Isle of Man Part 04
Isle of Man Part 4
The hue and cry thus set out, it is carried by the Spirit of supplication, crying mightily to the Lord for grace and mercy to help in time of need, as David did, who saw sin before him and then made the hue and cry, saying; Have mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy loving kindness, according to the multitude of thy mercy do away with my offences.
This hue and cry must not be let slip at any hand, but be carried along in the pursuit, lest in following of sin, men be deceived, and solid virtues be attacked instead of vices. For this we must know, as vices have not a few friends (which shall after be showed) so virtues have many enemies ready to bear false witness against them, that they may be pursued after - malefactors, that sin in the meanwhile may seek shelter and escape, and the enemies are these:
1. One Mr Outside. On the inside a carnal securitan fellow that will come to his church, keep his Sundays and holy days; but yet in the congregation while he sitteth among others, sometimes he is nodding and sometime, fast asleep and if he abide waking then is his mind wandering abroad, so as he remained still ignorant, without any effectual power of the Word; and being out of the church, he is presently upon his worldly business or pleasure.
This fellow cannot abide any after-meditation or Christian conference with others of that which he hath heard; but tells you his parlour shall not be turned into a preaching or praying place. Christians cannot meet except in the church, but he calls their meetings conventicles, and sends the hue and cry against it as against schism. This is a vulgar ignoramus and a blockish adversary.
2. The second is, Sir Worldly Wise, a very fool to God, a self-conceited earthworm whose wisdom is from below, and therefore sensual, earthly and devilish, who proudly with much disdain, condemneth the wisdom which is from above, pure and peaceable, sincere and charitable; and is ready to tend the hue and cry after it, as after foolish and doting simplicity.
3. The third is Sir Lukewarm. This fellow is a temporising time-server, Jack on both sides, he is all in the praise of moderation and discretion, one very indifferent between this and that. He cannot endure fervent zeal, but would have hue and cry sent against it as a fiery mad-brained rashness.
4. The fourth is Sir Plausible Civil, a fashionable fellow, framed to a commendable outward behaviour for civility, but in matters of religion he hath no more but what he has by common education, custom and the example of others. To the life of religion he is a stranger. Strict serving of God and a more narrow search of our ways, he holds to be foolish scrupulosity and is desirous to have the Hue and Cry sent out against it, as against fantastical preciseness.
This hue and cry must not be let slip at any hand, but be carried along in the pursuit, lest in following of sin, men be deceived, and solid virtues be attacked instead of vices. For this we must know, as vices have not a few friends (which shall after be showed) so virtues have many enemies ready to bear false witness against them, that they may be pursued after - malefactors, that sin in the meanwhile may seek shelter and escape, and the enemies are these:
1. One Mr Outside. On the inside a carnal securitan fellow that will come to his church, keep his Sundays and holy days; but yet in the congregation while he sitteth among others, sometimes he is nodding and sometime, fast asleep and if he abide waking then is his mind wandering abroad, so as he remained still ignorant, without any effectual power of the Word; and being out of the church, he is presently upon his worldly business or pleasure.
This fellow cannot abide any after-meditation or Christian conference with others of that which he hath heard; but tells you his parlour shall not be turned into a preaching or praying place. Christians cannot meet except in the church, but he calls their meetings conventicles, and sends the hue and cry against it as against schism. This is a vulgar ignoramus and a blockish adversary.
2. The second is, Sir Worldly Wise, a very fool to God, a self-conceited earthworm whose wisdom is from below, and therefore sensual, earthly and devilish, who proudly with much disdain, condemneth the wisdom which is from above, pure and peaceable, sincere and charitable; and is ready to tend the hue and cry after it, as after foolish and doting simplicity.
3. The third is Sir Lukewarm. This fellow is a temporising time-server, Jack on both sides, he is all in the praise of moderation and discretion, one very indifferent between this and that. He cannot endure fervent zeal, but would have hue and cry sent against it as a fiery mad-brained rashness.
4. The fourth is Sir Plausible Civil, a fashionable fellow, framed to a commendable outward behaviour for civility, but in matters of religion he hath no more but what he has by common education, custom and the example of others. To the life of religion he is a stranger. Strict serving of God and a more narrow search of our ways, he holds to be foolish scrupulosity and is desirous to have the Hue and Cry sent out against it, as against fantastical preciseness.
5. The fifth is Master Machiavel, a mischievous companion; all for policy, little for piety, and then in pretence only. He is a very Jehu, zealous against Baal, to root out Ahab's posterity, for he more sure settling of the kingdom to him and his; but in state idolatry, a very Jeroboam, to keep the kingdom from being reunited to Judah. He cannot suffer gainful abuses to be reformed; but if any attempt any such thing, be accuseth them for factious turbulent spirits, and so would he have the hue and cry made against their endeavours as against some Puritanical trick.
6. The sixth is one Libertine. This licentious fellow hath a chivalrous conscience, caring for nothing but how to pass on along his life in pleasurable contentments. Religion by him is held to be but a devised policy to keep men in awe of a Deity; and therefore when he seeth religion to be made conscience of, he presently causes hue and cry to be made against it as against hypocrisy. This profane enemy laugheth and mocketh at Christianity.
7. The seventh is Scrupolosity. This is an unsociable and snappish fellow, he makes sins to himself more than the law condemneth, and lives upon faultfinding. Weak Apprehension is his father and Misunderstanding his mother, and an Uncharitable Heart his nurse. The use of Christian liberty, if it be more in his conceit than he pleaseth to like well of, then would he haven the hue and cry sent against it as against carnal security. This is a rigid and censorious adversary.
8. The eighth is the Babbling Babylonian. This is a doting companion and superstitiously foolish. He boasteth of antiquity, though his ways be novelty; yet be will have it the old religion and if any forsake it as idolatry, those he condemneth for schismatics, and labours to have the hue and cry sent out against all reformation in Christian Churches as against heresy. This is a bigoted antichristian adversary.
These are the principal informers (for I pass by petty companions) which endeavour to mislead the pursuer of sin and to set him to attach very eminent and excellent virtues for vices. Therefore it is necessary to have sin set out by marks infallible in the hue and cry else this subtle villain sin will craftily beguile the pursuer, and will escape either by the shifts which he can make to deceive him or by his many friends he hath to keep him from being apprehended.
These are the principal informers (for I pass by petty companions) which endeavour to mislead the pursuer of sin and to set him to attach very eminent and excellent virtues for vices. Therefore it is necessary to have sin set out by marks infallible in the hue and cry else this subtle villain sin will craftily beguile the pursuer, and will escape either by the shifts which he can make to deceive him or by his many friends he hath to keep him from being apprehended.
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