Reformation of reli gion prosperons to Kings. whether or no they have an addition of many things towards the satisfying their desire, or their desire lessened to a moderate stint. This duty towards God, as often as pious and religious Kings have observed, they have been enriched by God with manifold and great blessings. The memory of which has been derived down to us with the Scripture; and the example of them still flourishes, to excite and stir men up, which without the Scripture would be of no force for 1 Kings xv. Asa, when he purged and reformed religion, that had been 2 Chron. xiv. 2 Chron. xvii. oppressed and corrupted by heathen rites, and the wickedness of others; and called back his people to seek after the Lord, and to make a new covenant with their God; did he not defend his cities in peace, and fortify his strong holds? And did not all things flow in unto him prosperously to his wish? Did he not overthrow his enemies in war, and with a small handful destroy whole armies? And being enriched with victory and spoils, did he not return safe, and bring back with him the ample reward of his having cultivated religion? But Jehoshaphat, when he cut down the groves, and inquired after the Lord, and went up to him with his heart; when he sent his Princes, and with them the Levites and Priests, to teach and instruct the people of the Lord throughout all the coasts and cities of Judah; and himself reformed all the people, from Beersheba to Mount Ephraim; though as yet the high places were not broken down, and although the people were not perfectly brought back to the God of their fathers: yet, nevertheless, how great peace and affluence of all things, what splendor of renown, what tranquillity to the commonwealth, what provision, and abundance of military stores, and of valiant soldiers, how great victory in battle, and what ample spoils, and how great triumphs did he bring back! What need I mention to you Ezechias or Josias, who did not only renew religion that was almost erased and extinguished, but almost established it afresh? How great riches, and what peace did they enjoy! How great a store of money, cattle, and spices, did they pos sess! How did God as it were snatch them out of the jaws of death, and transfer unto another season the time he had appointed for his anger? How were the living associated unto them who were the best, and the dead gathered unto their fathers? The whole cause of which universal prosperity is thither to be referred, whither the Scripture leads the way. Whereas the Scripture makes mention of them, that by following the true worship of him whom we ought to serve, we may not only have from him all the goods of the mind, but all other external blessings and advantages. And since the divine providence is not tied to any one age of mankind, or single nation, but is universally diffused throughout all the periods of all nations and times; when we see the same sequel of real events in those, whose studies, and pains, and favour, have been all of them laid out in the reformation of religion; shall we doubt in believing it to be the same cause which the Scripture assigns to have been in the best of kings? And ought we not, among others, to think ourselves moved by their example? King And for those who put together the authority and truth Address to of all times, and fix their eyes upon your most potent Henry. Majesty, they are easily made to understand, that there is no one, either in the greatness of things already achieved, or in the splendour of a kingdom, or in the great abundance of all those things, that are the usual objects of men's desires, nor yet in the happy and wished for event of things; neither in the foresight and prevention of great evils, nor in the fruits and acquirement of the most ample advantages; there is no one has so well succeeded in any His prosone of these, as you have flourished in them all: whom perity for reforming God has reserved to your people and your kingdom, for religion. the expiation and cultivating as it were of religion, for taking away and utterly destroying the errors of superstition, for the rooting out the very fibres of impiety, and giving the utmost latitude to the propagation of Christ's glory. So that your Majesty seems not more to have amended religion, than your Majesty has through religion Caution against been recommended to Almighty God. And in the future discourses of men, the mention which shall be made of religion will extol the memory of what you have done, and the often commemorating the fame of your ample praises and commendation, will bring in the discourse about religion. Whereby it comes to pass, that since the advantage of religion is of so large an extent, and since in many places of Scripture it has both the promises of this present life, and of that which is to come; they take a good and prudent course, who, labouring not unfruitfully in the lesser things, and in the single parts of religion, have bestowed all their pains, study, industry, and age, in the thorough reformation of religion, which is as it were the mother of all virtues. But since things of a more excellent and noble nature mistake in are not so much desired by wise men, that they may have the real possession of them, as they are sought after by the imprudent, that they may induce an opinion of their having them into others; and many are not voluntarily, but through mistake, drawn after a corrupt resemblance of things, and are not easily diverted from an opinion that has taken deep root; a greater care and industry is to be laid out in giving a right tincture to our minds, than in sowing our fields. And principal caution is to be used, lest in matters of greatest moment and advantage we either slip through error, or are drawn aside by passion, or hurried on by imprudence: but of all things there is nothing surrounded with greater difficulties, or is beset with things Religion, of more different natures than religion. Which being the pure worship of God, for the retaining his favour, and the averting his wrath; revealed and prescribed to us by God himself, and not the device or invention of human counsel; the greater earnestness that is used by good and bad men, to be and to appear religious; so more and greater will be the contrivances and machinations of men, (if through the difficulty of the thing, or through ignorance, they cannot attain it,) to make boast even of the shadow of it by science, falsely so called; or pretend to it through hypocrisy, what. or set it off by affectation, or make shew of it by innovation, or by following it give it strength. Now of this reli- Two parts of religion. gion, since there are two parts, the one of which is placed in the searching after knowledge, and in the tracing out of these things which are grateful and well-pleasing unto God; but the other is employed in action, which puts forward into life and performance, what she understands to have the divine approbation. Each of these parts is on all sides surrounded with so many evil and vicious motions, that being intercepted as it were in the midst of its enemies, it comes in danger of quite overturning and distracting all religion. two parts. But that all may be set in better order before our eyes, Religions, and that our whole meaning may more clearly be distinguished, not in reality and science only, but in express terms and words, we shall so make use of such words as are not indeed very frequent in Scripture, yet well enough suited to the genius of our own times, as to call that part which consists in a thorough inquiry into the divine will, and the method of pure worship, by the name of sanctity; Sanctity, or speculative and that which is altogether active, and which applies theology. itself to the fulfilling of that, which by sanctity it understands will please God, we may name piety. But that * Piety, practical which in this place I call sanctity, is that knowledge which divinity. is a kind of foundation-principle of human life, and of all our actions; and which being once well laid, if the whole ordering of our lives be built upon it, and all things flow out of it as from a fountain, we shall have nothing vicious or corrupt, nothing vain or hypocritical: but if that igno- Ignorance. rance, which is opposed to sanctity, pours out such darkness upon the mind of man, and draws such a cloud over it, that it cannot discern that light of truth, which sanctity uses to look into; let men's devices and contrivances be as they please, and let them hug themselves in them as much as they will, yet can they not be able to free themselves from error, rashness, and deceit: for besides that it is a most base thing to be ignorant, when man is purposely framed for the knowledge of God, and the comprehending 15. him in his mind; so nothing can be imagined more unbecoming and dishonourable, than that he should voluntarily make choice of being ignorant, who is commanded to be 1 Pet. iii. prepared, and ready to give a reason of that faith which is in him. For if the benefit of Christ is so highly to be esteemed, that the very knowledge of him is eternal life, how earnestly is that ignorance to be avoided, that does most of all obstruct us in our passage unto God? And if Paul, in all his epistles, gives thanks that they are filled with knowledge, that they abound in all science, and in all wisdom; with how much labour ought we to deprecate and drive away from us such gross ignorance and thick darkness? But that is not the only ignorance, which, knowing nothing, does not think itself to know any thing. Which, although it is a fault, because it is ignorance, is nevertheless a tolerable one, and more easily to be excused. But that is a far more grievous and infectious kind of ignorance, which either knows things corruptly, and is full Depraved of error, or pretends to know what it does not. This corknowledge. ruption of science, is when some opiniative person does not much inquire what it is the Scripture does confirm, as how he may by novelty of invention, or subtle distinctions, either weaken what is already established, or break through and crumble the whole in pieces; and rests upon his own notions, and not the Scriptures; and thereby causes many specious and plausible errors, which, grown old with time, are scarce extinguished by their age, or taken away by his authority, who says, Ye err, not knowing the Scriptures. He opens not the school of Christ, but sets forth a doctrine of his own, different from all others, and repugnant to the truth, which is named heresy. For the truth, which cannot be other than what it is, being deserted and abandoned, he takes up with every new thing he has a mind to; nor does he follow the Scriptures, as of necessity he ought, but pursues those fancies and opinions that ought Pretended least of all to come under his choice. The pretence of knowledge. knowledge is that which, having no knowledge or perception, does imagine itself to comprehend all things, to see Heresy. |