PAGE Q. 11. What satisfaction is to be made by a fornicator or Q. 14. What if confessing a fault will turn the rage of the ibid. Cases and Directions about our obtaining pardon from God 519 Tit. 1. Cases of Conscience about obtaining pardon from God ibid. Q. 1. Is there pardon to be had for all sin without exception? ibid. Q. 2. What if one oft commit the same heinous sin? Q. 3. Is the day of grace and pardon ever past in this life? Q. 4. May we be sure that we are pardoned ? Q. 7. Are the elect pardoned and justified before repentance? Q. 8. Is pardon or justification perfect before death? Q. 9. Is our pardon perfect as to all sins past? Q. 10. May pardon or justification be lost or reversed? Q. 11. Is the pardon of my own sin to be believed fide Divi- Q. 12. May one in any kind trust to his own faith and repen- Q. 2. What should ignorant persons do whose capacity will not reach to so high a work as true self-examination and Q. 3. How far may a weak Christian take the judgment of his ...... ...... PAGE ibid. Tit. 8. Directions for judging of our estates, to know whe- A CHRISTIAN DIRECTORY. PART IV. CHRISTIAN POLITICS: OR, ALL THE DUTIES OF THE SIX LAST COMMANDMENTS, IN OUR POLITICAL RELATIONS, AND TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOURS, WITH THE PRINCIPAL CASES OF CONSCIENCE ABOUT THEM. READER, THINK not by the title of this part, that I am doing the same work which I lately revoked in my " Political Aphorisms;" though I concluded that book to be' quasi non scriptum,' I told you I recanted not the doctrine of it, which is for the empire of God, and the interest of government, order, and honesty in the world. This is no place to give you the reasons of my revocation, besides that it offended my superiors, and exercised the tongues of some in places where other matters would be more profitable: pass by all that concerneth our particular state and times, and you may know by that what principles of policy I judge divine. And experience teacheth me, that it is best for men of my profession, to meddle with no more, but leave it to the Contzeu's, the Arnisæus's, and other Jesuits, to promote their cause by voluminous politics. The pope's false-named church is a kingdom, and his ministers may write of politics more congruously, and (it seems) with less offence than we. Saith the "Geographia Nubiensis" aptly, "There is a certain king dwelling at Rome called the pope, &c." when he goeth to describe him. Nothing well suits with our function, but the pure doctrine of salvation: let statesmen and lawyers mind the rest. Two things I must apologize for in this part. 1. That it is maimed by defect of those directions to princes, nobles, parliament-men, and other magistrates, on whose duty the happiness of kingdoms, churches, and the world dependeth. To which I answer, That those must teach them whom they will hear while my reason and experience forbid me, as an unacceptable person, to speak to them without a special invitation, I can bear the censures of strangers, who knew not them or me. I am not so proud as to expect that men so much above me, should stoop to read any directions of mine, much less to think me fit to teach them. Every one may reprove a poor servant, or a beggar (it is part of their privilege). But great men must not be so much as admonished by any but themselves, and such as they will hear. At least nothing is a duty, which a man hath reason to think is like to do much more harm than good. And my own judgment is much against pragmatical, presumptuous preachers, who are over-forward to meddle with their governors, or their affairs, and think that God sendeth them to reprove persons and things that are strange to them, and above them; and vent their distastes upon uncertain reports, or without a call. 2. And I expect to be both blamed and misunderstood, for what I here say in the confutation of Master Richard Hooker's "Political Principles," and my citation of Bishop Bilson, and such others. But they must observe, 1. That it is not all in Master Hooker's first and eighth book, which I gainsay; but the principle of the people's being the fountain of authority, or that kings receive their office itself from them, with the consequents hereof. How far the people have, in any countries, the power of electing the persons, families, or forms of government, or how far nature giveth them propriety, and the consequents of this, I meddle not with at all. 2. Nor do I choose Master Hooker out of any envy to his name and honour, but I confess I do it to let men know truly whose principles these are. And if any (causelessly) question, whether the eighth (imperfect) book be in those passages his own, let them remember that the sum of all that I confute, is in his first book, which is old, and highly honoured, by— -you know whom. And I will do him the honour, and myself the dishonour to confess, that I think the far greater number of casuists and authors of politics, Papists and Protestants are on his side, and fewest on mine: but truth is truth. On the subjects' duty I am larger, because, if they will not hear, at least I may boldly and freely instruct them. If in the latter part there be any useful cases of conscience left out, it is because I could not remember them. Farewell. CHAPTER I. General Rules for an Upright Conversation. SOLOMON saith," He that walketh uprightly walketh surelya." And perfection and uprightness are the characters of Job". And in the Scripture to be upright or righteous, and to walk uprightly, and to do righteously, are the titles of those that are acceptable to God. And by uprightness is meant not only sincerity as opposed to hypocrisy; but also rectitude of heart and life, as opposed to crookedness or sin; and this as it is found in various degrees: of which we use to call the lowest degree that is saving by the name of sincerity, and the highest by the name of perfection. Concerning uprightness of life, I shall, I. Briefly tell you some of those blessings that should make us all in love with it, and, II. Give you some necessary rules of practice. 1. Uprightness of heart and life is a certain fruit of the Spirit of grace, and consequently a mark of our union with Christ, and a proof of our acceptableness with God. " My defence is of God, who saveth the upright in heart." "For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and his countenance doth behold the upright." It is a title that God himself assumeth; "Good and upright is the Lord." "To a Prov. x. 9. b Job i, 1. 8. ii. 3. e Psal. xxv. 8. e Psal. vii. 10. |