lingua loqui valet, dum cordi duplex alte insedit sensus. Sent.

Pittaci in Laertio. Bias percontanti homini impio quid esset pietas, nihil respondet; c.u.mque ille silentii causam sciscitaretur, quia, inquit, de rebus nihil ad te pertinentibus quaeris. Laert.

[486] James i. 19, "Slow to speak, slow to wrath." Prov. xvii. 28.

[487] Noli cito loqui: est enim insaniae indicium. Bias in Laert.

[488] Psal. cx.x.xix. 4.

[489] Deut. vi. 13; x. 20.

[490] Isa. xlviii. 1; Jer. iv. 2.

[491] Deut. x. 20; Isa. xlv. 23; lxv. 16; Jer. iv. 2.

[492] Amos viii. 14; Hos. iv. 15; Zeph. i. 5; Jer. xii. 16; Isa. xix.

18.

[493] See Dr. Hammond's Pract. Catech. on the third commandment. Jer.

v. 2; Rev. xix. 12.

[494] Saith Fitzherbert, 1. 1. c. 23. n. 17, I cannot but lament, that so great an impiety as blasphemy is, being so common, doth pa.s.s unpunished: whereas in other countries the least blasphemies are severely chastened: insomuch that in Spain I have known a man set in the market-place, the greatest part of a day, gaping with a gag in his mouth, for swearing only by the life of G.o.d.

[495] See Jer. v. 21, 22; Job xlii. 5, 6; and x.x.xviii. 2, 3, &c.

[496] Psal. xxix. 2; lxvi. 2; lxviii. 4; x.x.xiv. 3; xcvi. 2; Isa. ix.

6; xii. 4; xli. 25; Jer. x.x.xiv. 16; Ezek. x.x.xvi. 22, 23; 1 Kings viii.

16, 18, 19, 29; ix. 3, 7; 2 Sam. vii. 13; Deut xiv. 23; Psal. cxlv. 1, 2; Isa. xxvi. 8, 13; Psal. lx.x.xvi. 9, 12; cx.x.xv. 13; Cant. i. 3; John xii. 28.

[497] Vid. Aquin. de Veritat.

[498] Matt. xxvi. 63; Mark xiv. 61; xv. 5; Luke xxiii. 9; John xix. 9; Jer. x.x.xviii. 26, 27.

[499] Acts xxiii. 6-9. Licitum est aliquando salva veritate, illa verba proferre, ex quibus probabiliter novimus auditores aliquid conclusores falsi. Hoc enim non est mentiri vel falsum testari, sed tantum occasionem alteri praebere errandi non ad peccatum committendum sed potius vitandum. Ames. Cas. Consc. 1. 5. c. 53. See Luke xxiv. 28; John vii. 8, 10.

[500] Tolle voluntatem, nec erit discrimen in actu.

[501] Verba propterea inst.i.tuta sunt, non ut per ea se invicem homines fallant, sed ut eis quisque in alterius not.i.tiam cogitationes suas proferat. Verbis ergo uti ad fallaciam, non ad quod sunt inst.i.tuta, peccatum est. Aug. Enchirid.

[502] Every lie is evil and to be avoided, saith Aristot. Ethic. 1. 4.

See Psal. v. 7; Prov. vi. 17, 19; xii. 22; xix. 5, 9; xxi. 18; Rev.

xxi. 27; xxii. 15; John viii. 44; Col. iii. 9.

[503] Numb. xxiii. 19; 1 Sam. xv. 29; 1 John v. 10.

[504] 1 Kings xxii. 22, 23, "I will be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets." 2 Chron. xviii. 21, 22.

[505] It was one of the Roman laws, tab. 12. Qui falsum testimonium dixisse convictus erit, e saxo Tarpeio dejiciatur.

[506] Hic autem homines fallunt et falluntur: miseriores sunt c.u.m mentiendo fallunt, quam c.u.m mentientibus credendo falluntur. Usque adeo tamen rationalis natura refugit falsitatem, et quantum potest devitat errorem, ut falli nollint, etiam quicunque amant fallere.

August. Enchirid. c. 17.

[507] Petrarch. 1. 1. de vit. solit.

[508] Saepe delinquentibus promptissimum est mentiri. Cicer.

[509] Ille veritatis defensor esse debet, qui c.u.m recte sent.i.t, loqui non metuit, nec erubescit. Ambr. Liars are valiant against G.o.d, and cowards against men. Montaigne's Ess.

[510] Avoid both the extremes, which Petrarch mentioneth: Nam ut multi qui se bonos, sic aliqui qui se malos fingerent sunt reperti; quod vel humani favoris pestilentem auram; vet invisam bonorum temporalium sarcinam declinarent. Quod de Ambrosio lectum est. Quam similis amicitiae adulatio? non imitatur tantum illam sed vincit: eo ipso gratiosos facit quo laedit. Senec.

[511] Hieron. in Gal. iv.

[512] Cujus aures clausae veritati sunt, ut ab amico verum audire nequeat, hujus salus desperanda est. Cicer. Rhet. li. 1. Nemo parasitum canum amat. Materia quoque fingendi tempore consenescit.

Athaenus. Malum hominem blandiloquentem agnosce tuum laquum esse. Habet suum venenum blanda oratio. Senec.