Direct. III. Take heed of scorning at the very circumstances or modes of worship which you dislike; for such scorns come so near to the worship itself, that the minds of the hearers may easily be hence drawn to dishonour the substance for the sake of the derided mode or circumstance; and it plainly savoureth of a bold profaneness, which grave and sober christians do abhor. In the case of idolatry, or where the very substance of the worship is impious and forbidden, I deny not but Elias may (sometimes, and with wariness) be imitated, who derided Baal's priests: but to do thus upon smaller differences in the manner or circumstances of worship, is the way to teach men to turn all religion into matter of derision and contempt. If you see about the king some circumstance of clothing, ornament, or attendance of his followers, which you dislike or judge ridiculous, if you look toward him with a scornful laughter, it will not excuse you to say, I laughed not at the king, but at such or such a thing about him; for his presence should have restrained you from that which seemeth to be a deriding of him. So here, I know you will say, It is not at God's worship, but at such words or gestures of the minister that I scorn: but take heed of dallying with holy things; play not so near the consuming fire; give not others occasion to deride the thing itself by your deriding the circumstances, though they were unapt. Have we not seen, while factious christians raise jests, and nicknames, and scorns against each other, how the profane and common enemies of religion do take them up, and turn them against all serious godliness, to the trouble of others and their own damnation?[563] And we have had experience in these contentious times, that it is the sectaries and the profane that are apt to use these scoffs and scorns against the things and persons that they mislike; and that sober, peaceable, judicious men of all sides do abhor it. How unsavoury and profane have all sober men thought it, when they heard some young and hot-brained persons mocking at the Common-prayer by the name of Pottage, and at the surplice by the name of The whore of Babylon's smock! And from hence the same spirit led them as proudly and bitterly to deride at ministers, universities, learning, temples, tithes, and all the appurtenances of worship; yea, at the Lord's day, and singing psalms, and preaching, and almost all the duties of religion: for when once men will pretend to strive for God, with the spirit and weapons of Satan, and the world, and flesh, there is no stop till they come to the bottom of impiety, and do Satan's work in Satan's way: and so on the other side, while some have too reproachfully scorned such, as Precisians or Puritans, who differed from them about the form of church government and ceremonies, the rabble of the profane soon got advantage by it, and turned these words to so common and bitter reproaches of the godly, sober, peaceable people of the land, that Mr. Robert Bolton saith, "I am persuaded there was never poor persecuted word, since malice against God first seized on the damned angels, and the graces of heaven dwelt in the heart of man, that passed through the mouths of all sorts of unregenerate men, with more distastefulness and gnashing of teeth, than the name of Puritan doth at this day; which, notwithstanding as it is now commonly meant, and ordinarily proceeds from the spleen and spirit of profaneness and good fellowship, is an honourable nickname, that I may so speak, of christianity and grace."[564] See more cited out of him, and Bishop Downam, Bishop Abbot, &c. in my "Formal Hypocrite," p. 210, 212, &c.
Direct. IV. Be very fearful of making the persons of the godly contemptible, though for their real faults, lest the ungodly easily step thence to the contempt of godliness itself. For it is easy to observe how commonly the vulgar judge of the doctrine and religion by the person that professeth it. If a papist or a sectary live a holy life, take heed of making a scorn at their persons, notwithstanding thou takest the rise of thy derision from their mistakes; for even a mistaking saint is dearly beloved and honoured of God; and wherever holiness is, it is the most great, resplendent, and predominant thing in him that hath it;[565] and therefore puts a greater honour on him, than any mistake or infirmity can dishonour him: as the person of a king must not be dishonoured by a reproachful mention of his infirmities, lest it reflect upon his office; so neither must the person of a holy man, lest it reflect on his religion. Not that any man's person should credit or secure his faults, nor that we should judge of the faults or manners by the men, instead of judging of the men by their manners; but you must judge of them by that which is predominant; and so blame their faults, as to preserve the honour of their virtues and religion, and of their persons for their virtues' sake. So blame the falls of Noah, and Lot, and David, and Peter, as may make the sin more odious, but not so as may make their persons contemptible, lest it make their religion next to be contemned. Mark here the difference between the mentioning of good men's falls by the godly and by the ungodly. The godly mention them to make sin appear a thing more to be feared and watched against, and holiness to appear more excellent and necessary; but the ungodly mention them (and read them in Scripture) to make themselves believe that sin is not so bad and dangerous a thing as preachers tell them; and that holiness doth but little differ from a fleshly life.
Direct. V. Judge not of God's servants barely by report, without some considerable acquaintance with them. I cannot remember one of a multitude of the enemies, scorners, and persecutors of godliness, great or small, high or low, but such as never had the happiness to be well acquainted with them, by any familiarity, or observation of the secret passages of their lives; but usually they are such as know them but by report, or by sight, or small acquaintance. And if they did but live with them in the same houses, or were of their familiarity, it were the likeliest way to change their minds and speeches; unless their acquaintance were only with some of the more ignorant, passionate, or distempered sort of christians.
Direct. VI. Take heed of uncharitableness and malice against any; but especially the servants of Christ. For this blinds the judgment, and mads men with a venomous kind of passion, and will make them scorn and rage against the most holy servants of the Lord. The least true love to a christian, as a christian, would do much to the cure of all this sin.
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 God (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 God 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 godliness 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 godly: 1. Give men no occasion of scorn by your imprudence, scandal, selfishness, or passions, as you tender the honour of God 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 God and godliness."[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.