Changing Sides.
’TIS the Tryal of a Man to see if he will change his side; and if he be so weak as to change once, he will change again. Your Country Fellows have a way to try if a Man be weak in the Hams, by coming behind him and giving him a Blow unawares, if he bend once, he will bend again.
The Lords that fall from the King after they have got Estates, by base Flattery at Court, and now pretend Con∣science, do as a Vintner, that when he first sets up, you may bring your Wench to his House, and do your things there; But when he grows Rich, he turns con∣scientious, and will sell no Wine upon the Sabbath-day.
Colonel Goring serving first the one side and then the other, did like a good Miller that knows how to grind which way soever the Wind sits.
After Luther had made a Combusti∣on in Germany about Religion, he was sent to by the Pope, to be taken off, and offer’d any Preferment in the Church, that he would make choice of: Luther an∣swered, if he had offer’d half as much at first, he would have accepted it; but now he had gone so far, he could not come back: In Truth he had made him∣self a greater thing than they could make him; the German Princes courted him, he was become the Author of a Sect ever after to be call’d Lutherans. So have our Preachers done that are against the Bishops; they have made themselves greater with the People than they can be made the other way; and therefore there is the less Charity probably in bringing them off. Charity to Strangers is enjoyn’d in the Text; by Strangers is there under∣stood those that are not of our own Kin, Strangers to your Blood; not those you cannot tell whence they come, that is, to be charitable to your Neighbours whom you know to be honest poor People.