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
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
immense a reward in the kingdome of heauen THE VIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse to diuers blinde men hearkning to them expecting them and illuminating them and how wee are to imitate him in this Benignity IT doth also belong to this vertue of Benignity to giue that to ones neighbour which he desireth with facility and sweetnes yea and more then that which he desireth and not to reflect vpon the indignity of him who asketh nor vpon the authority greatnes of that Lord who may need the like but to consider what is agreable to charity which whensoeuer it is great it communicateth it selfe to all and doth good to all and taketh order that in many things the high and lowe the great and little men of the world be made equall to one another Christ our Lord left vs many examples of this truth Saint Luke chap. 18. relateth how once coming to the Citty of Iericho a blinde man neer the way was asking almes and when he heard the noise of the people in company of our Lord and vnderstood that it was Iesus of Nazareth who passed by he began to cry out and say Iesus thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me And although the people bad him hould his peace yet still he continued in crying out and beseeching our Lord that he would free him from the misery wherin he was Our Lord heard his cry and deteined himselfe in the high way and made all that people which was in his company stay with him and commaunded that they should bring the blind begger to him and he stayed expecting till he came being come he asked him this question What wouldest thou haue mee doe for thee What doest thou desire at my hands The blinde man answered the thing which I desire and beg of thee is that thou wilt giue mee my sight and instantly our Lord without the least delay gaue him that which he desired and said Receiue thy sight And he receiued the sight of his corporall eyes the sight also of his soule for being full of faith and deuotion he followed Christ our Lord both with body and soule and did not cease from glorifying Almighty God This passed at the entry which Christ our Lord made into Iericho for Saint Luke relates that he entred into Iericho after he had wrought this miracle Saint Matthew also chap. 20. shewes that Christ our Lord going forth of the same Citty of Iericho and being accompanied with much people there stood two blinde men close vpon the way demaunding almes when they knew that Iesus passed by they began to cry out and say Iesus the sonne of Dauid take pitty on vs. Christ our Lord did instantly make a stand in the way and caused them to be called to him and being arriued he asked thē thus what do you aske at my hands They answered Lord that thou open these eyes of ours and take this blindenes from vs and at the instant our Lord extended his hand to their eyes and they obtained sight both of body and soule and they followed our Lord being full of gratitude for so great a benefit and of faith and desire to doe him seruice Much is here to be considered in the admirable Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards these blind men in that he would hearken to their cries and they being so base persons and our Lord so soueraignely high that he would yet pawse in the way stay for them and make all them also stay who went with him and condescend thereby to the necessity of those blinde men and accōmodate himself to their weaknes For if our Lord had gone walking on they not seeing the way could not haue followed him or at least not fast enough to ouertake him he must haue giuen them much trouble in putting them to it That way of Iericho was also full of impediments and dangerous precipices as Saint Hierome notes and so if they had been put to goe a pace in such a way they had been in danger to receiue much hurt For these reasons did our Lord make a stand as also because he would vouchsaffe to doe them honour making so much accoūt of them as for their respect to stay in that high way and to make so much people stay with him And besides it was a great testimony of his Benignity towardes them to graunt them at the instant of their asking it and that with so much comfort to them so great a benefit as it was to receiue their sight both in body and soule and such deuotion as carryed thē on to glorify Almighty God A great wonder it was that Iosue should cause the Sunne to stand still and make a pawse in the heauen to illuminate the earth till such time as he had obtained victory ouer his enemies and that the Sunne and all the Orbes which moued with it should stand still obeying the voice of Iosue the seruant of God But a much greater wonder it is that our Lord who created both the Sunne and the whole machine of the world should make a stand in the way obeying the voice of a blinde begger that he might illuminate him both in body and soule as the true Sunne of Iustice A great Benignity it is that a Kinge of any earthly kingdome passing on his way through a street should stay and make all the Grādes of his Court stay with him vpon the cry of a begger who asketh almes and that he should expect that begger till he could arriue and should giue audience to his petion and then instātly open a purse with his owne hands and giue the begger whatsoeuer almes he had desired But a farre greater Benignity it is that the King of heauen and earth should deteine himselfe in a high way and stand expecting a poore begger till he could arriue to him and then should aske him what he would desi◅ to the end that his owne mouth might be the measure of that which our Lord would giue him and that instantly he should open the treasures both of his mercy power and bestow all that almes vpon him which he could aske or desire yea and much more then he knew how to aske Now our Lord by shewing this mercy to those blinde men hath shewed also a very great mercy to all faithfull Christians instructing vs and perswading vs by his example to vse Benignity towards our neighbours giuing eare to the cry of the poore and bestowing with liberality what they aske according to the ability wee haue and that when they are not able to come to vs to aske remedy as being hindred either by infirmity or ignorance or any other weakenes wee goe to seeke them out or make thē be sought to the end that wee may helpe them accommodating our selues to their impotēcy and necessity And teaching vs also by this example that wee must expect and stay for our neighbours when there is occasiō to do
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
was then to come very suddenly whereby they were put into much disorder and trouble before he reprehended this lightnes of theirs he praised them saying 2. Thess 1. Wee must giue many thanks to God for the great encrease of yours faith which is growing euery day and for the encrease also of your fraternall charity which aboundeth its euery one of you and encreaseth daily both by your louing and doing good to one another But when he had praised them in these other words he benignely reprehendeth them saying chap. 2. Wee beseech you brethren by the coming of Christ our Lord to iudgment and by the glorious and blessed vnion which wee are all to haue together at that day that you depart not so easily from giuing credit to vs and from hauing the true sence of those thinges which you haue learned of vs and that you be not troubled or frighted by what others tell you and in a word that none may haue power to deceiue you By this diuine artifice the sacred Doctour of the nations did reprehend them when first he had comforted and encouraged thē by recording that vertue which he knew to be in them and the good opinion which he had of them to the end that hauing cōpunction to see that they had failed of the good which they had begunne they might the better accept of the reproofe he gaue them and so might reforme themselues thereby THE XIX CHAPTER How wee must praise vertue for the making it be more esteemed and of the examples which Christ our Lord gaue vs to this purpose WEe must also praise the vertue of good men to declare how great a good that is and how that which seemeth little and of meane value in the sight of mē is indeed very great and hath a most high reward in the sight of God to the end that other men may esteem greatly of it and carry much affection to it labour hard to acquire it Let vs deliuer some examples hereof Saint Peter Matt. 16. confessed to Christ our Lord that he was the true Sonne of God saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God It seemed a small matter and of no merit that Saint Peter hauing conuersed so long with Christ our Lord seen with his owne eyes so great and so euident miracles and heard such doctrine contemplated such an exāple of life that he should piously incline his heart to belieue that he was the true Messias the naturall Sonne of God For this did not cost him the shedding of his blood nor the tormenting of his body with affliction and penance but only to produce a pious affect of the will and to performe an act of obedience in the vnderstanding But Christ our Lord praised him and gaue testimony that this inward act of his was of supreme value and estimation in the sight of Almighty God and that on earth he should receiue admirable fauouurs from God for the same that in heauen he should enioy an immēse reward of glory And that frō that instāt he might begin to be happy by that certen hope and pawne which was giuen him of that infinite good which he was afterward to possesse and enioy during all eternity All this he declared by saying Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for men who are made of flesh and blood were not able with al the humane wisdome they haue to teach thee this truth My celestiall Father it is who hath reueiled it to thee vpon thee will I build my Church and to thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen By these words Christ our Lord praised by faith and deuotion of Saint Peter and declared to the world of how soueraigne value before Almighty God and how richly to be rewarded with celestiall and eternall blessings one single act of vertue may be which is performed by a iust mā though it be easily produced and in a short time and how little soeuer it may cost and especially an interiour act of liuely faith which a iust man hath no difficulty at all to performe Christ our Lord being in the Atrium of the Temple Marc. 12. Luc. 21. behoulding thē who were easting almes into the chest which was to serue for the reparation of the Temple for the maintenance of the Priests and for the relief of the poore amōgst the rest of them who cast in their almes which without doubt was then done both by many and in plentifull manner for it was neer Easter at which time there came much people to Ierusalem from all parts there cometh a very poore widow and casteth into the chest two of the least little peeces of money or mites Our Lord seeing her and being pleased to praise her much for the act which shee had done and the almes which shee had giuen called his disciples and pointing out the woman said thus to them This widow hath cast a greater almes into the chest and made a greater present to the Temple then all the rest who haue giuen almes this day And our Lord shewed diuers reasons why shee had giuen more then any of them First because in proportion of her poore condition it was more for her to giue a mite then for others to giue store of crownes And because the rest gaue the almes out of that which did aduance beyond their necessary maintenance and that they gaue not all but a part therof but this widow gaue that which was necessary to her selfe and shee gaue it all But the principall reason which he was pleased to signify vnder this was for that shee gaue her almes with a greater affection and desire to giue and with more ardour of charity then al they which he declared by her hauing giuen all that she had being in precise necessity thereof for her owne reliefe In this sorte did Christ our Lord praise the almes of this poore widow and by praising her he manifested to all the children of his Church how highly the good worke of a iust person is valued in the sight of Almighty God the great account he makes therof and how he will reward it in heauen and how he meanes not to giue the reward according to the quantity of the worke but according to the good will and loue of God and our neighbour wherewith it is performed He will also haue vs learne frō hence first to esteem greatly of the good works which our neighbours do how litle soeuer they may be and and approue them and praise thē before men for their edification and much to value those good men who doe them though they be poore of meane condition and estate since God who sees their hearts doth prize them much And secondly he will haue vs learne by this to be animated towards the doing of good works and to exercise the acts of Religion and charity with much affection and desire to please God and to doe more then wee doe although
faith as this in Israell And many shall come from the East and from the West and from all the parts of the world out of the nations of the Gentiles and by meanes of faith and obedience to my Ghospell shall sit in company of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the rest of the Patriarches and shall raigne with God and on the other side they who be the children of the kingdom which are the Iewes who descēd from the Patriarchs and to whom the promise of the Messias and of his celestiall kingdome was made shall the most part of them be excluded from that Kingdome and shut vp into eternall torment Christ our Lord praised the faith of the Centurion for the reproofe of the infidelity of those Iewes who belieued not in him at all of the weak faith of some others who belieued in him and to confound them by this example and to mooue them to penance for their fault and to perswade with them who belieued not and to encrease their faith who beleeued And so he was pleased to expresse himselfe to this effect This Centurion being a Gentile and not hauing read the Prophets nor hauing been brought vp in the Lawe of God nor in any discipline but of the warre and not hauing seene my workes and miracles but onely heard relation of mee hath beleeued my truth and my power with so great and so firme a faith and on the other side the children of Israell who are descended from the Patriarches who haue read the Scriptures and know the Prophecies which speake of mee and who were looking for mee and haue seen my miracles and heard my doctrine some of these haue not belieued in mee nor will receiue my truth but persecute the same others haue beleeued it so imperfectly that none of them hath arriued to so great a Faith as this man hath and as he confesseth in honour of mee They I say notwithstanding the many causes motiues which they haue had to beleeue my truth with a perfect faith haue not beleeued it as they ought and this man hauing had so few motiues as he had to beleeue in me hath beleeued with so great perfection that he hath farre outstripped all the rest And therefore this man though but a Gentile and all the other Gentiles also who throughout all the parts of the world shall be conuerted to mee and shall be like this man in his faith and obedience to my word shall be admitted into the Kingdom of heauen in company of the holy Patriarches whom they haue imitated and on the other side the children of Israell who according to the extractiō of flesh blood descend from Patriarches if they doe not penance and reforme their infidelity and disobedience by true and constant faith and reall subiection to my commaundments shall be excluded from the Kingdome of heauen and condemned to eternall torments In this sort did Christ our Lord praise the faith of the Centurion and thereby did he correct the infidelity or at least the weake faith of the Iewes And he did it with much reason for the faith of this man was so great that some of the Saints conceiue that he did truly know and beleeue the diuinity of Christ our Lord and that it was couered with the veile of his sacred humanity For thus saith Saint Hierome The wisdome of the Centurion is discouered in that with the eyes of faith he saw the diuinity which lay hid vnder that veile of humanity And the same doth Saint Augustin confesse saying in the person of the same Centurion If I being a man subiect to others haue yet power to commaund how much more hast thou it ô Lord whom all the powers of the earth obey and serue Wee are to profit by this example of Christ our Lord in praising such seruants of God as liue in a more eminent degree of vertue then the state and condition of their life seemeth to exact at their hands for the admonishing and correcting of others who by reason of their vocation and of the parts and gifts which God hath bestowed vpon them were obliged to greater vertue As when for the correcting of some Prelate who may be straight handed in giuing almes and negligent withall in the gouernment of his subiects we may praise some Lord who being a secular man is yet most liberall in giuing almes and most vigilant in procuring that his seruants and vassailes may be vertuous And as if for the reproofe and amendment of a Religious man who were remisse in making Prayer and doing Penance and were full of tepidity in the exercise of vertue and imperfect in the performance of his Obedience we should praise a secular Cauallier for being much giuen to prayer and diligent in the mortification of himselfe and full of feruour in the exercise of vertue and very obedient to his Ghostly Father For we frame the reason after this manner If a Lord or a Cauallier being a secular man be of so great recollection so great vertue such purity of life such diligence in the doing of good workes his vocation not seeming to bind him altogether to it how much more reason is it that a Prelate make himselfe a possessor of these vertues whom his state obligeth to be a perfect man and a Religious person whom his Religion obligeth to procure to be perfectly vertuous And so to reforme some very wise and learned man who wanteth spirit and deuotion we may praise a man who is wholly ignorant but yet full of the spirit of God and of true deuotion saying If this rude creature hauing so little knowledge of God and of his workes and mysteries and being able to vse so little discourse of reason haue yet so great loue of God and so great feeling of his goodnes and of his mysteries and workes so great gust of diuine things and maketh so great estimation of vertue and spirituall blessings how much more is it reason that a wise and learned man to whom God hath giuen so great wit knowledge for the comprehending of truth both diuine and humane and so great light of reasō to discourse and passe by meanes of visible thinges to the knowledge of such as are inuisible and by the creatures to come to the knowledge and loue of the Creatour haue such deuotion as was said before or at least procure to haue it In this sort did the Apostle S. Paule following this example of Christ our Lord cōmend the Gentiles who were conuerted for the most excellēt vertues which they had and the admirable workes they did and for those most high gifts which God had communicated to them by meanes of their faith to the end that so the Iewes who were in their infidelity might know their errour and be in confusion for their wickednes and might be awaked by the vertue of the Gentiles and encouraged to the incitation thereof This did he signify by saying Rom. 11. For as much as I
he questioned but only in regard both of his owne disciples and of al that people that so they might forsake the ignorance wherein they were remain more confirmed in their faith not thinke that he demaunded it in regard of the ignorance wherein himself was for this reason did Christ our Lord extoll him afterward with so illustrious praises and testified with so great asseueratiō the constancy and purity of his life and the eminency of his person and dignity And he proued this both by the experience of what they sawe and by the testimony also of a Prophet to the end that they might be settled in the great belief which they ought to haue of his truth and sanctity and that so they might profit by the doctrine which he had preached and the example of life which he had shewed In this sort are wee to praise men for their vertues after the example of Christ our Lord because their life and doctrine concerne the good of the faithfull to the end that their wordes of counsell may be more efficacious and their example more profitable to all men Thus did Saint Paule proceed who resoluing to send Timothy a most faithfull instrument of the Ghospell to preach and administer holy thinges at Philippos a Citty of Macedonia doth praise him first in a letter which he writeth to the Philippians wherin he testifieth his vertues saying I hope in the mercy of Christ our Lord that I shall very shortly be able to send Timothy to you And I haue designed to send him in particular because I haue none other who is so agreeable to mee and so of one heart with my selfe and who with so pure loue and true charity hath so particular a care of your good These and other praises did S. Paule deliuer of Timothy to the end that the Philippians might receiue him with great estimation of his sanctity and zeale and might profit by him And he did the like when he resolued to send Titus a seruant of Christ our Lord and a preacher of the Ghospell to them of Corinthus for first he praised him saying to this effect I giue great thankes to God for inspiring the heart of Titus with the same desire that I haue and for hauing kindled him with the same loue and endewed him with the same desire of your spirituall profit which he gaue to mee With these other wordes Saint Paule praised Titus to the end that his labours might prooue of greater spirituall profit to the Corinthians And after this manner are we also to praise Prelats Preachers Gouernours of Citties Pastours of soules Religious men and Priests and all such as haue publicke office and authority ouer the people when they clearly expresse true vertue in their liues For when they are knowne for-such and that they are wise and diligent in doing their duties they shall profit the people more and especially such families thereof as conuerse with them Let vs praise saith Ecclesiasticus such men as are excellently glorious aboue the rest THE XXIII CHAPTER Of the rule which wee are to hold when vpon the aforesaid reason we shall praise the seruants of God BVt in affoarding this praise wee must obserue these directions and rules of discretion That whē we praise another man not to the end of encouraging him or moouing him to the practise and proceeding in vertue or for the perswading him to the doing of some good worke but for the good and profit of others that so his vertue and wisdome being knowne and much esteemed his neighbours who heare and discourse thereof may profit by his example instruction aduice and gouernment which is the case wherof we are speaking we must not then praise the party in his own presēce nor yet before his familiar friends who already know his parts and who are likely to tell him what they haue heard but onely before such others whō it may concerne to know his vertues and parts to take profit by him So did Christ our Lord whē he praised Saint Iohn for he did it in his absence and he staied for the doing of it till the disciples of Saint Iohn were gone This rule must wee also hold that so we may take from the seruant of God whom we praise all occasion of vaine complacence and estimation of himselfe especially when the praises happen to be great in respect that the parties vertues and parts are greatly worthy to be praised For although it be true that many seruants of God who haue laid the rootes of humility very deeply in their hearts and who by long experience and much light from heauen haue wel vnderstood and penetrated the weakenes of man are free from this danger take no occasion of vanity by it but contemne themselues so much the more yet this is not euery bodies case How soeuer we see indeed that it happened in the case of Saint Ambrose when once a diuell speaking by the mouth of a possest person had a minde to cry out thus aloud Ambrose torments mee For then the Saint vnderstood the diuells craft what he pretended by praising him But he did not onely not growe proud by occasion thereof but he humiliated himselfe so much the more and said Hold thy peace thou diuell for it is not Ambrose who torments thee but the faith of the Saints in God and thine owne enuy Know that Ambrose will not growe proud vpon thy praises This passed with Saint Ambrose and the like happened to Saint Marcellus the Abbot For this man had a gift from God to cast out diuells and they brought diuers possest persons to him and the diuells desiring by their infernall craft to hoise vp the Saint into pride with praise they cried out thus aloud Marcellus doe thou commaund vs to depart out of these bodies for thou hast power ouer vs and this they repeapeated often The Saint vnderstood the malice of the diuells would not send them out vpon their commaundmēt but taking occasion from that speech to humble him selfe so much the more and lifting vp his eyes to heauen he begged of Christ our Lord that he would cast them out saying thus O Lord preserue this worke of thy hands he continued praying so long that the diuells departed out of the bodies Though this be so and that many great seruants of God are settled so firmely and solidly in the truth of humility that humane praises moue them not at all but rather they humiliate themselues the more by occasion thereof yet there are others who though indeed they be the seruāt of God and haue very excellent vertues and gifts from heauen and are worthy to be praised yet notwithstanding they haue some weaknes this way and are subiect to the danger of growing proud vpon humane praise and especially whē they are praised much And this is the vsuall case and which ordinarily happeneth that euen good men are subiect to this weaknes and are exposed to this danger And
a poore sicke person full of soares should speak to him in most amiable manner and should touch his soares and clense them and cure them and comfort him with such a regalo as this would bee And so much more eminent as that Lord were who should desceÌ„d to this office so much more base as the sicke person were and so much the more horrible as his disease were and so much the more often and so many more as the sicke persons were to whom he should vse this charity so much the greater and so much the more admirable would this sweetnes of condition and Benignity fall out to be Well then all this was done by Christ our Lord who being the Kinge both of heauen and earth and the Lord of infinite Maiesty did touch with his owne blessed hands those poore base persons who were sicke of horrible diseases and who came to him with desire of remedy and he cured them and left them full of comfort and this he did many times and to innumerable persons S. Luke and Saint Marke relate how our Lord beginning to preach in Galilea after his fast in the desert came to the Citty of Caphernaum and being gone forth to preach in a Sinagogue and the euening being already come on all they who had sicke persons in their power brought them before him And those sicke people being many Marke 1. Luke 4. and their diseases of many kindes for they came from seuerall parts of that Prouince to hunt after their health by his meanes he touched euery one of them with his owne sacred hands and gaue them perfect health the whole Citty the while standing al amazed at that wonder to see how he touched them one by one and how instantly withall they were cured Hauing once preached a sermoÌ„ in the Mount he descended towards the plaine Matth. 8. Mark 1. and there came many troupes of people to him Amongst the rest there approached a maÌ„ all loaden with leaprousy and in the presence of al that multitude of people he placed himselfe vpon his knees before our Lord but a litle separated from him and besought him to cure him of that leaprousy saying O Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee whole Now our Lord could haue cured him with the least word yet not coÌ„teÌ„ting himself with that but to the that he might shew the more Benignity he extended his hand so farre as to reach him and touch his leprous body saying I will be thou cleane and instantly he was cured After the mystery of the TraÌ„sfiguration Matth. 17 Marke 9. there came troupes of people who were expecting him and they brought a lunaticke before him who was extremely tormented by a diuell Our Lord commaunded the diuel to depart who yet at his going out did treate the young man so ill as that he fell to the ground like a dead body And whereas our Lord could easily haue coÌ„maunded him to rise vp or els appoint one of his disciples to raise him he did not so but himselfe went towards the young man and tooke him by the hand and raised him vp and then the young man being touched and assisted by our Lord who sustained him in his handes did rise Whilest he was in Bethsaida Marc. 8. they brought a blind maÌ„ to him that he might cure him which he would not doe in the Citty before that people but abroad in the field And when he might haue commauÌ„ded them who led him to conduct him forth of the Citty he was not pleased to serue himselfe of any other in that office but himselfe would needes take the poore blinde man by the hand and drew him a side into a part of the field out of the company and himselfe lead him and became his guide and to cure him laid his hand vpon his eyes and to discouer his Benignity to vs he vouchsaffed himselfe in person to be the leader of a poore blinde man which is a worke of so much humility and meannes Not onely did he vse this kinde of Benignity with men but also poore sicke woemen The mother in lawe of Saint Peter Matth. 8. Marc. 1. was sicke of a violent feauer He went into her house to visit her he drew neer her he tooke her by the hand and he raised her vp commaunding the feauer to forsake her so might he haue coÌ„maunded her to rise alone but he would not do so but would needs raise her vp himselfe to discouer his Benignity so much the more Our Lord being preaching in a Sinagogue one Saboth day Luke 13. there came before him a sicke miserable creature bowed crookedly downe euen to the ground and tormented by a diuell and our most pitteous Lord called her gently to him made her come neer him and laid his hands vpon her with great Benignity and gaue her perfect health That which our Lord did with these sicke and miserable persons whereof wee haue spoken he did at other times with other innumerable sicke people who were subiect to horrible and loath some diseases for all the world came to him And they who were so weake and wasted that they could not come of theÌ„selues were brought to him by others so they drew neer him and he touched them with his most blessed haÌ„ds to cure them Now that our Lord himselfe should raise sicke persons out of their beds or from the ground to which they were fallen did proceed in him from an vn speakeable and most tender loue who not onely was disposed to doe men good but also to coÌ„fort honour and regale such persons as he did good vnto which was a fruite of the supreme sweetnes of his Benignity and loue THE VII CHAPTER How the Saints haue imitated this Benignity of Christ our Lord towards sicke persons THis example of Christ our Lord hath generally been imitated much by holy men who thereby haue been moued animated to serue sicke persons and to cure them and to raise them in their armes and to clense them with their owne hands And this hath been done not onely by meane persons but by principall and great Lord who not being content with giuing almes to poore sicke people and to mainteine them by their bounty haue themselues been glad to serue them and striue to cure them sometimes being sicke of leprosies and other most loathsome corrupt soares and haue with extreme Benignity done all imaginable offices of charity and tendernes yea eueÌ„ so farre as to kisse their leprosies and soares And to the end that God might declare how much this tender and benigne kinde of charity was pleasing to him he did oftentimes concurre by miraculously curing those sicke persons who had been touched by his seruants Let vs relate some examples of this truth Saint Lâ—wis Kinge of France vsed to visit the hospitalls where there was a great number of persons sicke of diseases both grieuous and dangerous and extreamely loathsome withall and yet the King without loathing that
vncleanes the horrour of their diseases and without any feare also of contagion would go to the sicke and would be seruing them vpon his knees and regaling them with extreame Benignity And this he performed with so great cheerfullnes and estimation of this office as if visibly he had beheld the person of Christ our Lord in euery one of those poor people And finding on day a leaper whose nose whose very eyes were eaten out with the leprousy who was become euen abhominable to all that saw him to this man he vsed extraordinary tendernes and gaue particular regaloes and serued him vpon his knees putting the meat into his mouth with his owne hands and giuing him the wine water which he was to drinke The Count Elzearus of Ariano had euery day in his house twelue Leapers he washed their feet and gaue them meate and not content with what he did in his owne house he went to the hospitalls where they liued and there putting himselfe vpon his knees before them he would wash their feet and kisse and clense and tie vp their soares One day in the hospital he found six leapers and some of them had their lips and mouthes so eateÌ„ that they could not be looked vpon without horrour and the holy Count went to them and comforted them by word of mouth and afterward kissed the soares of euery one of them and this charity was so acceptable to God that instantly they were all cured and the house was filled with a most fragrant odour Not onely did Christ our Lord approue this worke by curing those leapers who had been touched by his â—eruaÌ„t but himself also was pleased to appeare to him in forme of a leper that so he might receiue the same seruice and regalo which was affoarded to the rest Surius relateth in the life of Saint Ethbinus the Abbot whose feast is celebrated vpon the 19. of October that another holy Priest going with him by the fieldes to his Monastery they encountred in the way a poore leper all full of soares and deepely groaning vpon the ground where he was laid They came to him comforted him and hauing much coÌ„passion of his misery they asked him what he would haue and offered him all the seruice they could performe although it were to giue him of their very flesh The leper said the thinge which I desire of you is that because my nose is so ful of corruption and filth you would asswage my grief by making it cleane They doe soe and Ethbinus takes him in his armes and raiseth him vp from the ground and the Priest comes clenseth the corruption of his sore with his to uÌ„g In that very instant wherin they beganne this worke of so great Charity and Benignity there appeered Angels from heauen close by the leaper and there appeared also a Crosse which was placed ouer his head and the leaper rose vp whole all full of splendor and beauty and they saw cleerly that it was Christ our Lord. And when he was a little mounted vp he said Yea were not ashamed of mee in my afflictions neither will I be ashamed to confesse you and to admit you as my seruants in my kingdome and when this was spoken he vanished and ascended vp to heauen The two Saints were amased and full of mighty ioy and could not satisfie themselues with praising God for the great fauor he had shewed them by appearing in the forme of an poore sicke man and for vouchsafing to receaue that poor seruice at their hand and to reward that with so great bounty as to giue them an assured hope that they should enioy him in his kingdome There haue also been many Queenes and great Ladies in the Church of Christ our Lord who haue imitated his Benignity towards sicke persons Fortunatus the Bishop relates of Radegundis the holy Queene of FraÌ„ce whose feast is celebrated in August that shee made an Infirmarie into which she gathered and wherein shee cured a great multitude of sicke persons and shee her selfe would serue them and licke the corruption of their soares euen the wormes which grew therein and she would clense their heads cut their haire And especially she did this to leprous woemen whom she would embrace and kisse and anoint and cure and serue at table with great sweetnes of loue The Queen Donna Isabel daughter to Don Petro King of Arragon and neece of S. Isabell daughter of the King of Hungary who was married to Don Dionysio King of Portugall and who for her sanctity is publikely reputed and serued in Portugall as a Saint by leaue of Pope Leo did not content herselfe to giue all the goods she had to poore people who were sicke but shee herselfe would be seruing and curing them in her owne person And for this purpose she would cause both men and woemen who were sicke of loathsome infirmities as soares and leprosies and cankers to be sought forth secretly brought into her Palace and there shee cleansed and cured and serued and regaled them with all the expressions of pietie that she could make she would kisse the feet the soares of the leprous woemen One day washing the feet of a woman who was leprous the woman hid one of them because it had been much eaten with the canker and there distilled forth corrupt matter which gaue a most loathsom sauour The QueeÌ„ made one of her woemen draw forth the leprous foote put it in a basen that she might wash it When this was done there came such a pestiferous sauour from that foote that the Queenes woemen not being able to endure it went all out of the roome The Queene remaining alone with the leaper did gently touch the foote with her hand for feare of hurting it and she cleaÌ„sed it and stooping kist it with that horrible sore which it had And Christ our Lord being pleased to discouer how much gust be taketh in such workes of piety did entirely cure the leaper at the instant when the Queene kist her foote Now wee also are to imitate Christ our Lord and his Saints in this sweet and benigne kind of charity towards poore sicke persons and wee must visit them in their houses and hospitalls and infirmaries and wee must serue and cleanse and cure and coÌ„fort them and prouide them the best wee may of all things necessary And howsoeuer wee may be placed in great height of nobility and dignity yet must we not disdaine to affoard such seruices regaloes to poore sicke people since this was done by Christ our Lord who is the King of glory and many Christian Kings and Queenes haue done the same for loue of him And it is a great honour and glory for vs to be able to do a worke so acceptable and pleasing to Christ our Lord and so profitable to our owne soules and of so great edification and good example to our neighbours and which hath the assurance of so
saying O admirable humility of Christ our Lord that to a contemptible and defeated man without strength or health in any part of his body whom the Priests of the lawe would haue despised and disdained euen so much as to touch our most Bâ—nigne Lord was content to giue the name of Sonne There came to Christ our Lord Marc. 5. Luc. 8. a woman who had a fluxe of blood she touched the skirt of his garment and remained whole and our Lord hauing brought her forth to light and she hauing confessed the benefit which she had receiued our Lord said publickly to her daughter thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace He honoured her by calling her daughter and by attributing her cure to her owne faith making her rich with Peace and ioy of heart which was an effect of the pardon of her sinnes and of the grace he gaue her And thus by honouring the paraliticke with the name of Sonne and this womaÌ„ by the name of daughter we see it was no particular priuiledge which he gaue to this or that person onely but that it was the coÌ„moÌ„ stile which our most benigne Lord vsed honouring with this name such meane and poore meÌ„ and woemen as came to him for any helpe His disciples being poore and meane and very full of defects at such time as he conuersed with them in mortall flesh sometimes he called Sonnes yea and at some other times he would call them by that diminitiue whereby fathers call their sonnes little children to vnfould so much the more that sweetnes of loue wherwith he called them Sonnes At other times he would call them Friends and after the ResurrectioÌ„ when the glory of his sacred Humanity and the Maiesty of his Diuinity was more discouered he called them his Brothers when he spake of them to others in their absence For once he said to S. Mary Magdalene Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and to your Father And againe he said to the Maries Goe tell my brethren that they are to goe into Galilea and that they shall see mee there All these are titles of great honour and glory and that our Lord should vse them towards men who were so meane and poore and at a time when still they were so imperfect and especially that he did it after they had quite forsaken him in his Passion was an effect of extreme Benignity in him THE XII CHAPTER Of other examples which Christ out Lord gaue vs of his Benignity in the same kinde CHrist our Lord preaching in a Sinagogue Luc. 13. they placed a woman who was deformedly bent downe to the grouÌ„d by that diuell wherewith she was possessed Now he hauing cured her they calumniated him in respect that he had done it vpon the Sabboth and he defending his miracle from that slander said Which of you will not vpon a Sabboth day let your oxe or asse be vntyed and carryed to the waters If this may well be done how much more is it conuenient to vntie the bond of sickenes wherby Satan had bound vp this daughter of Abraham although it were vpon the Sabboth day That title of the whole world which was most honourable amongst the Iewes and whereby they prised themselues and wherin they gloried most was to be called the sonnes of Abraham and so vpon a certaine occasion when they were disposed to magnify this honour they said to Christ Wee are the sonnes of Abraham And whereas it had beene curtesy enough towards that woman if Christ our Lord had said It had been conuenient to free this afflicted Woman from that misery or to deliuer this miserable creature from that infirmity he could not content himselfe therwith but was resolued to honour her with the most glorious name which could be vsed amoÌ„gst the Iewes by saying This daughter of Abraham this woman who according to the extraction of flesh and blood is desceÌ„ded of Abraham yea and in the way of spirit also for she is an imitatour of his faith When Christ our Lord receiued that message Ioh. 11. concerning the sicknes of Lazarus and being resolued vpon his death which succeeded within few daies after to raise him vp againe to life he said to his disciples Our friend Lazarus sleepes and I will goe waken him It had been enough and more then enough for a Lord of so great Maiesty to haue said Lazarus sleepeth or since he would needes doe him honour to say Lazarus my seruant or Lazarus whose guest I haue been sleepeth and with this he had done him much honour Yet his enamoured heart could not content it selfe with this but he would needes passe on and say our friend Lazarus which is a word of the greatest curtesy and honour For if it goe for a point of high honour to be accounted the friend of an earthly Kinge and for a great fauour and regalo to any vassaile that a King should call him by that name what honour must it be for a mortall man to be accounted a friend by Christ our Lord the Kinge of heauen and what kinde of felicity and comfort must it be to be called so by Christ our Lord himselfe and that not in complement but from the very rootes of his heart And so Christ our Lord honouring Lazarus with this word of friend did also honour his disciples equalling them with himselfe and making them his companions in the friendship of Lazarus and declaring that they were all his friends This Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse both in word and deed whilest yet he liued in mortall flesh hath been also vsed by him since he ascended vp to heauen towards many seruants of his to whom he hath seuerally appeared And leauing many examples of Saints to whom he hath done it sometimes in the forme of a childe and sometimes of a most beautifull young man sometimes of a most glorious person and hath honoured and comforted them both with words and deedes of must sweet loue Wee will speake here of one admirable apparition and that of great authority whereof we haue made some mention elswhere to another purpose and in respect it was vouchsaffed to a person of very meane quality it doth so much the more disclose the Benignity of Christ our Lord and makes vs the more confident of his goodnes Saint Paulinus Bishop of Nola relateth how certaine ships going from Sardinia towards Italy grew into a great tempest close by the Iland and the rest of them breaking and sinking there one of them which was fraught with corne did not split but yet was extremely ill treated by the storme The marriners did all leaue her and left also in her an old poore man of Sardinia who was yet no Christian but had begun to be catechised in that faith and it was his office to clense and pumpe the ship When the maÌ„ obserued him selfe to be alone and in a ship which had neither anker nor sterne for she had lost all in
the tempest he began with teares to recommend himself to Christ our Lord and to beg remedy at his hands He passed in this anguish six whole daies without eating any thing and still continuing in this affliction Christ our Lord appeared to him in great brightnes and beauty and comforted him and fed him and commaunded him to cut the mast which was the ordinary remedy wherof the ship seemed capable in that extremity For though our Lord was resolued to deliuer the poore man yet he was pleased withall that he should also do his part He put himselfe therfore to cut the mast and because he alone was not able to doe it the Angells of heauen helped him in it When this visit was at an end and the man had disposed himselfe to sleepe our Lord came againe and appeared to him and gently touching his eare with his hand and gently pulling it he waked him and required him to goe about the doing of those things which were necessary for his nauigatiō and in that which himselfe could not doe he had the assistance of the Angells Another time he appeared to him sitting in the pupp of the ship where the sterne is wont to be letting him see that it was he who gouerned her The good man came to the feet of our Lord and perceiuing that he vouchsaffed to be so familiar and Benigne towards him that he did so cherish and inuite him to himselfe he tooke great courage and confidence and bent his head downe sometime towards his sacred feet and sometimes reposed it in his bosome Our Lord departed then hauing both by word and deed affoarded those great fauours and regaloes of so great Benignity to this old Catechumenus And the ship being directed and conducted by the fauour of heauen sailed three and twenty daies by sea and and passing by Africke and Sicily and by the Faro of that Iland he came at last to the coast of Lucana which is the lower part of Calabria There the inhabitants did receiue him and were all eye witnesses of the miracle seeing him come safe in a ship which was all defeated without sterne or men to gouerne her From thence they conducted the old man to Saint Paulinus who receiued him with great loue and baptised him and whereas first his name was Valgius he called him now by the name of Victor And the Saint affirmes that this was a very well conditioned and a sincere innocent kinde of man and that he would recount this benefit and apparition of Christ our Lord with so great tēdernes and deuotion that whosoeuer heard him could not choose but weepe from the heart By this example and many others ouer which I passe for breuities sake Christ our Lord hath discouered that the Benignity and and sweetnes of his condition which he vsed towards miserable mē whilest he liued in this world in mortall flesh is still conserued by him and still he vseth it towards such as will profit by it THE XIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity of speaking in sweet ciuill words which was vsed by Christ our Lord towards men he commaunded his disciples in the Ghospell that they should also vse towards their neighbours And so when he sent them to preach to the people of Israell he commaunded that as soon as they were entring into any house they should instantly salute them who were in it saying peace be to this house desiring and begging of God the most holy gift of peace for them all And this was to teach them that they were to be curteous and affable and benigne to all them with whom they conuersed The Apostles obserued this order very exactly S. Peter the Prince of the Church called the wicked Iewes his Brethren who had crucified our Lord saying Act. 23. Brethren I confesse that you did it by ignorance doe penance and you shall be forgiuen And such as were conuerted he called his fellowes and equalls 2. Pet. 1. in the faith and grace of Christ our Lord. And the great Euāgelist Saint Iohn called the faithfull his much beloued children And writing to a Christian woman called Electa he saith in the letter to the Lady Electa and her children whom I truly loue And writing to another Christian called Caius he saith to my much beloued Caius whome I doe very truly loue But what then shall wee say of Saint Paule With what Benignity with what curtesy and good māners and with what regalo did he speake to all men For speaking to the Iewes who still continued in their infidelity he saith Act. 13. Men and Brethren and the sonnes of Abraham to you was that word sent from heauen which giueth saluation And speaking to the Christians who had been conuerted from gentility he saith Philip. 4. My brethren much beloued and much desired who are my ioy and my crowne And in another place he saith 1. Tim. 2. You are my hope my ioy and my glory And speaking to Kinge Agrippa who was a wicked Prince by nation a Gentile and by sect a Iew he made him an exordium full of estimation curtesy and good fashion saying I bold my self happy ô Kinge Agrippa in that I am to defend my selfe before thee concerning those thinges whereof I am accused by the Iewes especially since thou knowest the customes and questions which are amongst them and therefore I beg thy patience in hearing mee By these few wordes so full of diuine sweetnes and eloquence he made him so propitious and gained so farre vpon his good will as to make him gladly and with great attention giue eare to a discourse and sermon full of diuine mysteries And speaking to Festus the Iudge a Gentile and an Idolater hauing heard this word of iniury from his mouth Paule thou speakest like a madd man too much learning hath put thee out of thy wits for him selfe being blind vnderstood nothing but earthly thinges and so the mysteries of heauen which S. Paule expressed seemed madnes to him he answered thus Most excellent Festus I am not madd the wordes which I haue spoken to thee are full of sobriety and truth What admirable Benignity was this not to be offended or disgusted nor a whit altered by such a great affront as it was to be called mad man and to answer with so great serenity of minde and so great sweetnes of wordes so full of curtesy and good manners as to call him good or Excellēt who was an impious Idolater and he might say so too with truth for although he were not Good or excellent in his Religion nor in that kinde of vertue which maketh a man iust in the sight of almighty God yet he was very vertuous in conuersation and morally vertuous and so vsing a word of a double signification in a true sence he honoured him as much as he could yet still speaking truth The Apostle did much declare his Benignity
suauity by these examples wherby he honoured his neighbours both in speaking to them and speaking of thē but much more he discouered it in this instance which followeth Onesimus an Infidell a slaue fled from Ph◅emon his Master and came to S. Paule being at Rome The Apostle receiued him with much loue and instructed him in the faith and conuerted him by the grace of Christ our Lord and baptised him and returned him to his Master and recommended him by his owne letter wherin he wrote to this effect I beseech thee for my some Onesimus whom I haue engendred for as much as concernes the spirituall life of grace whilest I was in prison at Rome and I embraced him as I would doe mine owne bowells Which signifieth to this sence I receiued him with much tendernes of affectiō as a sonne whom I loue with my whole heart with all the affections thereof If thou houldest mee for thy friend and if thou louest and respectest mee as such an one receiue him euen as thou wouldest doe mee with the same affection of loue and with the same estimation and good vsage wherwith thou wouldest receiue mee And if he owe thee any thing either for hauing runne away or for taking any thing from thee put it vpon my account demaund satisfaction and paiment thereof at my hāds for I offer to pay and satisfy it all for him Grant my suite as I desire it and I will reioyce with thee in our Lord for this good worke of thine Make my heart glad by doing as much as I haue asked which is to say giue mee this comfort and this regalo that thou receiue and treate Onesimus as I haue begged at thy hands Who would not be amazed to read and heare these wordes of Saint Paule That an Apostle of Christ our Lord a Prince and Instructor of the world hauing been personally visited before by Christ our Lord himselfe and raised by him vp euen to the third heauen and chosen out to iudge all the Nations of the Gentiles yea and the very Angells with them in company of Christ our Lord and being so employed both day and night in preaching the Ghospell and gouernment of the Church as that in his brest he carryed the sollicitude and care of all the particular Churches thereof that such a man I say as this so venerable to the Inhabitants of heauen and so reuerenced here on earth should take so much to heart and negotiate at so great leasure the busines of a fugitiue slaue but newly conuerted to the faith as that he should write a letter frō Rome to Phrygia which was in Asia minor where his Master was dwelling in Colossus and recommend him to be receiued to be pardoned and to be treated well And not being contented to performe this office of charity in ordinary wordes which yet had been sufficient that he should honour Onesimus with termes of so great estimatiō loue and sweetnes and should recommend him to his Master in termes and with reasons of so great exaggeration as a Father would do recommēding his only sonne whom he did extreamely loue to some great friend of his This was the Benignity and curtesy and suauity of speech which the Apostles learned of Christ our Lord and this must all faithfull Christians imitate treating our neighbours with termes of curtesy and good manners and giuing thē the most honourable titles and names we can according to the estate of euery one and according to the custome of that people amongst whom wee liue in speaking honorably of them both in presence and absence In this sorte wee shall preuent many sinnes which we vse to cōmit for want of obseruing the rule of charity We shall free our selues from detraction and murmuring which is a vice through which a man contemnes and affronts his neighbour speaking ill of him and recording his defects and faults whether it be with truth or with falshood But howsoeuer this is a vice much abhorred by Almighty God and very abhominable to them who feare him which made Saint Paule say detracters who are abhorred by Almighty God And the wise man in the Prouerbes saith The murmurer who speaketh ill of his neighbour and maketh a scorne of him is abhominable to men And because when God hath abhomination towards a sinner it is to wish him the euill of eternall paine from hence it is that the murmurer is subiect to eternall malediction and condemnation as Ecclesiasticus chap. 28. signifieth saying The murmurer who secretly speaketh ill of his neighbour and who hath two tongues because in the presence of his neighbour he speaketh well of him and in his absence he infameth him by ill report is accursed both of God and man because he hath giuen trouble to many depriuing priuing them of the peace and quiet of their hearts and filling them with grief and anger and destroying that agreement and good correspondence which they had with their neighbours Wee shall also deliuer our selues by this meanes frō the sinne of contumely and reproach into which they fall who face to face giue ill wordes to their neighbours whereby they vnderualue and affront them and this is the vice of them who want iudgmēt as the wise man affirmeth saying He who speaketh contumelious words to his neighbours is a foole And in another place all fooles are apt to thrust themselues into suites and strifes and such other businesses as tend towards the affronting of others or els to the being affronted by others with iniutious wordes And this is so grieuous a sinne and so worthy of punishment as that Christ our Lord said He who shal cal his neighbour foole with a minde to affront him is worthy of eternall fier Wee shall also thus excuse our selues from cursing others wherby men offer their neighbours to the diuell that they may be damned or els whereby they desire them any other euil Which sinne is so grieuous as that it excludes men from that glory to which they were created as the Apostle signified 1. Cor. 6. when he said They who curse men desiring the accomplishment of that with their heart which they say with their tongue shall not possesse the kingdome of God We shall defēd our selues from these sinnes so pernitious to the soule which are committed by the tongue if we be well conditioned and benigne in our words whereby wee honour our neighbours in their presence speake not ill of them in their absence And together with this wee shall by the good vse of our benigne speech giue great gust to Almighty God and shall deserue much in his sight and wee shall winne the loue of our neighbour making them friendly and kinde to vs to the end that they may willingly receiue any good aduice and counsell from vs which wee shall thinke fit to giue And wee shall conserue the peace and strength of our owne soules yea and of our estates also for the susteining of our liues which many
by this true explication which wee haue made it remaineth very cleare that the serious and seuere reprehensions wherwith Christ our Lord his Saints haue corrected the great crimes of sinners are not cōtrary to that Benignity which he taught vs but are full of the dearnes sweetnes of true Charity THE XVII CHAPTER Of the Benignity wherewith a Christian is to be glad of the good of his neighbour and to approue and praise the same and of the example which Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof ONe of the principall things besides those whereof wee haue spoken which belong to the vertue of Benignity and the sweet manner of conuersing with our neighbours is to be glad of their good and to praise them yet with that moderatiō which prudence requireth and to that end which Charity seeketh For this maketh a seruant of God to be amiable and sweet and thus he augmenteth Charity towards his neighbours he groweth more able to be of vse to soules For by this meanes his instruction and admonition will be the better receiued and the example of his good life better allowed and he will haue more efficacy to moue others So saith the worthy Doctor and Bishop Guiltelmus Parisiensis Benignity is the loue of anothers good and wee call those men Benigne who as soon as they discouer a good thing in their neighbours doe instantly loue it and loue him for it and from hence it growes that they praise and set him forth in wordes For the exercise of this vertue there is need of great consideration and much discretion and light from heauen For as by the vse therof with moderatiō being directed to the right end it is of great profit and edification towards the encrease of vertue so vsing it without moderation and without rectitude of intention it is both very hurtfull to his soule who praiseth and to his also who is praised For this reason Saint Bonauenture approueth this saying of Seneca praise that with moderation which is praise worthy dispraise that which is blamable with more moderation For superfluity of praise is liable to reproof as well as tēperate dispraise Well then let vs goe on declaring the errour which is committed and the hurt which groweth by inordinate praise and the manner intention which praise must haue to the ēd that it may be truly giuen according to vertue For a man to praise his neighbour for that which is naught is a great sinne and not onely doe they fal into it who praise a man for some reuenge which he may haue taken of an enemy or for hauing affrōted that person who did him iniury by some word or for hauing vttered some carnall speech performing some actiō of that kind but they also who praise sūptuous buildings superfluous humours gifts curious rich cloathes delicious costly dyet and all that which hath any tincture of vanity and pride and the regalo of this flesh blood and the loue of the world For all these thinges are ill and hurtfull to the soule of a Christian who to the end that he may get to heauen must deny himselfe and imbrace the Crosse of Christ our Lord. To all these flatterers who praise that which they should reprehēd Esay chap. 5. saith Woe be to them who praise wicked thinges as if they were good and who hould the darknes of errour for the light of truth and true light for darkenes and who esteem the bitter life of sinners to be sweet and the sweet life of vertue to be bitter In like manner it is vitious for a man to praise temporall naturall thinges as if they were the greatest principall gifts of God as riches nobility strength and beauty of the body For these are blessings of little value and they make not a man to be better in himselfe or more estimable in the sight of God such praise breeds much hurt to the soule for it makes a man greatly loue and praise those thinges which he should despise from which he should estrange his heart The holy scripture condemneth this vice saying doe not praise men for the corporall beauty which they haue nor despise them for their poore meane apparance Consider that the Bee being but a very little creature giueth so excellent a fruite as that it is the most sweet of all sweet thinges for there is nothing more sweet then hony The meaning is that as the little Bee hath efficacy to produce such a fruite so may a little body a meane presence haue much vertue And that which the Holy Ghost saith of the beauty of the body he will haue vs vnderstand of all other naturall and temporall gifts which are of so little value that a man is noe further worthy of estimation or praise for them thē if he had them not but onely so farre forth as there may result some profit to the soule thereby This was taught vs both by the example and diuine wordes of Christ our Lord For a certaine deuoute womā hauing seen his miracles and hauing heard his doctrine was not able to conteine herselfe but that she must needes praise that Mother aloud who had brought forth such a Sonne saying Blessed is the wombe which have thee and the brests which gaue thee sucke But Christ our Lord gaue her this answere Nay rather blessed are they who heare the word of God and keepe it By which wordes he discouered to vs how that free gratuite blessing whereby the most sacred Virgin was made Mother of the naturall Sonne of God did not alone and of it selfe make her happy or blessed nor worthy of the reward of heauen nor more great in the sight of God but the vnspeakeable vertue and suauity and grace wherby Almighty God did exalt and dignify her for such an office that which afterward he gaue her in regard of so high a dignity was the thing which made her so truly happy If then so admirable a gift as that was did not deserue great praise for it selfe alone but for that vertue and sanctity which went in company thereof how much more must all temporall blessings and gifts of nature which in themselues are so poore and perishing be vnworthy of praise but onely so farre forth as they may be found to assist and concurre towards the good of the soule So saith Saint Chrysostome declaring these wordes of Christ our Lord. By this sentence Christ our Lord did make vs know that it would not haue profited the Virgin to haue brought forth the Sonne of God if shee had not withall been endowed with that faith and incomparable sanctity which shee had And therefore as I said if so great a dignity would not haue profited the blessed Virgin without the vertue and sanctity of her soule how much more clear is it that it will serue vs to little purpose before Almighty God to haue Saints to our Fathers or sonnes or kinred or such other