Sixthly, It is of mere malice against that which their own conscience telleth them to be so good, and against Christ, the Author of it, rcrucifying him in their hearts, and making a mock of him: because, if they will be his, they see they cannot enjoy those Pleasures, Profits or Preferments which they dote upon, and are resolved to hold, though they lose their own souls for it; whereof cometh a persecuting and blaspheming of things they have believed, and of all that do profess the same, an utter srevolt from Christ, and open war against him. It seemeth, the Holy Ghost noteth this sin, to have been in Saul, 1. Sam. 22. 17. Kill the Priests of JEHOVAH. He saith not simply, Kill the Priests: but the Priests of JEHOVAH: as if he should have said, I? Hath Christ indeed served me so, not only to turn me out of my Kingdom, and to give it to my servant; but will he now, by his answers and Oracles, teach him how to rise up and lye in wait against me? Well, though my malice cannot reach to him who is in Heaven, yet I will wrack it upon his Darlings the Priests: Go, kill me all his Priests, &c. It is not a falling of frailty and infirmity, though wittingly as that of Peters was. By all which may appear, that this being a hidden and a secret sin lurking in the heart, is most hard to be discerned, save when it pleaseth God himself, as it were, from Heaven to reveal it: which in the time of the Apostles, to whom the extraordinary Graces of his Spirit were more plenteous, he did now and then, as appeareth in those that seduced the Galatians, and further, by that alleged out of Paul and John before, but in the succeeding Ages more rarely, whereof ⟨p. 387⟩notwithstanding Julian the Apostate may be an example, against whom the Prayers of the Church were simply to cut him off.
Sixtly, It is of meere malice against that which their owne conscience telleth them to be so good, and against Christ, the Authour of it, rcrucifying him in their hearts, and making a mocke of him: because, if they will be his, they see they cannot enioy those Pleasures, Profits or Preferments which they dote vpon, and are resolued to hold, though they lose their owne soules for it; whereof commeth a persecuting and blaspheming of things they haue beleeued, and of all that doe professe the same, an vtter sreuolt from Christ, and open warre against him. It seemeth, the Holy Ghost noteth this sinne, to haue beene in Saul, 1. Sam. 22. 17. Kill the Priests of IEHOVA. He saith not simply, Kill the Priests: but the Priests of IEHOVAH: as if hee should haue said, I? Hath Christ indeed serued me so, not onely to turne me out of my Kingdome, and to giue it to my seruant; but will he now, by his answeres and Oracles, teach him how to rise vp and lye in waite against mee? Well, though my malice cannot reach to him who is in Heauen, yet I will wracke it vpon his Darlings the Priests: Goe, kill me all his Priests, &c. It is not a falling of frailtie and infirmitie, though wittingly as that of Peters was. By all which may appeare, that this being a hidden and a secret sinne lurking in the heart, is most hard to bee discerned, saue when it pleaseth God himselfe, as it were, from Heauen to reueale it: which in the time of the Apostles, to whom the extraordinarie Graces of his Spirit were more plenteous, hee did now and then, as appeareth in those that seduced the Galatians, and further, by that alleaged out of Paul and Iohn before, but in the succeeding Ages more rarely, whereof ⟨p. 387⟩notwithstanding Iulian the Apostata may bee an example, against whom the Prayers of the Church were simply to cut him off.
- rHeb. 6. 6.
- sHeb. 6. 6. & 10. 29.
