our course according to that Providence since it is most certain that God Almighty never intends our ruine by the miseries he permits to fall upon us but rather our salvation if we bear them with conformity to his holy will But we must find the prayer adapted to this present Epistle and Gospel too else we fail of our design You will have anon the literall sense of both expounded but we must now prosecute our further aim of making it appear this prayer is as it were an abstract of them both In which holy Church would teach us how to cast our selves upon the providence of God with a perfect resignation to his divine will as who should say O God we know thou hast environed mankind with a world of internall and externall evils yet thou that art omnipotent canst remove those evils or things which are hurtfull out of our way and canst afford us all that is good and beneficiall to us since we doubt not but thy goodnesse hath a desire to save each of us and consequently hast so disposed of us in thy saving Providence as notwithstanding all the evils that environ us thy will of saving us shall not be frustrated No not maugre all the internall evils mentioned in the Epistle of our own flesh and bloud propending us to perpetuall sinne nor all the externall evils mentioned in the Gospel of ravenous wolves of false prophets who under colour of saving our souls seek to swallow them up into the mouth of hell For as against our internall evils we find helps in the Epistle domestick easie helps such as S. Paul is almost ashamed to name our own flesh and bloud captivated onely to the rule of reason and grace in like manner we find helps in the Gospel against our externall evils false prophets or teachers when we are in the Gospel taught how to distinguish them from true and safe guides by looking into their lives and works which are compared there to fruits of trees that is if their lives be good we may safely follow them if bad we must avoid them And certainly as we have no internall enemy greater then our own flesh and bloud ill regulated so we have no externall greater then false prophets ill teachers since the Lay-mens lives ought to be squared unto the lives of their spirituall leaders and when any of these are false guides it is like the corruption of the best thing which alwayes is the worst corruption O how fitly then doth holy Church to day reflecting on these internall and externall enemies or evils mind Almighty God in this prayer of that his never-failing providence when to secure us that it be not frustrated in us she bids us deprecate all those evils that may indanger it and beg all those helps that may conduce unto it Say then beloved this prayer with this relation to the Epistle and Gospel both which it sweetly summes up unto you and say it with such a fervour of spirit as it self imports that is beseeching God to looke upon us as lost souls amidst so many dangers as he hath placed us in unlesse he use his own omnipotent power to make good in us his saving Providence For then God hears best when we pray with most earnestnesse and when we cast our selves wholly upon his care and Providence which can never be frustrated The Epistle Rom. 6. v. 19. c. 19 I speak a humane thing because of the infirmity of your flesh For as you have exhibited your members to serve uncleannesse and iniquity unto iniquitie So now exhibit your members to serve justice unto sanctification 20 For when you were servants of sinne you were free to justice 21 What fruit therefore had you then in those things for which now you are ashamed for the end of them is death 22 But now being made free from sinne and become servants to God you have your fruit unto sanctification but the end life everlasting 23 For the stipends of sin death But the grace of God life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Explication 19. St. Paul calls it well a humane thing or motive when he moves us to piety by the argument of requiring no more care in us to serve God then we used to serve our selves And as by iniquity he understands all sinne so by justice he understands all virtue which doth sanctifie us 20. That is to say by making sinne your master you had cast off all the yoke of duty you ow to justice the mistresse under whom you ought to serve God So free to justice means slavery to injustice in this place which is a very ill freedome indeed 21. 'T is clear enough we reap no fruit from sinne but shame and death 22. As clear it is that when we renounce the bondage we were in to sinne we then become servants to God and have for the present fruit of our service sanctity and for the future an eternall and blissfull life 23. That is to say the naturall and due reward of sin is death but life eternall is not so due to Saints because it is a huge grace of God that they obtain heaven when they have done all they can to gain it And in this place the Apostle calls it grace or a reward given to virtue by the singular favour and mercy of God And he calls this grace life everlasting because under the notion of life he includes all that is good and happy and because he will confront it with death which is the reward of sinne to make it more gratefull by being compared to so ungratefull an opposite as death is unto life The Application 1. IT is evident S. Paul in this place speaks to the Lay-people amongst the Romans not to the Church-men for he requires a farre greater perfection of them then of the Layity to whom he indulgeth here as much as humane frailty can expect when he makes the Infirmity of their flesh the strength of his argument to perswade them to the fruits of the spirit their sanctification by the works of charity For without charity there can be no saintity 2. As therefore all sins whatsoever are reduced to the works of the flesh so all virtues are reduced to the works of charity which is the spirit of God working in us counter to the flesh that still producing slavery shame death and damnation this freedome confidence life everlasting and salvation 3. Now in regard Almighty God hath made no flesh at all of his spirituall counsels and in regard we see his wisdome hath so ordained that the life of man is a perpetuall warfare between the spirit and the flesh as this Epistle tells us from the first to the last of it and lastly in regard he hath provided us one sole Chieftain sufficient to quell all the enemies of the flesh his holy grace his love his charity which alone is able to secure souls from all the assaults of their triple enemies the world the flesh and
sanctity that any Christian can hope to arrive unto so sweetly doth holy Church adapt her Prayer unto the doctrine of her preachers that so the layity may in little carry away what the preachers deliver to them at large The Epistle 1 Pet. 3.8 8 Be ye all unanimous in Prayer having compassion lovers of the fraternity merciful modest humble 9 Not rendring evil for evil nor curse for curse but contrariwise blessing for unto this are you called that you may by inheritance possesse a Benediction 10 For he that will love life and see good dayes let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak not guile 11 Let him decline from evil and do good let him enquire peace and follow it 12 Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just and his eares are open unto their prayers but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evill things 13 And who is he that can hurt you if you be emulatours of good 14 But and if you suffer for justice Blessed are ye And the fear of them fear ye not and be not troubled 15 But sanctifie our Lord Christ in your hearts The Explication 8. St. Peter here recapitulates some of the chief vertues which make a perfect Christian No marvel he begins with unanimity be it in prayer or otherwise in all common Actions because this vertue is radicated in the B. Trinity the ground of all Christianity for there the three distinct Persons are not onely all of one mind but of one essence too in imitation whereof Christians are taught to be all of one mind all ayming still in every action at the honour and glory of one onely God as the Angels do The Apostle puts compassion next to shew that each Christian should be as sensible of his neighbours sufferings as his own soul is sensible of the pain in any member of his own body This vertue flowes indeed from the former unanimity for where there is but one mind or soul as it were there must be one and the same sense or compassion And this vertue of compassion extends as well towards our being sensible of each good in our neighbour and zealous to imitate it as of any evil we see in him out of a zeal to remedy or cure the same So excellent is the unity of Christianity Hence also flowes the next vertue lovers of the fraternity to shew that the grace of our Religion teacheth us to imitate the perfection of nature so to love one another being Brothers in grace as we do that are Brothers in nature When we are bid Be merciful it is as if we were told our compassion must be even from the Bowels of our hearts Modesty and humility are well joyntly recommended together because they are indeed inseparable companions as it were and so in this exteriour vertue modesty rendring the whole person exteriourly gratefull and in her inseparable companion humility S. Peter closeth up his enumeration of vertues ending with humility because that is indeed both the basis and summity of all others for as it must be the first as captivating mans proud reason unto Faith so if it go not hand in hand up to the top of perfection with other vertues even with charity the Queen of them all that great Queen cannot stand fast in her throne but upon the feet of humility 9. S. Peter here forbids not the flowing of Justice or execution of just revenge when it is legal but onely private retaliation of evil for evil and exhorts that each private person blesse and not curse those which do him mischief because as the end of all our temporal evils is eternal Blisse so we must in hope of that for our selves Blesse those that do us evil O rare perfection of Christianity 10. By these three next verses taken out of Davids mouth S. Peter proveth that to repay evil for evil is our natures propension but bids us forbear as we will hope to have our own evil deeds towards God forgiven and the little good we do rewarded with eternal life called here seeing good dayes for those are chiefly good which shine with glory over our heads though the dayes of grace here are not deprived of that Epitheton too We are therefore bid refrain our tongues because when they be loose and unbridled that alone begets bad dayes unto us every one judging him to have a bad heart that hath a bad or an unbridled tongue and how can the lips of an ill tongue speak other then guilt when they betray the guiltinesse of their own heart 11. The declining evil and doing good is an abstract of all Christian duty and a perfect rule of Christian perfection 'T is reason to bid us seek peace and follow it as being the special gift of our Saviour which he brought with him from heaven at his birth and then the Angels bestowed it amongst us the holy Ghost did the like at his coming too and Christ at his going left it as his Farewel as hath been said before yet is not here unseasonably repeated 12. By the eye of our Lord understand the piercing knowledge of Almighty God whereby he sees into the secrets of all hearts and seeing them lovers of Justice heares all the prayers they make unto him and grants them all they ask By his Countenance understand here that displeasure he shews at the latter day unto the wicked when he pronounceth the sentence of damnation against them for how ever he doth not damne every man in his actual sin but differrs his justice till the latter day yet he looks on their iniquity that do sin with the same displeasing countenance as at the day of Judgement when it will be a greater torment to behold the displeasure of that countenance then to suffer hell fire O that we could in all Temptations to sin reflect on this Truth so should we avoid the fact that will merit this effect 13. A happy shield against evil to emulate vertue and goodnesse Emulation here imports a vehement zeal and fervour of soul towards vertue not a faint velleity or wish of it but a strong will and action too and so makes a strong shield not onely against all vice but even against all mischief for S. Austin sayes well no body is hurt but by himself by his own sin therefore if all men be emulatours of vertue they are sheltred from all evil or hurt from others And this one of the Churches prayers in Lent assures us of that no adversity shall hurt us if no iniquity dominear over us 14. Doubtlesse those are Blessed that suffer for justice since Jesus Christ who is verity it self hath numbered those among the Blessed nay among those who actually are possessed of heaven as if a patient suffering an unjust persecution here were a heaven to the sufferer even whilest he is in durance and as if God were not content to reward that kind of suffering with future Blisse but with
deal of Sin and though it be a greater effect to remit sin of the Soul than to cure diseases of the Body yet this will not be miraculous as the other was and consequently if we ask a favour with like zeal as they did beg a Miracle surely we may hope to have it and truly not to ask it is not onely not to deserve it but to confound our selves knowing it is but Ask and Have with so good so puissant so merciful a God And thus we see again there is a deeper sense latent in the Prayers of holy Church than lazy Souls that will not meditate it out can easily retrive but once found out must needs prove hugely consonant unto the Epistle and Gospell of the day since holy Church gives us this Prayer for an abstract of her doctrine in the Pulpit that so we may unanimously and with one mouth honour God and whom he sent our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ The Epistle ROM 12. ver 17. c. 17. TO no man rendring evill for evill providing good things not onely before God but before Man 18. If it may be as much as in you holding peace with all men 19. Not revenging your selves my dearest but give place unto wrath for it is written Revenge to me I will reward saith our Lord. 20. But if thine enemy hunger give him meat if he thirst give him drink for doing this thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head 21. Be not overcome of evill but overcome in good the evill The Explication 17. THis Epistle begins with the end of the seventeenth Verse the beginning being explicated in the last Sundayes Epistle nor is there any thing of moment can be said more than the Text it self speaks disswading us to render evill for evill but exhorting to provide as much good as we can to all men which Saint Bernard explicates as alluding to conversation and counselling it may be good both in the sight of God and Man saying We owe our Consciences to God our Fame to Man though perhaps this may be an addition of perfection to the former part of the Counsell as who should say we were not onely to avoid rendring evill for evill but rather instead of so doing to repay an ill turn done unto us with a good deed done by us to those that doe us hurt 18. And to that purpose the next Verse alludes saying If it may be for perhaps all the good we can doe will not gain upon our enemeis at least we must endeavour on our part there be no defect but that if possible we be at peace with all men as we desire God to be in peace with us and not to wage against us the warre of his wrath and fury since we offend him hourly and that infinitely more than any enemy we have can offend us 19. The Latine phrase is not defending your selves but because commonly the defense of Man against Man is made by way of Revenge therefore here the Apostles sense is extended thereunto as if what resistance we may make under the moderation of an unblamed defence must be sure to savour nothing of Revenge if we will hold the integrity of a good Christians reputation but instead of Revenging give place to wrath that is as some will have it to the Divine Wrath which is provoked in God against all those that doe injury to any one of his creatures as Princes take the wrong done to their Ministers for affronts to them and so revenge the same others say to be silent to depart when you are exasperated is to give place to wrath The last and best meaning is if your enemy begin to be angry oppose him not but let him go on till his anger be over and this as it is truly to give way or place to wrath so oftentimes it is the means to appease the fury of the Enemy who if resisted might increase in fury whereas not being opposed he cools within himself and so there is double way given both by the receiver of a wrong and by him that through the patience of the injured surceaseth to doe further injury by his further wrath and this way is sutable to that of our Saviour saying Luke 10. v. 29. If any strike your right cheek turn him your left rather than strike him again So this place thus given to wrath imports as much as a pardon given to our neighbours offence against us as we hope for pardon of our offences against God For thus we shall give way that the injurious words passing through our humane ears into our Christian hearts and there buried in the bowels of brotherly affection may die and be no more remembred than if they never had been heard by us or spoken by our enemy and lest we should say if neither I nor any friend else revenge my wrongs I shall never live in quiet therefore the Apostle knowing this was an objection obvious against him adds presently what is written Deut. 32. v. 35. Revenge to me I will reward as who should say Be not O Christians sollicitous how to redeeme your vexation for injuries unless you revenge them be it your part to receive all wrong patiently and leave it to God to right you let him revenge your quarrells he both can as omnipotent and will as just infallibly revenge your wrongs rather we should pitty those who fall into the hands of the living God for that is terrible as the Scripture sayes Heb. 10 3â— and wish they had not done us wrong to pull upon themselves so great a revenge 20 Contrariwise If thine enemy hunger give him meat c. which is advised Prov. 25. v. 21. as if we should like loving mothers feed our enemies as our children and the manner here expressed is like to that indeed which mothers or nurses use to little ones first giving them a bit of meat then a little drinke and so continue till the child covet no longer feeding and in very truth the fury of an enemie menacing our ruine is a kind of reducing himself from the state of a man to that of a little child void of reason stamping and staring for anger without cause since no man will anger a child This phrase of the Proverbs heaping coals of fire upon our enemies heads is variously explicated some thinke our patience to an implacable enemy makes him guilty of hell fire but this cannot stand with a sound sense if our patience bee to any such end though perhaps rather than be provoked our selves to impatience wee may permit our enemy to incurre that danger and so permissively cast coals of eternall fire upon his head The second sense therefore is better of those that say our patience causing an enemies blush is a kind of firing him with his own passions of fury and shame together but best of all they explicate this place who say we cast coals of charity upon an enemies head by our patient bearing his injuries and
flow between these two extreames the more they approach to the Circle the wider they are but as they recede from the Circle the closer they go till at last they are all concentred in one point Almighty God and so made one heart and one soule amongst our selves hence we see that all the motion our affections have from man to God growes still more and more vigorous and more perfect So S. Austine concludes DILIGE ET FAC QUOD VIS. Love and do what thou please Tract 7. in Epist 1. S. John whereas the Apostle sayes if there be any other precept meaning of the Second Table for of the three belonging to the First Table and that of honouring our parents the first precept of the Second Table he had spoken before at large under the title of Superiour powers Princes and others ending that subject in these words To whom honour honour for that command is in these words Honour thy Father and Mother under which title are included Elders Betters Superiours especially Princes spoken of at large from the first verse of this Chapter to the end of the seventh ending as above to whom honour honour I say whereas the Apostle saies if there be any other Precept it is included in this word Love your neighbour as your selfe we are to note the Precept of love to our neighhour is bipartite as divided into two branches the first whereof is affirmative grounded on these words of S. Matth. Chap. 6. What you will have others doe to you doe you the same to them The second negative in that of Tobit Chap. 4. v. 16. What you hate to have another doe to you see you never do that to another not that this Precept commands an equality but onely a similitude of love to your neighbour with that you beare to your self that is to say as all you desire is honest good delectable to your selfe so desire the like to your neighbour not in equall proportion but in exact similitude distaste him not hurt him not rob him not as you desire he should not distaste hurt nor rob you so the allusion is to similitude not to equality 10. The reason of this is because the object of our love being good the effect thereof must be good also for as none can love evill for evills sake so none can love good for evills sake because true love both makes good the end and medium of its operation as who should say doe I finally ayme at good then good must be the medium leading thereunto so it being good to love our neighbour the operation of this good love cannot be a bad thing Therefore the Apostle concludes The fullnesse of the Law is Love that is to say if we love we fulfill the Law or as Tolet saies The scope or end of the Law is Love or as S. Augustine because love forceth a man to fulfill the Law hence we see Faith alone sufficeth not to satisfie the Law without Acts of Love how absurd is it then to say as hereticks do the Commandements are impossible to be kept when by onely love they are all fulfilled not that so perfect a love can here be hoped for as shall exempt us from veniall sinnes against the Law since such is onely reserved for the next world and performed in the state of Bliss but that we may forbeare mortall sin even in this life if we but love our neighbour as our selves and God appretiatively at least above all things that is to say not so well to love any thing but still to resolve we will rather leave to love it than for its sake cease to love God and surely thus all good Christians doe appretiatively Love God above all things The Application 1. WEll is Love said to be the fullnesse of the Law because the Law commands us nothing else but that we love So to love it to prevent the danger of the Law which is never broken but under paine of penalty Wherefore as last Sunday bids us fly sin as a disease this bids us fly it as a danger 2. Well is the danger of the Law expressed in these negative Commandements for prohibition is the best prevention of a mischief Hence we say forewarn'd and arm'd against all danger whatsoever as new we are especialyl against the dangerous temptations unto what is here prohibited 3. Well doth S. Paul conclude as he began exhorting us to love because love workes no evill now amongst evills danger is not the least and onely not to love is hugely dangerous since we are taught 1 John 3. vers 14. and 1 Cor. 16. v. 21. that he who loveth not remaines in death in the death of that sin he commits against the Law for lack of loving God above all things and his neighbour as himself Say now the Payer above and see how suitable it is to this Epistle The Gospel MAT. 8. v. 23. c. 23. ANd when he entered into the boate his disciples followed him 24. And loe a great tempest arose in the sea so that the boate was covered with waves but he slept 25. And they came to him and raised him saying Lord save us we perish 26. And he saith to them why are ye fearfull O ye of little faith Then rising up he commanded the windes and the sea and there ensued a great calme 27. Moreover the men marvelled saying what an one is this for the windes and the sea obey him The Explication 23. IT was his usuall custome to preach in a boate a little off from the shoare but here it seemes he took boat to avoid the multitude of people that followed him and so both to flie popular applause and to give occasion to this following miracle he took boat and put to Sea with his Disciples 24. Probably our Saviour himself raised this Tempest purposely First to shew he was Lord of all the world both sea and land the figure of which passage S. John in his Apoc. Chap. 10. v. 2. recounts telling how an Angell set his right foot upon the Sea and thereby commanded it at pleasure Secondly to inure his Disciples to tribulation as well at sea as land Thirdly to confirm his Disciples in their Faith of him and some others besides in the company and these may be all true reall causes of the tempest but figuratively wee may believe this Tempest to have been raised to shew the future persecution of the Church of Christ and of a devout soul in temptation and how as by his permission it comes so by his power it shall passe away even when it seemes most severe and when Almighty God seems as it were asleep and not to regard it till by the joynt prayer of the Church he be wakened and made propitious For Seneca himself sayes A mans life without temptation seems like a dead Sea so called for the stillness thereof as if there were no life in the water of it and indeed as in a storm at sea the best man aboard is
as above the covetous men were said to doe and in verity is opposite to hypocrisie and lying that so by these contrary vertues to the vices of Infidels you may as by their fruits trees are knowne be distinguished from children of darknesse while you bring forth the fruits of light The Application 1. BY the Illustration of this dayes Prayer we see how the aime of our Purification is prosecuted therein nor can there be a greater Purifier then the Fire of perfect Love and Charity the vertue recommended in the two first verses of this Epistle as necessary to the accomplishment of our Lenten Fast 2. And because Christian perfection consists as well in declining evill as in doing good therefore we are here exhorted to avoid two sorts of evills for the rendering our Holy Fast compleat The first is the evill of our own Tongues the next is the evill of lewd Company both necessary to be avoided for perfecting the worke of Chastity recommended unto us on Sunday last 3. Now in regard the Fire of Charity must be fetcht as far as Heaven and handed to us by Almighty God himself the chief Purifier of our Hearts and in regard these evils above mentioned are so weighty and lie so heavy on us continually that no humane arm is strong enough to lift them off and ease us of their burthen Therefore we pray as above to have these things done for us by extending the Right hand of God first to give us this Charity and next to defend us from these Evils by taking them away from us that so we may be bright shining purified Souls as the close of the Epistle exhorts us to be The Gospel Luk. 11. v. 14 c. 14 And he was casting out a devil and that wâ—â— dumb And when he had cast out the devil the dumb spake and the multitudes marvelled 15 And certain of them said In Beelzebub the prince of devils be casteth out devils 16 And other tempting asked of him a sign from heaven 17 But he seeing their cogitations said to them Every kingdom divided against it self shall be made desolate and house upon house shall fall 18 And if Satan also be divided against himself how shall his kingdom stand because you say that in Beelzebub I do cast out devils 19 And if I in Beelzebub cast out devils your children in whom do they cast out therefore they shall be your judges 20 But if I in the finger of God do cast out devils surely the Kingdom of God is come upon you 21 When the strong man armed keepeth his Court those things are in peace that he possesseth 22 But if a stronger then he come upon him and overcome him he will take away his whole armour wherein he trusted and will distribute his spoils 23 He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth 24 When the unclean Spirit departeth out of a man he wandereth through places without water seeking rest and not finding he saith I will return into my house whence I departed 25 And when he is come he findeth it swept with a besome and trimmed 26 Then he goeth and taketh seven other Spirits worse then himself and entring in they dwell there 27 And the last of that man be made worse then the first 28 And it came to pass when he said these things a certain woman lifting up her voyce out of the multitude said 29 Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps that thou didst suck 30 But he said Yea rather Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it The Explieation 14. NOte this possessed party was one and the same of whom S. Matthew speaks cap. 12. v. 22. that was both blinde and dumb though S. Luke makes onely mention of his dumbness which is not to contradict the other Evangelist unless he had said he was onely blinde and not dumb whereas to speak of one effect of his being possessed and let alone the other is no contradiction at all as some would have it to be Note also this dumbness is not understood to be natural or rather a defect of Nature from the birth of the party but onely accidental and a meer effect of the Devils possessing him with a dumbness but not any other defect in Nature for such a dumbness is not cured by casting our a Devil but by cutting out some string that ties the Tongue up and gives it not leave to play according to the exigence of speech or else by curing the deafness if it be from the birth for all such deafness consequently causeth dumbness because speech is learnt by hearing the sound others make with speaking or otherwise and thus imitating the same motion which doth beget speech So this cure was wrought by Christ taking away the impediment which the Devil had by his power put in the parties speech and consequently that impediment being gone by casting out the Devil who was cause thereof the party spake immediately without addition of any other Miracle at all though what S. Hierome sayes Rhetorically of this passage is not false neither but a pious ampliation of the Truth by declaring the consequences of one thing when he said Three Miracles together are wrought in one person for the blinde man saw the dumb man spake and the possessed had his devil cast out The close of this verse argues the possessed was not born dumb for to that cure no devils being cast out was necessary as we said before and therefote as soon as he was cast out the party spake to the admiration of all the people who could not then force him to speak though happily they had heard him do it often before he was possessed 15. See the malice of the wicked to attribute Gods power to the devil rather then glorifie God by giving him the due praise of his own wonderful works And while they tell him he works in the name and power of Beelzebub they vilifie him all they can to shew the little they attribute to his own power how little they think him God or of God since Beelzebub in the Hebrew Translation signifies the god of Flies and they being the most abject and inconsiderable things in nature therefore to attribute no more Power to Christ then to a Fly is to undervalue him all they can nor doth it magnifie him that Beelzebub is here called the Prince of Devils more then it were to magnifie a man to call him the Prince of Flyes unless it be any kinde of honor to have a man called the best of Flyes as Beelzebub is therefore Prince of those Devils who rule over that contemptible Creature the Fly not that the Devil hath any proper dominion over any Creatures but that the Accaronites when they were troubled with a Plague of Flyes erected an Idol which they called Beelzebub that is God of Flyes and to feed them in this Idolatry upon such Adorations the Devil did many
a present Beatitude After which followes well the end of the verse that we should nor fear nor be troubled at our unjust persecutours because by our patience we are as it were out of their power which aymes onely at our affliction and vexation and failing thereof leaves us free from fear of any mischief they can do us S. Laurence on the Gridiron was a good proof of this 15. It followes we do then sanctifie Christ in our hearts when they are wholly set upon him and regard not any mischief hell it self can do us when our hearts are inflamed with the love of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Application 1. THe Illustration upon this Prayer tells us at how great a height of perfection S. Peter aymes in the Text of this Epistle when no lesse then an absolute sayntity is the rule he gives for Christianity And this is evident whilest we see the Apostle exhort not onely to all manner of positive but even to negative sayntity withall not onely to have us do all sort of good but to have us decline all kind of evill whatsoever not onely alwayes to do well but also never to do ill not onely finally to be Saints but never to be sinners after we have once the happinesse to be Christians 2. And to this purpose he lights up all the lamps of vertues which you see him recommend to day unto us advising that our charity march alwayes through the wildernesse of this wicked world as men do rest by night in deserts when to secure themselves from the ravenous beasts that hunt their prey by night they make a ring of fire round about them and so sleep securely now in regard we have a Noon-day devil hunts our souls by day as well as night therefore S. Peter circles us about not onely in the never dying fire of brightest charity which the devil hates and flies but with the lamps and torches of a many other virtues burning bright about us so to prevent us from the Fiends mid-day incursions as well as from his seizures in the night because the least light of virtue the least glimmering of saintity dazels the eyes of this foul fiends iniquity and makes him run away 3. Now in regard all men are apt to dwell upon their present objects with delight and to delude themselves that every sinne they do commit hath an apparent goodnesse in it at the least of pleasure or of profit therefore to day lest we should be deceived with semblances of that which is not true lest we should run after the folly-fires of the devil as after virtues or follow his flying light of seeming saintity and so lose the society of reall virtues in the desert of this world holy Church makes her prayer particular against allurements of all appearing good whilest she draws our thoughts and eyes to things invisible as if nothing we see were worthy our beholding nothing that we have worth our possessing and so perswades us altogether to covet what we have not yet to wish for what we see not to hope for what is promised as being far above what ever is or can be here possest And that we may do this she begs in the prayer above as a speciall gift of God to give us a desire of loving him unseen and the Invisibles that he hath promised us surpassing all our own desires as farre as they do our possessions The Gospel Matth. 5. v. 21. c. 21 For I tell you that unlesse your justice abound more then that of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven 22 You have heard that it was said to them of old Thou shalt not kill and who so killeth shall be in danger of judgement 23 But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgement And whosoever shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of a Councill And whosoever shall say Thou fool shall be guilty of the hell of fire 24 If therefore thou offer thy gift at the Altar and there thou remember that thy brother hath ought against thee 25 Leave there thy offering before the Altar and go first to be reconciled to thy brother and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift The Explication 21. THeir justice was onely an outward shew of virtue a ceremonious observance of their own rather then a religious keeping the Law of God whereby they became servile to one another rather then children of God and therefore Christ tells us that unlesse we become more just then they were we cannot be saved unlesse our internall eye look directly at Gods honour rather then at mans will and pleasure we cannot enter into heaven which is the kingdome of God and not of man so our justice must be internall and reall not onely externally apparent as theirs was This our Saviour proves by examples out of the letter of the law as they took it without regard to the spirit thereof as we observe it or as we should at the least 22. This is clear by what follows for the Pharisees never expounded the law forbidding murder further then as to expose the murderer to the sentence of a temporall Judgement and death but in the Christian sense not onely the murtherer is 〈◊〉 guilty of eternall damnation but even he that shall without murthering as follows 23. Be passionately angry with his brother meaning so angry as to seek unjust revenge upon him in any way of violence at all much lesse of murther he shall be guilty of the severe judgement of God and not onely of man for if his anger be a mortall sinne it shall suffice to damn his soul if he die unrepentant of the sinne if but a veniall sinne yet it shall suffice to make him guilty of Gods adjudging him for it at least to the temporary hell of Purgatory fire a far greater punishment then to die by sentence of the law of man But if he shall in his anger call him Raca expresse any outward contempt or scorn of him he shall be guilty of a Councill This alludes to the order of justice among the Hebrews who punished faults of injustice by three severall sentences according to the quality of the fault and by three severall benches of Judges The first fault was call'd pecuniary or injury in money matters the Judges of that were but three The second was murder whereupon three and twenty Judges sate The third was heresie idolatry blasphemy or the like whereupon seventy two Judges sat Our Saviour who waves the first alludes to the second and third to shew the perfection of his law and compares the excesse of a contemptible expression to our neighbour besides our anger against him for so is understood by Raca to the severest of all the three judgement seats of the Hebrews which was that they called Councill when they were to consult how severely they should punish the offender for this heynous
therein Just thus it is with holy Churches preaching admit a million of people be assembled to one sole Preacher in the pulpit is his Sermon ever the worse because it dynts the soul of every hearer there and moves him so as if the Preacher knew the heart of every auditour he had whom yet he never saw in all his life nor knowes him now he sees him would any man condemn this Preacher No admire him rather and in him adore Almighty God who with one speech could touch the quick of every soul alive And so it is with holy Churches prayers the commoner they are the more peculiarly they touch each pious persons soul if rightly understood they seem to reach as far as all the preachers of the Church can scrue into a soul and farther too for who so sayes them with a zeal suitable to the Spirit whence they flow he like a river runs into the sea whence all the waters have their spring and is not lost although he beâ— not found but rather swells to be a sea of spirit while he falls out of his private devotions into the Ocean of the Churches prayer and sayes to himself Matt. 23.23 These things ought to be done and those things ought not to be omitted O Christians what a sovereign cure have we to day against the worst contagion in the Church the spirit of division of faction Say but this prayer devoutly read but the lessons of the other services of holy Church to day agreeable to this prayer and I shall hope to hear no more of faction in the Church of division in the house of the Holy Ghost of dissention among Roman Catholicks much lesse amongst the Priests of holy Church for in them it were a contagion worse then diabolical who as they are all Ministers of one onely God so should they all agree in one to guide the souls they are to govern in the spirit of peace and unity of love and charity which they shall never teach better then when they give example of it to their flocks The Epistle Ephes 4.1 1 I therefore prisoner in our Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called 2 With all humilitie and mildnesse with patience supporting one another in charity 3 Carefull to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace 4 One body and one spirit as you are called in one hope of your vocation 5 One Lord one Faith one Baptisme 6 One God and Father of all which is over all and by all and in us all 7 Who is blessed world without end Amen The Explication 1. THe cause why he beseecheth them is in regard they had the happinesse to be made of Gentiles Christians and so equall with the Jewes that were the chosen people of God He calls himself prisoner in our Lord because he was in prison for our Lord for teaching the faith of Christ Walking here is understood living Note the word Vocation is of speciall regard and so imports a speciall obligation they had to comply with their said vocation which was indeed their conversion from Gentilisme to Christianitie 2. This verse specifies the eminent marks of Christians from Gentiles the one proud harsh furious quarrelsome the other therefore humble milde patient loving that so it might appeare a religious change to come from one contrary to another Supporting each other imports bearing with each others infirmities In Charitie is to say by or with Charitie repending good for evil 3. By unitie of spirit is here meant unanimitie that is though in bodies divided yet in mind they should be one and make it their studie so to be thus to comply with the care thereof commended if not commanded also This verse is hugely against all schismaticall division in the Church receding from the common Doctrine to follow the fancies of private spirits By the word bond is understood removing private sense in point of religion for a bond imports a tie between parties and so abandons singularitie when it must binde many together in the peace of unanimitie 4. This verse is exhortatorie stirring up to be all as one body and one soul that as you are called to one hope of Heaven by this your vocation to Christianitie so you goe all thither as one man since the Church is properly called one civill man while all the Members of it are regulated by one Law of Christ by one holy Spirit And indeed Saint Paul useth a huge Art telling us we have all one hope namely Heaven thereby to make us tend all one way to the attaining thereof 5. One Lord Christ Jesus one Faith that which the Apostles preached one Baptisme that which is given in due matter and forme applied with due intention water accompanying these words I baptize thee in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost according as holy Church intendeth when this Sacrament is administred 6. In this verse the Apostle summes up all he said before As we have but one God who is our common Father so we must have but one spirit lest we degenerate from being his children who will own none but those that are one in him and one to one another all others are bastards and cannot be brothers because not begotten of him that knowes no division but consists of unitie and simplicitie No God is above all men by his Majestie and Deitie he is through all things by his power and efficacie in them penetrating and passing through them all as freely as we doe through the Aire in all things by his essence and being in us Christians by his grace which makes us be his children and by his glory which makes us be his heires Others understand by this triple division the Apostle means that God the Father is above us all by creation God the Sonne by redemption runs through us with the Sea of his passion God the Holy Ghost is in us all by his sanctifying grace The Application 1. SAint Paul being by his imprisonment separated from his Converts the Ephesians and desirous in litle to send them much counsell how they might walk worthy of the vocation in which they were called summes up here those virtues that are most necessary for new converted souls Humilitie as the foundation whereupon they must build their monuments of a blessed Eternitie in imitation of Almightie God who raised all the fabricke of humane salvation upon the Basis of his own abasement Mildnesse in testimony they were no more children of wrath and indignation but of their milde Redeemer and Saviour Jesus Christ A charitable Patience that is to say for love of God supporting bearing with one another as the onely means to keep themselves in favour with Almighty God whom they hourely much more exasperate then any man can do them And Unanimitie as the badge of perfect Christianitie testifying they are onely true lovers of one another who are right believers in Jesus Christ
Note the phrase of the Apostle how deep it is the spirit of your mind as who should say that mind which led them before baptisme to the desires of errour and which since baptisme had relapsed a little that old way was rather a corporal or at least but an animal mind and deserved not the honour to be stiled spiritual as not being led by any other motive then sense but now they are Christians he tells them their mind must be spiritual and follow the motives of grace and vertue So while he bids them be renewed in the spirit of their mind he insinuates as if though their actions even now have life from the old soul yet they should be performed by a spiritual and not by a corporal impulse 24. By putting on is here understood continue and keep on by the new man is meant the supernatural not the natural man or the internal not the external for as the last we cannot loose so the first we can hardly keep and therefore the Apostle exhorts us to live alwaies putting on that man lest at any time he fall off from us By saying this new man is created to God the Apostle meanes to the image or likenesse of God namely supernatural for even as Adam the first of men was not so properly said to be made like to God in respect of the natural creature he appeared to be as in regard of his invisible and supernatural being that is in grace sanctitie and truth so in us the new man imports the supernatural which according to God was created in us when by holy Baptisme we were regenerated whence we are truly created spiritual men by grace as often as from sinners we become Saints from unjust just from vicious holy from false true children of Almighty God 25. And that we may be preserved which is continually created and by new acts of grace become more and more Saints in this verse the Apostle bids us cast away all falshood all deceit all lying as members of the old man and not fit to be about the new one For since Christians have that happinesse to be members one of another as far forth as they make up the mystical body of Christ their Head therefore the Apostle tells them they ought to be as exact in telling truth to one another as the members of our natural body are exact each in the true performance of their duties the hand removing not laying danger in the heads way nor in the way of any other members of the body the feet bearing up and not letting fall the bulk of the walking body intrusted to them whilest the man is walking and this natural fidelitie in our natural members the Apostle exhibits unto us as an example of our veracity and truth to one another who are spiritual members each to other and consequently bound to be as faithful to our neighbour as sincere to him when he relyes upon us as our feet to the whole body whose weight relies on them and who walks in confidence they will not let the body fall whence it followes that a lie to our neighbour is as great a breach of trust as if we tripped up his heeles whilest he walks confident of our bidding him relie upon our supporting of him when yet by lying we deceive his trust 26. The Apostle doth not here command anger but supposing it just he bids us take heed it become not unjust or proceed not to sinne as who should say if you be justly provoked to anger against any evil in others take heed it proceed not to sin in your-selves Just anger is that which Saints have against sin not against sinners which parents have against children offending which Princes have against breaches of the Law when they punish the offenders for their faults without sin in themselves such as holy David meant was fit to have against Idolaters and persecutours of the just And indeed there is a kind of innate necessity in man to anger namely that which makes him use violence for the removing obstacles in his way to any heroical noble and just atchievement This anger the Apostle bids us so use as we take heed not to abuse it by letting it rise to the malice of a sin in us And when the sun is forbid to fall upon our anger he exhorts us to forbear continuing in it not that he allowes a continued act of anger all day provided we cease to be angry at night but that rather it should passe as fast as the sun doth over our heads that rather if we were angry towards sun-setting we should be sure to be quieted ere it were set that is immediately Note the Apostle here by anger meanes not the habit but the act thereof nor yet the moderate act of it neither when he bids the sun should not fall upon our anger for he means an excesse of anger a fury or wrath lest thereby as bees do when they sting we weaken our own vertues by acting revenge upon our neighbour and so endanger to sleep in sin which is understood by the sun setting on our anger and thereby hazzard the losse of our own soul that may in sleep depart without repentance which cannot probably happen in the day time and consequently diurnal anger is not so dangerous as nocturnal 27. And that this is the Apostles true meaning in the verse above these following words testifie For it is to give place or way to the devil to leave our selves at his mercy as it were at his advantage when we sleep in sin or when indeed we do waking continue in any sinful act with deliberation though it is also true that nothing layes us so much exposed to the devil as anger for it is a vice which takes away reason above all others insomuch as we usually say men act not like men but like beasts when they are furious and though a sudden fury may excuse sometimes from sin yet a continued one doth ever aggravate it and thereby gives more and more place to the devil which wrath or fury the Apostle here dehorteth from 28. He that when he was a Gentile did steal now that he is a Christian let him not steal because perfection is now required at his hands and to this perfection he must approach by degrees first casting off his old vices nay rather then steal for want of meanes to live himself let him labour about any good imployment that he may be able to give unto those who are in want and by so doing prevent in them the danger of stealing too So that Christian perfection stops not at moving every one to do good in himself but proceeds to prevent evil in others and so to prevent it as even by our handy labours to take away the cause that may tempt others to ill rather then for want of our labour expose them to the danger of evil doing By labouring that which is good is understood using honest labour and that for