ZIONS' CHARITY TOWARDS HER Foes in misery. IN A DIALOGUE Between a Citizen of LONDON, and a Country-Gentleman, concerning the Offenders of these times. Mat. 7.1. judge not, that ye be not judged. 1 Cor. 13.6. Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Repint London Printed by R. H. for I. D. 1641. ZIONS CHARITY. GEntleman. Well overtaken Sir. Citizen. You are very welcome Sir. Gent. I pray you Sir how far travail you this way. Citt. As far as Nottingham, if the Lord permit. Gent. And whence come you Sir I pray you. Citt. From London Sir. Cent. Indeed I thought by your habit you were a Citizen of London, and to tell you truly, I am glad I met with you, for that I much desire to hear what news at London this Parliament time; therefore if I can entreat so much favour at your hands, as to accept of my company a mile or two of your way, and to relate unto me some of your news at London, I shall think myself much bounden unto you. Citt. Sir, you seem to be an honest grave country Gentleman, and therefore your company to me is very acceptable, and I should be glad that you had further to go on in my way, and shall be willing to pleasure you in telling you any news I know at London. Gent. Sir, I thank you very kindly, and first of all I pray you tell me, is the Parliament like to sit still, and not be dissolved. Citt. Yea, I make no doubt of it, for thanks be to the Lord there is an Act for that purpose. Gent. Blessed be the Lord for it, I rejoice to hear it, assuring myself, if they sit without disturbance they will amend many things that are amiss both in the Church and Commonwealth. Citt. God grant it, say I; for in my judgement there is great need. Gent. Yea doubtless, and I pray you Sir what hear you concerning those that have been the troublers of this our Israel. Citt. Concerning them, this I say for certain, that some of them are fled, and one is dead, and others are yet alive. Gent. And who be they I pray you that are fled. Citt. Finch, Windebank, and divers of that wretched crew, whose names I cannot now remember. Gent. And who is he I pray you that is dead? Citt. The Deputy of Ireland, that traitorous wretch, and murdering caitiff. Gent. And who are they I pray you that are yet alive. Citt. Great Belzebub, that Prince of devils, who though he is fast chained up in the Tower, yet many others of his infernal Spirits are yet at liberty. Gent. Sir, by your favour, I must make bold to tell you before we proceed any further, than I think you do very ill in giving them such titles, you seem by your civil habit to be a man professing the fear of God, and therefore I think it meet for me to tell you that these are unchristian like speeches. Citt. Why Sir, I pray you, can a man speak too ill of them that have been enemies to all righteousness, Acts 13.8. did not the Apostle Paul call Elimas' the Sorcerer as ill as I call them *. Gent. It is very true indeed, the Apostle Paul called him as ill, yet doubtless it is not lawful for you to follow his example therein, except you be full of the holy Ghost, as the Text saith Paul was, and thereby was able to discern him to be the child of the devil: and besides, as I hope, you know our best Divines * M. Dent. do forbid us to speak evil either of them that are absent, or of the dead; yea, Tit. 2.2. the Apostle Paul goes further, speak evil of no man. Citt. But if you were in London, you should not only hear bad men, but also many good men speak as ill of them as I have done: yea, you shall see divers writings, yea, and Books printed, lying on many Booksellers Stalls to be sold, that give them as bad language as I have done. Gent. The more is the pity, I am sorry to hear it, being assured that this is not the language of Canaan, which every Christian ought to speak. Do you not remember the Apostle jude writes, that when Michael the Archangel strove against the devil, and disputed about the body of Moses, durst not blame him with cursed speaking, or give him any railing accusation, but only said, the Lord rebuke thee: and to tell you truly, though I myself be one whom they call a Professor, yet do I utterly dislike this disposition which I have observed in many, who are called by that name, in uttering such bitter words against gross offenders, and much more if they writ or print Books in that nature, to tell you truly, I like not such Satirical spirits. Citt. Why, but Sir by your favour, I conceive that such Books do much good, for first, thereby it is possible that such as have offended may come to see their offence thereby, and so be brought to shame, and afterwards to repentance: and then secondly, hereby it is made apparent to the world, what they are, and so they come to be detested, and at last cut off from troubling this our Israel; as one is, and I hope more will follow. Gent. Sir, I pray you conceive that it is not the matter of such Books that I do simply condemn, but the manner or stile of them; for I conceive if such matter as is in some of them, were composed after a sober, pitiful, and Christianlike manner, without tart or bitter speeches, than it were possible they might be a means to work shame and repentance in the hearts of offenders. Let the sin be shamed rather than the sinner, the particulars offensive, than the persons offending, saith a godly man: but this tart manner spoils all; for first it makes the offenders conceive, that the authors and approvers of them do hate their persons, and so speak out of malice, or desire of revenge, and so by that means they do but exasperate them, or harden them, and rather keep them from repentance, then bring them unto it, and besides, without Gods preventing grace, they will occasion the readers, or hearers of them, either to hate their persons, or jeer them, or both; it is a most intemperate zeal * M. By field saith a godly Divine, that spends itself in the vain and bootless censure of the estate of those that are without: those censures have in them much of provocation, and nothing of edification; it were happy for some Christians if they could with the Apotle say often to their own souls, 1 Cor. 5.12, 13. what have I to do to judge them that are without. Citt. Well Sir, one thing I can assure you of upon my own knowledge, that the printing and selling of such Books hath been a means to help many a poor man in London these dead times of trading. Gent. That may be indeed, and yet the Books never the more lawful or warrantable for that, you know we must not do evil that good may come thereof. Citt. Well Sir, let us leave off this discourse concerning the Books, and let us proceed a little further in our discourse concerning the persons who are the subject matter of such Books, and I pray you tell me how you conceive a Christian man is to stand affected toward such persons? Gent. Without question he ought to love their persons as they are men, you know whose words they are, Mat. 5.44. But I say unto you, love your enemies. Citt. Indeed I grant, if they were my private enemies I ought to love them, yea, and so far forth as they are so, I ought to do it; but these men are public enemies, yea, God's enemies, such as oppose and hate the truth of God, and persecute it in the professors thereof, yea they are such as are enemies to any good course, and godly proceed. Gent. Though they be God's enemies, and public enemies, yet for aught you know while they are alive they may be curable, and therefore though you may hate their sins, and pray against their devices, yet must you love their persons. Citt. But did not Paul and David hate the persons of such, and pray against them, and may not we imitate them therein? Gent. It is true indeed, Paul prayed against Alexander the Coppersmith, 2 Tim. 4. Psal. 139.32. that God would reward him according to his works; So David saith, Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee? etc. and so in many other Psalms he prays for the final and utter destruction of his enemies, which indeed is a sign of utter hatred, yet this was because they were not only God's enemies, but desperate and irrecoverable ones, which they saw by the Spirit of God, being extraordinarily and infallibly informed thereof, and therefore their prayers were but prophecies of the final destruction of these men, as Psal. 63.9. and 54. and 5. But for us, because we have not the like measure or gift of Spirit, we have no such warrant either to hate, or pray directly against any man's person. Citt. Well Sir, I tell you truly I did not consider these things before now, and I begin to fear my heart hath not been so rightly affected towards these men whom I have named, as it ought, therefore I pray you proceed further in this matter. Gent. I will, as the Lord shall enable me, and first as touching them that are yet living, I conceive it is the duty of a Christian, and that which doth most express a Christianlike spirit, to express our love to them in being sorry, yea, and in mourning for them, yea, and the more we hear their faults discovered, the more we are to sorrow for them: & this I am confident hath warrant from Scripture, do you not remember what the Apostle said to the Corinthians touching the incestuous person, and you are puffed up saith he, 1 Cor 5.2. and have not rather sorrowed. It is a place that I have often thought upon, and to tell you truly, I have found such a disposition in my own heart as was in these Corinthians, and that is, when I have heard-of others that have committed some gross offences, I have as it were found my heart glad within me, or rather puffed up with pride, because I have not been guilty of the like transgressions, when as it is clear by the Text, that I should rather have sorrowed for them, for want of which disposition, the Apostle blames the Corinthians; it was well said therefore of one, in the Book called the Lives of the Fathers, when it was told him that one of his brethren was fallen into whoredom; he fell yesterday saith he, and I may fall to day; to this purpose Luther hath an excellent saying, we must not saith he, measure our own holiness by other men's sins, therefore let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. 10.12. and have ye not considered when it was revealed to Elisha by the Spirit of prophecy, what gross crimes Hazael should commit hereafter? the Text saith, that he looked upon him steadfastly, and wept; now if that the Prophet of God wept when he considered the evil which that wicked man should commit hereafter, ought not we, think you, to do the like when we consider what wickedness men have committed heretofore, and indeed Sir, if we did well we should make this good use thereof unto ourselves, that is, when we hear what transgressions others have committed, we should therein as in a glass behold our own natures, we being the very same by nature as they are, and if we had the same temptations which they had, and the Lord should leave us to ourselves as he left them, we should certainly commit the like transgressions which they have done. To this purpose I remember a story which I heard a godly Divine relate in the Pulpit concerning a certain man, who being distressed in conscience by reason of the apprehension of the greatness of his sins, one of his Christian friends labouring to comfort him, willed him to consider that his sins were not so great as Manasses were, who yet notwithstanding were forgiven, whereupon he replied, if I had lived in Manasses times, and had had the same temptations as Manasses had, I should have committed as great sins as Manasses did. We cry out saith another godly Divine, against Cain for murdering his brother, and against judas, for betraying his Master, when as we ourselves have the same murderous and traitorous disposition in us by nature; to this purpose Austin speaketh well saying, There is no sin which any man hath done, but another man might do the same; yea, saith Luther, God by such examples doth show unto us our own weakness, that we should not wax proud, but stand in fear, according to that of the Apostle, Gal. 6.2. Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Citt. Truly Sir, it would be very well if we could be thus affected towards them, and that we could make such good use thereof as you have spoken, for than should we pity them, and pray for them, as I now persuade myself it is our duty. Gent. Yea surely, whilst they are alive it is our duty to pray for them, the faithful, saith Calvin, desire as much as lieth in them, that the wicked should return to a perfect mind, and so they seek their salvation, that they should not perish, thus than we must pray to God to pardon them, and to turn their hearts, and to move us hereunto, Mat. 5.44. let us first consider that our Saviour commands it. Secondly, let us consider that they are our own flesh. Esay 58.7. Thirdly, consider they have some part at the least of God's image in them, but alas this duty is contrary to the nature that is in us, and the practice of the world, and therefore contrary to this duty, they do hate them, rejoice at their fall, speak all ill both to them, and of them, and interpret all things against them. Citt. Well Sir, you have fully satisfied me how we should be affected towards the living, I pray declare likewise how we should be affected towards the dead. Gent. As we must pray for them whilst they are alive, so must we pity them being cut off, because they have brought misery upon themselves. Citt. But may we not lawfully rejoice when wicked men are taken away, are we not bidden to rejoice at wicked men's destructions, Psal. 52. and Psal. 58.10. Gent. Indeed thus much I do grant, that though we know not men's final estate, yet if we see any notorious enemy of the Church and Gospel, and good men taken away, we may give God thanks, and in some sense rejoice, as namely, for that God hath showed himself careful of his Church, and hath provided for his own glory, the comfort of his people, and passage of goodness, and for the terror of other bad ones left behind, but we must no ways rejoice as it is the destruction of the person: but I being now come to my journey's end, must of necessity break off, though abruptly, except you will be pleased to light and refresh yourself, and your horse with such provision as our Country affords. Citt. Truly Sir, I am hearty sorry that you are so soon come to your own home, and that I cannot by any means stay any longer with you, for I desire to reach to Nottingham to night, and you see the day is far spent, so that if I should stay, I fear I should be benighted, wherefore Sir I give you most hearty thanks for your good company, and especially for your Christianlike discourse, the which I hope I shall never forget, and if it please the Lord to bring me to London again, I purpose to acquaint my friends with these things, who have as well as I been heretofore too harsh in judging and speaking against these men. Gen. Sir, I should have been right glad to have heard more news from London, but seeing you cannot conveniently stay, there is no remedy, I thank you for your company, and so the Lord be with you, and send you well to your journey's end. Citt. The Lord be with you also I beseech him, Amen. FINIS.