all that which may giue him any disgust or paine And so Benignity falls out to be the act and exercise of Charity with that perfection which wee haue declared and interiourly it embraceth the act of beneuolence and loue and exteriourly the exercise of beneficence liberality affability and of all sweetnes in conuersation It is also one of the fruites of the Holy Ghost For an act of vertue in regard that it proceedeth froÌ„ thence and giueth gust to him who performeth it is called a fruite and therefore Benignity being an act of Charity and causing delight in him by whom it is possessed is accounted amongst the fruits of the Holy Ghost All this is confessed by the Saints when they speake of Benignity Saint Isidorus saith That man is said to be Benigne who doth good with a good will and vseth sweetnes in his wordes And Saint Anselmus declaring what Benignity is saith thus Benignity is a good affection of the will a serenity of heart in vertue whereof a man doth for Gods sake giue all he can after a gratious and cheerfull manner and discourseth and conuerseth gently and sweetly with his neighbours And Saint Thomas explicating the nature of Benignity saith that it is the very sweetnes tendernes of Charity which spreads communicates it self exteriourly that as natural fier doth melt mettel make it flow so the fier of loue which is Benignity maketh a maÌ„ scatter what he hath towards the succour of the necessities of his neighbours This is that which the Saints say of Benignity and the summe of it all is this that it is the tendernes of Charity which doth not only communicate a mans exteriour goods to his neighbour but together with them it communicates his owne very bowells which is to discouer both by wordes and workes the dearnes sweetnes of Charity The Apostle declareth this by saying Charity is Benigne Which signifieth that it makes the man who possesseth it not to be straight handed but apt to communicate his goods and not to be harsh or bitter but that he communicate euen his very hart by conuersing with all men after an affable and sweet manner And to giue vs to vnderstand this truth the holy Scripture doth by one the selfe same Hebrew and Greeke word which signifieth Benignity in doing good signify also a softnes and sweetnes in the manner of shewing mercy And so whereas Dauid saith Our Lord is sweet towards all another letter saith Our Lord is benigne towards all And whereas he saith That maÌ„ is gentle sweet who sheweth mercy another translation saith The man who sheweth mercy is Benigne And therfore S. Basil when he would explicat what it was for a man to be Benigne saith that it is he who doth liberally enlarge himselfe to doe good to all such as are in necessity And he confirmeth it by that Psalme which saith Our Lord is benigne towards all and by that other which also saith That a man is Benigne who sheweth mercy and imparteth his goods to such as are in necessity In this Benignity did Christ our Lord instruct vs and perswade vs to it by many examples Mysteries of his holy life which wee wil eÌ„deauour to declare The first and principall Mystery wherein he discouered his Benignity was that of his Incarnation In that the most high sonne of God was pleased to become a naturall man to appeare visibly in the world in mortall flesh obnoxious to the miseries and penalties of other men and in that he did all this to doe good to man and to draw him to his loue and so to saue him not onely did he discouer an immense loue towards vs but a loue which was also most sweet and dear And not onely did he communicate his blessings to vs but he also did it with supreme liberality and gust and ioy of his owne sacred heart And together with his blessings he communicated to vs his very selfe namly his body his blood his blessed soule and his diuinity and all that which he hath yea and euen all that which he is he communicated to vs by many admirable mysterious waies This did the Apostle signify by saying WheÌ„ in the time of grace the Benignity immeÌ„se loue of our God and Sauiour to man did manifest it selfe to the world he saued and freed vs from our sinnes not by the title of Iustice and the merit of our workes which were not of any valew without Christ our Lord for the arriuing to that end but through his owne great mercy and most gratious bouÌ„ty and by meanes of that sacred Lauatory which is holy Baptisme whereby wee are engendred a second time to be the sonnes of God and renewed by a spirituall generation renouation which is wrought by the holy Ghost which Holy Ghost the eternall Father hath by meanes of his gifts and graces infused and coÌ„municated to vs in great abundaÌ„ce through the merits of Christ our Lord to the end that being iustified through the grace of the same Lord wee might from this instant become heires of eternall life which now wee hould by certaine hope and which hereafter wee shall haue in actuall possession This is deliuered by Saint Paule And Saint Bernard vpon these words declaring that Benignity of God which was discouered in this Mystery discourseth thus Before the humanity of Christ our Lord appeared in the word the Benignity of God was hidden from vs. There was already in God this Benignity mercy which in him is eternall but so great Benignity as this was not knowen before nor was there any meanes how to to know it And although it were promised by the Prophets yet men vnderstood it not and felt it not and many did not so much as beleeue it But when that time arriued which had been ordained by the diuine wisedome Almighty God came in mortall flesh and being vested with his sacred Humanity and appearing to the eyes of our flesh blood his Benignity came to be made knowne for by no meanes could he more haue manifested his Benignity then by taking our flesh and by no meanes could he more haue declared his mercy then by vndertaking our misery Let maÌ„ consider and vnderstand from hence how great care God hath of him and how much he esteemeth him and for how mighty an end he made him since he did and suffered so great thinges for him And thus by this Humanity wee may know his Benignity for how much the lesse he became by his Humanity so much the greater doth he shew himselfe to be in bounty and by how much the more he abased himselfe for vs so much the more amiable doth he shew himself to vs. This is said by Saint Bernard and so it is a most clear truth that nothing hath made so great discouery â—o vs of the bounty and Benignity of God nor hath moued obliged vs so to loue and praise him as for that he hath
taken our Humanity And therfore as Dauid saith giue praise to God because he is benigne and good and sing praises to his name because he is sweet Christ our Lord did also discouer to vs his Benignity after a most soueraigne māner in the Mistery of his most holy Natiuity For what loue can be imagined more dear what communication of ones felfe more a morous what dew of heauen more abundant and more sweet then to see that hidden God that God of vengeance that God of those Celestiall Hostes that Iudge of the quicke and dead that Omnipotent in his workes and that Terrible in his iudgments to see him I say become a tender and delicate little Infant hanging close vpon the brests of a Virgin all burning in loue all expiring the sweetnes and dearnes of the same loue towards vs And that he comes to vs not as anciently he came to the children of Israell in Mount Horeb with thunder and lightning and with the terrible sound of the trumpet and with huge flames of materiall fier and with prohibition that no man should approach to the foot of the moūtaine vpon paine of death but that he should come to be borne an Infant and appeare on earth with a most clear and sweet light from heauen to discouer him and with most delightful songes and exultation of Angells who being full of ioy sing Glory to God and peace to men And that instātly then he should recreate and honour those poore shepheards with an Embassage performed by Angells and should inuite them to come visit him and to receiue the comfort of his presence and to be enriched with the gifts of grace through his goodnes And that by his loue and humility and meeknes and sweetnes he should encourage all men to approach towards him and to come to him by faith and obedience and so to take their part of all the riches and benedictions of heauē for being the sonne of the eternall Father be came full of grace and truth He also discouered his Benignity to vs in the vocation of the Magi that first flower of the Gētiles whom he meant to call in after times He calls them instantly as soon as he was borne and he sent no Prophet for them nor any Angell for they had no knowledge of Prophets they were not wont to see Angells and so they might haue rather been estranged by such vnusuall inuitations but condescending to their condition and custome he sent them a starre which by the nouelty thereof might moue thē to a kinde of admiration and to a search of what it might meane and by the secret vertue thereof might be teaching them withall that if signified the birth of the new Kinge and he admonished and inuited them to seeke him by following that starre he gaue them courage not to feare the tyrant Herod and he gaue thē faith and deuotion to know that the Infāt whom they saw new borne was the eternall God that so they might dedicate themselues to do him eternall seruice as to the Kinge and Lord of heauen and earth whom they saw in so great pouerty and contempt for as much as concerned the world All this is the supreme Benignity and most sweet dear loue of God towards man and it inuites vs to seeke him and if wee haue offended him to confide that lamenting our sinnes we shall obtaine pardon of him and that he will receiue vs to his grace and loue For now when he hath already discouered his great Benignity to vs by his sacred Humanity with more reason doth he say that to vs which anciētly he said by the Prophet Ioel be you conuerted to your Lord God for he is Benigne and mercifull and as he is Benigne he taketh gust in dealing gratiously and most liberally with you and in pardoning your offences past and as he is merciful he wil deliuer you from your miseries and from the greatest of them of all which are your sinnes THE II. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards sinners and other very weake and imperfect men supporting and instructing them AFter our Lord had begun to manifest himselfe in Israell and to conuerse with men he discouered and exercised his Benignity many seuerall waies One of them was that such persons as were ignorant tude and very imperfect who came to demaund succour of him he receiued with much sweetnes and condescended to their great weakenes and tolerated their rudenes and after a mild and gentle manner dispossessed them of their ignorance Nicodemus the Pharisee Io. 3. came to Christ to be taught by him and though our Lord saw his great weaknes in that he had not the heart to publish himselfe for the disciple of Christ our Lord nor to confesse his faith for the feare he had to be persecuted by other Pharisees and was ashamed that they should know of him that being an Ancient and Master in the lawe he should goe to Christ to learne the Mysteries of the same Lawe for which reason he went by night that in very secret manner And though our Lord did well discerne his great ignorance and rudenes and that he had no vnderstanding or apprehension of spirituall thinges or diuine Mysteries but that whatsoeuer he said and taught the other did measure and iudge of it by the rule of corporall and sensibles thinges without raising his heart from earth to the consideration of things inuisible diuine notwithstāding all this our benigue Lord did not reproue these so notorious defects with seuerity nor did he exaggerate his ignorance nor reproach him for his rudenes nor condemne him for his inordinate feare nor did he driue him away for his weakenes nor shewed he any wearisomnes or disgust in respect of his crosse answeres but he entertained himselfe at large with him alone and held long discourse with him whereby he did after a sweet manner giue him to vnderstand his ignorance rudenes and he discouered to him the Mysteries which were necessary for his saluation namely the spirituall regeneratiō which is made by Baptisme and the Mystery of the Incarnation which he declared to him by saying that he was in heauen whereby he signified that he was God and in all places at once And by saying also that he was descēded frō heauē he signified that he was true mā He declared also the Mystery of his Passiō by saying that he was to be raised vp to the Crosse as the Brasen Serpēt was lifted vp vpon a pole to the end that as al they who beheld the serpent were cured of their torporall diseases so might all they be healed of their sinnes who would behould and beleeue in him with a liuely faith It was a great Benignity to dissemble or passe by so many defects of a timorous imperfect man and to discourse with him after so louing and sweet a manner to discouer so great Mysteries to a person so rude and weake
ignorant people nor to be sharpe or wayward towards them but that we must haue compassion of their ignorance and instruct them and correct them with charity Our Lord did also discouer his Benignity to the Apostles in that hauing already wrought that miracle of the seauen loaues telling them that they were to take heed of the leuen of the Pharisees and Saduces Matt. 16. Marc. 8. which signified their euill doctrine and example they would needes vnderstand as if he had said it because they were not prouided of bread inough for the desert and so they were affraid they might want food And our Lord reprehēding this fault in them which they had added to the former said in this manner do you not vnderstand and remember the fiue loues of bread and the fiue thousand men which I susteined with thē nor yet the seauē loues wherewith I fed foure thousand men And thus reprouing them as much as was necessary he did it yet in words as gentle as you haue heard and with so great sweetnes as that together with reprehending them he excused them imputing their fault to ignorance and forgetfulnes O admirable Benignity worthy of such a Lord as he who together with the chastisemēt giueth comfort and whilest he speaketh of the fault he giueth hope of pardon and remedy So doth Saint Chrysostome obserue Consider the reprehension which he giueth thē all tempered with meekenes for whilest he reproues them he excuseth them yea he answereth for the very men whom he reproueth But let vs looke vpon some other examples of this Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards his disciples When thus he had answered that rich young man Matt. 19. who said He had kept the comaundments If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou hast and giue it to the poore and come and follow mee and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and when the young man was going sad away because he was very rich and had not the heart to embrace the counsaile of our Lord and to make himself poore for the kingdome of heauen Saint Peter said to our Lord Behould ô Lord how as for vs wee haue left all thinges and wee haue followed thee what therfore shall be done to vs What reward wilt thou bestow on vs Our Lord made them this answere Verily I say to you that you who haue followed mee shall sit vpon twelue seates and thrones to iudge the twelue Tribes of Israell with the Sonne of man when he shall sit in the seate of his Maiesty at the generall resurrection to a life of glory At that day you shal haue great authority and glory by raigning with the sōne of man and iudging the world together with him It was very little which Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles had left for Christ our Lord for they were but a poore company of fishermen and that which they had left as Saint Chrysostom saith was some fishing rod some net and some little barke And although together with these thinges they also left whatsoeuer they might growe to haue yet that also must needes be very little for in the trade they had they were neuer able to get much And all this being so little and that Saint Peter with so much liberty and audacity should say to him Behould ô Lord wee haue left all wee had for thee as if they had left most abundant riches and great hopes our Lord might with much truth and reason haue said to Saint Peter What greate possessions hast thou left for mee and what great acts of prowes hast thou performed in my seruice And yet he said no such thing nor did he answere them with any shew of any disdaine or euē disgust or with little estimation of that which had been left for his sake but he spake to him in great earnest and with wordes of much weight and with shew of great estimation of that which they had lest and of that which they had performed in following him and he declared that most high reward of glory that most eminent dignity which he would giue them in the kingdome of heauen By this answere Christ our Lord did shew extreme Benignity partly by making so great account of such a trifle as his disciples had left for his sake and promising such a soueraigne reward for such a sleight seruice as they had performed in following him and partly by shewing how greatly he loued them who then had laboured so little for him and by esteeming them so much who were so meane and poore as to promise to exalt them to so great dignity and to giue them a seate of so great Maiesty and by answering them in words so serious so sweet so full of comfort and which gaue them such a height of hope So saith Origen Saint Peter asked what reward he would giue him for what he had left as if he had performed things of mighty difficulty But although the thinges which he his brother left were little in the account of the world yet in the sight of God who regarded the loue and great good will wherewith they were left they were much esteemed This is the most benigne sweet condition of Christ our Lord and our God who be houldeth the seruices which are done him and the good will men haue to serue him their holy desire to please him and that grace which he liberally bestoweth for the doing of them and therfore doth he recompence little works with most high and euerlasting rewardes Our Lord 10.11 whilest he was in the desert hauing heard the message of Lazarus his sicknes and two daies passing on after he had heard it and now vnderstanding that Lazarus was dead he said resolutely Let vs goe yet once againe into Iudea for Bethania was seated in that Prouince But his disciples answered him after this manner Master it is but the other day since the Iewes were ready to stone thee in Iudea and doest thou thinke of going backe where there is so much danger And our Lord saying still let vs goe yet againe into Iudea and they seeing his resolution and being full of apprehension and feare of death Thomas said to the rest of the Apostles Well then let vs goe and dy with him Now the Apostles hauing known by so many experiments that our Lord knew the secrets of mēs hearts and that his enemies hauing a minde to take and stone him were not able to touch him because he had all power in his hands and hauing heard him say many times that in all thinges he performed the will and good pleasure of his eternall Father they ought to haue beleeued that if our Lord went into Iudea it was most conuenient thnt he should doe so and that he knew very well whatsoeuer was to happen to him there that if he should haue a minde to free himselfe from his enemies they could fasten no hurte vpon him and that themselues
going in his company might hould themselues secure inough and that without his will they could receiue no harme and that they ought to make themselues wholly subiect to that will of his But they forgetting all this and distrusting his power and protection would haue hindred his going into Iudea and would needes haue dissuaded him from the resolutioÌ„ which he had taken in that behalfe as if he had been either ignorant of the danger which there he might incurre or impuissant in defending himselfe from the same and they were full of apprehension and feare as if our Lord had not been able to protect them And these defects of theirs being so great our most merciful Lord was not yet offended with them nor did he shew any disgust nor did he reproue them with sharpe wordes for the meane conceit which they had of him but he informed them in sweet termes that there was no danger in his iourney and that they might hould themselues safe in his company by saying thus to them Are there not perhaps twelue houres in the day He who goes by day stumbles not because the day light lets him see the way but he who walkes by night may stumble and fall because he seeth not the light Whereby he would let theÌ„ know that iust as whilest the naturall day lasteth which hath twelue houres of light it is not in the skill or power of any creature to take away or diminish any one of these houres or any part thereof and that during this time a man may walke securely without stumbling or falling iust so as long as that time of his life was to last in this world which had been determined by the will of his eternall Father in which time he was to illuminate the world with his doctrine and by his miracles there was no cause for them to feare for that all the power of the world was not able to take one moment of that time from him and that so both himselfe and al they of his company were very safe With this Benignity did he tolerate their boldnes and cure their rudenes and their want of that faith and confidence which they ought to haue had in our Lord. THE IV. CHAPTER Of other examples of that Benignity which our Lord vsed towards his disciples enduring their imperfections and sweetly curing their ignorances and other defects THE two brothers Saint Iames and Saint Iohn came to Christ our Lord Matt. 10. Luc. 22. to demaund at his hands the two prime dignities of his kingdome and herein they serued them selues of the intercession of their mother Now the rest of the Apostles seeing the pretension of these two grow into indignation against them and were offended and troubled much to see that they would offer to outstrip all the rest and it moued a strife amongst them to know which of all the company was to be the greatest in the schoole and kingdome of Christ our Lord. These faults of the Apostles being so worthy of repreheÌ„sion for faults they were as wee haue declared elswhere in some of them of ambition in the rest of enuy and such faultes in men who had been so long aduised and instructed by the doctrine and example of Christ our Lord which was euer preaching and perswading humility and charity did well deserue to make our Lord offended with them that he should reproue them after a serious and sharpe manner that he should punish theÌ„ seuerely yet our most meeke Lord hauing compassion of their ignorance and rudenes which was the roote from whence those faultes did spring vsed so great Benignity towards them and cured their defects with so great sweernes that as for the two with onely looking vpon them and giuing them answere to that petition which their mother had presented he made them see that fault into which they had fallen by making their mother their intercessour for that suit and by desiring to couer vnder the piety of a mother the inordinate appetite which they had to be preferred before the rest and with onely saying You know not what you aske he corrected and cured all the ambition which they had and so reprehending their fault he did withall excuse them by imputing it not to malice but to the ignorance of men who knew not what was best for themselues And as for the other ten he reformed them also by calling them to him aduertising them that to desire commaund and aduantage ouer others was the vice of Gentiles who lodged not their heart vpoÌ„ heaueÌ„ly but on earthly thinges and that they were not to doe so but to imitate their Lord and Master who came into this world not to be serued by men but to serue them yea and to giue his life for them With this Benignity Christ our Lord did tolerate and cure those so great defects of his disciples So saith S. Chrysostome As those two Apostles did obey the inordinate appetite of flesh blood and did beg of our Lord the two chief seates in his kingdome so also the other ten obeying the like euill inclination of flesh and blood were offended and afflicted by the demaund and pretension of the former two For it was ill done by the two to desire to be preferred before the rest and the rest conceiued it to be an affront to them that the two should be preferred before them And Saint Hierome addeth That our Lord who was al meeke and and humble did not sharpely reprehend that inordinate appetite of honour wherewith those two came to him nor yet the indignation and enuy which the ten conceiued against the two but he treated them and instructed theÌ„ and â—ured them all with supreme Benignity and meeknes The Apostles being in the garden with our Lord the night of his PassioÌ„ he admonished them to remaine watchfull in prayer least otherwise they might fall into that temptation tribulation which was coÌ„ming towards them But they the while laid themselues to sleepe and our Lord hauing been at Prayer and going to visit them and finding that they were fallen a sleepe did wish them a second time to watch and pray and he said Why sleepe you rise vp to watch and pray least els you be ouercome by temptation And hauing giuen them this lesson he returned againe to Prayer and after went to see them a second time and finding them asleepe yet againe he said nothing to them A third time he went to Prayer and a third time he went to see them and finding them still sleeping as being oppressed by the great sorrow they had he said to them sleepe on and take your rest And so he left them for a while till the time was come wheÌ„ his enemies who were to apprehend him were approaching Then he turned towards them said It is enough rise vp let vs goe for the hower is already come wherein the Sonne of maÌ„ is to be deliuered ouer into the hands of sinners This was a
corrupt intention OVr Lord shewed great Benignity in yeelding so liberally and sweetly to all that which the persōs who came to him desired of him with good intention and true desire of finding remedy by his meanes but he discouered it much more in yeelding liberally to that which was desired of him with a corrupt minde and with a meaning to calumniate him and to drawe some word out of his mouth or to note some action wherby they might defame him and condemne him to death There came to him a man of the Lawe Luc. 10. after a counterfeit manner to tempt him and he asked him what he was to doe for the obtaining of eternall life but our Lord did not discouer his treachery nor reprehended his wickednes but graunted that which he desired instructing him with wordes full of sweetnes concerning the truth of what he was to know and doe for the obtaining of eternall life There came a Pharisee to him Matth. 22. who was learned in the Lawe to aske him which was the greatest commaundment of the Lawe and he came with a malitious minde and not with a desire to vnderstand the truth but to finde matter whereof to accuse him And yet he without shewing any feeling or disgust either in his countenance or wordes did answere to the questiō with much facility suauity and he taught him the truth The Pharisees did often inuite him to eate with them Luc. 7. 11. Matth. 22. not with charity but with a peruerse and malitious intention which was to see if he did or said any thing which might be taxed and finding nothing whereof they could take hould wherewith to hurt him they procured to serue themselues of his piety and religiousnes towardes the making good their ill purpose and therefore they inuited him vpon their Sabboth daies and would place sicke persons before him to the end that curing them vpon the Sabboth they might accuse him for not obseruing it And our Lord knowing the malice and wicked intention wherewith they inuited him did not yet excuse himselfe from going but with great facility graunted the suite they made accepted their inuitation and he went to their houses and did eate with them and comfort them by his presence illuminate them by his doctrine and edify them by his example And though he vsed most exact temperance in eating and drinking yet to accommodate himselfe to them to shew himselfe affable and benigne towards them he fed vpon those ordinary meats which they vsed And euen this was a proofe of his very vnspeakeable Benignity that coming into the world to suffer for man and carrying such an intense loue towards the Crosse and such a most ardent desire to abstaine from all earthly comfort and regalo and to take all that to himselfe which was most painfull and grieuous that so he might suffer the more for man and satisfy the diuine Iustice more perfectly and discouer and exercise that loue so much the more which he carryed both to the eternall Father and to the whole race of mankinde yet neuertheles he did in many things remit much of this rigour at some times and did both in his feeding and cloathing serue himselfe of ordinary and vsuall things so to shew himselfe more appliable and sweet towards them with whō he conuersed and fed to make himselfe more inuitable by all men and to giue them all the greater hope of their saluation So saith the venerable Abbot Euthymius It was fit that our Lord who came to take away finne should be benigne and sweet and that he should accommodate himselfe to the weakenes of men to gaine them for heauen as he did and for this cause he went to the table of sinners and fed vpon their meates though he did it in a most temperate and religious manner as it becometh holy men to doe And although at times he condescended thus to the vsuall custome of men for the winning of them he did not for all this giue ouer his manner of austere and painfull life which he also exercised at certaine times as namely during those forty daies which he fasted in the desert This was said by Euthymius wherby it is cōfirmed that so to admit of the inuitatiō of sinfull people and especially such as did inuite him with a malitious minde as if it had been but to eate with them was a worke of supreme Benignity whereby he shewed his most sweet loue in the strength whereof he had a meaning to cōfort and saue all the world Especially he shewed this vnspeakeable Benignity in the time of his Passion For being in the house of Caiphas Matth. 23. Luc. 22. before that Councell of vniust Iudges they asking him whether he wore Christ and the Sonne of God or no our Lord seeing that they asked it not with a desire of knowing the truth or for the doing of Iustice but onely from his answere to take occasion of blaspheming him and condemning him to death and accusing him to Pilate to the end that he might execute that vniust sentence which they had giuen against him And obseruing that by reason they were so wicked so vaine and proud they were most vnworthy of any answere yet neuertheles that soueraigne Maiesty of Christ the Kinge of glory refused not to giue them answere and disdained not to speake to them but in very modest wordes was content to declare to them who he was by saying thus Herafter when my Passion is at an end the Sonne of man shall be sitting at the right hand of the power of God which was as much as to say that he was to raigne discouer his power and authority as he was God coequall to the eternall Father And they enducing another question hereupon saying Therefore belike thou art the sonne of God he answered also to that saying your selues say that I am so which was to answere truth but with very modest and humble words whereby though he gaue to vnderstand that in very truth he was the Sonne of God yet he affirmed it not expressely as it was fit not to doe to such as would not profit by it though the answere had been more expresse cleer And by answering them after this manner he also shewed his inclination to answere them more plainely and directly to what they asked if they would haue knowen the truth to haue beleeued it And this he signified by saying If I tell you what you aske you will not beleeue mee and if I aske you any thing to the end that I may teach you truth you will not answere mee Our Lord by answering these questions which were asked by Iudges so wicked so cruell and so vndeseruing of any respect at this hands did shew how free his heart was from all passion and choler since he answered with so great serenity peace of minde and therby he preuented that aspersion which they would haue cast vpon him if he had been wholly
times is lost by the ill gouernement of our tongues and finally wee shall edify our neighbours by the exāple of our good words All this was signified by the wise man when he said The peaceable and quiet tongue is a sweet tree of life Which signifieth that it recreateth and comforteth the hearts of men and giues them spirituall life and strength and frees them from the mortall distempers of anger and hatred and other passions And this is wrought by that man who giueth good language thrōugh the much gaine and merit which they get in the sight of Almighty God And in thē also who heare the good speech which is vsed by any man of his neighbours worketh the like effect for thereby they are edified and induced towards a loue of vertue THE XIV CHAPTER How wee are to exercise this Benignity and to vse this good manners towards them who vse vs ill SOme Christians there be who are very courteous and well conditioned towards their neighbours as long as those neighbours treate them with the same curtesy and ciuility but if their neighbours faile towards them they also faile and then they treate thē with the same discourtesy and disgrace wherewith they are treated and they vse the same ill termes which are vsed to thē This is no good but an ill spirit For that I should be well cōditioned towards my neighbour because he also is so to mee is no loue of charity but a loue of interest and concupiscence and that I should faile in curtesy and good cōdition towards another because he falles short therin towards me is not the vertue of Benignity but it is the vice of reuenge That which charity and Benignity requires and which God exacteth at our hands is that although another man do not what he ought yet I doe and that although another man should faile of vsing me with due curtesy yet that I faile not thereof towards him For by this meanes it wil appeare that in the ciuility which I vse towards my neighbours I am not moued by humane respects but for the loue of Almighty God and that I pretend not proper honour or interest but the glory of Almighty God and the profit of my soule and the edification of my neighbour And in this sorte I being of good condition and shewing curtesy towards him who doth not so to me I shal please almighty God much the more for I shall moue more purely for the loue of him and shall exercise more vertue and encrease merit and gaine more reward in the sight of God For together with the Benignity which I shall exercise by carrying my selfe sweetly towards my neighbour I shall also exercise patiēce and humility in bearing with his ill condition and I shall exercise more charity by pardoning the iniury which he doth me in treating mee ill This was taught vs by the Apostle Saint Paule with a kinde of heauenly inuētion associating Benignity and Patience in suffering iniuries with Charity in pardoning thē for thus he saith Colos 3. Cloathe your selues spiritually as it becometh iust men and the elect of God with the bowells of mercy and Benignity that so you may be affable and sweetly conditioned towards your neighbours and with humility modesty and patience also enduring for the loue of God the ill treating and peruerse condition of one another and pardoning also the iniuries of one another And so also if it happen that any one be offended and affronted by any other and that he haue reason to complaine yet let him pardon it in imitation of Iesus Christ our Lord who when wee were wicked and as enemies of his had done him wrong did forgiue our sinnes and the offences which we committed against him and did free vs from them by meanes of Baptisme and Penance without taking that vengeance of vs which we deserued This is the substance of S. Paules discourse these are those rules of Charity and Benignity which we are to keep that so we may comply entirely with the will of Almighty God in this behalfe THE XV. CHAPTER That it is not contrary to Benignity to reprehend wicked and obstinate persons in their wickednes seuerely as Christ our Lord did IT is much to be noted concerning this vertue of Benignity which Christ our Lord taught vs both by his word and by his example that there are some both sayings and deedes of Christ our Lord in the Ghospell which to ignorant persons might seem cōtrary to this Benignity but which yet are not contrary but very agreable thereunto For Charity which teacheth vs that for the glory of God and good of soules we must vse this Benignity towards our neighbors of speaking to them in kinde gentle words the same teacheth vs also that when wee haue authority in our hands wee may vse words so seuere and pricking in some cases towards publicke and obstinate sinners and who by their ill example are pernitious to others as may discouer the grieuousnes of their sinnes and may disgrace and condemne them as they deserue that so if it be possible they may be reformed or at least that others may feare to follow their ill example And now wee will goe declaring some instances which Christ our Lord left vs of this truth in the holy Ghospell Saint Luke chap. 13. relateth that our Lord being then as it seemed in Galile which was the iurisdiction of Herod some of the Pharisees came and said to him Auoid this country for Herod hath a minde to kill thee Our Lord made them this answere Go tel that foxe that he may see I cast diuells both out of bodies and soules to day and to morrow and that the third day I shall dy and by ending my life giue end and perfection to these workes of mine By these three dayes our Lord vnderstood the time of his whole life and sometimes he called that one day and some other times three daies to signify the shortnes of this life and to signify also as wee said before that as no humane inuention or meanes was able to make the natural day one minute shorter then it is so neither was there any meanes to shorten his life by one minute And therefore the substance of what he said was this During all that time of my life which is giuen mee by the determination of my eternall Father I shall conuerse in this world and doe those workes for which he sent mee which is to teach truth to cast diuells both out of bodies and soules and to bestow both corporall and spirituall health vpon men and as long as this time shal last neither Herod nor any other power vnder heauen shall be able to take my life from mee But when the houre shall be come which is determined by my Father I wil offer my selfe to death to giue perfect life and health to the world Yet this I will not doe in Galile but in Ierusalem For as it is not fit that any
Prophet dy out of Ierusalem so especially is it decreed of this Prophet who for his eminency and excellency is called The Prophet which is the Messias that he shall dy in Ierusalem And as for the rest of the Prophets it hath ordinarily been true and so also it will bee that they haue been put to death and are to dy in Ierusalem because in that Citty the wickednes of thē who gouerne the people doth abound Now Herod who was called Antipas was a very wicked Kinge and very scandalous He was an adulterer and an in cestuous person for he tooke his owne brothers wife from him He was a murtherer a sacrilegious man for he had taken away the life of the great Saint Iohn Baptist and as it should seem he also went about to murder Christ our Lord secretly least the people being instructed by his holy doctrine might growe to abhorre Herods wicked life He was also a most vaine giddy creature for to reward the dance of a girle he promised the one halfe of his kingdome if need had been and he paid the life of Saint Iohn for it He was moreouer a false and dissembling person for he pretended that he murdered Saint Iohn for the complying with his oath whereas indeed that was not the cause but for the contenting of a wicked woman and for the setling and securing of his owne wicked life Now Christ our Lord resoluing to discouer the authority of the Kinge of heauen and earth and of the Lord of al creatures which himselfe had in his hand for the reproofe and punishment of all the powerfull men of this world and to shew how free he was from all humane feare and to giue an example to the Prelates of his Church of that holy liberty which in such case they were to vse towards the Kinges of the earth and to discouer also how vile and contemptible sinnefull men are in the sight of God how rich and noble and great Lords soeuer they might chance to be and particularly meaning to declare to them who bad him take heed of Herod that he knew well enough all the fetches and designes of that crafty man that he had no need to be tould therof by any other I say to declare and discouer all these thinges he spake this word Tell that foxe c. Which was to say vnder a metaphor Tell that crafty and dissembling man who by the wickednes of his life giues a pestilent odour of ill example that whatsoeuer ēdeauour he may vse he can take no part of my life frō mee till my selfe shall voluntarily part with it as I will do when the time ordained by my eternall Father shall arriue Being therefore most conuenient for these ends which wee haue touched that Christ our Lord should speake with this authority of a Lord he did yet obserue great modesty and Benignity therin For he might well haue said Tell that wicked man that adulterer that murderer and sacrilegious person yea or tell it to that diuell for all this had fitted him he deserued it well but Christ our Lord would not vse any of these termes but fell vpon a more moderate word as this was Tell that crafty and dissembling man that he hath no power to stop the course of my life And so shewing the authority and holy liberty which the Prelates of the Church are to vse towardes the great men of this world and discouering also his owne diuine wisedome he did joyntly teach vs that moderatiō wherewith we are to exeroise that authority and liberty Other examples which may breed the like difficulty in the mindes of ignorant men are the reprehensions which Christ out Lord gaue to the Scribes and Pharisees of the people of Israell in very seuere wordes which did greatly confound and grieuously wound them for he would say sometimes as Matt. 12. You generation of vipers you can not speake well being so wicked This wicked adulterous generatiō asketh signes At other times he would say as Matt. 23. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees you hipoctites Wo be to you who are blinde and guides of the blinde And Ioh. 8. You are of the diuell and him you haue for your Father and you cooperate to his wicked ends Now let vs see the mystery of these words of Christ our Lord how they were not contrary to that Charity and Benignity which he taught vs but full of conformity to the same And let vs also see who they be who may vse such wordes and to what kinde of persons for what ends they may be vsed The Scribes and Pharises who were the Doctours and should haue been the true Religious mē of Israell were at that time not onely wicked but wicked they were in all extreamity and their sinnes were very publicke very contrary to all Religion And with being so wicked they yet would needes sell themselues for good and holy and they accompanied their wicked life with ill precepts which were most pernicious to the people For by their wicked life and peruerse directions and with their pretences and deceits they corrupted the manners of ignorant people and they were blind obstinate And besides these sinnes which were ordinary in them they harboured that supreme wickednes of hindering the saluation which Christ our Lord came to worke in the soules of men calumniating his most holy life and attributing to Belzebub those most euident and expresse miracles which he wrought by diuine power and persecuting him to whom they should haue carryed all veneration and exhibited al obedience as to the true Messias and yet desiring and procuring by all the waies they could to put him to death who came to giue thē life These men being such as I haue said it was necessary that Christ our Lord who was sent by his Father to giue testimony to the truth and to take scandalls out of the world and to giue remedy to soules vsing the authority which he had of Sauiour of the world King of heauen should reprehend vice and that concerning publicke sinnes he should reprehend them publickely and that concerning grieuous very hurtfull sinnes he should reprehend them grieuously according to the quality and perniciousnes of the same that so they who were faulty might well feele the great hurt they did and all the rest of the people might be disabused and not haue cause to follow either the ill exāple or ill precepts of their wicked Teachers and gouernours And now that Christ our Lord might execute this so important office for the saluation of soules which was ordeined to the ends of true Charity such reprehensions of his were necessary as might declare the grieuousnes of the hipocrisy and other sinnes of those Teachers and the hurt they did to the people and the damnation which they prouided for themselues by committing such sinnes and he tould them who was the principall Author thereof namely the diuell whom they obeyed and the
that light sweet labour in performing that work of piety with her owne hands she pleased Almighty God so much and merited so greatly in his sight obtained so much honour throughout the world that as long as it lasts she shall be praised had in veneration for this worke by all faithfull Christians and for all eternity shall be made happy amongst the Angells in heauen with a most high crown of glory And so will that be fulfilled which was said by the wise man The memory of iust persons wil remaine amōgst men after their death and they shall relate their heroicall deedes and exhibite praise and veneration to them whereas the memory and fame of wicked persons shall be full of reproach and it shall perish Secondly we are to draw from this example of Christ our Lord that when wee see vertuous people suffer hurt in their reputatiō or good name whereby their neighbours were to be edified whereof they are depriued by the slaunders and lies of wicked people wee must defend them by giuing testimony to the truth and by praising their good life And when men murmur against them in our presence wee must excuse their innocency declare their vertue And if it so fall out that we haue any credit with the murmurers we must procure to mend them and stop the discourse and if our aduice by way of speech will not serue we must shew both by our silence and by our countenance that such murmuring is displeasing to vs. This is that which the holy Ghost doth admonish saying that as the sharpe cold winde coming from the North hindreth raine and permits not through the coldnes thereof that the cloudes should easily dissolue thēselues into water so doth the reserued and sad countenāce of him who heareth ty vp the tongue of the murmurer This saith the Wise man in the Prouerbs who was instructed by the Holy Ghost And the reason is because when the murmurer sees that they who heare him looke cheerfully vpon the matter he thinkes he pleaseth them that they giue him a glad eare and he taketh so much the more heart and liberty to murmur but whē he findeth that they shew him an ill countenance he vnderstāds by that that the discourse pleaseth not but that they are vnwilling to heare it this he markes and so he begines to giue ouer murmuring THE XXII CHAPTER How wee ought to praise wise men when they are vertuous to the end that others may profit by their example and doctrine BEsides those reasons before expressed there is yet an other of great force why wee ought to praise the seruants of God and it is to the end that our neighbours hauing notice of their vertue and parts may profit more both by their doctrine and by the example of their life This praise belongeth chiefly to persons who are much knowne and haue authority or publicke office as Prelates Iudges Preachers Cōfessors Religious men Priests and rich and noble persons for vpon the vertue prudence and wisdome of such as these who are as the heads and hearts dependeth the vertue of the people and so the good life and incorrupt doctrine of these seruants of God being generally knowne and commended the rest of men doth profit by it so much the more and are more edified by their good speeches and vertuous examples and therfore to praise such persons with that discretion which is fit is a thing very acceptable to God and very profitable for the gaining of soules Let vs relate an example which Christ our Lord gaue vs hereof The disciples of Saint Iohn Baptist came to Christ our Lord in their Masters name Mat. 11. Luc. 7. to know if he were that Christ who was to come that is to say if he were the Messias who had been promised by Almighty God for the saluation of the world And our Lord hauing answered this question by the workes he did which was by working the miracles which were prophecied of the Messias and by preaching that doctrine which belonged to him to teach and publish he dispatched them away saying Tell Iohn what you haue and heard When the disciples of Saint Iohn were gone our Lord began to celebrate the diuine praises of the same Saint Iohn and to proclame his admirable vertues saying What went you out to see in the desert Went you perhaps to see some reed or cane which is shaken with euery winde or some man set forth in soft and delicate apparell He meāt as followeth you went not out to see a light or vnconstant person who is mooued by euery passion or interest but a most constant man and who perseuereth with admirable resolution in the truth which he preacheth and in that holy life which he began to lead And you shall euidently see that inconstant and light persons who are mooued with passions or by the interests of this world be allwaies in loue with regaloes and delicacies in their food their cloathing and their habitation and are desirous of wealth and haue recourse to the houses of great men where these things are foūd in abundance But in Iohn you shall see nothing of this but a life of great penance and austerity very abstinent estranged from all manner of regalo and wholly depriued destitute of all earthly goods For his habitation is in the dry and horrid desert his bed is the hard ground his garment is a sharpe hairecloth made of camells haire his food is dry locusts his drinke running water and his continuall exercise is to pray and contemplate in that desert and to baptise and preach penance in the riuer of Iordan He saith moreouer of him And what went you out to see in the desert Was it perhaps some Prophet Verely I say to you that he is more then a Prophet For this is he of whom the eternall Father said whilest he was speaking to his sonne as is recorded in Malachias Behould I send my Angell before thy presence to prepare the way for thee I tell you for a most certaine truth that there was not borne of woemen a greater then Iohn the Baptist but yet he who is the least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then hee Which signifieth according to the best exposition He who for his age the office of humility which he exerciseth and in opinion of the people is the poorest member of the Church which was our Lord himselfe the true Messias is both in dignity and sanctity greater then he Saint Iohn had preached penance to the people and exhorted men to the exercise of all vertue and had giuen expresse testimony mony of Christ our Lord affirming that he was the Messias And now to the end that by sending this message whereby they asked of Christ our Lord if he were the Messias the people might not suspect that he made any doubt as some inconstant might doe of that which formerly he had testified and of that which now