Among beasts there are harmless Lambs, as well as hurtful Lions; among birds there are innocent Doves, as well as ravenous Vultures, and yet they have all the same specific nature of Brutes: Among men, some have better nurture, and (possibly from thence) better natures then others; some are churlish and cruel, others courteous and civil; some mild and morally righteous, others mad and desperately outrageous, and yet all may flow from the same humane nature. As the same earth is in some plants bitter, in others sweet, in both earthly; so the same humane nature may be in some more pleasing, in others more poisonous, in both but humane, neither being partaker of the Divine nature: Some are like swine in a fair meadow, more cleanly; others wallowing in the mire more dirty; and both swine. Our Civil Law saith of mixed beasts, Elephants and Camels, that they do the work of tame beasts, but have the nature of wild ones: Such are our mere civil men; their nature is wild, though their actions are tame. The Bear, as is reported, bringeth forth most ugly and misshapen Whelps, but by licking them brings them to a better form, yet they are Bears still: Thus all men are ugly and notoriously vile by their births, all full of wickedness as the ocean is of waters, good breeding, learning, living among them that are godly, may lick them fair and civil, and put them into a better ⟨p. 64⟩form, and yet still they may remain unsanctified. The Lions which spared Daniel, were Lions still (as appeared by their devouring others) though God did restrain them a while, for the safety of his servant. A water-course may be dammed up or stopped by a bank, though at the same time it hath a violent inclination to run over. I have sometime thought that a mere civil man is like a Capuchin Friar that starteth back at the sight of money, as if it were a Snake or Serpent, but carrieth a boy along with him that takes all (which the demure Friar refuseth) and complains neither of colour nor weight; so the civil man in his life starts back from sin, as if he durst not touch that venomous creature, but he carrieth an heart along with him that receiveth in all (having no power to examine who goeth in or out) and without complaining either of colour or weight.
Among beasts there are harmless Lambs, as well as hurtful Lions; among birds there are innocent Doves, as well as ravenous Vultures, and yet they have all the same specifical nature of Brutes: Among men, some have better nurture, and (possibly from thence) better natures then others; some are churlish and cruel, others courteous and civil; some milde and morally righteous, others mad and desperately outragious, and yet all may flow from the same humane nature. As the same earth is in some plants bitter, in others sweet, in both earthly; so the same humane nature may be in some more pleasing, in others more poisonous, in both but humane, neither being partaker of the Divine nature: Some are like swine in a fair meadow, more cleanly; others wallowing in the mire more dirty; and both swine. Our Civil Law saith of mixt beasts, Elephants and Camels, that they do the work of tame beasts, but have the nature of wilde ones: Such are our meer civil men; their nature is wilde, though their actions are tame. The Bear, as is reported, bringeth forth most ugly and mishapen Whelps, but by licking them brings them to a better form, yet they are Bears still: Thus all men are ugly and notoriously vile by their births, all full of wickedness as the ocean is of waters, good breeding, learning, living among them that are godly, may lick them fair and civil, and put them into a better ⟨p. 64⟩form, and yet still they may remain unsanctified. The Lions which spared Daniel, were Lions still (as appeared by their devouring others) though God did restrain them a while, for the safety of his servant. A water-course may be dam'd up or stopt by a bank, though at the same time it hath a violent inclination to run over. I have sometime thought that a meer civil man is like a Capuchin Friar that starteth back at the sight of money, as if it were a Snake or Serpent, but carrieth a boy along with him that takes all (which the demure Friar refuseth) and complains neither of colour nor weight; so the civil man in his life starts back from sin, as if he durst not touch that venemous creature, but he carrieth an heart along with him that receiveth in all (having no power to examine who goeth in or out) and without complaining either of colour or weight.
