The spiritual watchThe spirituall vvatch

§. 17. As also their preposterous course cometh here not unworthily to be taxed, that first resolve, & then consult; determine first what they will do, and then ask advice what they should do. Thus did the Jewish Captains sometime with Jeremiah. ^pThey come to him very demurely, and make deep protestations, calling God solemnly to witness of the truth of their intention, of their willing mind and full purpose to put in execution and practise whatsoever God by the Prophet should advise them unto, were it good or bad. But (as ^qJeremiah after truly told them) they dissembled but with him. For they were resolved before what course they would take; and came only to make trial whether the Prophet would concur therein with them or no. Which when they found that he did not, they fly off fairly from him; yea they stick not to give him the lie, and to tell him to his teeth, ^rthat the answer he brought them was no divine Oracle, but an untruth of his own coining at the instigation of Baruc. And in like manner do many now adays repair to Gods Ministers for their opinion in cases of conscience concerning the lawfulness of some act that they are resolved on already; that if they deliver their opinions with them, they may then be able to say, they had the judgment of good Divines for it, before they did it, or attempted ought in it, to stop the mouths of those with that may afterward question it: but whether they concur or ⟨p. 29⟩no, resolved to go on, and so oft do directly contrary to the judgement and advice of those whom they made show to consult with. I say not, but that a man consulting with a Divine, if he receive not good satisfaction from him, is free still notwithstanding his sentence. But ^sfor a man to resort to ^tGods Ministers and Messengers for advice, when he is resolved before what he will do, how soever they shall advise, or how soever he may be convinced by Gods word of the contrary, is no other but a mere mockery both of them, and of him; yea and, as it falleth out oft, a means of deluding himself too, and betraying his own soul to sin: the rather while