Misericors ΜΙΚΡΟΚΟΣΜΟΣ OR Medeleyes Offices Containing an iniunction to all duties of Mercy belonging to the whole Man Miser esto in corde mecum ROM 12.16 Reioyce with them that reioyce weepe with them that weepe and be of like affection one towards another Consider these matters consult and giue sentence Printed at London by I. B. 1619. TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE EDVVARD Lord Wotton Baron of Marleigh L. Lieuetenant of the County of Kent and one of his Maiesties most Honourable Priuy Counsell my singular good Lord and to his most worthy associate my very good Lady and Mistresse health wealth and euerlasting happinesse RIght Honourable there was a custom among the Iewes that such dettors whose debts amounted their abilities to satisfie were to be sold themselues their wiues and children to become slaues to content their Creditors So calling to minde how farre I stand ingaged to your Honor not onely for your great and daily bounty whereof I haue continually tasted from time to time but also in that you haue willingly furthered mee by your other many and sundry fauours when occasion required the consideration of which forceth me to confesse that I also should incurre the penaltie aboue said hauing no other meanes to cancell the obligation wherein I rest bound to your Lordship and now in your Honors absence aye me I finde no other like minded towards me Wherefore as one Sophocles a poore schollar of Socrates did so I hauing nothing else doe dedicate not onely my selfe but whatsoeuer is of mine wholy to your Lordships seruice continually praying that the Lord would multiply his many and sundry blessings and graces vpon you and yours in this life and that hee would hereafter crowne you with glory and eternall happinesse for euer with his Saints and Angels Your Lordships most continually bounden T. M. To the Christian READER I Am not Ignorant gentle reader according to the saying of the Poet Scribimus indoctâ— doctique poemata passim That godly learned treatises of all sorts abound this consideration might well haue stayed my penne from paper Know therefore that not vaine glory but a sensible fellow feeling of the wronges and iniurses offered to my brethren by reason of a certaine imbred selfe-loue reigning for the most part in the heart of the oppressor hath stirred vp in me a setled resolution to cast in my widdows mite notwithstanding the many rich guifts and worthy workes of the more learned into the Lords treasury Wherein my onely scope and drift is to shew forth my forward and willing disposition in labouring to repaire the ruins and decaies of loue and piety which this age hath almost throwne flat on the ground if Narcissus likeâ—â— dote not to much vpon mine owne shaddow Many thinks it sufficient if they can talke and dispute of faith if they be able to reason and discourse in eloquent wordes of religion when they haue small regarde to turne their talking into walking their wordes into workes and their profession into practise For whereas we should manifest our faith and loue of God in our loue charity and kindnesse towards our neighbour many notwithstanding are now become so degenerate and such Non proficients in the Schoole of true Christian integrity that in their actions they are malicious enuying cruell deceitfull contentious malecontent scandalous haters of God iniurious without naturall affection and mercilesse But wee haue not so learned Christ neither can it be what shew soeuer they make that the loue of God should rest in that heart where fraudulent hatefull malicious and enuying Foxes haue made their dennes For if a man say hee loueth God and hateth his brother he is a liar for how can hee that loueth not his brother whom hee hath seene loue God whom hee hath not seene as saith the Apostle Iohn And hee that would know how to loue his neighbour aright must first entertaine the loue of God in his heart and the loue of God is retained by practising the loue of our neighbour For euen as the heate of the naturall body warmeth the cloathes that are put vpon it which cloathes afterward nourish and conserue the naturall heate so the fire of the loue of God which springeth of faith kindleth the heart with the loue of thy neighbour and the loue of our neighbour cherisheth the loue of God in our harts Wherfore if these endeauours of mine shall effect any good it is the thing that I desire and let God haue the praise if not yet I haue discharged my conscience Therefore I humbly beseech thee into whose hands these writings shall come throughly to reade them at thy leasure and to marke them well begin not onely but make an end for happily the best wine is reserued till the last And the God of patience and consolation make vs followers of God as deare children and grant that we be like minded one towards another after the example of Christ Iesus Thine in Christ Thomas Medeley MISERICORS Or Motiues to mercy The Preface AS the yong man in the Gospell that was desirous to obtaine euerlasting life yet being inioyned by our blessed Saniour to sell what he had and giue to the poore departed sorrowfull that Heauen should bee held at so high a rate Mat. 19.21 So beloued are there many in these our daies that very willingly would bee registred among the number of the saithfull righteous and mercifull men whose charitable deuotioÌ„s can abide no beggers For who amongst vs is there almost that doth any good or what man is he amoÌ„gst a thousand who hauing a fellow feeling of the miseries of his bretheren remembreth the afflictions of Ioseph Yet our Sauiour Christ exhorteth all those that wil be his Disciples to the practise of mercy after the example of our heauenly Father Luk. 6.36 Ye shall therefore bee mercifull as your Father which is in Heauen is mercifull There are two principall points to bee considered in this text First a precept Ye shall therefore be mercifull Secondly the president As your heauenly Father is mercifull of these in order Mercifull men may bee taken two waies Passiuely and Actiuely Passiuely for such as God hath receiued to mercy Tim. 1.13 as he did the Apostle Paul because hee sinned ignorantly through vnbeleife and in this respect Rom. 9.23 they are tearmed Vessels of mercy prepared to glory of this number are onely those which repent and amend Pro. 28.13 As Salomon saith Hee that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but hee that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercy But in this place it is meant Actiuely namely for such as shew mercy vnto others Now that we may the better know our duties in this point let vs more especially consider what the workes of mercy are Thomas Aquinas very learnedly setteth them forth to bee in number 13.6 belonging to the soule 7. to the body compreheÌ„ded in two verses Consule Castiga Solare Remitte for Ora Vifito Poto Cibo Redimo
and growing and is so surely kept that no man can depriue vs of it either by force or craft And then another benefit there is Luk. 12.34 Where your treasure is there will your hearts be also This is of so good effect that if one lay vp treasure in Heauen his heart will follow it What is the reason then that many men can come so hardly to speake of Heauen and heauenly things that one may as easily make a great milstone ascend vp to the Skie as draw their thoughts to heauen-ward the reason is plaine their treasure is not there This knew Salomon when hee said Pro. 11.17 He that is mercifull to the poore rewardeth his owne soule As if he had said euery man will yeeld it is a good thing to bee beneficiall to himselfe and to doe good to his owne soule but it is most certaine that nothing in the VVorld no purchase no bargaine shall bring so much profit to the soule as a mercifull heart and liberall hand to the poore members of Christ Iesus Acts 9.39 This caused Dorcas to bee so full of good workes and almes whose continuall custome was to buy cloth cut it forth and prepare garments for the naked Master Fox recordeth in the story of the Right worthy Lady the Lady Anne Bullen Mother to the late Queene of famous memory Queene Elizabeth that shee vsually sent her messengers into the Townes next adioyning to her abode to vnderstand both the number and state of their poore and where greatest want was shee contributed her almes to the reliefe of their necessities yea and that continually so great was her compassion towards the afflictions of Gods people Let vs then by these examples Remember them that are in bonds Heb. 13.3 as though wee also were bound with them and them that are afflicted as if we also were afflicted Neither let the rich man thinke whom wealth and nobility maketh haughty and proud that therefore hee was formed of gold siluer or some purer substance then the beggar who hath nothing to stand vpon but beggery patchery and penury for of the same masse of the same vile and abiect peece of earth both rich poore were taken Let them againe remember that they are mortall corruptible fraile and subiect to as many chances and changes as any other though neuer so poore and contemptible in the world Iob hauing found this by experience Would not see any perish for want of cloathing Iob 31.19 20. nor any poore without conering yea many blessed him that were warmed with the fleece of his sheepe And hee found the truth of that blessing pronounced by the Prophet Dauid saying Blessed is the man that considereth the poore and needy Psal 41.1 the Lord shall deliuer him in the time of trouble VVhy then despisest thou thine owne flesh why art thou an enemy to thy selfe This consideration should breede in vs such a fellow-feeling of the good or euill ioy or sorrow weale or woe of the members of the same body that wee should Reioyce with them that reioyce Rom. 12.16 and weep with them that weepe Againe 1 Cor. 12.25 That the members should haue the same care one of another Otherwise if wee haue lost this feeling and affection of members it argueth plainely that wee be no true members of the misticall body that we are not ingrafted into the body of Iesus Christ And therefore Saint Iohn assureth vs 1 Ioh. 3.17 That whosoeuer hath this Worlds goods and seeth his brother hath neede and shutteth vp his compassion from him that the loue of God cannot dwel in him If then the loue of God be in thy heart it is knowne by the loue that thou shewest to thy neighbour and if thou louest thy neighbour thou wilt not shew thy selfe hard-hearted and straight laced vnto him in his miseries Euen as the heart that is placed in the middest of the body inclineth most to the left side though indeed it inspireth life to the whole body so though a Christian ought to manifest his loue to euery man and our charity is to bee diffused vnto all men yet should hee bee most prone to the afflicted part and to bestow his charitable beneuolence where there is most neede of succour Charity and loue to our neighbour in humane societie is like the blood in the naturall body which amine streth and conserueth life for as the blood in euery necessity of the body runneth to the indigent parts to succour where is most need so is true charity ouer readie to minister succour and to conuert it selfe thither where is most need and necessity Lucullus hauing sumptuously entertained for some time certain Grâ—â—cians and when they saidâ— vnto him they maruelled that for their sakes hee would bestow such liberall expence and magnificent cost be answered Much my friends was for your sakes but the greatest part was for Lucullus sake So the good Christian who sheweth himselfe mercifull to the poore needy doth surely much for their sakes because hee loueth them as his neighbours and fellow members but much also for his owne sake because hee is delighted in doing good and ioyfully doth the worke of mercy The Holy Ghost compares our deeds of charity to seede sowne Gal. 6.7 They that sow plentifully shall reape also plentifully Now wee know that after sowing in time comes the Haruest and when the haruest commeth there is many for one the Husbandmans labour is recompenced keep your seed by you it will corrupt cast it forth it shall bring in crease VVhat more praise-worthy in a Christian then where God hath blessed industrie gathered and frugalitie saued thereby charitable almesdeeds and workes of mercy to pittie the distressed estates of others especially considering that if we sow but a cup of cold water in conscience and in loue it is sowne vpon Christ Iesus Mat. 25.35 he is the ground For I was hungry and ye gaue mee meate I thirsted and ye gaue mee drinke I was a stranger and ye lodged me c. Therefore vnlesse yee thinke that Christ will bee a barren ground it is most certaine that he which scatters seede here shall reape a large increase that which is cast abroade in mercy shall returne againe in goodnes the more good a man doth the more good hee shall receiue for God will restore it But oh what vaine of eloquence or stile of perswasion may now serue in this congealed age of charity to mollifie the steely hearts and thaw the frozen affections of worldlings and make them relent at the miseries of the poore members of Christ Let vs neuer forget that the sentence which the supreame Iudge Iesus Christ shall pronounce at the dreadful day of iudgment shall be grounded vpon the workes of mercy how wee haue discharged our stewardship in the succour and reliefe or in the neglect and contempt of his poore members which hee reputeth as done vnto himselfe And contrariwise he shall send
by euill diet so enemies are an occasion vnto vs of circumspection in our liues and conuersations Rom. 8.28 For we know saith the Apostle that all things worke together for the best vnto them that loue God So that a good man receiueth not a wound by the dart of his enemy but an wholesome plaister to cure the ruptures of his soule and to the furtherance of a godly life Thirdly wee should bee prone and ready to for giue because we can not possibly haue peace with God as long as we be at iarre with our Neighbours and therefore the necessity of it should moue vs to forgiue and loue our enemy If yee bite and denoure one another Gal. 5.15 take heede yee be not consumed one of another saith the Apostle We see in an army that the enemy hath neuer so great aduantage as when the Captaine and Souldiers are at discord and strife among themselues but the whole life of a Christian what is it but a warfare vpon earth And if then wee retaine peace with God and our Neighbours wee need not feare our enemies But therefore wee are vanquished of them because we haue little care of this peace amongst our selues This inestimable treasure Christ left with his true members Ioh. 14.27 My peace I giue vnto you my peace I leaue with you not as the world giueth giue I vnto you This peace of the world is the consent of wicked men amongst themselues against God and good men rather to be called a conspiration then a pacification as Herod against Pilate Pilate against Herod yet both agreed to put Christ to death All the Sonnes of Iacob conspiring against Ioseph were friends in wickednesse and held such firme concord together that for many yeers though they dissented among themselues as it commeth often to passe yet they neuer bewrayed to their Father the selling of their Innocent Brother But this is not the peace of Christ which so maketh both one that wee cannot haue peace with God vnlesse we hold peace with our brethren neither can bee at peace with our brethren except wee bee at peace with God first We are all conioyued in God the beginning and author of all things we all receiued our beginning of him and therefore wee are bretheren and neighbours And for this cause as saith Saint Augustine He created man but one and single De ciuit Dei that by this meanes hee might commend vnto vs the vnity of society and bond of concord If men not only be knit together among themselues by the similitude of nature but also by the affection of cognation so that no man may fall away from the loue of God but hee looseth the loue of his Neighbor also or can put off the loue of his Neighbour but with all he looseth the loue of God and so it followeth that if we bee not at peace among our selues wee haue no peace with God if we haue no peace with God we can neither pray nor per form any duty of godlines therefore saith our Sauiour Mat. 5.23 If thou bring thy gift to the Altar there remēbrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leaue there thine offering before the Altar and goe thy way First be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy guift And againe when hee taught them to pray he added Mat. 6.14 For if yee forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you But if yee doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your Father forgiue you your trespasses God will not accept any seruice at our hands except we be first reconciled to our brethren because there is no peace betweene vs and him as long as there is no Christian amity betweene vs and our Neighbours With what face can wee say the Lords Prayer with what conscience can wee craue forgiuenesse of our heauenly Father of our ten Thousand Talents Mat. 18. of our infinite sinnes against his diuine Maiesty when wee will not forgiue our Brother an hundred pence That is a trespasse of no moment in comparison of our greeuous sinnes dayly against God Is not this the Condition which wee make with God As wee forgiue them which trespasse against vs. O foole saith Saint Augusttine thou prayest against thy selfe is it not as if thou hadst said Lord forgiue mee not seale fast my sinnes forgiue me as I forgiue others but thou knowest that I will not forgiue them that trespasse against me therefore O Lord forgiue mee not And thus through thy hard heartednes thou praiest not for thy selfe but bringest a curse vpon thy selfe Fourthly another motiue which should mooue vs to forgiue is because our enemy is worthy rather of commiseration then retaliation and reuenge But to meete now with the vsuall obiection of carnall men How can I they will say refraine from seeking reuenge against him who with his virulent tongue hath impaired my good name who wrongfullie calleth me into the Law which ledeth mee with many contumelies and neuer ceaseth to reproach me I am not so estranged from the common sence of men but I thinke this to bee a grieuous disease among many Let vs learne now how to cure this festered wound weigh first the losse on either side whether I pray thee doth thine enemy hurt most himselfe or thee He looseth Gods fauour and friendship in vsing thee so iniuriously in reproaching thee he reproacheth God himselfe and in sinning he betrayeth his soule vnto eternall torments and looseth without repentance those eternall ioyes Which the eie hath not seene 1 Cor. 2 9. the eare hath not heard neither hath entred into the heart of man which God hath prepared for them that loue him Hee hath obscured thy good name but he hath betrayed his owne soule he hath but rent thy garment but hee hath wounded his owne heart he hath taken scarce a haire from thee but hee hath bereft himselfe of an eie This being so if there bee in thee the bowels of charity shouldest thou not rather take pitty vpon thine enemy which hath so harmed himselfe then greately to bee mooued in that hee hath done thee a little iniury This the Holy Prophet signifieth when bee saith Ps 113 11. They came about me like bees but they were quenched euen as a fire among thornes The Bee stingeth thy finger but pulleth out his owne bowels Animasque in vulnere ponunt They kill themselues with their stinging and thou enioyest the hony If therefore thou wouldest enioy the hony of heauenly glory it is needfull that thou suffer persecution of these waspish enemies where as the reuengerneuer wanteth a re-action on himselfe whilest he seeks vengeance on man findes vengeance of God whilest he shooteth the sting of reuenge he emptieth himselfe of the bowels of mercy Col. 3 1◠kindnesse humility c. Phocion and Aristides two Noble men of Athens the one being condemned to exile the other to death vnworthily
meanes yet God neuer reiects a charitable meaning it is the mind not the gift the will not the worke the affection not the action that God esteemes and therefore Saint Paul commendeth the Corinthians For that they had begunne not onely to doe but also to will 2 Cor. 10. for there may bee a doing of good and no good will there may be giuing without charity and curtesie without mercy In some either fashion not compassion or humour not vertue or hypocrisie not Christianity produceth strained fained maimed acts of mercie Such a giuer doth but cast off his superfluity superfluously hut the truly compassionate like the widdow puts into Gods treasury of his substance really the one giues externally the other giues internally As Saint Gregory saith he giues Extra semetipsum Somewhat without himselfe this de semetipso a peece of himself And albeit this kinde of mercy be most vsuall when it meeteth with vnderserued misery yet must there be a pitty euen of a iust calamity both in priuat men that in others see daily Gods righteous iudgements and in Magistrates that vsually punish malefactours vnlesse the fault be out of measure some heynous offence either against God or his annointed wherein to be merciful were to be miserable and to be compassionate very vniust Let vs not therfore grieue yea let vs rather reioyce with a great and vnspeakeable ioy when traytors murtherers or the like are worthily brought to confusion Psal 85.10 Seeing mercy and truth they then doe meete righteousnesse and peaoe therein kisse one another But in regard of our own priuate wronges wee are taught to loue our enemies To blesse them that curse vs Mat. 5.44 45. and to doe good to them that hate vs and to pray for them which hurt vs and persecute vs that wee may be the children of our Father which is in Heauen for hee maketh the sunne to arise on the euill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and on the vniust Let vs not so feast the body onely that the soule should fast as many doe who are mercifull but in part Yea in regard of the soule they are altogether mercilesse For what good doe these men towards the redemption of a soule from the bondage of sinne and Sathan more then they doe to a dog a horse or a hog yet as the miseries of the soule are more dangerous so should they more carefully be regarded pittied Let vs not whilst we carefully feed the soule suffer the body to pine in want and penury as also some do who being ouer-clogged with the terrestriall affayres of this life may not part with a penny what neede socuer should be Howbeit as man consisteth of soule and body and is subiect to miseries in them both so must wee be charitable to him in relieuing of both If you aske saith Lactantius why God created the world It was because man should be created If you demaund why man was created It was because hee should worship his creator If you aske why hee should worship his creator It was for no other cause but that he might be rewarded by him These are the bowels of Gods mercy who had no other cause of his mercy but his mercy no other end but his owne glory and our good wherein there is no end of his goodnes no number of his mercies no measure of his wisdom no depth of his bounty whose great loue to maÌ„kind was apparent in this when he purchased our redemption with the effusion of the most precious blood of his deere onely begotten Sonne And therfore saith Tertullian si tanta in terris moraretur fides quanta merces expectatur in Coelis were there so great faith on earth as there is reward to be expected in heauen how great should our loue be one towards another to tender the good one of another to releeue the wants and necessities one of another And surely man hath but two pleas before the throne of Gods iudgement seate the one of Innocency the other of mercy the former neuer any that Immaculate Lambe excepted could plead what interest shall man challenge in the plea of mercy who hath denied the same to his brother For saith Christ our Sauiour Mat. 18.33 oughtest not thou also to haue had pitty on thy fellow euen as I had pitty on thee Let vs then Col. 3.1 2. so many as bee risen with Christ seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God the father Set I say your affections on things which are aboue and not on things which are on earth Worldly minded men fitly resemble the earth in these fiue points first the nature of the earth is cold and dry so are all worldly affections to deuotion and charity Secondly the earth standeth still and hath the circumfereÌ„ce carried round about it so are Gods benefites about earthly men and they are not at all mooued Thirdly the earth doth oftâ—ntimes keepe downe many hot exhalations which naturally would ascend so doe worldly affections many charitable motions Fourthly the earth is heauie and heauie things goe downeward so worldly men set all their affections onely vpon the terrestriall things of this life according to the saying of the Apostle Phil. 3.18 19â— They are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is damnation whose God is their belly whose glory is to their shame who minde earthly things Lastly yet the earth is fruitfull after tilling and manuring so to conclude till the heart of man be fully manured with the graces of Gods holy Spirit it can bring forth no good fruite of deuotion charitie Let our compassion therefore so largely extend it selfe towards the consolation of others as in like manner we would expect from the hands of the Almightie towards our selues ending with this of our Sauiour Let vs be mercifull as our heauenly Father is mercifull Now the God of grace mercy so guide you in the wayes of holinesse good workes that both in life death you may glorifie God your creator to whom with the Sonne and holy Spirit be giuen and ascribed from the bottome of our hearts all power praise might maiesty and dominion both now and for euer Amen FINIS