Puritan Wisdom

As the Sabbath draws nigh, some thoughts on I Peter 2:18-19 --

"Learn we then not to listen to nor believe all we hear; even Elijah will be accused for a troubler of Israel, and the yong Prophet called a mad fellow, and that Micaiah never prophesied good, and that Jeremiah raves, and its not meet that he should live, Paul a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition, and now adays, the true servants of God, good Christians, called of some Hereticks, of others Puritans, Factious, Proud, Singular, Shismatics, worse than Papists, &c. And may they not be good servants of God for all this? You shall have Elimas's ready to buz in yong Gentlemens and ignorant persons ears, that begin to set on religion, O these Puritans are the vilest persons in the world, even the name of Hugenot in France was not enough to help one on to his death! But such take heed, believe not all, its malice speaks: So take heed we believe not all we hear of particular Ministers, and Christians, some slandred one way, some another: Is this a new trick, or rather is it not the old course of Satan to raise such things to hinder men, if he could, from profiting by their Ministers, or set men off their profession of Religion? Its more to be wondred that he raises not up ten to one; therefore never condemn them in your hearts, till you have tryed them: Do them that equity, ere you believe it, ere you report it, ask and expect, if they have so carried themselves as they have deserved to be wel thought of before: Is it not therefore a grievous thing, that even such profess the same truth, and that have also good things in them, having an ill report of their Neighbor Christian, shall be too ready to believe it, and report it to another; but I hope, faith be, it is not true, and so he tells it to another, and so it encreaseth like a Snow-ball, who should rather have stopt it, when he heard it first, and have used means to have come to the truth."

-- John Rogers, 131.