Spiritual refining

First, Have Heathens without the Scripture, without the knowledge of ¹Christ and his Word, done many things righteously and soberly? Then what shame and reproach is it to Christians, if any among them be found unjust, ungodly, and living in all intemperance? Yet is not the greater number of those that profess the Christian Religion, infected with some erroneous and gross vices or other, which the Gentiles have abhorred? As Christ said of the Centurion a stranger, He had not seen such faith in Israel; and truly, we may say, That there is not to be seen such faithfulness in mens words, such temperance in their lives, no not among many Christians, as have been among many Gentiles. Who can plead for such who deal unjustly, speak falsely, over-reach in their contracts? when men without the true knowledge of a true God, have been afraid to do it. You could not among all the Lacedaemonians have seen one drunken man, unless it was their slaves, their Helotae, as they called them; and now it is hard to find a sober, temperate man among many Protestants. Some of the Heathens have been so Religious about an oath, and fearful about swearing, that they never would use it upon any humane or earthly business; yet he is accounted a man now not of any spirit or gallantry, that doth not embroider his Language with several Oaths. Basil the Ancient, objected to Christians in his time, that accustomed themselves to swearing, the example of one Clinias a Pythagorean, who having a great fine laid upon him, to pay a great sum of money, the which he might have escaped by taking an oath, yet he would not swear, but rather pay that money: Certainly, if God doth sometime send his own people to the very irrational creatures to learn, to the Ox and Ant, no wonder, if they may sometimes be taught by those who have not such means of holiness as they have. Civility and Moral honesty, these are to be found among the Pagans, and sometimes we cannot find it among Christians; especially the Heathens have condemned a man of a false heart, that will speak one thing with his mouth, and intend another thing: [Greek or Hebrew], &c. I hate him even to hell, that saith one thing with his mouth, and thinketh another thing in his heart, saith he in Homer: They loved a candid and sincere spirit, as he that wished there was a glass in his breast, that all the world might see what was in his heart:

First, Have Heathens without the Scripture, without the knowledge of ¹