as being both profitable and necessary forts profitable First because by them we may make sure our calling and our election as Peter teacheth they being so many testimonies vnto vs thereof True indeed it is that we were elected without respect of workes and we are called by grace not according to workes we are justified by faith without workes and by grace we are saued through faith and not by workes But if a man would know whether he be elected called justified and shall be saued as we are bound to giue diligence that we may haue a firme knowledge of these things we are not to pry into the secret counsell of God but we are to examine our selues by our fruits for both we and others are to be discerned by our fruits As our Sauiour saith by their fruits you shall know them do men gather grapes of thornes or â—igges of thistels a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit By the fruits therefore of righteousnes we may euidently discerne our selues to be sanctified And none are sanctified but such as first are justified and whosoeuer are justified are effectually called and none are effectually called but such as are elected and none are elected but such as shall be saued To this purpose Iames sheweth that the faith whereby we are justified must be demonstrated by good workes And Iohn affirmeth that by the the loue of our brethren which is all one in effect with righteousnesse we know that we are translated from death vnto life Againe good workes are profitable because they haue the promises both of this life and of that which is to come They are also necessary not as the causes of our justification and saluation as though we were either justified by them or saued for them but as necessary fruits of faith and testimonies of our justification according whereunto the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced for although vnto the act of justification good workes do not concurre as any causes thereof yet in the subject that is the partie justified they concurre as fruits of our faith and consequents of our justification For as breathing is such a fruit or consequent of life as where that is we judge the body to liue where that is not we judge it to be dead so is the exercise of righteousnesse and performance of good workes such a consequent of faith as that where good workes are the faith is liuely where they are not at all the faith is dead They are necessary also in respect of saluation not as the causes thereof but partly as the way for we are his vvorkmanship created vnto good workes which he hath prepared for vs to walke in them and therefore they are fitly sayd to be Vni regum non causa regnandi The way to the kingdome not the cause of reigning and partly as the euidence according vnto which the Lord proceedeth in judgement to the sentence of saluation Come you blessed of my father sayth Christ the judge inherit you the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungrie and you gaue me meat I thirsted and you gaue me drinke c. It is most certaine that Christ our Sauiour by his obedience hath merited and purchased eternall life for all those that beleeue in him according to the maine promise of the Gospell that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall be saued By that righteousnes and obedience of Christ apprehended by faith not by or for any righteousnes inherent in vs or obedience performed by vs are we made sonnes heires of God entituled vnto the kingdome of heauen acquitted from our sinnes and accepted vnto eternall life Notwithstanding seeing all that be in the Church professe themselues to beleeue whereof many deceiue either themselues with an opinion or others with a profession of faith therefore the Lord proceedeth vnto judgement according to the fruits either of faith or infidelity taking for granted that in those who are members of the true visible Church where good workes are there is faith and where are no good workes there is no faith And therefore it behoueth vs as we desire either to haue assurance of our saluation whiles we liue here or to heare the comfortable sentence of saluation pronounced to vs in the day of judgement so to be carefull to demonstrat our faith by good workes And hereby it appeareth against the malicious slaunder of the Papists that although we deny good workes to be meritorious of euerlasting life yet we do not teach men to cast off all care and well doing Now for the auoiding of errour Whereas the workes of righteousnesse are made a proper note of the sons and heires of God we are first to restraine this part of the Lords answer to that subject whereof Dauids question is propounded namely to those who liue in the true visible Church and professe the name and religion of God Of these because there be many hypocrites and vnsound professors among them Dauid desireth to be informed who are the true professors The Lord answereth He that worketh righteousnesse and so by his good workes doth demonstrat his faith There are many workes materially good to be found not onely among heretickes and idolatours as the Papists but also among Turkes and Pagans But we speake not of those that are without for they are not within the compasse either of Dauids question or Gods answer And secondly we are to know that all works in respect of the matter or the thing done seeme to be good workes are not straightwayes the workes of righteousnesse neither doth he which performeth them alwayes worke righteousnesse For it is not a good and a true worke of righteousnesse indeed vnlesse it proceed from the right fountaine vnlesse it be done in a right maner and to a right end As touching the fountaine it is a good rule of Gregory That the streames of righteousnes towards our brother must be deriued from the fountaine of pietie towards God For we loue not our brother aright vnlesse we loue him in and for the Lord and we cannot loue him in and for the Lord vnlesse we loue the Lord much more and we loue the Lord because we are by faith persuaded that he loueth vs first his loue being shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost and we cannot beleeue in God and Christ our Sauiour vnlesse we know God aright and vnderstand the mysterie of our saluation by Christ. If therefore we be ignorant persons we haue no faith if we be vnfaithfull persons we haue no true loue or feare of God nor any other sanctifying grace If we haue no true loue of God we haue no true loue of our brother For euen as the loue of God seuered from the loue of our neighbour is hypocrisie so is the loue of our neighbor seuered from the loue of God counterfeit The good workes therefore that are done either by an ignorant
Catholicke or vniuersall Church For the Tabernacle signifieth the Church militant vpon earth the holy Mountaine the Church triumphant in heauen By sojourning in the Tabernacle is vnderstood the short and transitorie abode of Christians as it were pilgrims in the earth as in a strange land by dwelling in the Mountain of God is signified their perpetuall eternall rest in heauen as in their owne countrey Wherein the Prophet alludeth vnto that materiall Tabernacle which was called the Tabernacle of the assembly or congregation and to the mount Moriah where the Temple was placed the one whereof was a type of the Church militant vpon earth the other was a figure of the Church triumphant in heauen I am not ignorant that both members are by some expounded of the Church militant and by others of the Church triumphant but I follow that exposition which seemeth best to agree with the words and meaning of the holy ghost For the varietie of phrase plainely argueth diuersitie of matter sojourning in Gods Tabernacle being much different from dwelling in the Mountaine of his holinesse And the conclusion of the answere in the last words of the Psalme which without doubt doth render the true meaning of the question belongeth both to this life and to that which is to come He that doth these things shall not beremooued for euer that is he shall neither fall away from the grace of God in this life nor be excluded out of Gods glorious presence in the life to come The sence therefore and meaning of the question is this Lord thou searcher and trier of the hearts and reines of men who art acquainted with all secrets and best knowest who are thine for as much as there is so much vnsoundnesse and hipocrisie among them that professe thy name and frequent the places of thy worship that many deceiue others with a counterfeit shew and some beguile themselues with a false opinion of religion declare I beseech thee vnto thy Church some tokens and cognisances of a true and sound Christian whereby the sheepe may be discerned from the goats and the wheat from tares shew vs Lord who is a sound member of the Church militant here on earth and shal be an inheritor of glorie in the Church triumphant in heauen who is a true subject of thy kingdome of grace and shall be an heire of the kingdome of glory And this was the meaning of the question Now let vs come to the words of this text Wherein wee are to consider two things the parts of the question and the partie to whom it is propounded Of the parts wee are to speake first seuerally of either and then joyntly of both together The former part Lord who shall soiourne in thy Tabernacle By Tabernacle some as I said vnderstand heauen which elsewhere in the Scriptures is called Gods Tabernacle and not vnsitly seeing the Lord stretcheth out the heauens as a curtaine and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in But howsoeuer the name Tabernacles is sometimes figuratiuely vsed to signifie heauenly and euerlasting habitations Notwithstanding it more properly signifieth tents in warre and the flitting habitations of warfaring men And that by Tabernacle is here meant the Church militant the other word of soiourning doth import For heauenly Tabernacles are not tents to sojourne in but mansions of perpetuall habitation and euerlasting rest Basill by Tabernacle vnderstandeth our flesh which the Apostle calleth the â—arthly house of our Tabernacle for our bodies are not onely Tabernacles but Temples also of God As if this were the sence Lord who is he who hauing sojourned as a stranger in this flesh of ours shal at the length rest with thee in thine heauenly kingdome And surely the sence which he giueth is godly for it teacheth that those which shall for euer rest in the mountaine of Gods holinesse do liue in this flesh as pilgrims and strangers mortifying their earthly members Notwithstanding his exposition is not fit For according to this interpretation the former part of the question containeth the answere to the latter for so hee sayth He that hath soiourned as a pilgrim in the flesh he shall dwell in the holy mountaine Most fitly therefore by Tabernacle we may vnderstand the Church militant which elsewhere is called the Tabernacle of God and sometimes the house sometimes the Temple of God For a Tabernacle is a militarie mansion and as it were a portable house which hath no fixed seat or setled place Now whereas the holy ghost calleth the Church of God a Tabernacle we learn first that the life of a Christian is a warfare as Iob saith wherein we are to fight against the enemies of our saluation which fight against our soules namely the flesh the world and the diuell Whereupon the Church of God vpon earth is called the Church militant It behooueth therefore euery one of vs that would bee esteemed a true member of the Church to behaue our selues as Christian souldiours fighting vnder the banner of Christ. And for as much as our aduersarie the Diuell goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may deuour and seeing the flesh lusteth against the spirit sending out of the heart as it were a furnace the sparkles of foolish and noisome lusts which fight against our soules and the world likewise partly by the desires thereof partly by bad examples carrieth vs away to embrace the world to mind earthly things to serue Mammon and to place our paradise here on the earth It behooueth vs therfore both to prepare our selues to this combat and therefore not to bee secure or to sleepe as others but to stand vpon our guard to be sober and vigilant and to arme our selues with that complete armour of God described Eph. 6. and also in the fight valiantly to encounter and constantly to withstand our spirituall enemies to resist the diuell and hee shall flie from vs with the shield of faith to quench his fierie darts and with the sword of the spirit which is the word of God to refell his assertions and repell his assentations So to vse the world that we doe not ouer-vse it so to possesse worldly things that we be not possessed of them but rather renouncing worldly lusts and being wained from worldly desires to meditate and mind heauenly things To crucifie the flesh with the lusts thereof and to mortifie our members which are on the earth liuing not according to the flesh but according to the spirit This warfare is to be entertained this warre is to be maintained of vs if we would be esteemed sound members of the Church militant who sojourning in the Tabernacle of God doe fight in his campe against our spirituall enemies But on the other side if we execute the workes of the diuell giuing our selues ouer vnto sinne and iniquitie if with Demas we embrace
the world following after pleasures riches honours if we conforme our selues to this present world and the examples therof if wee take thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof then are we souldiors indeed but in the diuels campe we fight but vnder Sathans banner against God against the spirit against our owne soules So farre are we either from sojourning in Gods Tabernacle for the preâ—â—nt or from hope of resting in the mountaine of his holinesse for the time to come Secondly whereas the holy ghost calleth the Church of Christ vpon earth a Tabernacle we may learne that neither the Church it selfe nor the members of it haue any firme or fixed seat of habitation on the earth for Tabernacles and Tents are made to that end that they may be remoued froÌ„ place to place Yea the Tabernacle of God was a moueable temple eftsoones changing his seat And as those Israelits were types vnto vs so was that Tabernacle a type of the militant Church For euen as that Tabernacle after it was once made wandered vp and downe in the desert and after sojourned for a while now here now there sometimes in Shilo sometimes among the Philistims somtimes in Keriathjarim c. and neuer found any setled place vntil it was transported into the mountaine of God so the Church of God wandreth many times as a pilgrim in the desert of this world forced oft times to change her seat tossed too and fro persecuted molested banished and neuer findeth any assured place of constant rest vntill it bee translated into the celestiall mountaine of Gods holinesse Thirdly whereas the Church is called the Tabernacle of God as elsewhere in the Scriptures the house and temple of God wherein God dwelleth and manifesteth his presence we may learn that the Lord dwelleth as it were in his Church and after a singular maner is present therein For to this end the Lord commaunded the Tabernacle to be made that he might dwell among them and againe whereas he promiseth by Moses To set his Tabernacle among them and walke among them The Apostle expoundeth his setting his Tabernacle to bee his dwelling among them You are saith he the temple of the liuing God As God hath said I will dwell among them and I wil walke there And to the same purpose elsewhere hee is said to be and to walke in the middest of his people to dwell in Sion and to walke in the middest of the seuen golden candlesticks that is of the seuen churches Now the consideration of Gods presence in his Church ought to make vs warie and circumspect that wee may so behaue our selues as in the presence of God who searcheth the hearts and reines of men For the Lord is not onely present to reward those which worship him in spirit and truth but also to punish and afflict those which feare not to sinne in his presence Wherefore the holy ghost as he chargeth the Israelits not to feare their enemies because God did walke with them and was among them a consuming fire to destroy their enemies so hee commaundeth them to abstaine from sinne because God was among them a consuming fire could not abide any filthinesse especially spirituall vncleannesse among them This therefore must teach vs to set God alwayes before our eyes and to behaue our selues as in his presence knowing that wee are more than shamelesse sinners if wee feare not to sinne in the sight and presence of God But although the Lord bee present euery where in his Church after a speciall manner yet more especially he is present in the assemblies of the Church and congregations of his people gathered together in the name of Christ as Christ himselfe hath promised Matt. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them Therefore in the old Testament those who were excluded from the assembly of the Church thought themselues banished from the face presence of God The consideration whereof as it must affect vs with an earnest desire and serious care of frequenting the Tabernacles of God to visit his face and to behold his presence so it must teach vs to behaue our selues in the assembly of Gods saints as in the presence of God Dauid when he was exiled or otherwise excluded from the assemblies of the Church he desired nothing more than that hee might haue libertie to come vnto the Tabernacle of God and to appear in the presence of God See Psal. 27. 4. One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will require euen that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his temple And Psal. 42. As the Hart brayeth for the riuers of waters so panteth my soule after thee O God My soule thirsteth for God euen for the liuing God when shall I come and appeare before the presence of God c. Likewise Ps. 84. O Lord of hosts how amiable are thy Tabernacles my soule longeth yea fainteth that I might come to the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crie out after the liuing God c. And when he had liberty to come to the Tabernacle he rejoyced in nothing more Psal. 122. Ireioyced when they said vnto me we will go into the house of the Lord. And again Psal. 84. he judgeth them blessed that dwell in the house of the Lord and preferreth one day spent in the Courts of the Lord before a thousand elswhere But as I said the presence of God must also moue vs to behaue our selues reuerently and religiousâ—y that before we come vnto the house of the Lord we look vnto our feet that is examine with what affections wee come and not onely so but also to put off the shoes of our feet that is our corrupt affections that we may bee readie to heare rather than to offer the sacrifice of fooles for the place of the assembly being sanctified by Gods presence is holy ground And that when we are entred into the assembly we may after the example of Cornelius behaue our selues as in the presence of God Those which come before an earthly prince either to speake vnto him or to heare him speake how carefull are they to behaue themselues in all comely reuerence how much more ought wee in all reuerence and feare appeare before the glorious majestie of the great God the King of kings and Lord of lords especially considering that the Lord doth not behold vs as man doth but looketh especially vnto the heart Our abode in the Church militant is signified in the word soiourne Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who shall soiourne Sojourning saith Basil is a temporarie abode signifying not a setled life but transitorie
calleth it Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Wherein all the precepts of righteousnes that is to say of the second Table are summarily contained And the rule of exercising this righteousnesse is that law of nature commended vnto vs by our Sauiour Christ Mâ—t. 7 Whatsoeuer you would that men should do to you euen so do you to them for this is the law and the prophets Which sentence is sayd so to haue pleased the Emperour Alexander Sâ—uerus that in his pallaces and publicke buildings he caused it to be written and engrauen and when he punished any man he caused this saying to be proclaimed by the crier Quod tibi non-vis alteri ne â—eceris Do not to another what thou wouldest not haue done to thy selfe Now the exercise or working of this righteousnesse is here made a note of the child of God For he doth not say he that can talke of righteousnesse nor he that delighteth to heare anoter man speake thereof nor he which professeth righteousnesse or maketh a pretence thereof but he that worketh righteousnesse shall dwell in the holy mountaine of God For there are some which can notably discourse of righteousnesse than whose life nothing is more vnjust And there are others who with Ezeâ—â—iels auditors delight to heare the Minister preaching of righteousnesse as if he were some skilfull Mulitian that hath a pleasant voyce but it is to heare onely and not to practise There be many also who with the Pharisies say and do not which professe righteousnesse but do not practise it Qui Curios simulant Bacchanalia vivunt But with the folly of these men the holy Ghost meeteth in diuerse places of the Scripture Mat. 7 Not euerie one that sayth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Rom. 2 Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Iam. 1 Be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your selues c. Mat 5 Vnlesse your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies who sayd and did not you shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Wherefore brethren let no man deceiue you not he that heareth nor he that speaketh not he that professeth or prâ—tendeth but he that worketh righteousnesse he is righteous Neither is that to be omitted that the holy Ghost speaketh in the present tence thereby signifying a continuall act as Basill hath obserued Marke saith he the accuratnesse of the speech he doth not say who hath wrought but he which worketh For it is not one action that maketh a vertuous man but it behooueth a man in his whole life to keepe a constant course of well doing For Iustice is an habit induing a man with a perpetuall and constant will to do euery man right But here some will object The Scriptures testifie that there is not a righteous man vpon the earth Rom. 3. There is not a iust man no not one If therefore the righteous onely shall be saued and scarcely they as Peter saith How can any man liuing hope to be saued seeing there is not a just man vpon earth that doeth good and sinneth not as Salomon professeth I answer If we should be summoned before the Iudgement feate of Gods justice and the Lord should deale with vs summo iure according to extremitie exacting at our hands that full and perfect righteousnesse which is required in his law assuredly the Lord entring into judgement with vs no man liuing could be iustified But we must appeale from the judgement seat of Gods justice to the throne of his mercy and from the sentence of the Law concluding all vnder sinne to the sentence of the Gospell pronouncing all those that truly beleeue in Christ not just onely but also blessed that so being clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ by faith we may in him be justified though vnjust in our selues in respect of legall righteousnesse Now those which truly beleeue in Christ are sayed to be righteous two wayes before God by Faith that is by the righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by Faith before men by the fruits of Faith that is by righteousnesse inherent in vs and performed by vs. For those which beleeue in Christ their Faith is imputed vnto them for righteousnesse because they apprehending Christ who is our righteousnesse and by the same Faith being vnited vnto him his righteousnesse and obedience is imputed vnto them and accepted of God for them as if they had performed the same in their owne persons But they who are justified by the righteousnesse of Christ are also sanctified by his spirit regenerated and as it were created a new to good workes which God hath prepared for vs that we should walke in them For so soone as we are deliuered by Christ out of the bondage of sinne we become the seruants of righteousnesse That as in former times we gaue our members as seruants of sinne vnto vnrighteousnesse we should from henceforth giue them as seruants of righteousnesse vnto holinesse And howsoeuer the best obedience of the faithfull is but an imperfect obedience ioyned with manifold infirmities and wants and stained with diuerse corruptions wherewith they are infected and sinnes whereinto they fall in so much that Esay compareth the righteous works of the faithfull to menstruous clouts notwithstanding the Lord beholding them in Christ and accepting their will for the deed and sincere indeuour for the performance not onely themselues are termed righteous but are also said to worke righteousnesse And this working of righteousnesse the perfection whereof is not to be measured by the perfectnesse of the worke but by the vprightnesse of the will and sinceritie of the indeuour aspiring towards perfection is an vndoubted note of a true citisen of heauen who in this Psalme is described And that the Lord accepteth those for true members of the inuâ—sible Church who worke righteousnesse the Scriptures testifie In euery nation saith Peter he that seareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him And this is so vniuersall a note of the children of God and so proper vnto them that whosoeuer worketh righteousnesse he is truly said to be borne of God and he that worketh not righteousnes is not of God but of the diuell But as they that worke righteousnes are the seruants of God in the kingdom of grace so shall they raigne with him in the kingdome of glory For that which is said in the beginning of this Psalme That he which worketh righteousnesse shall rest in the mountaine of God and in the end That he shall neuer be remoued the same is coÌ„firmed by the holy ghost in other places of Scripture Esay 33 He that walkâ—th in righteousnes c. he shall dwell on high And Prou. 10
inficit animam interficit for whiles he infecteth his ear he destroyeth his soule casting thereinto the seeds of suspition hatred and contempt as 1. Sam. 22. which afterward bring forth most damnable fruits 3. Lastly to himselfe hee is a sword destroying his owne soule by committing that sinne which is most odious vnto God for he which slaundereth his neighbour behind his backe he committeth the same offence with him that raileth on the deafe and is like to him that smiteth his neighbour secretly which whosoeuer doth he is accursed And therefore no maruell though this be said to be that seuenth sinne which God doth abhorre for there is no sinne which maketh a man so like the diuell as this doth for from slaundering and backbiting he hath his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a common name to him with all slaunderers But as the Lord doth greatly detest backbiting so doth he grieuously punish it and not only them but also the places that harbour them and not only in this life but in the life to come for if raylers shall not inherit the kingdome of God much lesse shall slaunderers And therefore it is euident that this vice I speake of the habit or custome of backbiting for in many things we sinne all and he is a very perfect man that neuer offendeth in his tongue is not incident vnto a citisen of heauen This note therefore agreeth to all them that shall inherit the kingdome of God It remaineth therefore that I should shew how it agreeth to them alone for backbiting is so common a vice that it is naturally in all men for vnto all doth the Apostle apply those testimonies They haue all gone out of the way there is none that doth good no not one their throat is an open sepulchre the poyson of aspes is vnder their lips And therefore none are freed from it but those which are regenerate neither is this vice seene alone in them that are prophane and openly wicked but also in them who would seeme to be religious For those which would seeme religious and yet be not so these for the most part place the top of their religion in inueighing against the faults of others that is to say in backbiting as though other mens want of religion would proue them to be religious But this custome argueth him that vseth it to be an hypocrit and a vile person For as Iames sayth If any man would seeme to be religious and doth not refraine his tongue but deceiueth his owne heart that mans religion is vaine And it is truly said of Hierome It is the propertie of vile persons to make others vile and those which cannot be commended by their own desert doe seeke to be commended in comparison of others Wherefore as we desire to be accounted heires of heauen so let vs learne to keepe our tongues form backbiting and in tender care of our brothers credit to couer his offences especially such as sauour of infirmity as Sem and Iaphet once did couer the nakednesse of their father For as hatred which often bursteth forth into slaundering and backbiting raiseth contention so charitie couereth the multitude of offences What then will you say are the offences of our neighbour so to be buried as that it is not lawfull for a man to mention them As touching the vices of others this is the duty of euery honest man First in presence If a brother be ouertaken with some lesse offence we are to admonish him in the spirit of meeknesse if he offend more grieuously we are to freely to reproue him and not to suffer sinne to rest vpon him Wherefore as Bernard saith If thou wilt rebuke an offender reproue him to his face and bite him not behind his backe For open rebuke is better than secret loue The wounds of a louer that is to say euen his sharpest reprofes are faithfull but the kisses of an enemie are to be prayed against And Dauid to the like purpose Let the righteous saith he smite me and I will esteeme it a benefit let him reproue me and it shall be a pretious oyle that shall not breake mine head Wherefore we are in this behalfe to follow the direction of our Sauiour Christ If thy brother offend against thee that is in thy sight for an offence committed before thee is a scandale vnto thee go and reproue him betweene thee and him alone If he shall harken vnto thee thou hast won thy brother But if he shall not harken vnto thee take vnto thee one or two that by the mouth of two or three witnesses euery word may be established And if he will not vouchsafe to heare them tell it vnto the Church and if he refuse to heare the Church also let him be vnto thee as an heathen man and a publican And this is the course which we must take with him that is a brother But if he be a sonne of Beliâ—l or one that is openly profane such as the Scriptures calleth a scorner who maketh a scoffe of all religion with such when they offend before vs we are to take another course For although our hearts ought to be grieued and vexed at the wickednes of prophane persons as Lots was among the Sodomits though we ought to mourne for the sinnes of our neighbours and countrimen as those who were marked in the forehead that they might escape the common destruction though it ought to be an irkesome thing vnto vs as it was to Dauid to fee the transgressors which keepe not the word of God finally though with Dauidâ— we ought to weepe riuers of waters because men keepe not Gods law notwithstanding priuat admonition or brotherly reprofe is not to be vsed to wards desperat sinners or prophane ruffians For holy things as our Sauiour Christ aduiseth are not to be cast before dogges neither is precious pearle of brotherly admonition to be thrown before swine for they will not only trample it vnder their feet but also turne vpon thee to offer thee violence or disgrace And to the same purpose is the aduice of Salomon Prou. 9 He that reproueth a scorner purchaseth to himselfe shame and he that rebuketh the wicked getteth himselfe reproch Rebuke not a scorner lest he hate thee but rebuke a wise man and he will loue thee Giue admonition to the wise and he will be the wiser teach a righteous man and he will increase in learning And such ought to be our behauiour in presence of him that offendeth As for those which be absent we are not behind our neighbours backe to publish their shame For he that vttereth infamie is a foole The secret faults of our neighbours especially such as are committed of infirmitie we are to conceale and couer For loue couereth the multitude of sinnes Neither are we to vtter the rest vnlesse we be vrged
is bought than the money is worth for such contracts if they be absolutely made for the perpetuall alienation of the rent to the buyer and of the money to the seller though they be not vsurious yet are they vnequall and vnjust But if they bee conditionally made with this couenent that the seller by the payment of the principall may redeeme and so extinguish the rent then are they vsurious because a perpetuall alienation either of the rent by the seller or of the principall by the buyer is not intended but a great rent by way of morgage according to the contract of Antichresis made ouer vnto the buyer both for his assurance in receiuing of his principall in the end and for his vsurie allowed for his loane in the meane time And forasmuch as such contracts are vsually practised in the Church of Rome and not onely permitted but allowed and authorised as just and lawfull by the Pope of Rome this euidently proueth that the Romish Church is deeper in this sinne of vsurie than the reformed Churches whom notwithstanding the Papists condemne for this sinne For albeit the sinne is practised among vs as much perhaps as among them yet do not our lawes allow vsurie as good but permit it onely as euill and permit it with limitation and restraint as shall be shewed But will you heare a mysterie practised in buying A man hauing vrgent occasion to vse present money commeth to an vsurer to borrow fortie pounds for three moneths the vsurer pretendeth that about that time he shall haue occasion to lay out his mony for wheat and therefore couenanteth with him that at the end of three moneths he shall for his fortie pounds deliuer vnto him fiftie quarters of good wheat or for want thereof fiue and fortie pounds which he saith not either that he needeth corne or that the borrower hath corne to sell but that vnder this pretence of buying corne he would exact an vnreasonable gaine viz. of fiue in the fortie lent for three moneths which is after fiftie in the hundred by the yeare Thirdly vsurie is practised vnder the colour of letting so oft as men would seeme to let things which are not letable when as indeed they lend for gaine things to be spent in the vse as money victuals and such other things as consist in quantitie that is in number weight and measure For such things neither haue in themselues a fruitfull vse which may be let neither are they to be referred in the same particular impaired by the vse neither doth the propertie or hazard thereof as in things let appertaine to the letter But behold some other mysteries A farmer wanting money to store himselfe with cattell commeth to an vsurer to borrow twentie pounds and being loth in his need to receiue a repulse offereth vsurie It is not my maner saith he to put out my mony to vsurie but here is twentie pounds for thee with which thou maist buy thee eight kine these eight kine I will let thee for so many ryals yearely prouided alwayes that thou shalt from time to time make good this number of kine allowing me the hire for the full number that is to say foure pounds vsury for twentie pounds which is after twenty in the hundred To another comming to borrow the like summe he deliuereth 20 pounds pretending that the borrower shall buy therewith an hundred sheepe this hundred sheepe saith he I will let thee yearly for so manie shillings so as thou wilt vndertake to make alwayes my stocke good which he saith not that the borrower should bestow his mony in sheepe but that vnder pretence of letting he might exact fiue in twentie which is after fiue and twentie in the hundred otherwise if indeed he did let cattell or sheepe for an indifferent rate and stood to the hazard of them the conaract were lawfull But in those vnreasonable couenants the cattell which to the hirer are mortall and subject to many casualties are intended to bee immortall and free from all hazard to the letter And for as much as the contract of Facio vt des as the Lawyers speake whereby a man letteth out his labour for reward may fitly be reduced to the contract of Location therefore to this head such mysteries are to be referred as are practised vnder pretence of that contract As for example a poore man commeth to his neighbour to borrow 20 shillings he hauing some small skill in Scriueners craft pretending that he wil lend his mony freely so he may euer haue it againe vpon small warning is content to lend his mony for a moneth promising when that moneth is expired he will lend it him for another moneth if he can forbeare it and so from moneth to moneth only in regard of his paines he is to haue at the renewing of his bond euerie moneth twelue pence which besides one shilling allowed him for a couple of bils or bonds amounteth to twelue shillings in the yeare which is after threescore in the hundred Fourthly vsurie is committed vnder the colour of partnership so oft as the creditor couenanteth to partake in the gaine not minding to beare part in the losse For the mony which is to be imployed he will haue acknowledged to be his in respect of the gaine but the borrowers in respect of the losse Fiftly vsurie is practised vnder exchange Now exchange is either of ware for ware or of money for mony The former is called barterie wherein vsurie is committed when the first deliuerer of his commoditie requireth more of the other than his commoditie is worth in respect of the time which he graunteth to the other for the deliuerie of his ware Exchange of money is either for money presently deliuered or by bils of exchaunge assured In the former which is practised by money-exchaungers whom the Scriptures cail 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no loane and therefore no vsurie though they vse not to exchange without gaine For seeing it is their trade wherein they spend their time labour and cost to accommodate men in that behalfe a competent gaine is to be allowed vnto them Exchange of money for money to be receiued vpon bils is either without gaine as when English money is exchanged for the just quantitie there in other money according to the publicke and knowne valuation thereof or else it is for gaine and that is either the bankers exchange or the merchants exchange The bankers are they which are more properly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Trapezites whose dealing in exchange by bils is twofold For somtimes they giue bils and sometimes they take they giue thus A man being to trauell to Venice deliuereth to a banker an hundred pounds which he desireth to receiue at Venice The banker because hee is at charge with keeping seruants there as also for that he taketh vpon him the safe deliuerie of the money freeing the traueller from the
if to borrow vpon vsurie vpon necessitie were to vse an vnlawfull meanes or if it were to sinne that this euill were not to be done though much good might come thereof this vnlawfull meanes were not to bee vsed though our end and intent be neuer so good and that no necessitie should compell vs to commit this sinne But this is the matter in question which must be prooued and not taken for graunted For the contrarie part I haue prooued That to borrow in time of need is a lawfull meanes and to yeeld to vsurie vpon necessitie with such cautions as before haue bin specified is not to do an euill namely of sin that good may come thereof but to suffer a lesse euill namely of losse for the auoiding of a greater Hitherto we haue spoken of the negatiue that is to say of that which the sound Christian and citisen of heauen doth not viz. That he doth not put forth his money vnto vsurie Now we are briefly to consider the affirmatiue which euerie true Christian in respect of his goods is bound to do For whereas the vsurer offendeth two wayes both in respect of the vse that hee exposeth his money to vsurie and in respect of his gettings that he increaseth his wealth by vsurie we are to shew that two contrarie duties are required of euery faithfull man both in regard of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the getting that hee get his goods lawfully and also in respect of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the vse that hee freely communicate them to the good of others Of just getting because it is equally opposit to the vice mentioned in the next note I will intreat after I haue spoken thereof as being the common affirmatiue to both these negatiues The communication of our goods whether by free giuing or free lending to the good of others as our abilitie shall afford and their necessitie require is that spirituall vsurie which the Lord who so seuerely condemneth all worldly vsurie doth highly commend vnto vs in diuerse places of the Scripture affirming That those who are bountifull towards the poore and needie whether by free lending or free giuing doe lend as it were vpon vsurie to the Lord who will repay and recompence them with aduantage Wherevpon Augustine Deus noster qui te prohibetesse foener atorem iubet te esse foeneratorem dicitur tibi foener◠Deo Our God saith he who forbiddeth thee to be an vsurer commandeth thee to be an vsurer and to thee it is sayd Lend as it were vpon vsurie to the Lord To which purpose we are elsewhere exhorted to distribute or communicate vnto the necessities of the saints And againe To do good and to destribut forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased But there are three obstacles and impediments of free lending and free giuing by the remouing whereof we may be effectually persuaded to put in practise this spirituall vsurie The first is an erronious conceit of worldly men who imagine that the goods which they possesse are their owne to dispose of as themselues thinke good and therefore that they are not bound to distribut or communicat them to others c. But the Scriptures do teach vs that we are not absolut Lords of that which we enjoy but the stewards of the Lord who hath committed these goods as talents to be imployed to his glorie in the good of our brethren and that of our stewardship we are one day to render a straight account neither may we thinke that our account will be accepted if we shall refuse to imploy the good gifts of God to such vses as he hath appointed If a noble man should commit a certaine summe of money to his steward appointing him to destribut the same to the reliefe of the poore would not euery man esteeme that steward to be worse than a theefe if hee should conuert that money to his owne vses or if the Princes Almoner should not communicat vnto the poore the money committed to his trust but withhold it from them or diuert it to other vses would not euery man condemne him in like sort But we are the Lords stewards and so many as are of abilitie are the Lords Almoners and therefore if when God hath commanded vs to communicat or destribut some part of our goods to the poore and needie are not we as bad or rather worse than theeues if we being of abilitie shall refuse to communicat to the necessities of our brethren Let vs then consider whether the Lord hath not required this dutie at our hands The precepts of free lone I haue mentioned before and for almes and free giuing the Scripture is plentifull charging not onely the rich to be apt to communicate and so to be rich in good workes but euerie one that is not poore to giue almes according to their abilitie and we must not onely giue if we be able but also we must doe our indeuour that we may bee able and if other meanes faile we ought to lobour and worke with our hands that which is good that is to take paines in some lawfull calling that we may haue to giue to him that needeth Yea if the necessitie of our brethren so require we are to make sale of our goods and possessions for their releefe according to the commaundement of our Sauior Christ and the practise of the primitiue Church And these duties of free lending and free giuing are to be performed readily without delay Pro. 3. 27 28 constantly without wearinesse 2. Cor. 8. 11 cheerfully without grudging for the Lord loueth a cheerfull giuer 2. Corinth 9. 7. And that we should not thinke these duties to bee arbitrarie or the neglect of them not to draw vpon vs either guilt or punishment therefore the Lord besides his manifold precepts straightly enjoyning these duties hath added both seuere censures and dreadfull comminations against the neglect thereof it is censured as an euident signe of no loue of God 1. Iohn 3. 17. as a sinne Deut. 15. 9. yea as a sinne of Sodome Ezech. 16. 49. The comminations are either generall as Prou. 28. 27 He that hideth his eyes from the poore shall abound with curses or speciall in this life that hee shall not obtaine any thing at the hands of God For he that stoppeth his eare at the crying of the poore he shall also cry not be heard in the life to come that he shall bee cast into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his angels For such shall be the sentence of Christ our judge at the last day Depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire for I was an hungred viz. in my poore members and you gaue me no meat I thirsted and you gaue me no drinke c. Seeing therefore our goods are not our owne but the Lords whose stewards we are it cannot bee denied but that we