Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

We read, that in one of the States of Greece, if a scandalous man had lighted upon any wholesome counsel for the honour and advantage of the country, yet the Common-weal rejected it as from him, and would not be beholden to an infamous & branded person: And surely Almighty God can as little endure to be honoured by wicked men, or to have his Name and Truth by them usurped in a false profession. When the Devil, who useth to▪ be the father of lies, would needs confess the Truth of Christ, I know who thou art, even Jesus the Son of the Living God; we find our Saviour as well rebuking him for his confession, as at other times for his Temptations. Because when the Devil speaks a lie, he speaks De suo, he doth that which becomes him; but when he speaks the Truth and Glorifies God, he doth that which is improper for his place¹ and station (for who shall praise thee in the pit?) He speaks then De alieno, of that which is none of his own, and then he is not a liar only by professing that which he hates, but a thief too. And surely when men take upon them the Name of Christ, and a show of religion, ⟨p. 304⟩and yet deny the power thereof they are not only liars in professing a false love, but thieves too, in usurping an interest in Christ which indeed they have not; and are like to have no happier success with God (who cannot be mocked) then false pretenders have with men; who under assumed titles of princes deceased, have laid claim to kingdoms. God will deal with such men as we teade that Tiberius dealt with a base pretender to a Crown, when after long examination he could not² catch the impostor tripping in his tale, at last he consulted with the habit and shape of his body, and finding there not the delicacy and softness of a Prince, but the brawniness and servile fashion of a Mechanic, he startled the man with so unexpected a trial, and so wrung from him a confession of the Truth. And surely just so³ will God deal with such men as usurp a claim unto his Kingdom, and prevaricate with his Name; he will not take them on their own words, or empty professions, but examine their hands; If he find them hardened in the service of sin, he will then stop their mouth with their own hand, and make themselves the argument of their own conviction.