those that do not are said not to know him though they know never so much of his Nature and atributes knowledge without practise is with God accounted ignorance and hence are all sins tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ignorances Thus to know Christ or to beleeve in him or to beleeve the Gospel Includes in the Scripture sence repentance new life and indeed the whole duty of a Christian because al these duties ought to follow upon this knowledge or belief are actus imperati as the Schools speak acts which flow from belief though the actus elicitus be only an assent to the trueth And hence some of the most eminent and Ancient School-men have determined that Theologie or Divinity is a practical science Theologia est scientia affectiva c. Principaliter ut ipsi boni fiamus saith Bonav Theologie is an affective knowledge whose chief end is to make us good The same is affirmed by Alex. Hales Gerson and others Scotus maintains the same conclusion Theologiam esse simpliciter practicam That Theologie is simply practicall and Durand proves it by unanswerable reason quia ejus operatio circa objectū suum non consistit in Contemplatione veritatis sed dirigit in prosecutione operis ut patet in centum locis Scripturae Et mirum esset si non sit practica cum considerantes Scripturam a principio usque ad finem c. Pro una Scripturae columna in qua agitur de pure speculabilibus sunt plus quam quingenta folia in quibus agitur de pure practicis The operation of Theologie about its object consists not in bare speculation of truth but in directions for our practice as appears in an hundred places of Scripture and therefore it were strange it should not be a practicall Science seeing if we consider the Scripture from the beginning to the end for one place which treates of matters speculative wee may finde five hundered which handle things meerely practicall This then being the scope of all revealed truthes in Scripture and the proper end of Theologie to direct us in our practise This book wherein all those practicall truthes are distinctly handled and explained cannot but be of great use to all whose care is to worke out their salvation And if he was accounted the wisest man among the heathen by the Oracle that brought Philosophie out of the Clouds into Cities and Houses that is from aire and vain speculations to practicall precepts no doubt but they shall be counted wise Scribes in the Church of God that laying aside fruitlesse controversies and Polemick disputes wherewith peoples heads have been so troubled that the power of Religion is in a manner quite lost bend their studies and endeavours to urge this unum necessarium the practise of those morall and Christian duties wherein the life of Religion consists and which will bring glory to God benefit to others honor to our profession sure comfort to the soul when all other comforts fail This practising of what we know will be the surest Antidote against the growing errours and Heresies of the times for if any man will do the will of God saith Christ hee shall know whether the Doctrine be of God or no. Faith and good conscience go both in a bottome he that le ts goe the one will quickly make ship-wrack of the other All apostacy begins in practise and errours in the life produce errours in Judgement for when the will is corrupted the understanding is darkned and the apostle tels us that those which are given up to strong delusions are such as receive not the truth in the love of it Whereas practise is a sure preservative against defection this will make a man whose knowledge is lesse then others remain stedfast in times of tryall like a fixed star while others of greater parts like blazing stars may shine for a while but at length vanish into smoke That which is the scope of this work to urge the practise of Religion and was no doubt the end propounded by the learned Author when he at first penned and delivered these Lectures is also the end aimed at in the publishing of them at this time and though many others have written upon the same Subject whose labours I shall not any way disparage yec I doubt not but he that shall reade and peruse these labors of this Reverend Authour will finde them to be as usefull and profitable as any hitherto extant in this kinde and that they containe the most full compleate learned and elaborate body of Practical Divinity that hath been hitherto published and that scarce any thing of note is to be found on this large subject in any Authors Divine or humane which is not here with admirable judgement clearnes of method and fulnesse of expression digested And considering how this subject is handled neither superficially and slightly as too many have done in our owne Language nor yet so coldly and Jejunely as divers of the Casuists in their large and intricate disputes who inform the Judgement but work not upon the affections at all but that as the matter is solid in it self so it is clothed with emphaticall significant words adorned with choise sentences apt allusions and Rhetoricall amplisications out of the best authors besides pregnant applications of Scripture and sundry criticall observations upon divers texts not vulgar nor obvious it will be hard to say whether the profit or delight of the reader will be greater And as the works in regard of the generall subject may be usefull for all persons of what rank soever so I doubt not but it may be of special use for the publique dispensers of the word especially the younger sort of Divines who besides many directions for usefull and profitable Preaching may finde also variety of excellent matter upon any practicall Subject without Postills or Polyanthea directions for deciding most cases of conscience which out of the grounds here laid may be easily resolved Now concerning this Edition and what is herein performed I am not ignorant what prejudice attends the printing the posthumous works of any how easy it is to mistake the sence of an Author especially where the work was not perfected by himself and that diverse things in mens private papers would have been thought sit to be altered omitted or enlarged by the Authors themselves if they had intended them for publick view for which and diverse other reasons it might have been thought sit not to publish what the Author had kept so long by him and had not fitted for the Presse nor those reverend Persons to whose care his Papers and Writings were by his late MAJESTIE committed intended to divulge for who would presume to put a Pencil to a Piece which such an Apelles had begun yet considering that there is already a rude imperfect draught or rather some broken Notes of these his Lectures which had passed
man goeth nor any man desireth more to strengthen a promise he hath given an carnest penny a true Gods penny as we call it 1. Now that which may be objected against this is that the immediate voice of God is not now amongst us and that which we heare is from Moses Esay Saint Matthew Saint Paul c. Yet this we must know that though we heare it from them being but men yet did they not speake of themselves not of their own braines but as they were inspired by the holy Ghost And this Saint Peter tells us the Prophecy saith he came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost For a Prince usually speaketh not to the people immediatly from his own mouth but by Edicts and proclamations published by others in his name And as the Scepter or mace which is delivered to them that publish those Edicts is a signe and token that they come from and for the Prince so the Scepter of Gods extraordinary power was committed to his Prophets Apostles c. The Jews required no more then a signe of our Saviour which with them was the Scepter And our Savionr desired no more of them then that if they would not beleeve him for his words yet they should for his works And that if he had not done among them the works which no other man did those were his miracles they mighe have been excused for their unbeleefe Upon which Saint Augustine saith that either we must grant that they were done or else that without miracles all the world was converted and became Christians which is a greater miracle then all the rest which he did and so we must grant miracles whether we will or no. And this is our warrant that these men the Prophets and Apostles came from God and that God hath spoken to us by them 2. The next quere is whether he is able to performe those things which he hath promised by them To that we say with the Angell that with God nothing shall be unpossible The Prophet saith His hands are not shortned it is able to reach all things When Moses mistrusted Gods providence to feed 600000 men saying shall all the flocks and the herds be slain or all the fish of the sea be gathered together to suffice them God answered is the Lords hand waxed short Thou shalt see whether my word shall come to passe or not 3. Lastly for his Will take a place of a Father for all Scio pcsse scio scire cupere velle for The Lord is good to them that trust in him to the soul that seeketh him That faith is necessary may be thus proved it is called the substance of things hoped for and the evidence ground or demonstration of things not seen both which argue the necessity of it for in totis ordinatis as Religion hath its order the first part is substantia reliquorum as the substance of a house is in the foundation of a ship in the Stern of a tree in the root The Apostle compareth it to a foundation and to a root and he saith there is naufragium fidei a shipwrack of faith and so consequently it is compared to the sterne of a ship If faith then be necessary as the root and foundation of all religion then without it nothing can be done by a Christian which is accepted of God ad salutem to salvation If we stand it is by faith If we walk we walk by faith whatsoever we do if we do it not by faith it is not pleasing to God ad salutem And it is in this respect that faith is called Mater obedientiae the mother of obedience because all duties arise out of it Luther hath a saying which is true if it be taken in a good sense that in faith all the Law is fulfilled before we have fulfilled any part of it in act because it is the root from whence all Christian obedience arises and wherin it is vertually contained and therefore in regard of the necessity of it it pleased God to reject all the high titles of the learned wise men of the world as Philosophers c. and to entitle his flock onely by the name of believers And Euseb. Emisenus gives a good reason for it for the first word of a Christian is credo and that which maketh him a Christian if we be not faithful then are we no Christians God giveth Christians no other name then he gives to himself Fidelis est Deus God is faithful And his Son is called the author and finisher of our faith and his word is called sermo fidelis the word of faith and his family the houshold of saith and prayer is called by Saint James the prayer of faith And Saint Paul calls the Sacraments the seals of faith So we see that faith leadeth us through all duties and not onely this but that which hath bin said of knowledge may be said of faith that it is the beginning of our blessednesse Our Saviour saith to S. Thomas Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have beleeved There is an apt similitude in the Prophet to express this I will betroth thee to me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. The inchoation of marriage is in sponsalibus when hands are given so are our sponsalia in fide in this life the marriage is consummate in heaven It is said Qui non crediderit condemnabitur he that beleeveth not shall be damned nay further as S. John hath it his sentence is not deferred but it is gone already upon him he is condemned already Therefore for the necessity of it we may conclude with the Apostle Without faith it is impossible to please God And the reason is because there is no man but thinks it a disparagement not to be credited and the greater the person the more desirous he is to be beleeved A private man would be beleeved upon his honesty and a man of greater state upon his honour the Prince upon his own word he writes teste meipso to argue the sufficiency of his word and a disgrace he accounteth it to break it and if any of these persons should not be credited on these terms they would think that a great discourtesy were offered to them If then there be a God he must needs expect more then a Prince and consequently he may of greater right say teste meipso because he is above all Princes Job saith Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked or to Princes Ye are ungodly though they be so much lesse to a good Prince and least of all to God Now he that beleeveth hath set to his seal that God is true And on the contrary He that beleeveth not maketh God a Lyar and there can be no
fear of the Lord is the fountain of life to avoid the snares of death As faith is the beginning of Christian religion as the first principles are in every science in ordine credendorum so is fear the first work or first beginning in ordine agendorum of things to be done and as timor servilis servile fear is the first work so timor castus a reverend and filial fear is the last worke and conclusion of all things Now wee have seen what is Commanded wee are to see what is forbidden That is first want of fear the effect whereof is hardnesse of heart which is of two sorts the first being a degree or way to the second 1. The first ariseth from the prosperity or present impunity of the wicked which draweth with it an erroneous perswasion of our own freedom from danger Because sentence saith the Preacher against an evill work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evill They harden their hearts because wicked men escape punishment and conclude with him in the Psalmist that God is like themselves and thus the want of fear opens a way to all wickednesse whereas they ought to have reasoned as the Apostle doth that God deferreth his punishment that we should not defer our repentance and that he that hardeneth his neck being rebuked shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy as the Wise man saith 2. The second is the absolute want of fear There ought to be ever a proportion between the object and the power apprehending The Psalmist saith who regardeth deth the power of thy wrath for thereafter as a man feareth so is thy displeasure Our fear should be proportionable to Gods wrath But though we cannot fear in that proportion etiamsi conteremur ad palverem though we should grinde our selves to powder though we should tremble till one bone fall from another yet some measure of fear ought to be in us at least our fear ought to go beyond the precepts of men not be like those whose fear towards God was taught meerly by the precepts of men Esay 29 13. Math. 15. 2. if we fear onely when mans law punishes our fear comes short the trial is if we make the like conscience of those things to which mans law reacheth not as of those which are forbidden both by the laws of God and man other wise we are voyd of fear Now as the want of fear is forbidden so on the other side to fear that we should not is also prohibited The Psalmist among other notes of the wicked sets this down for one they were afraid where no fear was And S. John saith that the fearful that for fear have transgressed shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone And our saviour bids us not to fear them that can onely kill the body Pharoah was afraid the Isralites should grow into a greater number then the Egyptians and therefore made Edicts to kill the male children of the Isralites So Jeroboam fearing that the hearts of the people would return to Rehoboam their true Lord if they should go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and therefore set up two Golden calves and brought the people to Idolatry Herod was afraid that he should loose his kingdom and therefore commanded to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and the coasts round about from two yeers old and under And the Jews were afraid that if they suffered Christ to proceed in his doctine and miracles all would beleeve on him and the Romans would come and take away their kingdome and therefore they conspired to put him to death The Wise man saith Quod timet impius id accidet ei that which the wicked feareth shall come upon him And so it happened in the four examples mentioned The Romans dispossest the Jews of their kingdom Herod missed of his purpose and lost his kingdom Jeroboams issue was rejected in the next generation And the Israelites increased and prevailed against Pharaoh and the Egyptians Seeing then that this duty of fear is so necessary and that the Prophet in the person of God tells us that to him will he look that trembleth at his words it stands us upon to keep this fear ever in our hearts And the best motives to induce us is to take to us the consideration of Gods judgements and to consider with the Apostle How fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God for if he shall be extreme to mark what is done amisse no man shall abide his wrath 1. And the first is the consideration of the examples of the judgements of God in former ages left upon record in holy Scriptures Of which the Apostle saith That al these things meaning the judgements spoken of him in the former verses of the chapter hapned unto them for ensamples and are written for our admonition They should be our monitors Quot habebis jndicis Dei historias in 〈◊〉 tot habes conciones The histories of God judgements in the scared Scripture are as so many sermons to us to move us to the fear of God As when we see his justice upon his Angells upon man in Paradise upon his whole posterity in the deluge upon the five Cities upon the Egyptians upon his chosen people the Jews upon his own Church Jerusalem and last of all upon his own and dearly beloved Son in proceeding against him in the fullnesse of bitternesse at his passion insomuch as one of the fathers saith upon it O magna amaritudo peccati qui tantam amaritudinem peperit Oh the great bitternesse of sinne that brought forth so great bitternesse Can we read and hear these things and not fear and tremble 2. And as the judgements of former ages are to be considered so those which are more neere ourselves especially these three 1. Mala inherentia those crosses that it pleaseth God to let us feele in some measure as sicknesse povertie afflictions by bad children and the like 2. Mala impendentia those crosses which we do not feel at the present but hang over our heads and which we have cause to fear may daily fall upon us as pestilence sword c. 3. Malum excubans prae foribus as they cal it the horrour of a guilty conscience which is alwayes ready to accuse and terrifie us in which regard God told Cain that sinne lieth at the door though conscience seem to sleep yet it lies like a mastive at the door which when the conscience shall be awakened will be ready to fly in our faces 3. Besides these we should consider those tria novissima as they are called those three last things death judgement and hell torments first the terror of death which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosopher called it the terrible of terribles
Docilitas Diligentia 2. About instruction Instruction helps the natural and infused light so doth prayer and reading the word c. The Scholars duties answerable to these The particular duties of a Teacher The duties of those that are to be taught The resultant duties of both CHAP. VII Page 365 Of honouring spiritual fathers in the Church The excellency and necessity of their calling Four sorts of ministers in the Church 1. The thief 2. The hireling 3. The wolfe 4. The good shepherd whose duties are 1. To be an example to his flock 1. In himself 2. In his family The peoples duty answerable to this 2. To use his talent for their good Rules for doctrine and conversation The peoples duty 1. To know their own shepherd 2. To obey and follow him 3. To give him double honour 1. Of reverence 2. of maintenance CHAP. VIII Page 373 Of fathers of our country Magistrates The duty of all towards their own country God the first magistrate Magistracy Gods ordinance Power of life and death given to kings by God not by the people Addition 31. That regal power is only from God proved out of the authors other writings The ends of Magistracy 1. To preserve true religion 2. To maintain outward peace Magistrates compared to shepherds in three respects The duties of the supream power viz of Kings and of inferiour officers The duties of subjects to their Prince CHAP. IX Page 383 Of fathers by excellency of gifts The honour due to them is not debitum justitiae as the former but debitum honettatis 1. Of those that excell in gifts of the minde The honour due to them 1. To acknowledge their gifts Not to envy or deny them Nor to extenuate them Nor undervalue them Nor tax them with want of other gifts The duty of the person gifted 2. To prefer such before others to choose them for their gifts Reasons against choice of ungifted persons The duty of the person chosen c. 2. Of excellency of the body by old age and the honour due to the aged 3. Of excellency by outward gifts as riches Nobility c. Reasons for honouring such How they must be honoured 4. Excellency by benefits conferred Benefactors are fathers Rules for conferring of benefits The duties of the receiver CHAP. X. page 391 That this law is spiritual The duties of Superiours and Inferiours must proceed from the heart Special means conducing to the keeping of this commandement Signes of the true keeping of it CHAP. XI page 396 The second part of this Commandement a promise of long life Reasons why this promise is annexed to this Commandement How this promise is made good Reasons why God sometimes shortens the dayes of the godly and prolongs the dayes of the wicked The Exposition of the sixth Commandement CHAP. I. page 400 Why this Commandement is placed in this order How it coheres with the rest Of unjust anger the first step to murther how it differs from other affections Of lawful anger Unlawful anger how prohibited The degrees and fruits of it The affirmative part of the precept to preserve the life of another The life of the body and the degrees of it The life of the soul and the sinnes against it The scope of this Commandement CHAP. II. page 404 Of murther in general The slaughter of beasts not prohibited but in two cases Of killing a mans self diverse reasons against it Of killing another many reasons to shew the greatnesse of this sinne The aggravations of this sinne from the person murthered CHAP. III. page 407 The restraint of this Commandement 1. That Kings and Princes may lawfully put malefactors to death That herein they are Gods ministers Three rules to be by them observed Their judgement must not be 1. Perversum nor 2. 〈◊〉 patum nor 3. Temerarium 2. That in some cases they may lawfully make war In a lawful war is required 1. Lawful authority 2. A just cause 3. A just end And 4. A right manner Addition 32. Of the causes of a just war Some other cases wherein a man may kill and not break this Commandement First for defence of his life against sudden assaults Inculpata tutela Secondly by chance and without his intention CHAP. IV. page 412 The extent of this Commandement Murther committed 1. Directly 2. Indirectly A man may be accessory to anothers death six wayes A man may be 〈◊〉 to his own death diverse wayes Of preserving life CHAP. V. page 414 Of the murther of the soul. Several sinnes against the life of the soul. How 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be accessory to the death of his soul. This sinne may be committed both by them 〈◊〉 have charge of souls and by private persons That this law is spiritual according to 〈◊〉 third rule CHAP. VI. page 417 The fourth rule of avoiding the Causes of the sins here sorbidden Of unjust anger and the fruits of it It consists of 1. Grief 2. Desire of Revenge The effects and fruits of it 1. Towards Superiours Envy The causes of envy the greatnesse of this sin 2. Towards Equals 3. Towards inferiours The suppuration or breaking out of anger against Superiours 1. By the eyes and face 2. By the tongue 1. by murmuring 2. tale-bearing 3. backbiting Against Equals by 1. dissention 2. brawling 3. railing The fruits of anger in Superiours 1. Threatning 2. Scornfulnesse The last fruit of anger viz. murther of the hand CHAP. VII page 421 Of the means against anger How to prevent it in others How in our selves Anger must be 1. Just in regard of the cause 2. Moderated for the measure 3. We must labour for gravity 4. For love without hypocrisie The vertues opposite to unjust anger 1. Innocency 2. Charity In the first there is 1. The Antidote against anger which consists in three things 2. The remedy in three more How charity prevents anger The fruit of charity Beneficence 1. To the dead by burying them 2. To the living And that first generally to all Secondly specially to the faithful Thirdly to the poor by works of mercy Fourthly to our enemies CHAP. VIII page 424 Rules for the eradication of unjust anger 1. To keep the passion from rising 4. Rules 2. After it is risen to suppresse it How to carry our selves towards those that are angry with us 1. To give place 2. To look up to God 3. To see the Devil in it Of the second thing in anger viz. Revenge Reasons against it If our anger have broken out Rules what we must do Of the act viz. requiring one injury with another Rules in going to law The sixth rule of causing others to keep this Commandement The Exposition of the seventh Commandement CHAP. I. page 428 The scope and order of this Commandement Of Marriage The institution and ends of it explicated out of Genesis 2. 22 23 24. Married persons are 1. to leave all others 2. to cleave to one another Rules for those that are to marry Duties of those that are married
far and neer and what a Reverend Prelate said of him in his Funeral Sermon may visibly appear to any Eye in this great Herculean Labour that those things which seldome meet in one Man were in him in a high degree Scientia magna Memoria major Judicium maximum at Industria infinita His Knowledge was great his Memory greater his Judgement exceeded both but his Labour and Industry was infinite and went beyond them all For the Subject it is the Decalogue or those Ten Words in which God himself hath epitomized the whole duty of Man which have this Priviledge above all other parts of Scripture that whereas all the rest were divinely inspired but God made use of Prophets and Apostles as his Pen-men here God was his own Scribe or Amanuensis here was Digitus Dei for the writing was the writing of God These are the Pandects of the Laws of Nature the fountains from which all humane Laws ought to be derived the Rule and Guide of all our Actions whatsoever Duties are variously dispersed through the whole Book of God are here collected into a brief Sum whatsoever is needful for us to doe in Order to Salvation may be reduced hither for this is totunt Homin is the Conclusion of upshot of all saith Solomon to feare God and keep his Commandments and the Apostle tells us to the same purpose that circumcision avayleth nothing nor uncircumcision but the keeping of the Commandments of God And therefore as Philo saith that the Jews used to refer all that they found in the Law of Moses to these ten heads as the Philosophers reduced all things to the ten predicaments not that they were all literally comprized there but because for memories sake they might be reduced thither so hath the Christian Church reduced all the duties of a Christian to the same heads which she hath enlarged and made more comprehensive as partaking of a greater measure of the Spirit then they had and ayming at a higher degree of perfection in all Christian Vertues There is indeed a generation of men sprung 〈◊〉 such as S. Augustine wrote against long since in his Book contra adversarium legis prophetarum that under colour of advancing Gods free grace in mans salvation and affecting Christian liberty would abrogate the whole moral Law as if it were worthy of no better entertainment among Christians then Jehoiakim gave to Jeremies prophecies when he cut the rowl in pieces and threw it into the sire And how far the tenets and principles of some others who would seem to abhor such opinions have promoted these pernicious doctrines I shall not need to shew sure I am that while some teach that the Gospel consists properly of promises onely that the moral Law is no part of the condition of the second Covenant nor the observation of it though qualified in the Gospel required now in order to salvation that the promises of the Gospel are absolute and that Faith is nothing else but an absolute application of them or an absolute relying upon Christ for the attaining of them without the conditions of repentance and new obedience that Christ came onely to redeem not to give any Law to the world that after a man is in Christ though he fall into the grossest sins which are damnable in a man unregenerate yet he is still quoad praesentem statum in the state of salvation and though he may lose the sence and feeling yet he can never lose jus ad vitam his right to heaven what sins soever he walks in I say whilst men teach such doctrins and yet cry out against Antinomians Libertines and other Sectaries what do they in judging others but condemn themselves for they grant the premises and deny onely the conclusion If such doctrines were as true as they are common this Author and all others that have written on this subject might have spared their pains and therefore we may say with the Psalmist It is time for thee Lord to work for they have destroyed thy Law These men are like to Licurgus who being cast into a frenzy by Dionysius in that distemper thinking to have cut down a vine with the same hatchet slew his own son so these being possest with a spiritual frenzy which they call zeal when they lift up their hatchet to cut off some errors which like luxuriant branches have sprung up about the Law these do unawares cut down the Law itself both root and branch making the observation of it arbitrary in respect of Salvation or as a Parenthesis in a sentence where the sence may be perfect without it Such Errors are far more dangerous then many that were held by the old Hereticks which were chiefly about matters speculative whereas these reflect upon matters of practise and whilst they strike at the root of obedience to the Laws of Christ they do directly take away the very way of Salvation to the certain ruine of peoples souls and do utterly overthrow the foundation both of Church and Common-wealth so that wheresuch doctrines prevail nothing but confusion and dissolution of all Government can follow as sad experience in too many places shews where the genuine fruits of such doctrines appear to be no other then to rob the Priest of his honour the Prince of his power the people of their Discipline and Government Pastors of their Flocks and Sheep of their Pastors Preachers of their Churches Churches of their Reverence Religion of its Power and the World of all Religion S. James would have us to try our Faith by our Works but these men will have their works tryed by their Faith To the pure all things are pure if Faith be in their heart God can see no sin in their actions We read of the Scholars of one Almaricus of Paris who held that what was deadly sin in others yet if it were done by one that was in Charitie or the state of Grace it was no sin or not imputed to him for which they were condemned as Hereticks These men seem to be spit out of their mouths for they would have sins distinguished not by their nature or object but by the subject in whom they are and hence they hold that all their own sins though never so great they being beleevers elect are at the most but infirmities which cannot endanger their salvation but the sins of all others are mortall and damnable which impious doctrine with the rest above mentioned from which it flows howsoever they be varnisht over with faire shews of advancing the free grace of God and the merits of Christ and the depressing of mans power yet are indeed no other then the old damned Heresie of SimonMagus who as Theodoret saith taught his Disciples they were free from the obedience of the law was condemned by the Ancient Church in Vasilides Carpocrates Epiphanes Prodicus Eunomius and other impure wretches and is call'd by Luther himself whose unwary speeches have given
too much occasion to these doctrines ultimus Diaboli flatus The last blast of the Devil Against these and such like doctrines which make this and all other books of this nature superfluous we must know That though the Decalogue as it was given by Moses to the Jews was a part of that Covenant which God made with them on Mount Sinai and Sinai belonged properly to them as appears both by the Preface wherein their deliverance out of Egypt is urged as a motive of obedience and by four other passages in the precepts which have peculiar reference to that people as that symbolicall rest required in the fourth precept in remembrance of their rest from the Egyptian bondage and the promise of long life in the land of Canaan in the fifth Yet seeing that the substance of it is no other then the Law of Nature written in mans heart at the first and that by Christ our Law-giver it is made a part of the Gospel or second Covenant though with some qualification therfore it obliges all Christians and that under the highest paines and is therefore justly called the Law of Christ. All the parts of the Morall Law we may finde required in the Gospel though upon other grounds then those were laid by Moses this second Covenant being established upon better promises we have the same rules for our action the same duties required the same sins forbidden the difference is this that here God accepts our obedience in voto at our first conversion when he freely pardons our sins past and expects the actuall performance afterward in the course of our lives and admits repentance after lapses wheras the law as it was part of the other Covenant requires perfect obedience without any intermission otherwise we having higher promises a greater measure of the spirit being now dispensed under the Gospel a higher degree of obedience to the law is now required which is yet no way grievous or burdensome to a true beleever for the power of Christs spirit and the height of the promises make the yoke easie and the burden light Therefore Christs tells us expresly he came not to dissolve the law but to fulfill it or to fill it up as the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports because he did enlarge and perfect it and therefore Theó phylact makes the Law of Christ compared with that of Moses as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Painting to life to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or first draught in black and white and saith that Christ did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not destroy the first draught but fill it up as a painter perfects a picture with the colours and shadows after the first draught and with him do generally concur the rest of the Fathers Basil saith that whereas the old law saith thou shalt not kill our Lord Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giving more perfect lawes saith Thou shalt not be angry Origen saith that the lawes of Christ are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 better and more Divine then all those before him S. Chrysostom calls that Sermon upon the Mount 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very top of Philosophy saith that Christs giving of lawes was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time or season of greater higher precepts Among the Latines Tertullian saith Christi leges supplementa necessaria esse disciplinae creatoris that the lawes of Christ are necessary supplements to the lawes of the Creatour and Christus Dei Creatoris praecepta supplendo conservavit auxit that Christ preserved and increased the lawes of God the creatour by filling them up S. Augustine saith that Christ fullfilled the law by adding quod minus habet what was deficient sic persiciendo confirmavit and so confirmed it by reducing it to more perfection And again upon those words except your righteousnesse c. Nist non solum ea quae inchoant homines impleveritis sed etiam ista quae a me adduntur qui non veni solvere sed implere unlesse ye not onely fulfill those which men have begun but also what is added by me who came not to destroy the law but to fulsill it c. By which and many more testimonies out of the ancients that might be produced it appears that concerning that excellent Sermon upon the Mount wherein the sum of Christian Religion and the way to life is chalked out by him who is the way and the life their opinion is far from truth who say that Christ doth not there promulge or deliver any law as necessary to salvation but onely that he expounds the Morall law given by Moses and cleers it from the false corrupt glosses of the Pharisees which is directly contrary to the constant and unanimous doctrine of the Ancient Church and to the text it self for though it is true that Christ doth therein often reflect upon the expositions of the Jewish doctors who had corrupted the law yet withall it is as true that in those chapters he delivers the Christian law and therein brings up the Morall law to a higher pitch then ever it was by Moses This appears by that opposition so often made in that Sermon between what Moses said of old and what Christ saith you have heard what was said to them of old c. Ego autem dico vobis but I say unto you c. Which opposition as also the Syriack and other translations do plainly shew that as vobis is rendred to you and not by you so veteribus ought to be to them of old not by them of old and therefore our translation as it puts the one reading in the text so it puts the other which is the true in the margent Now those of old were no other then those to whom Moses first gave the law and not the lawyers and Pharisees of those latter times so all the Greek writers agree and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports as much which is usually in other places referred to the times of Moses and the Prophets and not to latter times and which puts the matter out of question The words which our Saviour saith were said to them of old are no other then the words of the law delivered by Moses either in the same very words or in the sence Those words Thou 〈◊〉 not kill are in Exo. 20. 30. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of a judgement are in Levit. 21. 21. Numb 35. 16 17 30. Thou shalt not Commit adultery are the words of the law Exod. 20. 30. He that shall put away his wife let him give her a bill of divorce in Deut. 24. 1. Thou shalt not forswear thy self but shalt perform thy vows to the Lord. Exod. 20. 7. Numb 30. 2. Eyé for eye and tooth for tooth which was permitted in Judgement Deut. 19. 21. Levit. 24. 20. Deut. 19. 21. Thou 〈◊〉 lovethy neighbour viz an Israelite Levit.
to 〈◊〉 at a stay but proceed and profit every day and make progresse in our knowledge for as there are places in scripture as is before said where every lamb may wade so are there also deeper places where an 〈◊〉 may swimme We shall never be so perfect as to be free from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Search the scriptures For teaching children by way of Catechizing is no new thing 1. It is warranted even before 〈◊〉 flood The offerings and sacrifices of 〈◊〉 and Abel are a strong argument to induce our 〈◊〉 that they had been instructed by their father Adam in matter of Religion And though the word was yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written from the Creation till after the flood yet Gods worship could not have continued had instruction ceased and not been used 2. After the flood in the time of Abraham the scripture beareth witnesse that he taught his children and family the fear of the Lord. Ab condam 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 saith God shall I hide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that I will doe for I know him that he will command his children c and they shal keep the way of 〈◊〉 Lord. And what he would teach them is evident by the summe 〈◊〉 the Law delivered to him by God Ambula coram me c. Walke before me and be perfect As also by the summe of the Gospell In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Th fruits of this catechizing and the effects thereof appeared first in his son Isaac The tex saith Et exiit Isaac ut oraret in agro vesperi and 〈◊〉 went out to pray in the field at eventide And secondly in his servant who 〈◊〉 he undertooke his masters businesse 1. began with prayer 2 he ended with prayer and thanksgiving for his 〈◊〉 successe 3 shewed his care in performing his Masters busin sse he would not eat though he had travelled far untill he had declared his message 3. And as this appears in Adam concerning the instruction of his children before the flood and in Abraham after it and 〈◊〉 the Law so it is not to be doubted but that there were divers other godly men in both ages that successively instructed their children receiving it as a duty by tradition so to do For there is no writing extant till Moses time though it appears by Saint Iude that something was proph sied by Enoch who was the 7 th from Adam and that the story of Job seems to be more ancient then that of Moses life and actions though the Church place Moses first to whom by tradit 〈◊〉 was conveled the story of former times and perhaps Moses his story might be first written 4. Besides the divine goodnesse so disposed that no age from the 〈◊〉 to the time of Moses should want some godly men successively to deliver his will to their child en As before the flood 〈◊〉 Seth Enos Kenan 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enoch Methusalem Lamech of which number Adam and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole time from the Creation to the flood which fell in the year of the world 1656. For Adam lived 930 years And Methusalem 969. and 〈◊〉 in the year of the deluge So that Methusalem living 243 yeares with Adam must needs be well instructed by him concerning all points of Religion and that no doubt 〈◊〉 his youth as also were they that were born between them 5. After the deluge God sent into the world many excellent men also before the Law As Noah Sem Arphaxad Sale Heber Peleg Reu Serug Nachor Thare Abraham Isaac and Jacob. and no doubt 〈◊〉 it appeares that Abraham instructed his family but that he also receiued instruction from his Parents 〈◊〉 his from theirs before them For Noah lived 950 years and was 600 years old at the time of the flood and no question but he was well instructed by conversing with so many fathers of the first age of the world And his son Sem lived many years with him being born 98 years before the deluge and therefore wanted no documents Now for the posterity of Abraham we finde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was grandchild to 〈◊〉 by Levi as Jacob was to Abraham and li ved many years with his father Levi and his grandfather Jacob and benig grandfather to Moses it is Probable that he with his son Amram 〈◊〉 Moses in God service as their predecessors had instructed them And thus much for the time before the Law written 6. Under the Law immediatly after it was given God gave command to the 〈◊〉 to instruct their children And that foure severall wayes 1 They were to teach them diligently The word teach there in the original signifies to whet or sharpen which by the learned is expounded to 〈◊〉 rehearsing 2. They were to conferre and talke with them about the Law in the house morning and evening and when they walked with them abroad 3. They were to binde the commandments for signes upon their hands and as frontlets before their eyes that their children might continually take notice of them 4. Lastly for the same intent and purpose they were commanded to write them upon the gates and posts of their houses 7. The practise of this after the law made we may see in David who in the Text before quoted saith Come ye children hearken unto me and I will teach you c. and more particularly towards his son Solomon as he professeth himself I was my fathers son saith he tender and onely beloved in the sight of my mother and he taught or catechized me And this he did not onely as he was Pater-familias the father of a family but as a Catechist in publike before the people And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart Nor did Solomon discontiue this practise for he instructed his son Rehoboam at large as may be seen in his first seven chapters of his Proverbs So was young king Jehoash instructed by Jehoiada the high Priest 8. Under the captivity and after because there are no examples in writing extant in the Scriptures but that Apocryphall of Susannae of whom it is said that she was instructed by her parents in the law of Moses we must repair to the records of Josephus who affirms that there were never lesse among the Jews 〈◊〉 four hundred houses of catechizing where the law and the Talmud were expounded And it is recorded that there was an act made at Jerusalem that children should be set to catechizing at the age of 〈◊〉 yeers whereunto Saint Paul seemeth to have relation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 catechised out of the Law 9. Under the gospel there is an expresse precept or commandment to Parents not onely to enter their children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to bring them up in nurture and admonition And it was Saint Pauls practise as you may see by
its own nature and quality So if we hear the word of God it must be leaven unto us and turn the whole lump into the tast of it self If it be not so with us but that we hear continually without preparation or practise there is a bitter place against us we shall be like roots bearing gall and wormwood bitternesse it self And thus much for the general notion of preparation Now for the particular how we ought to prepare our selves The Rabbins prescribe fourty eight rules to this purpose which may be reduced to two 1. Praeparate in timore prepare your hearts in fear Take heed to thy feet saith the Preacher when thou entrest into the house of God That is come not to Gods house to hear his holy Word carelesly or unreverently but with reverence and fear We are not to come thither as to an ordinary place but with an awful preparation as in Gods presence How fearful is this place saith Jacob this is none other but the house of God And it is fearful in respect of the majesty of God more fully here then in other places as being the presence-chamber of God where he will be waited upon with all due preparation and respect Serve the Lord with fear was king Davids counsel and it was his practise too I will come into thy house saith he and in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple 2. Another reason that we should be qualified with fear when we come is That because as Solomon speaks fear is the beginning or head and chief point of wisdom it must needs be the ground-work and foundation of our preparation The fear of the Lord as he also leadeth unto life It is the high way to all other Christian duties His salvation saith the Psalmist is nigh to them that fear him It stands us 〈◊〉 upon to be thus prepared else the Wise man would have spared this 〈◊〉 Be thou in the fear of the Lord continually In 〈◊〉 Preparation by prayer is the other main point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our selves before we come and indeed it is the salt that seasons all holy duties King 〈◊〉 as you heard before practized it and began his very prayers with prayer Let my prayer saith he be set forth in thy sight c. And 〈◊〉 made way by prayer to the dedication of his Temple Daniel set his face unto God by prayer and while he was in this act of preparation the Angel was sent to him to let him know that his petition was granted Solomon prayed to the Lord for wisdom you may read that God yeelded to his request Cornelius was initiated into the Church by this means and Saul by it of a persecuter became Paul an Apostle for Behold saith God to Ananias he prayeth Saint Augustine calls it gratum Deo obsequium an acceptable service to God And 〈◊〉 Nihil potentius homine 〈◊〉 Nothing more powerful then a man that prayeth Nemo nostrum saith Saint Bernard parvi pendat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enim 〈◊〉 quod ipse ad quem or amus non parvipendit 〈◊〉 let none of us make light accompt of prayyer for I tell you that he to whom we pray doth not lightly esteeme of it For indeed as Saint Peter 〈◊〉 us Gods ears are open to prayers And 〈◊〉 we see that King David often prepared himselfe by those kinde of prayers which the fathers call ejaculations or short prayrs of which the hundred and ninteen 〈◊〉 is full As open thou mine eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law and when he 〈◊〉 any extravagant thoughts to seiz on him Averte oculos Turne away mine eyes from beholding vanity And when he grew dull in spirit Quicken thou me With these and the like we must prepare our selves Now as these are the two rules for preparation so are there four other for our coming 1 Venite 〈◊〉 in fervore spiritus with fervency of spirit Our coming must not be cold not Luke-warm like the Church of Laodicea lest we be spued out but fervent and zealous Be fervent in spirit saith the Apostle And in another place It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing If we come to hear we must come with a longing desire Zeal is compared to oyle which keeps the lamp ever burning It was one of King Davids 〈◊〉 I have 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 commandements The zeal of the Gentiles saith Saint Ambrose 〈◊〉 them life everlasting wheras the coldnes of the Jews caused their losse of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nullum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tale sacrificium quale est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no sacrifice so acceptable to God as the zeal of the spirit And as it is well 〈◊〉 to him so he he rewardeth it He satisfieth the longing soul saith the psalmist He that comes 〈◊〉 qualified never returns empty 2. Venite in puritate cordis Our coming must be also in purity of 〈◊〉 K. David asketh the question who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord or who shall rise up in his holy place and answereth 〈◊〉 in the next verse even he that hath clean hands and a pure heart Our thoughts and actions must be pure and undefiled else there 's no coming to Gods house no bettering our selves by coming 〈◊〉 For the word of God being pure will not enter into them that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Belial cannot accord But Cor purum 〈◊〉 est Dei gaudium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spiritus sancti A pure heart is Gods court the delight of Angels and the 〈◊〉 of the holy spirit This is the second 3 Venite in fide Come with the garment of faith too If thou 〈◊〉 beleeve all things are possible to him that beleeveth A beleever though in the estimation of men he be of small understanding yet shall he be able to conceive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficient to work out his salvation We see it in the Apostles who though they 〈◊〉 poor ignorant and simple fisher-men diverse of them yet coming to Christ by faith were able to confound the wisest and most learned men in the world But without faith it is impossible to please God and if to please him certainly come 〈◊〉 as often as we will to reape any good from him For he that 〈◊〉 to God as it is in the same verse must beleeve that God is The 〈◊〉 shall live by his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophet and according to our faith shall we receive benefit by our coming for it is by faith that we have accesse to grace And the Apostle 〈◊〉 that the Jews were excluded from the promise because that which they sought for was not by faith This is the third rule 4 Venite frequenter Being fortified with faith 〈◊〉 frequently and often then you cannot come too oft Not upon the solemne fast only once a moneth perhaps will serve the turne but as
tree and in the next verse ends with the Gospel Ego baptzio vos I baptize you And it s Christs own order too who was the great prophet of the New 〈◊〉 and whose method ought to be our Jnstruction He that humbleth himself shall be exalted first Humiliation and then exaltation now there 's no humbling but by the Law and therefore it is called Humiliator the humbler It was also the practize of Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Romans which is held to contain the sum of Christian Religion after his proemium in the 17 first verses from the 18 of the first Chapter to the 21 verse of the 3. Chapter he speaks all of the Law all under sinne Jews and Gentiles and unregenerate and regenerate and at last includes himself in the number but after he delivers the sum of the Gospel shewing in what Covenant we must looke to be saved And this Epistle the learned will have to be our warrant for this practize And such was the form of instructing in the primitive Church taking pattern from Saint Paul First Repentance from dead works which includes the Law and then faith in Christ which shews the Gospel So that this must be our Order The Law first and then the Gospel So much for the Order Now the Law containeth three things 1. Praeceptum that which is required of us fac hoc vives doe this and thou shalt live 2. Transgressionem praecepti delictum which shews us how farre we are from the duty that is required of us by the precept Delicta quis intelligit 3. Paenam 〈◊〉 the punishment we must look for and expect for the breach of the precept by our sins Morte morieris thou shalt die And the Gospel also teacheth three things 1. Liberationem how we are delivered from the Curse of the Law 〈◊〉 agnus Dei Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world 2. Certitudinem how we may be assured that this deliverance pertains to us to make our calling sure by good works 3 〈◊〉 according to King Davids Quid retribuam what shall I render to the Lord what we are to perform new and true obedience not that secundum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summum jus but secundum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is accepted of in Christ the neglect or none performance whereof makes a forfeiture of what God hath given or promised So that our new obedience is not onely to look back as an act of gratitude for benefits received but also and that cheifly forward as a condition to which is annexed by Gods free grace in the Gospel the promise of eternal life Matth. 5. 20. and 7. 21. Ro. 8. 13. Gal. 5. 21. 2 Pet. 2. 20. 21. 2 John 8. CHAP XV. In the law foure things frist the work to be done The 〈◊〉 the Pandects of moral laws The laws moral known before Moses written in mens hearts proved in particular In every law there is evill to be avoided and good to be done both must concur S. Pauls Three rules of piè juste sobriè Saint Aug. his three rules 〈◊〉 contrary to three rules of corrupt nature secondly the mahner of doing requires first Totos secondly totum thirdly toto tempore Thirdly the reward Fourthly the punishment The Law VVE learned in the general Preface that we are to depend onely upon Gods provid 〈◊〉 and so we are to conceive of him as a mighty prince and king for so he is stiled in the Apocalyps Rev. 19. 16. Who as he hath a Reward for us so he hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his worke house his place of probation and 〈◊〉 for us which house is the world and that being in his work-house we have our agenda work to be done And the Law as the Rabbins call it is Therash magnashoth Doctrina agendorum the things we must do are contained in it And as there be four things in all good Laws in the world so are there in this which is Lex Creatoris Mundi the Law of the worlds Creator 1. Opus The work prescribed to be done This ye shall doe 2. Modus The manner how it must be done Thus ye shall doe it 3. Praemium The Reward for it being done In palatio in Heaven 4. Poena the punishment for it being not done In Carcere in hell 1 Opus The action or work The Decalogue is as it were the Pandects a Book of all the Offices works and dutyes which God requireth at mans hand and the Lawyers Pandects are nothing else but Comments upon these these are the true Ethica Christiana Christian moral duties transcending all other whatsoever And in this respect are they of the Church of Rome to be commended who though they teach their youth other Arts yet teach them no other Ethicks then these Logique and Physiques and Metaphysiques they learn them but for Ethicks they refer them especially as the reformed Churches have done to these of the Decalogue which indeed is the true Regula morum the just square of all our actions for they ought not to be shorter nor longer then this But because the Law is said to be given by Moses there may arise a doubt from hence that seeing the Law was not given till aboue 2000 years after the Creation and that the world was so long without a Law why may not we live without a Law now aswell they did before Moses Our answer is That they lived not before Moses without the Law They had many parts of the Law some of the Ceremonial Law by special Revelation from God and all the moral Law written in their hearts they had the knowledge of beasts cleane and uncleane of sacrificing of praying or calling upon God of the younger Childrens subjection to the elder Abraham had the Law of Circumcision he and 〈◊〉 paid Tithes and many other Laws they had before Moses wrote them And as Saint Paul saith The Gentiles both before and after doing by nature the things contained in the Law these haveing not the Law were a Law unto themselves what to doe not what they listed but the work of the Law written in their hearts instead of Tables of stone That is the effect of the Law which is equivalent to the Law it self which he proveth thus because their conscience bare witnesse and their thoughts reflected on their actions accused or excused themselves in what they did And therefore S. Augustine saith that every man had this law in his heart which is to be understood after the fall for before that all was perfectum perfect Mali multa recte laudant multa recte reprehendunt quibus autem regulis faciunt hoc ubi eas vident unde illud habent quod homines sic vivere debeant cum ipsi non sic vivant sunt regulae justae mentes eorum injustae regulae immutabiles mentes eorum mutabiles vel hoc argumento
of the Laws of the twelve Tables at Rome Qui falsum testimonium dixerit Tarpeio Saxo dejiciatur Hee that shall beare false witnesse let him be cast down from the Tarpeian Rock And Phocylides counselleth not to utter lyes but to speak the truth in all things Now in the other four they had a dimmer light for they were not so manifest to them 1. For the first though wee finde most of them speaking of gods in the plural number yet it was well known to the Philosophers that there was but one God and especially to Pythagoras who could say Si quis se deum dixerit paepter unum qui omnia fecerit novum faciat mundum If any one shall say that he is a god but he that made all things let him prove it by making a new World And so Sophocles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unus in veritate unus Deus There is one in truth there is one God and so said Orpheus and Varro and this they maintained in their Schools 2. For the second they agreed that every god should be worshipped according to the manner that himself should think best So Socrates in Plato's Respublica 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every god should be worshipped as he liked And this is the very foundation of the second Commandement But for the thing it self S. Augustine out of Varro saith That Varro did much approve of the Jews religion because it excluded Images holding it the best way to keep Religion undefiled by excluding them and that if all people else had taken that course it had been a means to take away much trifling 4. For the fourth very little is to bee found and yet they had this Canon among them that numerus septenarius the number of seven was numerus quietis a number of rest and that it was Deo gratissimus a number pleasing to God From which and from the report they heard of the Jews observing the seventh 〈◊〉 rest they might have gathered a conclusion that God would have rest upon that day And it was their practise in their funerals to have their 〈◊〉 the seventh day aster a mans death and seven dayes together they would mourn and they gave their children names the seventh day after their birth and all this because they held it Saturns number 10. For the tenth Menander hath this saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not concupiscere or desire so much as another mans pin or button And indeed though in their Lawes they never touched this yet the scope of them all did tend and drive to this end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non concupiscere they were against concupiscence And hence we may conclude with Saint Paul Rom. 2. 15. That the Gentiles having the Law written in their hearts were inexcusable Now to shew that the Heathen had also the rules and grounds before mentioned we may thus prove 1. There was written upon the door of the Temple of their god Apollo at Delphos in the upper part of it the letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Thou art shewing thereby that God alone hath a being of himself and that we depend on him and that if any did ask 〈◊〉 at the Oracle they should do what the god commanded and that was subdere deo quod commune habes cum angelis to subject their Angel-like reason to God 2. Secondly upon one leaf of the door was written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nosce reipsum know thy self that man should take notice how much better he was then beasts and his minde then his body and knowing his soul to be better then theirs he should not abase it with vile things and that was subdere rationi quod commune habet cum brutis to subdue to reason those faculties which were common with beasts 3. Thirdly upon the other leaf was written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a rule of sober living against covetousnesse and profutenesse fac quod vis pati doe as thou wouldst have done unto thee to avoid injustice Besides this they had legem 〈◊〉 a law of retaliation like for like nemo facit injuriam qui velit idem sibi fieri no man commits an injury or doth wrong that would be willing to have the like done to himself And therefore when the Emperour Alexander Severus heard this sentence Quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris do not that to another which thou wouldest not have done to thy self he ever after used it to malefactours and caused it to be graven in his plate And thus we see the Heathen had rules for their actions and for the whole substance of their obedience So much then for the Action Secondly for the manner Toti Totum Semper or Toto tempore 1. For Toti they had this rule among them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We must do it with all our minde strength heart and affection else not at all 2. For Totum the whole duty T is Plutarchs comparison if we eat not up the whole fish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it will do us no good but harm but if we eat it all it will be wholsome and medicinable both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So they found fault with Caesar for using this sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si violandum est jus regnandi causa violandum in 〈◊〉 rebus pietatem colas If justice be to be broken it would be for a kingdom in other things live godly And this is the case of every sinner so the unclean person saith If ever chastity be to be violated it is for Bathsheba in others it shall be kept So Plautus Solis amatoriis perjuriis dii dabunt veniam the gods will pardon perjuries in lovers only But justice must be totally kept and not broken for any respect nor any other vertue if we so do we omit part of the whole and entire duty required of us this the Heathen knew 3. For Semper or toto tempore all the dayes of our life They held that a good man should continue so to his end they resembled him to a tetragonism all sides alike like to a Dye they would have him to be homo quadratus ever like himself never like to a Camelion often changing his colour inconstant sometimes good sometime bad now in now out but he must continue ever one and the same 1. For the reward we see that they held that their god Jupiter had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sheet of Parchmine made of the skin of that Goat that nourished him wherein he wrote all mens deeds and for those that had done well he had his three graces to reward them in this life and his Elisian fields in the world to come answerable to Paradise in Scripture 2. And for punishment they likewise held that he had his three Erinnyes or Furies in this life and Tartarus Styx and Cacytus in the life to come according to Tophet and Gehenna in Scripture And thus we see that the 〈◊〉 are
wait as servants use to do on their masters we acknowledge there by a superiority and excellency in that party Thus far for honour which is due to excellency 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. But now when the second thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power is added to excellency then there is another duty required in inferiours viz fear for as our Saviour speaks there is no power but from God it must be given from above and therefore by consequence there is due to them that have power from God part of that fear which we owe to men The honour given in this respect consists of the duty of fear This is a reverent awe and standing in fear of them that are placed in power over us Ye shall fear every man his mother and father saith God there is for our parents and Saint Paul commandeth servants to obey their masters with fear and trembling and Saint Peter servants be subject to your masters with all fear this is for masters Job saith that the people stood in such awe of him that when they saw him come forth they would convey themselves out of his presence as if they had done something not beseeming them the young men saw me and hid themselves This fear also is due to the king The people of Israel feared king Solomon and the same king gives the reason because his wrath is as a messenger of death 3. The third thing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 government to which besides the former duties of honour and fear a third duty belongs viz. Obedience which the Apostle expresses by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be under a yoke That is when governours command this or that to be done except in things evidently contrary to the will of God we be content without disputing to put our necks under the yoak of their commands Saint Bernard saith verus obediens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quale sit quod 〈◊〉 hoc solo contentus quia praecipitur He that is truly obedient regardeth not what is commanded being content onely with this that it is commanded In the case of parents the Apostle gives this rule children obey your parents 〈◊〉 the Lord his reason for this is right As the Apostle used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subjection to those more excellent then our selves as was shewe before Col. 3. 18. 1. Peter 2. 13. So here he vsed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be subject to set forth the obedience due to governours The like he gives to servants servants obey your masters c. And he commands Titus to put subjects in minde to obey magistrates The like charge of obedience he gives to Bishops and Governours in the Church obey them that have the rule 〈◊〉 you We have examples of dutiful children in this duty Of Isaac that obeyed his father even to the death Of the Rechabits in obeying their fathers commandment to drink no wine which act God himself by the prophet commendeth of our Saviour himself in the flesh And of servants we have the example of 〈◊〉 towards 〈◊〉 Lastly concerning subjects we have the example of the people of 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 All that thou commandest us we will do Now for the protestation of our obedience wherein we expresse the truth of it order is taken for giving honour to our governours by imparting our substance by way of grateful retaliation for their care and pains for our good Honour the Lord saith the Wise man with thy substance and goods c. and so by consequent this kinde of honour is due to those to whom God hath given the government over us we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Stork and our Saviour makes this a part of the honour due to father and mother when he reproves those that taught the people that by consecrating their goods to the Temple they were free from the obligation of this law of maintaining and relieving father and mother Therefore the Apostle requires that we render to higher powers their dues tribute and custome to shew that our selves are not onely ready in our persons but our goods too at their commands The last part of obedience is to the other part of the Law for the Law hath two parts the one directive and the other coercive or corrective so that if we deny our obedience we must submit to correction and yet with reverence as the Apostle speaks we must honour the Magistrate though we be corrected Thus far for the act commanded now for the manner of 〈◊〉 The second thing to be considered is the manner how all these duties must be performed and this consists in three things 1. They must be done in conscience and from the heart not with eye-service as unto men but with singlenesse of heart as fearing God as the Apostle speaks 2. They must be done alacriter cheerfully and readily not with grudging murmuring and repining whatsoever ye do do it heartily as to the Lord and not as to men 3. They must be done perseveranter with continuance and perseverance yea though we suffer unjustly by them for this saith S. Peter is thank worthy if a man for conscience towards God endure grief 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he endure and hold out though he suffer wrongfully And because we are not naturally given to perform these duties of obedience and subjection especially in this manner therefore expositors yield 6 reasons drawn from the duty as it is expressed and inforced in Scripture to induce men thereunto 1. Because God hath placed this Commandment before that of our goods yea and of our life to shew that the maintaining of authority ought to be dearer to us then goods or life it self 2. Because the name of father and mother is full of love and reverence insomuch as some unreasonable beasts perform this duty more exactly then many men Therefore God includes all superiours here as Kings Lords Masters c. under these amiable names of father and mother 3. In regard of the long life annexed to the true performance of this dutie long life being a thing desirable and death a thing most repugnant to the nature of man To live long and to prosper is all that men desire upon earth Therefore the Apostle urges this Commandment from the promise specially annexed to it above the rest That it may be well with thee and that thou mayst live long on the earth 4. Because as the Apostle tells us it is a thing good and acceptable to God and in another place it is well pleasing to God he is especially delighted and highly pleased in it It is both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acceptable and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well pleasing unto God What can we desire more then to be good acceptable and well pleasing to God in our actions 5. The Apostle goes further and saith it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
the fig-leaves were sowed together The cause is that after they had sinned the inferiour parts as the appetite grew to be irregular and unruly Whereupon as the Apostle speaks the devil takes occasion to tempt to 〈◊〉 and therefore he advises that to avoyd fornication every man have his own wife and every woman her own husband that so they may have Thorum immaculatum the bed undefiled This Solomon calls the avoyding of a strange woman which he accounts a special part of wisdom and so this end includes that duty of fidelity which the one owes to the other for unlesse fornication be avoyded there can be no mutual fidelity Therefore the Apostle saith that the one of the married persons hath not power over their own body but the other the third end then of this Nuptiae is to avoyd fornication So that the three general ends of this duty are first Mutuum auxilium mutual help denoted by conjugium secondly Proles yssue signified by Matrimonium thirdly The avoyding of 〈◊〉 implied in Nuptiae which includes fides 〈◊〉 to each other specified by Nuptiae This for the general ends Now for the particular duties of man and wife 1. Now for the particular duties the first duty of the husband to the wife is expressed in these word by Saint Peter to live with her according to knowledge he must know how to govern her Because as we see in the case of the first wife she was beguiled by the serpent and seduced her husband therefore in the sixteenth verse of that chapter God told her that her desire should be subject to her husband and that he should have the government and rule over her therefore she must never follow her own will hereafter but must be subiect to her husband His duty therefore is to govern her yet so that he must 〈◊〉 with her being the weaker vessel and not to be bitter to her as being heire with him of the grace of life that their prayers be not hindred and that thereby he may enjoy his own peace for who would trouble his own flesh That he may rule and govern he must be able to instruct her for when the Apostle saith that if the wives would learn any thing let them ask their husbands at home it is to be taken for granted that they must be able to teach them lest such as creep into houses and beguile silly women 2 Tim. 3. 6. Intrap the wife And if she shall be carried away with blinde zeale or affection or otherwise go astray he must be able by wise exhortations to rectify her We have an example for this of Elkanah when Hannah his wife murmured and took on for her barrennes he pacified her with this wise speech Am not I better to thee then ten sons withal he must so strengthen himself that he be not seduced as Adam was by Eve nor be too credulous of her reports as Potiphar was when he put Joseph in prison upon a false accusation of his wife nor omit any necessary duty required by God though she be offended at it as Zipporah the wife of Moses was at the 〈◊〉 of her son Nor hearken to her in a bad cause as 〈◊〉 did to Jezebel Or if she be like 〈◊〉 that scoffed at David for his zeal in dancing before the 〈◊〉 of God he must by his knowledge and wisdom be able to instruct and reform her in the spirit of meekenes And as in the first place government with knowledge is required in the 〈◊〉 so submission consequently belongeth to the wife not to stand upon her own wil or wit but to submit her self to her husband For seeing by her own confession she was not wife enough to resist the serpent but was first in the transgression therefore justly was it laid upon her that she should not stand upon her own will hereafter but should be subject to her husband and be governed and advised by him This the Apostle Saint Peter calls subjection and Saint Paul submission which must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as to the Lord and in the same chapter he calls it fear let the wife fear or reverence her husband which shews that as he hath the government so he hath power and authority which she must fear and this Saint Peter vrgeth by the example of Sarah who obeyed Abraham and called him Lord. And this reason is given because as God is head of Christ and Christ the head of the man so man is the head of the wife Whereupon Saint Augustine saith that as the sense of seeing is by the head so a woman ought to seeby her husband who is her head yet withal he is to remember that as she was not taken out of his head because she must not be above him as his master so neither out of his feet because she is not to be his servant but out of his side a latere that she might be semper illi a latere as his fellow and companion almost his equal The Heathen king Ahasuerus and his counsellers saw this duty of wives by the light of nature when for 〈◊〉 disobedience they decreed that she should be put from her royal estate and see the kings face no more and that her 〈◊〉 should be given to another and that no woman should presume to do the like al this should be published by a royal decree and that every man should beare rule in his own house c. This for the first duty 2. The second duty though it concur with the general affection of love and be in effect nothing else yet it hath a peculiar respect whereby it differeth from all other love and therfore is to be specially mentioned It is described in Gen. by three things 1. That this conjugal love must make one abandon and leave those to whom he is most bound or which are otherwise most neer and dear to him viz comparatively for this cause shall a man leave father and mother 2. That as they must leave all others so they must constantly cleave and adhere to one another as is expressed by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aahasit conglutinatus est to cleave or be glued together 3. This adhering must be such a neare union as makes them one yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one flesh of two so that the love and affection appropriate to this conjunction must exceed all other In all love there is a kinde of union but all other union must give way to this none so neer as this Neither must this love be onley carnal and outward of which Solomon speaks Rejoyce with the wife of thy youth let her be as the loving hind and pleasant Roe let her breasts satisfie thee at all times and be thou ever ravisht with her love but also spiritual according to the Apostles rule to love her as Christ loved the Church whose love as it resembled
order which was never 〈◊〉 though now it be neglected and though men ask the counsel of the Lawyer for their 〈◊〉 and of the Physitian for their bodie and follow their directions yet the Minister is not thought fit to 〈◊〉 them for their fouls but here every one can give counsel as well as the Minister 3. They must give the Minister honour double honour They which labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which take extraordinary pains in the word and doctrine for the emphasis lies in that word let them be counted worthy of double honour 〈◊〉 the Apostle 1. The honour of reverence which extends both to our judgement and 〈◊〉 In our judgement by having a reverent 〈◊〉 of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 29. honour them highly and then in our affection a singular degree of love is due to them The Apostle saith they must be 〈◊〉 highly in love We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and 〈◊〉 you and to esteem them very highly for their works sake 2. The honour of maintenance Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things faith the Apostle God threatens in Zachary that whereas he had broken one staff if the 〈◊〉 wages were not 〈◊〉 he would break both and what can then follow in the Church but Barbarifine and Ignorance and by consequence Epicurisnie and Atheisme When men are sick they can send for the Minister to comfort them then they think of Heaven when they must leave the Earth but when they are recovered there is no 〈◊〉 use of him or when they are in health they regard him not It is well expressed by the Prophet when there were great droughts or rains or 〈◊〉 weather they remembred God and called to him but when they had what they desired when they had got in their corn wine they rebelled against him But God protests against this dealing he wil not be so mocked Remember me in the dayes of thy youth and in thy wealth els 〈◊〉 shalt have no answer of me when the evil dayes come S. Augustine commenting upon the words before recited they which labour in the word and doctrine let them be counted worthy of double 〈◊〉 saith Scilicet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obediant exteriora 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 sed et terr 〈…〉 This double honour is not onely to obey in spiritual things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them in temporals For good 〈◊〉 of the word ought not to be 〈◊〉 with high honour onely but with earthly 〈◊〉 too that 〈◊〉 may not be 〈◊〉 sad and 〈◊〉 in the want of 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 their charge and may also 〈◊〉 in their 〈◊〉 obedience in 〈◊〉 matters 〈◊〉 not saith Saint 〈◊〉 that they which minister about holy things 〈◊〉 of things of the 〈◊〉 and they which wait at the Altar are 〈◊〉 with the Altar even so hath the Lord 〈◊〉 that they which preach the 〈◊〉 should live of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 ordinance not our benevolence We are not at our liberty but tied to it by 〈◊〉 and the minister hath power from God to demand it 〈◊〉 his own And thereupon it is that Saint 〈◊〉 speaking of Saint 〈◊〉 in this very point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 surpata sed 〈◊〉 that though the Apostle chose rather to work with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and did not require milk from his sheep yet he told the 〈◊〉 that he had power to have taken it and that his fellow Apostles vsed this 〈◊〉 not as usurped 〈◊〉 as given them 〈◊〉 by God And 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 but reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apostle saith If we have so vn unto you 〈◊〉 things is it a 〈◊〉 thing if we reape your carnal things But to conclude this point The 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 honour performed is from the want of 〈◊〉 It was Saint 〈◊〉 hope of the Corinthians that when their faith 〈◊〉 his means would be 〈◊〉 And so 〈◊〉 it be of ours if your faith encrease we shall be crowned and 〈◊〉 and where this is wanting we cannot expect it Concerning the difference of Bishops and 〈◊〉 that they are 〈◊〉 orders and that the Bishop is superiour not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 and that by divine right the reverend author hath fully proved it in his 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first in latine and lately translated into English wherein any 〈◊〉 man may finde full satisfaction And 〈◊〉 the power of the Priest or Minister of the Gospel in binding and loosing read a learned sermon made 〈◊〉 the Author on this subject on John 20. 23. published among his other sermons CHAP. VIII Of fathers of our country Magistrates The dutie of all towards their own country God the first magistrate Magistracy Gods 〈◊〉 Power of life and death givento kings by 〈◊〉 not by the people Addition 31. That regal power is 〈◊〉 from God proved out of the authors other writings The 〈◊〉 of magistracy 〈◊〉 To preserve true religion 2. To maintain outward 〈◊〉 Magistrates 〈◊〉 to shepherds in three respects The 〈◊〉 of the 〈◊〉 power via of kings and of inferiour officers The duties ofsubjects to their Prince AFter the fatherhood of the Church order requireth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of those whom even nature and the Heathen by the light of 〈◊〉 have reputed and termed Patres 〈◊〉 fathers of the country which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sort the chief as hath been shewed are in Scripture called fathers as 〈◊〉 and the women mothers as 〈◊〉 a mother in Israel And because their 〈◊〉 is Pater 〈◊〉 God hath commended the countries care especially to every 〈◊〉 For this end it was that when God commanded 〈◊〉 to leave his fathers house he gives the country precedence and sets it before kindred and fathers house and we see what tears the people of God shed when they 〈◊〉 carried out of their own country into a strange land and when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 required them to sing the Lords song in a strange land 〈◊〉 would not And 〈◊〉 hearing of the misery of Jerusalem and his country men sate down and 〈◊〉 On the other side when the Lord 〈◊〉 again the captivity of 〈◊〉 when the people were restored to their country they were so over joyed that they seemed to be in an extasie they were like to them that dreame they would scarce beleeve that which they saw And indeed a mans country and the good of it being bonum totius every mans good a general blessing it ought to be preferred before bonum partis a particular good every man especially the prince and Magistrate ought to have a chief care over it We see that when the body is in danger men are willing to endure the 〈◊〉 of a member opening of a vein or scarifying for the health of the whole We may see this care in the very Heathen both in word and deed as first what they say in matter of profit unicuique
Depart from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest ye be consumed in all their sins But on the other side if they require things directly and evidently contrary to the commands of God Deo potius quam hominibus we must not obey them our selves nay we also must exhort others not to obey them if their authority be lawful though abused we must rather suffer then resist but if it be usurped and without any colour of title we may resist them if we be able for 〈◊〉 without title while the lawful Governour hath not 〈◊〉 his claim are to be accounted as publick theeves and robbers its lawful for any to destroy them and thus we may say with David Quis consurget mecum who will rise up with me against the evil doers We must get as many as we can to joyn with us to deliver us from the oppression of such as 〈◊〉 or invade the authority of our lawful Soveraign CHAP. XI The second part of this Commandment A promise of long life Reasons why this promise is annexed to this Commandment How this promise is made good Reasons why God sometimes shortens the dayes of the godly and prolongs the dayes of the wicked VVE are now come to the second general part of this Commandment which is the Promise That thy dayes may be long 〈◊〉 a prolongation of dayes In the second Commandment there is a general promise to them that love God and keep his Commandments In this there is a particular promise for them that observe this Commandment and therefore its true which the Apostle observed that this is the first Commandment with promise that is with a particular promise Now the reasons why God adds a promise and reason to this Commandment may be these 1. Because according to the proverb Adorant plures 〈◊〉 solem quam occidentem there are more that worship the rising then the setting Sun and old men are compared to the sun going down Job saith that a man towards his end is like a candle burning within the socket or a lamp despised So consequently our fathers having one 〈◊〉 in the grave are neglected because there is no further hopes of receiving benefits by them whereas if they were still growing up with us there were further expectation of good towards us Therefore God adds this reason or motive to stir us up to give due honour to them even when they are old because we shall be rewarded our selves with honour and long life 2. Secondly here is a convenient proportion between the promise and the duty which is most 〈◊〉 The Heathen man saith Si acceperis 〈◊〉 gratis tuere if thou hast received a benefit preserve it We received a benefit in our birth from our parents that is our life be thankful to them and so maintain it for God then will have our life preserved by them from whom we had it and that is by their benediction if we shall continue in our honour to them Pietas saith S. Ambrose in parentes grata Deo merces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this piety towards parents is acceptable to God and is the just reward from children to parents c. And S. Paul saith it hath not onely the promise of this life but of 〈◊〉 to come And therefore this second reason is explained ut bent 〈◊〉 sit that it may 〈◊〉 well with us For as it is said that if all the Adverbs as diu c. were linked together and bene and male were left out they were nothing worth And therefore God makes a comment upon this Commandment after he hath said that thy dayes may be prolonged he adds that it may 〈◊〉 bene well with 〈◊〉 ut non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sit longa sed 〈◊〉 that thy life be not onely long but happy Now parents blessing much conduceth unto this that by their blessing we may prolong our dayes The blessing of Noah to Sem reached to life eternal and of Japhet to this life that he should dwell in 〈◊〉 terra be enlarged and dwell in the tents of Sem and a curse fell upon Cham both for this life and the other and that upon 〈◊〉 and his posterity This blessing of the parents is effectual because it is a fruit of faith as the Apostle tells us in the case of Isaac blessing Jacob and of Jacob blessing the sons of Joseph and as their blessings so their curses are effectual we see it in the story of Isaac He 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fetch him venison that he may blesse him Rebecca counsels Jacob to prevent 〈◊〉 he dares not lest his father curse him yet at his mothers instigation he adventures and Isaac blesseth him with a blessing which afterward proved effectual for when 〈◊〉 came to be blessed Isaac told him dedi fratri tuo benedictionem erit 〈◊〉 I have blessed him and he shall be blessed yet 〈◊〉 loved 〈◊〉 better then Iacob but this was the work of Gods providence that Isaac should give the blessing to Jacob. So likewise in Jacobs blessing of Ephraim the younger before Manasses the elder the younger should be greater then the elder though he should be great too a strange blessing it was for the manner and mighty for the 〈◊〉 and when Jacob blessed Joseph because he had fed his father a part of the honour here commanded as was shewed before therefore he blessed him with the blessings of the heavens of the aire and of the deep and this blessing proved effectual for that Tribe continued longest in prosperity and remained with Judah when the ten Tribes were carried captive and never returned Thus the parents are the instruments which God chooseth to convey his blessings by you are the blessed of the Lord as the 〈◊〉 speaks The blessing is Gods and parents the instruments Before we leave this a question must be answered How is this promise fulfilled since we see by daily experience the contrary we see that dutiful children have died in the strength of their years and disobedient and stubborn have prospered and lived long and therefore that is very true which the Preacher tells us all things come alike to all c. 1. We say that riches honour long life and other outward things are but gifts of Gods left hand and are common alike to all as well to the bad as to the good Isaac in his blessing gave the fat of the earth to Jacob and after verse 39. He gives it to his brother 〈◊〉 and prosperity is the lot of the wicked aswell as the godly ne boni nimis cupide prosequerentur lest the good should be set too eagerly upon it and adversity is common to the godly aswell as the wicked ne 〈◊〉 turpiter effugiatur lest the godly should 〈◊〉 it basely 2. Again the reason why adversity is common to both is because if it should sall upon all the wicked in this life question would
one another 〈◊〉 condemnes Zimri had Zimri peace which slew his Master And Absolom though he were rebellious to his father yet he could condemne Hushai for leaving David is this thy kindnes to thy friend 2. As the Prophet Esay hath it in the forenamed verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 their worm shall not die Conscientia ipsorum paena their very conscience shall be a punishment to them So that their life may be 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 long but without delight or joy 3. The third is out of the same verse ignis 〈◊〉 non extinguetur Their fire shal never be quenched Their misery shall never have end 4. And lastly there too they shall be an abhorring to all flesh They shall be odious to every good man Their name shall be forgotten God will root out the remembrance of them from the earth The name of the wicked shall rot And though God take away the righteous betimes yet in the way of righteousnes is life and in the path-way thereof there is no death as the wiseman speaks And to conclude with the words of the Preacher though the dayes of the wicked be prolonged yet it shall go well with them that fear the Lord But it shall not go 〈◊〉 with the wicked neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he 〈◊〉 not before God THE EXPOSITION OF THE Sixth Commandement CHAP. I. Why 〈◊〉 commandment is placed in this order How it coheres with the rest Of unjust anger the first step to 〈◊〉 how it differs from other affections Of lawful anger unlawful anger how prohibited The degrees and fruits of it The affirmative part of the precept to preserve the life of 〈◊〉 The life of the body and the degrees of it The life of the soul and the sinnes against it The scope of this commandment Non occides Thou shalt do no murther or Thou shalt not kill WE have seen that whatsoever duty was between men as Superiours and Inferiours pertained to the fift Commandment which hath been handled at large Now the duties that are called 〈◊〉 which are common to all follow in the four next commandments This sixth concerneth the life of man and the preservation thereof The seventh respects chastity and the preservation of it in wedlock and out of wedlock The eighth takes care of meum tunm the goods propriety and estates of men And the ninth concernes the reputation and good name of a man This commandment conducing so much to publick and private peace is rightly and in its due order placed next to the 〈◊〉 whereby authority and government is established with due respect and honour And the lawgiver considering the frailty of mans memory hath in his infinite wisdom under one word murder comprehended a whole catalogue of sinnes and made choice of this word which signifies the highest degree of sinnes of this nature to shew how odious the other degrees are and that those affections of unjust anger hatred c. Are murder in his sight which otherwise would not perhaps have seemed so haynous to man if they had not been expressed by that word This commandment is expounded in the law by Moses where not onely murder itself is forbidden but all the degrees and causes 〈◊〉 men come to it as 〈◊〉 bearing standing against the blood of our neighbour hatred not rebuking a neighbour for his sin revenge grudges c. And as in the law so in the Gospel by our Saviour himself there is a large comment upon this law from the two and twentieth verse of the fift of Saint Matthew to the 27. And from the 38. verse to the end of the chapter where rash anger and malice is made murther in the heart and revenge even against enemies is severely forbidden The like is in Saint Johns Epistles almost throughout them all but especially in one place most plainly and especially whosoever hateth his brother is a murtherer By which God sheweth that God rather gives his laws to the heart the fountain of the affections to the affections then to the actions as men do their laws And when we have well weighed these places we shall finde that to be true which the Apostle saith that Anger and hatred 〈◊〉 the gate of the 〈◊〉 whereby he enters into the soul Be angry and sinne not neither give place to the Devil for hereby is way made for strife and debate the proper work of the Devil as S. James speaks For the order and dependance of this Commandment upon the former it is very exact For 1. First the fifth was concerning parents the beginners and Authors of our life therefore no object cometh better to be treated on in the next place then life it self which floweth as an effect from the former and every man ought to prize and esteem it both in himself and others And as it ought to follow the fifth so ought it to go before the rest for we must first have life and being before we can partake of wedlock goods or good name 〈◊〉 do all depend upon life and therefore the Commandment for preserving of it ought to stand before these 2. The ground of the fifth Commandment was self conceit to restrain that conceit which men have of their own excellency whereby they assume honour to themselves and are unwilling to give honour to whom it is due Hence men are apt to hate those that are better and more honoured then themselves for omnis iniquitas mentitur sibi all iniquity deceives it self and we may observe that the first murder came from this Cain hated his brother because he was accepted and preferred before him and the text saith plainly that he slew his brother because he was better then himself for his brothers works were good and his own evil So was Esau's anger kindled against Jacob because of his prerogative of birth-right which he had bought and for the blessing which he stole from Esau. The like was in the Patriarchs against Joseph so that in both cases had they not been prevented they had proceeded even to murder when they hated them All this I say grows upon the conceit that we are not honored so much and others in our opinion are honoured more then they should be Thus then we being thwarted and crossed do as Ahab did fall into anger and revenge and to obtain our desires into murder And therefore in the placing of this Commandment before those that follow there is very good order observed It is true as diverse have well observed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fervour of spirit or animosity proceedeth from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire and our affections are hence called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 violent and earnest We see in natural things fire whose natural place is to be above desireth to be there and therefore it hath the quality of lightnesse given to it whereby it is apt to
diet Saint Paul 〈◊〉 Timothy to drink no more water but a little wine for his stomach By 〈◊〉 into excesse as into surfetting and drunkennesse a man may shorten his life 〈◊〉 Saint Hilary saith that this doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 adimere mortem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it not onely takes away a mans reason but life too And 〈◊〉 saith that 〈◊〉 naturalem 〈◊〉 enervat 〈◊〉 generat mortem intempestivam adducit it weakens a mans natural parts begets infirmities and brings untimely death so that excesse in meat and drink kills by degrees Our Saviour gives a caveate against it take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennes and so that day come upon you unawares So in those things which the Physitians call non naturalia a man by the undue vse of them may shorten his life and by the moderate use of them lengthen it Therefore the 〈◊〉 exhorts that having food and raiment let us be therewith content And make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof So likewise in the case from rest and release of affairs Our Saviour took the Apostles with him apart that they might have leisure to eat and to rest a while for the Psalmist tells us it is but losti labour to hast to rise up early and take late rest and eat the bread of carefulnesse for a man may by the 〈◊〉 much bending of his minde to these earthly things bring death to him the sooner A broken spirit doth but dry up the bones and cause him to die before his time Tristitia mundi worldly sorrow brings death saith the Apostle Now as there must be no neglect in us in respect of preserving our own lives so neither must there be in regard of our neighbours God commanded the builder to put battlements upon his house lest another should fall from it And if a man knew that his oxe vsed to push he was to tie him up and if he failed if any were killed he was to die himself for it with the oxe And if the rule of the wiseman hold good as certainly it doth that we must not with-hold our hand from doing good we wust not forbear to deliver them that are drawne to death then must we not onely keep them from danger of death but by the rules of extension we must do what we can to help them and save their lives Pasce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith saint Ambrose Non pavisti occidisti feed that sheep which is ready to 〈◊〉 if thou feedest it not thou killest it Hence is the use of Physick necessary and those that are skilful are bound to use their skill to preserve the life of their brother Is there no Balm in Gilead is there no Physitian that the people be not healed saith the prophet which speech implies and supposes the use of physick The prophet Ezekiel saith that God hath ordained plants for mans use The fruit for meate and the leaves thereof for 〈◊〉 And under the law it was provided that if any man did 〈◊〉 inferre 〈◊〉 offer violence and wound his neighbour be should pay for his healing by which places is implied the lawful use of physick and the duty of the physitian which is to preserve the life of his neighbour whereas now by the negligence of physitians many patients are like the woman which had a bloody 〈◊〉 in the Gospel who had spent her whole estate upon the physitians and yet was never the better but rather worse such is the practise of some to their shame be it spoken As it is a great sinne in them so it is a great punishment for men to fall into their hands which made the son of Syrach say He that 〈◊〉 before his maker let him fall into the the hands of the Physitian But now as we must preserve the life of the body so also 〈◊〉 corporis the good plight and integrity of it as we said before If the least part of the body be hurt the whole complains and saith 〈◊〉 me why smiteth thou me Neither the whole nor any part must be hurt The law forbad the causing of any blemish upon our neighbour the giving of a wound if any rupture or vstulation by fire happen it is an injury and the like must be inflicted upon the party that was the cause for if there be 〈◊〉 partis a dismembring of any one part it is 〈◊〉 ad mortem 〈◊〉 it reflects upon the whole body And therefore the law requires eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot burning for burning wound for wound stripe for stripe And he goeth further He that causeth but a blemish in a man so shall it be done to him again And as a wound is 〈◊〉 integritatem against the integrity and perfection of the body and plaga contra sensum a stripe against the sense so is a wound binding or imprisonment contra 〈◊〉 against the motion of the body David repeated it at Abners burial as a great honour that his hands had not been bound nor his feet put into fetters he died not as a malefactor for these also are accounted as injuries done without authority but lawfully inflicted by the magistrate they are as punishments and then justifiable So that next to life this 〈◊〉 corporis the preservation of the body in its integrity and perfection is to be regarded CHAP. V. Of the murther of the soul. Several signes against the life of the soul. How a man may be accessory to the death of his soul. This sin may be committed both by them that have charge of souls and by private persons That this law is spiritual according to the third rule Of the murther of the soul. 〈◊〉 come now to the murther of the soul which is forbidden aswell as the murther of the body And indeed the murther of this is so much the more grievous by how much the image of God is more in it then in the body and therefore if the blood of the body cry to God for vengeance it is certain that the blood of the soul will cry much lowder Now the life of the soul may be said to be taken away 1. In respect of the present 2. Of the life to come 1. If a man live not here with a contented minde if his soul be not filled with good as the preacher speaks an untimely birth is better then he that is he had as good never to have been born now he that ministers occasion to discourage as the Apostle or to discontent another and so makes his life odious to him he offends against this commandment We see in 〈◊〉 what griefe can do Simeon being detained in Egypt and Benjamin to be carried thither if any mischief should befall him he tells his other sons he should be but a dead man but assoone
Saint James cal such anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is without partiality not standing upon his own 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discretion he stands not doubting what his meaning might be but doth Candide interpretari construe it fairely 3. The third is a willingnes sometimes to depart from ones right for peace and quietnes Saint James saith that true wisdom is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gentle or guided by equity and moderation and Saint Paul plainly requires it let your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moderation be shewn unto all men By these three rules anger is prevented 2. But now for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the healing after the wound is made there are 3. other rules prescribed by the Apostles and prophets 1. To support or to bear with one another for though anger may come into a wise mans bosom yet it must not rest there it rests onely in the bosom of fools we must therefore be long-suffering and not put in more bitternes to make a bitter thing more bitter We must as the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beare all things Yea we must be as the Prophet David was fni tanquam surdus I was as a deafe man he was not deafe but tanquam surdus as one dease and as Saint James speaks we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cover a multitude of sins 2. We must not keep in minde any injuries done but labour to forget and forgive Thou shalt not beare any grudge against the children of thy people saith God 3. If we have done the wrong we must seek for reconciliation as our Saviour commands and this must be partly with good words for a soft answer 〈◊〉 away wrath and partly with gifts for a gift in secret pacifieth anger and a gift in the bosome great wrath This is the way to heale anger when it is broken out 2. The second vertue opposite to anger is charity the fruits and effects whereof are opposite to the several parts and branches of unlawful anger 1. Against the inward boyling of anger in the heart Charity makes us lie down in peace and sleepe as the Psalmist speaks and it keeps the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace as the Apostle speaks it doth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it envies not is not puffed up and therefore Saint Peter calls such as have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as love unity of spirit 2. Against the icterus peccati the outward iaundise appearing in the face c. Where charity is there is that simplex oculus a single eye of which our Saviour speaks charity doth not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look undecently or with 〈◊〉 and for our words where it is there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vrbanity and suavity 3. Against the outward act of murther charity produces Beneficence which is the same with that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goodnes which the Apostle mentions which is according to the objects divided into several parts for 1. There is beneficence to the dead By burying them by shewing love and kindnes to their seed according to that in the Canticles love is stronger then death The grave will not quench it 2. There is beneficence to the living and that either 1. general to all men called humanity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yea even to evil men as correptio fraterna to reprove them and not to suffer sin to rest upon them and to pray for them or else 2. Specially to the Godly we must do good to all but especially to the household of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John makes it a signe that we are translated from life to death to love the brethren and Saint Paul counts it a dignity to do good to such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is worthy the Saints implying that it shews the worth and dignity of a Saint to do good to such And among such those that are our own our friends or are neer to us are to be respected chiefly as was shewed before when we spake of charity in general for a man that hath friends must shew himself friendly and there is a friend that sticketh closer then a brother After these we come to another sort of people to whom beneficence must be shewed viz to such as need by works of mercy and almes deeds The Apostle requires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bowels of mercy Now this consists in diverse things as in rejoycing with them suffering with them by sympathy of affection when we do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostle speaks by giving what they want if we have it and if we have it not by wishing them well and giving them comfortable speeches and praying to God for them by practizing that vertue of hospitality 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so much commended Lastly this part of Christian charity must be extended even to our enemies whereby all these duties now mencioned 〈◊〉 illustriora become the more illustrious and praise worthy by forgiving them praying for them and assisting them in their necessity thereby we become perfect and resemble our heavenly father as our Saviour speaks when we so far overcome our affections that we make our sun to shine upon them with others by doing them good though not for their own sakes and do not let our sun go down upon them by stopping our benefits towards them when they have offendedus Thus we see the vertues opposite to anger which must be laboured for as means to prevent and suppresse this passion CHAP. VIII Rules for the eradication of unjust anger 1. To keepe the passion from rising 4. Rules 2. After it is risen to suppresse it How to carry our selves towards those that are angry with us 1. To give place 2. To looke up to God 3. To see the devil 〈◊〉 of the second thing in anger viz. Revenge Reasons against it If our anger have broken out Rules what we must do Of the act viz. requiting one injury with another Rules in going to law The sixth rule of 〈◊〉 others to keep this Commandment THere remaines something more to be said about the eradication or takeing away the root of unjust anger and this may also be referred to the meanes 1. First to keep this passion from rising in us we must observe these rules 1. We must not have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must be voyd of prejudice against our brother considering as the Apostle saith that we are subject to the like temptations and men in their anger become corrupt in judgement for holding this principle that those that offend us are evil we are consequently perswaded that we our selves are good and therefore we will shew our power on those that provoke us therefore every man must know that he hath to deale with men of like
imployments 3. The last is voluptas quae neutrum horum impedit so much pleasure as will hinder neither of these Moderate pleasure may be used in eating and drinking so that it neither endanger our health nor make us unfit for the duties of our callings but if it prove hurtful or prejudicial to either of these if this voluptas this 〈◊〉 in meats and drinks be either against life or our duty it is peccatum a sin According to these rules we must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bridle our desires we must make temperance our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our coachman and give her the bridle that she may aswell constringere as relaxare bridle as let loose as occasion shall be offered Saint Augustine saith Temperantia froenos gutturis 〈◊〉 relaxat temperance both restraineth and giveth liberty to the appetite and the Heathen man saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Venus waits on plenty and fulnesse And that we may the better know how to restrain or enlarge our selves in the use of meats we may further consider that this last rule divideth it self in five branches 1. For the substance we must not fare every day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 splendide delicately with the 〈◊〉 Glutton the Israelites were weary of manna and must needs have quailes but for Daniel and his companions who had moratos ventres no dainty palats but temperate appetites 〈◊〉 served their turnes well enough and yet they looked never the worse Elies sons must have rost meat they cannot away with sodden but Elias provision was no more then a cake and a cruse of water and Elisha provided nothing but a pot of potrage for the children of the Prophets 2. For the quantity They that have taken measure of our throat and other parts of our bodies say that the throat is lesse in man then in any other creature of answerable proportion to teach us temperance and to beware of superfluity either 1. By surcharging our nature or disabling our selves for the duties of our calling like those 〈◊〉 whom the Prophet speaks that make themselves sick with 〈◊〉 therefore our Saviour warnes his disciples to take heed of Crapula surfetting ne gravet corda lest it overcharge your hearts with surfetting Saint Augustine confesseth of himself that being at a table furnished with many dishes he was easily over taken 2. Or by exceeding our estate which was Nabals fault who was too high in his feast by a note he made a feast like a prince there was superfluity 3. For the qual ty stand not upon curiosity or exquisitenesse it was in part Marthas fault but Christ gave her a gentle reprehension for it And the Apostle chargeth us not to make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof as those that study sapores non naturales for exquisite sawces to provoke the appetite for this is the way to bring him to his teares even to weeping because we make our belly our God and to move God to destroy both it and them for as Saint Gregory saith haec arca 〈◊〉 quae in eo reponuntur the belly will be consumed and whatsoever we put into it and therefore it is folly to make that our God This in regard of the meat Now there are 2 rules more in regard of our selves 1. That we eat not too greedily For this is os porci habere to have a hoggish or swinish appetite And this made the Devil as S. Jerome observes to make choice of the heard of swine to enter into because of their greedinesse They were like Cormorants given to devouring S. Jerome saith Vbi satietas est ibi Daemones agunt choreas where this greedinesse and fulnesse is there the Devils dance S. Augustine saith that it was Esau's fault Ardenter comedit quia ardenter desideravit he must needs eat greedily that longed after it so earnestly that he sold his birth-right for it S. Jude calls this vesci sine timore to feed without fear Therefore the son of Syrach gives good counsel in this point If thou sit at a bountiful table be not greedy upon it 2. That we eat not too often And in this rule we must have recourse to the former of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our life and calling not so often as to hinder our health not so often as to hinder our calling Not too early Wo to thee O land saith the Preacher when thy Princes eat in the morning Not too late Wo to them saith the Prophet joyning them together that rise up early that they may follow strong drink that continve till night till the wine enflame them This assiduitas continuance in eating he compares to greedinesse of dogs which never can have enough when men say to 〈◊〉 shall be as this day and much more abundant Their mindes are continually occupied in thoughts of eating All those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comessations mencioned by the Apostle are forbidden as also those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drinkings and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vinolentia mentioned by S. Peter these though some of them are lesse grievous then the other because in some there is avorsatio a fine a direct aversion from the end others do but in some sort aberrare a fine come some what wide of the end yet all are forbidden The Apostle forbids excesse of wine as well as of lusts vinolentia drinking too much as well as crapula gluttony having regard no doubt to those secundae mensae second courses banquets comessations and drinkings such as are now in use S. Augustine in his confessions upon our Saviours caveat against surfetting and drunkennesse hath this passage Domine ebrietas longe est a me fac quaeso ne unquam appropinquet mihi crapula autem nonnunquam obrepit servo tuo fac quaeso ut longe absit a me quis est qui non rapiatur aliquantulum extra met as necessitatis quisquis est magnus magnificet nomen tuum ego autem non sum quia homo peccator sum Sed tamen ego in his positus tentationibus certo quotidie cum cupiditatibus Lord I am far from drunkennesse grant I pray thee that it may never come neer me but gluttony hath often stole upon thy servant grant I beseech thee that it may be far from me and who is there that is not sometime carried beyond the bounds of necessity whosoever is perfect shall magnifie thy name such a one I am not because a sinful man yet being in the midst of these 〈◊〉 I strive daily with my concupiscence And this I do further 1. for unnecessary refections I have clean cut them off 2. I follow Solomons counsel Be not amonst wine-bibbers amongst riotous eaters of flesh 3. Mihi sufficit apparatus meus mine own provision contents me 4. Whensoever I go beyond the bounds of necessity I do not say Cras
corn the people shall curse him c. And thus much for the several branches of this Vertue of restitution The Casuists who are very copious upon this subject and have involved the matter by many intricate and needles questions have yet well reduced all to certain heads comprized in a Distich Quis quid restituit cui quantum quomodo quando Quo ordine quove loco quae causa excuset iniquum We shall first premise a few things for the better understanding of what follows 1. By restitution is meant an act of commutative justice whereby equal compensation is rendred or satisfaction given to him from whom any thing is unjustly taken or detained or who is unjustly damnified by another 2. The necessity appears by the 〈◊〉 of Scripture already mentioned wherein it is expressely 〈◊〉 as necessary to 〈◊〉 of sin and so to salvation necessitate 〈◊〉 though not 〈◊〉 3. If any ask the 〈◊〉 why it is so little urged by our Writers and Preachers and the practise of it become such a stranger to us seeing 't is so necessary I answer that among many reasons that may be rendred these two are apparent 1. The abuse and mistakes about the doctrine of free justification and about the difference between the Law and the Gospel of which some touch was given before for divers make the Gospel to consist of meer promises as if all precepts were legal and that there could be no 〈◊〉 remission if any thing be required of us though onely by way of qualification to make us capable and not by way of merit which as it is directly contrary to the whole current of Scripture so it opens a gap to all libertinisme and makes the whole duty of Christian obedience and this of restitution in special meerly arbitrary in relation to pardon and therefore it is no wonder that where such 〈◊〉 are sucked in that the practise of this duty is neglected 2. The neglect and 〈◊〉 of peoples examining themselves and advising with their Pastors concerning the estate of their souls before they come to the holy Eucharist few take their counsel and directions concerning their actions in particular but content themselves to hear them in the pulpit where they speak onely in general hence people go on headlong in unjust courses without check of Conscience and no restitution is made but what Law enforces whereas if the Priest knew the state of his flock restitution would be made without any noise or breach of charity or multiplicity of Law suits and hence it is that the Lawyer hath got this part of the Priests office and all matters of restitution are removed from the court of conscience forum conscientiae where the Priest as Gods Delegate might determine things of this nature without trouble or charge to any to the forum Civile the courts at Westminst where by those Pests of the Common-wealth unconscionable Lawyers suits and quarrels are maintained to the shame of Christianity and the great hazzard of peoples souls Now for the particulars above mentioned we shall resolve them briefly 1. Quis who is bound to restore The answer is 1. He that hath any thing of another mans by Loan 〈◊〉 c. or that hath unjustly damnified another either in the goods of his soul by scandal c. or of his body by wounding maiming killing c. or of his 〈◊〉 and good name by slander and disgrace or of his outward estate which is most proper for this place by theft rapine fraud deceit extortion or any other unjust act 2. All that partake with him as causes of damnifying another these are set so 〈◊〉 that Distich Jussio consilium 〈◊〉 palpo recursus 〈◊〉 mutus non obstans non manifestans Here are nine sorts of persons included as participating some by words onely as the four first by whose command counsel consent or commendation another is induced to wrong his brother others by fact as the receiver and the helper and these concur by a positive 〈◊〉 others by a negative act as they that hinder not by word or by deed when they might and ought ex officio and not onely ex charitate to have hindred or do not manifest it after when they are bound ex officio so to do All such are tyed to restitution if they be effectual causes of the damage For the Rule of both Laws 〈◊〉 and Canon is Qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dedit damnum dedisse 〈◊〉 2. Quid what must be restored whatsoever of right belongs to another or if the thing be lost or perished then the value together with the fruits and profits and the damages 〈◊〉 by unjust detention 3. Cui to whom To the party 〈◊〉 as the former places shew but yet in some cases Interdum non est officium reddere quod acceperis saith S. Ambrose a man is not bound to restore what he hath received as when the restoring will be to the hurt of the owner or to the publick damage of Church or Commonwealth thus a sword is not to be restored to a madman but to him that hath the keeping of him If the owner be dead then to him to whom his goods of right ought to descend Numbers 5. 7 8. If the owner be not known then to God who is Lord of all the Lord Paramount to whom it escheates and to Christ the Heir of all that is to the Priest for Gods worship Numb 5. 8. and to the poor members of Christ. 4. Quantum how much The whole damage if it be certainly known if it be doubtful then as it shall be valued by honest and indifferent men 5. Quomodo in what manner It may be either a by mans self or by another who is known to be honest and faithful otherwise if he 〈◊〉 in his trust this excuses not the party 2. If the damage be secret one may provide for his credit by using a 〈◊〉 to restore it for he is not bound to open restitution if he can do it otherwise 3. If the whole be to be restored it must notbe done by parts 6. Quando when presently without delay for otherwise the sin is continued and increased so long as restitution is deferred the negative precept of not keeping that which is another mans included in the affirmative bindes semper ad semper Say not to thy neighbour come again to morrow saith Solomon If it be meant of the poor to whom we owe onely ex charitate it follows a fortiori when any thing is due ex debito justitiae 7. Quo ordine in what order Where a man is able to satisfie all he is not tyed to any order otherwise he must follow the Laws under which he lives 8. Quo loco in what place This is not much material when any question arises about this the positive Laws determine it 9. Quae causae excusant what causes free a man from restoring 1. The
fiery furnace without hurt either to their bodies or garments was so terrified and astonied that he repealed his former decree and published another and that a sharp one against them that should 〈◊〉 Gods Name The like did Darius upon the supernatural and powerful preservation of Daniel in the Lions den And so we read that the people were astonied at the mighty works of our Saviour Power breeds terrour then 3. The last is his omniscience No sin that we commit but he takes notice of them My sinnes saith king David are not hid from thee When Moses saw no man by he was bold to kill the Egyptian But when he perceived that some were privy to it he feared and said surely this thing is known There is no creature but is manifest in his sight for all things are naked and open before him In respect therefore that he knoweth our transgressions our fear is to be fixed on him And this putteth a difference between the fear of God and the fear of man which they call malum diuturnitatis custodem an ill keeper of continuance for the fear of God is bonus diuturnitatis custos a good keeper of it And now according to the first rule for exposition of the Decalogue we are to see in this what is commanded and what forbidden 1. Here are commanded both the fears servile and filial 1. The first the School-men call timorem servorum servile fear such fear as servants shew to Masters a fear of punishment and this is a good fear though it be ignorantly condemned by some True it is that the Apostle saith that the sons of God have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father the spirit of bondage is inferiour to the spirit of adoption yet that spirit is better then the spirit of Belial or that of slumber of which the Prophet speaks whereby mens eyes are closed It is a maxime that actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfecte primo there is no perfect action but at first it is imperfect and is perfected by degrees It is a good thing to be a son yet it is better to be a servant a door-keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of ungodlinesse better to be a hired servant then a prodigal son It is good to be in Canaan in the land of promise but in the mean time it is better to be in the wildernesse then in Egypt So fear and spare not fac saith S. Augustine si nondum potes amore justitiae at timore poenae do it if not for love of goodnesse yet for fear of punishment and his ground is out of a place in Deuteronomie cap. 5. Nothing brought the Jews to the love of God but the terrour they conceived out of the strange sights before them yet God wisheth that they might have such a heart in them alwayes that they would fear him yet this was but a servile fear procured by the strange sights at the deliverie of the Law 2. The second they call timorem filiorum filial fear This they illustrate by an example from the son of a poor man that hath a reverend fear not to offend his father though he be assured that he can do him neither good nor hurt And these two fears are distinct and different The first ariseth from the fear of punishment and this from love and may be called reverence This is the fear which the Psalmist calleth clean and endureth for ever and thus we perfect or work out our salvation with fear and trembling The reason why though we may and ought to obey God out of love yet it hath pleased him to command fear is threefold 1. To overthrow the vain sp culation of some erroneous people that dream of an absolute perfection in this life The Wise man saith Beatus qui semper pavit happy is the man that feareth alway And either there is no perfection in this life or else fear is superfluous he that cannot fall need not fear But because in this life there be degrees of perfection and though we have obtained perfection of parts that is all vertues and graces required in a Christian yet there are several degrees of perfection wherein we must still be growing for a childe though it have all the parts of a perfect man yet it hath them not in that degree of perfection which one of yeers hath attained to therefore this fear is alwayes necessary None stands so fast but he may fall and therefore must alwayes fear 2. Inasmuch as the children of God often feel in themselves a feeblenesse in faith a doubt in hope coldnesse in prayers slownesse in repentance and a debility in all other pious duties in some more in others lesse according to the measure of the Spirit communicated to them as it was in King David therefore fear is necessary to recover themselves and he that looseth it not his heart shall never be hardened nor fall into mischief as the Wise man intimates in the place before cited Fear is a good preservative for the heart though all other duties fail yet if fear continue we shall never need to despair Saint Bernard saith I know it for a truth that for the keeping continuing and 〈◊〉 of the vertues and duties which God hath commanded there is nothing more profitable and available then fear when the grace of God is with us and when it is departed so that ther 's nothing left but fear yet this fear wil never leave us or let us rest till we have made our selves fit to receive it again si deficit timor deficis et tu if fear decay thou decayest with it c. when we have recovered the grace that was lost fear will preserve it for fear of a relapse will make us more circumspect Saint Jerome calls it Custodem omnium virtutum 3. Because the excellent duty of love the effect of feare might not fail and grow carles In the Canticles the Spouse fell asleep with her beloved in her arms when she awoke her beloved was gone in her bed she sought him but found him not so that if there be not a mixture of fear with love it will grow secure and fall a sleep and lose her beloved Therefore that we may be sure to keep our love awake when we think we have Christ in our armes there must be a mixture of fear with it So for these three reasons fear is necessary even for them that think themselves in a perfect estate And withall Solomon tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so did his father before him And the same Solomon concludes his book of the preacher with fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the end of all and the whole duty of man And in another place he saith it is fons vitae The