fires were lighted the sword drawne the publicke power and strength armed with fury with threatnings and with vengeance against the faithfull did abstaine from marriage for the Kingdome of Heauens sake For he who in time of persecution is charged with wife and children and sees himselfe brought to this hard necessitie either to bow the knee before Baal or to be depriued of that wherewith hee should sustaine his family to bee separated by banishment or death from those that are the halfe of himselfe his flesh his bones and his bloud or else to traile and leade them all after him with great feare toyle and continuall danger hath no small tentations hee that faints not nor yeeldes vnto them may well say that hee hath in him a greater strength then that of the world But hee which is alone whether he must flie or must die for the Gospell is farre from these tentations and is rid from all that which might stay him which might diuert or quench the zeale whereby he is carried to a free and constant profession of the Gospell For which cause the ancient Fathers seeing the Church of God pressed and oppressed with this necessitie did by long and vehement orations exhort men and maides to virginitie and many of them did follow their exhortations not by vow but by Gods gift and calling not by superstition and opinion of any merit and greater perfection but to apply themselues the better to the seruice of God with lesse disturbance without shutting themselues into a Monasterie without forsaking their houses without selling their goods or leauing them and without tying themselues to a continuall continencie For the daughters went abroad in publike as the others clothed like others and sometimes too sumptuously which Saint Cyprian reprehends saying Quid ornata quid compta prâ—cedit quasi maritum aut habeat aut quarat Why goeth she forth decked and tricked vp as if she had a husband or else sought one Some of them were very rich and did debate to maintaine their vanitie that they ought to vse their riches The holy man commands them not to sell them but take the vse of thy riches O virgin y Cyprian de habit virg vtere sed ad res salutares vtere sed ad bonas artes vtere sed ad illa quae Deus praece pit quae dominus ostendit DiuiteÌ„ tesentiant pauperes locupletem sentiant indigentes Patrimonium tuum Deo foenera Christum ciba c. saith he vse them but vnto wholesome things vse them but to good artes vse them but in such things as God hath commanded as the Lord hath shewed let the poore feele that thou art rich the needie that thou hast meanes giue thy patrimonie to vsurie vnto God feede Christ c. Iustin Martyrs words are ill translated and altered from their sense For he speaks not there of virgins but of those only which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 remaine chaste or without defiling themselues with fornication as the Gentiles did among whom it was a hard matter to finde one that had liued without defiling themselues with that sinne whereas Iustin boasteth that hee could shew not those which haue kept Christs discipline as if single life were the discipline of our Lord Iesus Christ but those which haue learned the doctrine of Christ from their infancie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many of all orders men and women of threescore and of seuentie yeeres of age which haue neuer defiled themselues But that hee spake of virgines closely shut vp in a monastery separated from the world vayled and clothed with a particular habit affected by their order bound by the vow of perpetuall continence that they sold all forsake all transported their patrimonie ouer to the Cloisters that they were holier perfecter better then the maried women that they did more then they were commanded that they merited Aureolas by their workes of supererogation This is that which they should proue against vs and this is that wherein all they that vndertake this taske shall come short vnto whom I will say that which Iob said vnto his friends z Ioh 6.29 Turne I pray you let there bee none iniquitie returne I say and yee shall see yet my righteousnesse in that behalfe Come Lord Iesus euen so come FINIS Errata Pag. 2. line 9. the introgation is to be put after these words walk deceiued die Pag 7. l. 18. r. consolations p. 8. l. 4. r. gardiens p. 14. 30 r. their enlightning p. 20. l. 11. put out that p. 21. l. 13. put out defend them aud p. 27. l. 36. r. defining p. 30. l. 27. r. and the people p. 33. l. 15. put out of p 37. l. 28. r. Authors p. 40. l. 24. r. Truch-men l. 26. put out and. p. 46. l. 17. r. sand p. 55. l. 31. r. in the Counsell p. 56. l. 28. put out back Courteous Reader in reading ouer this Booke thou maist chance to meete with some other faults the which I intreate thee to mend with thy peâ—
ingenders and begets in vs all manner of euill thoughts and desires of which Saint Iames faith x 〈◊〉 1.14 Euery man is tempted when hee is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed Secondly withdrawes vs from good and doth what he can to smother the good and holy motions of the Spirit in vs as Saint Paul saith y Rom. 7.22.23 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my minde and bringing me into captiuitie of the law of sin which is in my members The Spirit also â—usteth against the flesh two manner of waies First hee creates in vs all sorts of good thoughts motions and desires Dauid felt it thus when he said z Psal 16.7 I will blesse the Lord who hath giuen me counfell my reines also instruct me in the night-season a Psal 27.8 When thou saidest Seeke ye my face my hart said vnto thee Thy face O Lord will I seeke Secondly he stops and stayes the bad motions of the flesh to the ende they take not effect or at the least blunts their point that they doe not sinne excessiuely in which fense Saint Iohn saith b 1. Ioh. 3.9 Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne for his seede remaineth in him To commit sinne is to make a trade and occupation of sinning and to giue himself ouer to euil with an entire and whole consent of the will the which a man renewed cannot doe because with the feede of sinne which is his naturall corruption he hath in him the feede of God which is the gift of sanctification and is mixed in all the qualities of his soule and in all the workes that flow thence The supernaturall knowledge wherein the minde is enlightned is mingled with ignorance and naturall blindnesse which remaines in him so that he hath neede to aske euery day new enlightning of God as Dauid did who said c Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold the wondrous things out of thy Law His faith is mingled with vnbeleefe his confidence with diffidence his hope with despaire witnesse the lunaticks father as wee haue seene before witnesse Iob who complaining of God said vnto him d Iob 13.24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemie And at the same time he cried our e Iob 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him His will purified and corrected is incessantly crossed by a contrary wil which hinders him to doe the good he would doe For as our Sauiour said f Mat. 26.41 The Spirit is willing but the fleshes weak The will in as much as it is sanctified hath a maruellous affection and desire to obey God but the flesh with the which she is chained weakens it and makes her slacke and remisse to doe that shee would doe The affections are neuer so well squared and ordered but there is disorder they can neuer shake off so wel this dust and durt but as g 1. King 18.21 the Israelites did halt on both sides following at one time God and Baal so do they halt betweene heauen and earth betwixt the heauenly goods which cannot bee defiled nor wither and the perishing goods of this world whhose figure passeth away as swift as a weauers shittle I write nothing but that which all the children of God feele in themselues otherwise they should not appertaine vnto the Church Militant Which hath no enemies so cruel vigilaÌ„t pressing hard and difficult to ouercome as those which euery member of the same nourisheth within himselfe and carrieth continually in his bosome as namely lust which saith Saint Iames h Iam. 1.14.15 draweth enticeth conceiueth and bringeth forth sinne and therefore is a sinne like a Serpent that engenders conceiues and brings forth a Viper is a Viper as all that which is conceiued is of the nature of that whereof it is conceiued as the tree that bringeth forth bad and rotten fruit is corrupt and rotten according to Christs saying k Matth. 7.18 A good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruite This naturall contagion doth infect all the good workes of the regenerate with so great a blemish that the Church it selfe confesseth l Isai 64.6 All our righteousnesse are as filthie rags what can we then say yea what ought we to say we I say who as Bernard saith m Bernard de verb. Esaiae serm 5. are not better then our forefathers which haue no lesse truly them humbly spoken so This is the first argument grounded on the great and general deprauation of our nature wherby the workes of the most holiest are so blemished and distained that they can in no wise answere vnto the righteousnesse holinesse and perfection of the Law IIII. The second argument is taken from our knowledge for such as is our knowledge such is our obedience such are all our workes that proceede from it Now our knowledge is verie imperfect n 1. Cor. 13.9.12 For as the Apostle saith of himselfe and of all we know in part and we prophesie in part we see now through a glasse darkely the perfect knowledge being reserued for the Kingdome of heauen which our Lord hath represented by giuing to the blinde man his sight o Mark 8.22 of whom Saint Marke saith that Christ Iesus hauing put his hands vpon him the first time he saw men walking but not as men but as trees but hauing put his hands vpon his eies the second time he saw euery man clearely euen so fareth it with vs we receiue here but the first imposition of hands we often take one thing for another and see the things of God but by halues whence wee must not find it strange if we do them but by halfe and do remaine and stand a farre off from the perfection and righteousnesse of the Law whose first and last Commandement cannot be fulfilled by any man liuing here on earth Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and with all thy mind and with all thy strength It will haue the soule and the whole soule the heart and the whole heart the thoughts and all the thoughts the strength of the hart of the soule of the thoughts and the whole strength of the same p Aug. lib. 1. de doct Christ c. 22. It leaues no part of our life that may be voide of charitie It commaunds all the degrees of charitie for he that saith All excepts nothing If thou canst adde any thing thereunto there is not all If thou takest away any thing there will not bee all More charitie can bee added day by day vnto our charitie otherwise Saint Iude would not haue praied q Iude 2. Mercie vnto you and peace and loue be multiplied Let Saint Austin speake for vs r Aug. epist 29. Charitie is a
For there are some Eunuches which were so borne from their mothers wombe and there are some Eunuches which were made Eunuches of men and there be Eunuches which haue made themselues Eunuches for the kingdome of heauens sake He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it Bellarmine saith that Christ giues not here a Precept but a Counsell and hee proues that because Christ forbids not marriage and therefore commaunds not chastitie because that Christ also hath said He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it Whereupon he allegeth Saint o August de Tempore ser 61. Pag. 9. Austins words which are also alleaged in the Pastorall Letter to the same purpose in these words A Counsell is one thing and a Precept is another thing A Counsell is giuen to the end that Virginitie be preserued that men abstaine from wine and flesh that all things be sold and giuen vnto the poore but this precept is giuen to the ende that iustice be obserued and maintained At least it is said of virginity He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it but it is not said of iustice He that is able to doe it let him doe it but euery tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the sire He that doth and keepeth a Counsell shall haue a greater glorie but he which keepeth not the Precept cannot auoide the punishment The Author of the Pastorall Letter adds to this The whole world is bound to the one vnder paine of euerlasting torments the whole world is stirred vp and drawne to the other both by the authoritie as also by the loue of the Sauiour who giues this Counsel as when he commends in Saint Matthew the continent vnder the name of an Eunuch he stirres vp and incourageth al the world to it Qui potest capere capiat He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it Thus they proue that these words containe a Counsell and not a Commandement Now that chastitie doth not onely conferre a corporall benefit but also hath a reward in heauen it appeares by these words saith Bellarmine there be Eunuchs which haue made themselues Eunuches for the Kingdome of Heauens sake Wee are to see therefore if there be a Counsell or a Precept in these words of Christ and if by the Kingdome of Heauen Christ vnderstands a certaine reward reserued in heauen for those that abstaine from marriage V. Iesus Christ hauing declared that whosoeuer shal put away his wife except it be for fornication and shall marry another committeth adultery The Apostles said If the case of the man be so with his wife it is not good to marrie and so condemned marriage as hurtfull vnto man whereupon our Sauiour Christ takes occasion to shew the necessitie of marriage and who those are that can and ought to abstaine from it All men saith he cannot receiue this saying saue they to whom it is giuen That is to say p Maldon in Mat. 19. vers 16. I lest non omnes praestare possunt vt siat sine vxore qâ—ia carent dono continentiae Sic ferè omnes exponunt quibus equidem non â—ssentior All cannot take vpon them to be without wiues because they haue not the gift of continencie as almost all expound it whereunto saith Maldonat I cannot consent nor agree And wherefore my friend is it not a Maxime of some of your side that q Salmeron Iesuit in proem epist 3. d. Pauli disput 6. in fine in 1. Ioan. 3. disput 25. §. 3. Est incuitabile argumentum veritatis est infallibilis regula iudicandi What is taught of all or almost of all is an vnauoideable argument of truth an infallible rule of iudging But whether Maldonat consents to it or no it is the true sense of Christs words who continuing his discourse teacheth who they are to whom it is behouefull and expedient not to marry saying that there are but three sorts of them first the Eunuchs which were so borne from their mothers wombe that is to say which are naturally weake and vnable Secondly Eunuches which were made Eunuches of men where of there was anciently a great number among the Pagans and Gentiles Thirdly Eunuches which haue made themselues Eunuches for the kingdome of heauens sake That is to say who hauing receiued of God the gift of continencie and being called thereunto do abstaine willingly from matrimonie not for their particular commoditie but for the kingdome of heauens sake for the aduancement of the Kingdome of Christ Iesus or as Saint Paul expounds it r 1. Cor. 7.34.35 to haue care for the things that belong to the Lord and to attend vpon the Lord without distraction The Apostles seeing the libertie of diuorcement restrained and limited iudged that if a man might not put away his wife for euery cause it were better not to marry Iesus Christ corrects this error and declares vnto them that none but three sorts of men can liue without a a wife Eunuches so borne Eunuches so made of men and such men as being capable of marriage haue receiued of God the gift of continencie They saith the Apostle Å¿ 1. Cor. 7.9 that can containe and burne not Moreouer he enacts that those abstaine from marriage not because of tribulations that doe accompanie it neither for the ease of the flesh nor for particular commoditie but for the kingdome of heauen for the edification of the Church called commonly in the Gospell t Mat. 13.24 the kingdome of heauen for the u 1. Cor. 10.31 glory of God which ought to be the ende of all our actions to whom we must adde a third condition that he be called thereunto according to the doctrine of the Apostle x 1. Cor. 7.24 Let euery man wherein hee is called therein abide with God Adam had the gist of continencie in his state of innocencie and notwithstanding if he had not sinned be should haue rendred vnto his wife due beneuolence whom God had giuen him in his innocencie and hee should haue begot of her children in Paradice because that by Gods calling hee was ordained to be the Father of mankind Wherefore Christ concludes this speech with a Commandement and not with a Counsell He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it For they that can abstaine from mariage by the gift of continencie by their calling vnto continency by the heauenly end of their gift and calling those I say are bound by Gods Commandement to abstaine from it It is no more an arbitrable thing left to their choice but necessarie We must say of all the rest whatsoeuer they be He which is not able to receiue this saying let him not receiue it He that hath not the gift of continencie let him marry for it is not expedient for him to saluation to liue without a wife Let vs reduce our Sauiors words into a syllogisme and the sense thereof
is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. The same ancient Fathers doe teach me that the merits of the faithfull are the mercies of God the merits of Christ to whom eternall life is giuen for a reward to the ende he giue vs it of pure grace But let vs consider a little neerer the wordes To make himselfe an Eunuch for the Kingdome of heauens sake say they is to merit heauen by single life Falsely for if it were so the vestall virgins among the Romans the Priests of Cybele grand necce to the false gods the Monks among the Turkes should merit eternall life Falsely againe seeing that heauen is replenished and filled with those which haue liued and died in the state of mariage Falsely againe againe seeing God promiseth nothing vnto Eunuchs but on condition h Isai 56.4 that they chuse the things that please him and take hold of his Couenant It is not therefore for their single life which makes theÌ„ nor more nor lesse acceptable vnto God i Act. 10.34 1. Tim. 4.8 who is no respecter of persons but for their godlines wherof the Apostle speaketh that bodily exercise profiteth little such is single life but godlinesse is profitable vnto al things hauing promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come VIII What is then to make himselfe an Eunuch for the Kingdome of heauens sake I haue already told it but because they will not beleeue me let others say what it is k Lyra in Mat. 19. vt liberiùs continentes vacent contemplationi diuinae Lyrinensis That the continent and chaste may apply and giue their minde more freely to diuine contemplation A man must not beleeue him vnlesse he proue it by Scripture and therefore he adds as it is written l 1. Cor. 7.32.33 Hee that is vnmaried careth for the things that belong to the Lord how he may please the Lord but hee that is married careth for the things that are of the world how hee may please his wife and he is diuidâ—d Ferus a Frier whose authoritie ought not to be small among the Friers and Monkes m Ferus in Mat. 19. vers 11. Doe not preferre thy selfe before another for thy continencie for it may bee that the marriage of another is more acceptable vnto God then thy chastitie for here thou hast expressely set downe before thee that all continencie is not acceptable vnto God For thou hast heere three sorts of chaste men of them that are Eunuches by nature Item of them that are made Eunuches of men whereunto it seemeth that we must adde those that liâ—e continently by constraint and against their will or which refraine themselues from it to bee praised of men Neutri autem Deo placent sed tantum bi qui propter regnum coelorum continent vt scilicet liberiùs Deo vacent ac curare possint quae Domini sunt None of these please God but they only that abstaine an refrain for the Kingdom of Heauens sake to the end they may more freely serue God and haue more care of the things that belong to the Lord. This is that wee say Continencie to him that hath that gift is more commodious for the seruice of God then marriage But hee that hath not that gift will serue God better being married then being vnmarried and burning But we will speake more largely of this matter hereafter IX Such hath been the exposition of this place vntil now all hauing vnderstood it as if Iesus Christ spake there of Eunuches that should make themselues Eunuches for the kingdome of heauens sake in the Church of Christ But I intreâ—â— the Reader to consider two things first that Christ speakes of that which is past not of that which is to come of that which happened among the Iewes not of that which should happen among Christians for he saith There be Eunuches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which haue made themselues Eunuches for the kingdome of heauens sake and saith not that shall make themselues Eunuches Secondly that Saint Paul saith euidently n 1. Cor. 7.25 Concerning virgines I haue no commandement of the Lord. With what truth If God hath spoken thereof in Isaiah and the Lord Iesus in Saint Matthew It is will they say a Counsell but euery Counsell of God is a Commandement and if God had giuen this Counsell the Apostle would haue said I haue no Commandement but I haue a Counsell of the Lord according vnto that which he protests elsewhere saying o Act. 20.27 I haue not shanned to declare vnto you all the Counsell of God Now he saith manifestly p Ephiphan baeres 16. Quidam eorum cumse exercebant praescribebant sibi decennium aut octennium aut quadriennium virginitatis continentiae that it is his aduice an iudgement whereof the Lord had imparted nothing vnto men before him Wherefore it seemeth that these words concerning Eunuches containe neither a precept nor a Counsell of the Lord but that the Lord rehearseth there simply that which certaine Iewes did then and had done since the corruption of the state and of the religion among them For wee reade that the Pharisees which had introduced many superstitions in the Church and particularly the doctrine of merit when they did exercise themselues they prescribed vnto themselues tenne or eight or foure yeares of virginitie and continencie And then q Idom heres 15 they did carrie their phylacteries that is to say the fringes and borders of purple vpon their garments to the ende that they which saw them should take heede to touch them as being for the time sanctified and separated from the world and that did they imitating therein the Essenes r Ioseph de belle Iud. lib. 2. c. 7. that despised marriage The one and the other for the Kingdome of heauens sake that is to say thinking to merit by it eternall life whom our Lord reproues of rashnesse in that they sought the Kingdome of God by continencie which surpasseth the strength of man and is a gift of God which is giuen but to few All men saith Christ cannot receiue this saying saue they to whom it is giuen He that is able to receiue it let him receiue it That is to say No man can comprehend that which those men striue to doe saue they to whom it is giuen of God as when he saith t Mat. 13.9 Who hath eares to heare let him heare Which is as if hee should haue said No man hath eares to heare and vnderstand the holy mysteries saue he to whom it is giuen for so hee expounds it in the eleuenth verse It is giuen vnto you to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen but to them it is not giuen X. Let vs now retort the Argument against our aduersaries They tell vs that he which shall keepe the Counsels shall haue a greater glory and doe proue it by this Text. Let vs grant vnto them this for
which is vpon the seashore Afterwards a particular promise is made vnto euery one of them i Deut. 7.12.13.14 Wherefore it shall come to passe if ye hearken to these iudgements and keepe and doe them that the Lord thy God shall keepe vnto thee the Couenant and the mercie which hee sware vnto thy Fathers And hee will loue thee and blesse thee and multiplie thee He will also blesse the fruite of thy wombe c. Thousâ— alâ—â—â— blessed aboue all people there shall not be male or female barren among you Wherefore it was a great reproch among them to be baâ—ren and without children as we may gather from the words of Eâ—izabeth who hauing conceiued in her old age after so long a barrenâ—esâ—e saith k Luke 1.25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the dayâ—s wherein he looked on mee to take away my reproch among men But especially the Eunuch who is impotent and vnable to ingender and beget children was marked and branded with a speciall and peculiar infamie and reproch by the Law of Moses l Deut. 23.1 He that is wounded in the stones or hath his priuie member cut off shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord. It is this Eunuch who is such a one by defect whether of nature or by necessitie who complaines that he is drie tree and therefore altogether vnfit to be planted in Gods house God comforts him with the Gentile by this promise that when the Messias shall come it shall be no more so because that in Christ there is no difference and distinction of father or Eunuch Iew or Gentile the Gentile and the Eunuch that keepes his Couenant is as well and as much accepted as the Iew and hee which is the father of many children Therefore God saith concerning the Eunuchs vnto them that keepe my Sabbaths c. I will giue a place in mine house applying the things appertaining to the diuine seruice at that time to the things of these times and promising to those that by faith shall stick fast vnto Christ keepe iudgements and doe that which is iust and lawfull to receiue them in his house and to giue them in the same a name better then of sonnes and of daughters an euerlasting name that shall not be cut off That name whereof he saith in the Reuelation m Reuel 2.17 To him that ouercommeth will I giue him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth sauing he that receiueth it The name of the â—onne of God of the member of Iesus Christ of the childe of the Church the witnesse of the Spirit of Christ sealing his election vocation iustification and sanctification in his heart whereby hee cries Abba Father by the assurance which hee giues him that hee is the childe of God A name a great deale better then to be called the father of sonnes and daughters yea a name and fame farre surpassing that which comes from the multitude of children for such a one is a father of many children who is the sonne of wrath and execration but he whom the Lord receiues in his house in the number of his children and auowes him as his owne willing that his name be named on him that he be in effect and bee called his sonne that man cannot perish but it shall be said vnto him in the last day as also to all others whom God hath adopted in Christ Iesus by their eldest brother in whom they haue been adopted n Mat. 25.34 Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world And the â—eason is rendred by the Apostle saying o Rom. 8.17 And if children then heires heires of God and ioynt heires with Christ. For the Inheritance is for the children an inheritance that cannot faile them because they cannot fall away from God nor loose their adoption which is not grounded on them but vpon Iesus Christ in whom and by whom the Father hath adopted vs to himselfe and who keepes so well those whom the Father hath giuen him that not onely p Iohn 6.37 he neuer casts them out but also q Phil. 1.6 performes and finisheth the good worke begun in them r Iohn 17.15 keeping them from the euill Å¿ Ephes 4.30 and sealing them by his Spirit vnto the day of redemption in the which hee will giue them the crowne of righteousnesse t Iohn 10 27.28.29.30 My sheepe heare my voice and I know them and they follow me And I giue vnto them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand My Father which gaue them me is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of my Fathers hand I and my Father are one Thus haue they an euerlasting name which shall not bee cut off and taken away and therefore a better name then that of sonnes and daughters because that the name and reputation that a man hath by hauing children being grounded vpon the childrens liues if they come to faile and die faileth and dieth with them as we often see that u 1. Sam. 2.5 she that hath had many children is waxed feeble as it happened vnto Naomi Ruths mother in Law who hauing lost her husband and all her children said vnto her neighbours x Ruth 1.20.21 Call me not Naomi that is pleasant call me Mara for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home againe emptie Why then call yee me Naomi seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almightie hath afflicted me There are some which reade A name better then to sonnes and daughters which ought to bee referred to the Iewes who are called by our Lord Iesus y Mat. 8 1â— 15.26 The children of the Kingdome because that before the time of the Law the priuiledge and title of the children of God appertained vnto them So then the meaning should be that God wil more abundantly blesse the Eunuches vnder the new Testament then he hath blessed the Iewes vnder the old Testament but the first exposition is the true and naturall one grounded vpon the right construction of the Text. The selfe-same promise is made to the Gentiles adioyning themselues vnto Christ that they shall not be separated from the people of God but shall be receiued in Gods house and that their prayers made vnto God shall be heard and accepted of God And these promises made both in generall to the Gentiles and particularly to the Eunuches do tend to testifie that which the Apostle declares hath been effected when he saith that Christ z Ephes 2.14 hath made both one and hath broken downe the middle wall of partition betweene vs and that now a Gal 3.28 there is neither Iew nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female and
10.24 Children how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the Kingdome of heauen If he trusted in his riches hee was couetous and if couetous an idolater for e Col. 3.5 couetousnesse is dolatrie and f Ephes 5.5 the couetous is an idolater and if an idolater hee hath not kept the Law if he hath not kept the Law he hath not merited eternall life Contrariwise he hath been excluded and debarred from it by the transgression of the Law and namely by his couetousnesse that made him g Iob 31.24 make gold his hope and say to the fine gold Thou art my confidence Whereupon the Lord pronounced that hee shall enter into the Kingdome of heauen when a Carnell can goe through the eye of a needle And if he hath not kept the Law he hath not merited eternall life but for his couetousnesse is punished with euerlasting torment surely the perfection whereof the Lord speaketh is not a more excellent degree of eternall life in heauen but hath another sense and meaning which offereth it selfe euidently in the Text. XI After the young man had said that hee had kept the Commandements to the which the Lord sent him backe hee asketh againe h Mat. 19.20 What lacke I yet Hee had made his first demaund touching the meanes of attaining vnto eternall life He asketh againe if he lacked yet something Of what Surely of the meanes whereby he might haue eternall life For hee was not as yet taught that there were in heauen Aureolae and therfore he made no such demaund He would haue been content to haue laine in Abrahams bosome and to haue sat at table with him in the kingdome of heauen Therefore the Lord answereth to his demaund If thou wilt be perfect that is to say if thou desirest that there be nothing wanting in thee to the obtaining of eternall life Goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore c. Either this is the sense of the answere or else the Lord answered not to his question let the other Euangelists be heard and you shall finde that this is the true sense and meaning Saint Marke setteth downe Christs answere in this manner i Mark 10.21 One thing thou lackest Saint Luke in these wordes k Luk. 18.22 Yet lackest thou one thing sell all that thou hast and distribute vnto the poore c. Certainely he lacked this one thing to haue eternall life whereof onely he made the demaund and therefore the sense of our Sauiours words is Thou hast not yet all that is necessary to eternall life wherefore if thou wilt be perfect and desirest to lacke nothing whereby to be saued go and sell all that thou hast c. The Lord therefore speaketh not of a greater perfection then that which is commanded in the Law much lesse of a more excellent degree of glory in heauen For to what purpose should hee haue counselled such a perfection to a man that was a Iew by profession and that was not his disciple For reason would haue required that hee should make him first of a Iew a Christian and so by degrees of a Christian a Monke seeing that to be a Monke or Frier is the highest degree of Christian perfection in this life and hath the highest degree of glory in the life to come as the Monkes doe say XII Now follow the words l Mat. 19.20 Goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and come and follow me In these words is a twofold commandement and promise the first is a commandement of charitie the second a commandement of faith Of the first Clement Alexandrinus writeth thus m Clemens Alexand stromat 3. lib. 3. Refellit eum qui gloriatur quod omnia à iuuentute praecepta seruauerit non enim impleuerat illud Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum Tunc autem vt qui à Domino perficeretur docebatur communicare impertire per charitatem Pulchrè ergo non prohibuerat esse diuitem sed esse diuitem iniustè inexplebiliter That when the Lord saith goe and sell all that thou hast and giue to the poore hee refutes him which boasteth that he had kept all the Commandements from his youth vp for he had not fulfilled the Commandement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe But then that he might be made perfect by the Lord he was taught to impart and giue by charitie and therefore he prohibits him not to bee rich but to bee vniustly and vnsatiably rich n Origen in hunc locum Origen saith plainely that if he had kept the Commandement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe the Lord had not spoken to him of a greater perfection and he alleageth to this purpose a certaine Gospell according to the Hebrewes non ad authoritatem sed ad manifestationem propositae quaestionis not for the authorising but for the clearing of the question propounded where our Lords words are thus set downe o Jbid. Quomodo dicis legem feci prophetas quoniam scriptum est in lege Diliges proximum c. ecce multi fratres tui filij Abrahae amicti sunt stercore morientes prae fame domus tua plena est multis bonis non egreditur omnin◠aliquid ex ea ad cos How saiest thou I haue kept the Law and the Prophets seeing that it is written in the Law Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy self and behold many of thy brethren the sons of Abraham are couered with dung and die for hunger and thy house is stuft with store of goods and there goeth nothing out of it to them And then declaring his opinion p Ibidem Verum est ergo quia non impleuit diues mandatum c. It is true saith he that the rich man hath not fulfilled the Commandement Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe for he despiseth many of the poore and hath giuen none of his riches to them And a little after expounding the meaning of the words q Ibid. Volens arguere diuitem illum dominus noster quasi non vera dicentem c. dixit ad eum si vis c. Sic enim apparebis dicere verum si dilixisti aut diligis proximum tuum sicut teipsum The Lord saith he intending to conuince this rich man as one not telling the truth c. saith vnto him If thou will be perfect goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore for so it will appeare that thou saiest true if thou hast loued or if thou louest thy neighbour as thy selfe It is therefore a Commandement and a Commandement of charitie XIII Bellarmine gain-saieth this saying that this is not a Commandement of charitie because that r Bellar. de monach c. 9. §. 19. Charitie requires onely that we loue our neighbour as our selues and therefore requires not that we giue all