Chapter 14

Of two other deceitful excuses of sin, and the use of the whole.

The fifth deceitful excuse is that of Custom. Oh, say some, when they are rebuked for their swearing, idle, and vain forms of speech, and such like sins, 'Truly we meant no hurt, it is only a custom we have got, and cannot now easily leave.' What wretched madness is this, that, because we are come to the very height of sin, (for what else is custom in sin?) we should therefore think ourselves privileged to sin; that custom in sin — than which nothing increases sin more — should be used as an extenuation thereof? The Apostle Peter, when he would dissuade us from the misspending of our time in sin, and vanity, thought he could use no better argument than this, that heretofore it has been our custom of a long time so to do. Hence forward (says he) live (as much time as remains in the flesh) not after the lusts of men, but after the will of God. Why? For it is sufficient for us, that we have spent the time past of the life after the lusts of the Gentiles, walking in wantonness, etc. Lo, how he aggravates their former sins, and so persuades them to desist, because they had so long accustomed themselves thereto. Do you then make light of your custom? Oh sir, it is but a custom. Why, what can you say more against yourself? If you had sworn but once in all your life, it had been a sin heavy enough to crush you down into hell: but now when you tell me it is your daily custom; that your tongue is practiced in this wickedness, how now? Have you not mended the matter fairly? For shame then, away with this so witless, graceless, and shameless an excuse. Would a thief or murderer, being arraigned at the bar, be so simple as to allege in their defense, that it has been their use and custom of a long time to play such pranks: would not the judge, so much the sooner, send them to the gallows? If the plea of custom be so weak for the defense of these sins before man, why then, as Chrysostom reasons, should it not be as insufficient for the maintenance of swearing before God's tribunal. Though it had been the Antiochians' custom to wash themselves in the baths, yet, the king forbidding them, they all left for fear of his displeasure. Whereupon Chrysostom convinced them of deceitfulness in the use of this excuse, in pleading the tyranny of custom. Lo, says he, you may see that where fear is, there our accustomed custom is left presently: fear easily overmasters custom, though it be never so ancient and necessary. It is not then our custom, but our want of God's fear, which is the cause of our swearing. The same Father in another place, makes mention of one, who had got an ill-favored fashion of moving his right shoulder, when he went, which yet he corrected, by laying a sword over it, in such manner, that it should be in danger of cutting, if so it moved. And so, by fear of incision, he taught his shoulders better manners and motions. Do you, who pretend the custom of your tongue in swearing, the same to your tongue, that he to his shoulder, and in place of his sword use the sword of God's word, and God's judgments threatened against this sin, and you shall easily get rid of this your evil custom. For, let men say what they will, it is nothing but their own hard hearts, void of all fear of God and his judgments, together with their sloth and negligence, in not striving against their evil customs, that makes them such slaves to them.

The last refuge is to help out the matter with some distinctions, and pretences of false ends, or any such like quirks. This is the tale-bearer's justification of himself, I do it not to discredit him, but only in love and good will. So the wearer of long hair, I do it not for pride, but only to hide the deformity of my ears, or to keep my head warm. So the good companions, as they call them, that converse familiarly with notorious wicked persons, we do it only for honest refreshment, and to win them by kindness, as Christ conversed with the Publicans and sinners. So those Corinthians, that were present at the idols' feasts; We do it not in honor of the idol, but only to gratify our friends, in a thing indifferent, the eating of meats. Thus the Papists for their adoration of the creatures, say, they perform only service, but not worship, which is due to God only. The man of vindictive spirit, can distinguish between forgiving and forgetting, and tell you he has forgiven his enemy, though he has not forgotten the wrong he has done him. Bradford in one of his Epistles makes mention of one that excused subscription to the Popish articles being qualified with this limitation, so far forth as they were not against the word of God, being indeed all quite contrary thereto. And in this manner he moved Bradford and others to subscribe. But a notable example for this deceit was that of the Israelites in their oath against the giving of their daughters in marriage to the Benjaminites. For when the women of Jabesh Gilead did not suffice the Benjaminites, and their oath hindered them from giving any of their own daughters, they bade them take by force of their own virgins that should come forth to dance in Shiloh. Why but was not this against their oath? Yes, but mark what a fine quirk they found out to elude their oath, and so to qualify the matter, namely that they did not give them their daughters, but the Benjaminites took them away. Not much unlike are those shifts to cozen the good laws and oaths, against buying of places with money, as the laying of wagers beforehand with those of whom they are to be had, that we shall not have such, or such a place. Such also was the deceit of those who having made truce with their adversaries for certain days, did yet during the truce make incursion upon them in the night, and then defended it, because their truce was only for days, not nights. To this head also we may refer that excuse of our travelers, who excuse their kissing of the Pope's toe, because they do that honor to him only as a temporal prince, and not as Pope. But these men are not so happy in their inventions, to save their conscience, as was once one to save his honor; who grudging the Persian king that honor of falling down before him, and yet not knowing how to avoid it, purposely let fall his ring when he came into the king's presence, and so excused the matter to himself, as though he fell down only to take up his ring, and not to worship the king. And diverse such like tricks as these might be instanced in. The which indeed are but curtains, we draw before our own eyes, to hide our sin; they are indeed, as the spider's web, cunningly woven, and some slight of wit may there appear in them, but withal they are as slight as the spider's web, they will not endure the breath, and blast of the mouth of God. Do not then willfully deceive yourself. But think with yourself, will these distinctions, pretences and qualifications satisfy my conscience hereafter in the day of trial? And thus much for the heart's excusing of our evil actions, as also for the judgment of our hearts concerning our actions.

The use of all this is, Use.

1. To teach us not to be too forward in consulting with flesh and blood, when anything is to be done. Who would use a crooked rule in drawing of lines? Who would go to such a lawyer, whose counsels he knew to be mere deceit and trickery? If then our hearts unasked do offer us their counsel, let us suspect it: let us be as jealous over our hearts as we would be over a known crafty deceiver.

2. Not to rest secure in the judgment of our own hearts. Many bless themselves in their evil courses, because their seared and senseless consciences, their deceived and deceiving hearts do not check them. The treacherous selling of Joseph was swallowed down by his brothers, and did not trouble them for nearly twenty years afterward. The reason was, the mists of corrupt affections dazzled the eyes of their mind, and so they could not behold their sin in the right form, but when affliction had removed these mists of deceit from their eyes, then they beheld it, in the right shape, most ugly, and monstrous, and were confounded with the horror thereof. Had they any reason to approve their fact all that while, and to applaud themselves in it, because of this deceitful peace of a deceitful heart. O says one, I thank God I find quiet and peace in my own heart, whatever such, and such judge of me for my courses. But what do you talk of peace? or what have you to do with peace (as Jehu said to Jehoram) who has no other ground to build it upon, than the deceitful judgment of your own blind and bewitched heart? You look in troubled water, and see no deformity in your face. But wait till the water be settled and cleared, and then you shall see what a filthy misshapen visage you have. Tell me ten years hence, or in the day of your trial, when your heart shall be freed from these deceits, and Christ with the clay and spittle of some sharp affliction shall have sharpened your dull eyesight, tell me then what peace you have?

Since our hearts, as we have showed, are so deceitful in excusing and defending of our sins, it must teach us to labor for the spirit of ingenuity, for that open and plain heart of Job in confessing of our sins, that with him we may be able to say, if we have hid our sin as did Adam, etc. Though our hearts deceived us at first, to make us sin, yet let us not suffer them to deceive us further, to make us defend our sin. This is to add deceit to deceit. This is double deceitfulness, when single was too much. Excellently Augustine: if you have sinned, you are in darkness, but by confessing your darkness, you shall obtain the illumination of your darkness; but by defending your darkness, you shall be darkened in your darkness. And how will you escape out of double darkness, who had so much to do with single? And again: you have committed a sin. Let it be confessed, not defended. If you will take upon you the defense of your sin, you will easily be overcome, etc. For who are you to defend yourself? Be ready to accuse yourself. Say not, either I have done nothing, or no such great matter, or no more than others. If having sinned, you say you have done nothing, you shall be nothing, you shall receive nothing. God is ready to give the pardon. You stop it against yourself. He is ready to give it. Do not lay the block of your own defense and justification against it, but open the bosom of your confession and self-condemnation for it.