from morning to night in iudgement no their yeares antiquitie consequentlie their bodies imbesilitie cannot easilie endure it besides the care of common causes heard at home and that which is the biggest burden of all the continuall good of the Common-weale which they meditate carefullie when vvee sleepe securely is not to be forgotten but herin are many Magistrats greatly to be blamed in that they cause the people to attend vpon thē from morning vntil night with expenses great and continuall whilest they find no end of poore mens matters because they wishe no ende of spending money Are their mindes set vpon righteousnes which deale thus No no they are the same that the Prophete spake of when he said the vngodlie seeketh occasion against the righteous and knasheth vpon him with his teeth for the crafty counseller taketh occasion to hinder his Cliants iust cause that he might still feede vppon the poore mans purse the Lawyer who careth not to deale vnfaithfully is like the christall glasse which flatteringly sheweth vnto euerie man a faire face how iuill fauoured so euer he be So can he perswade the simple swain that his cause wil bear a strong action bee it neuer so weake Oh remember what God said vnto Israell you shall not do what seemeth good in your owne eies but what I command you Then know that you do not that which he hath commanded because you deale not with mercie and truth for if euer the time required and occasion was offered to mooue that question to Magistrates which Dauid did in his daies namelie how long they will proceede to giue vniust iudgement and to accept the person of the vngodlie Nowe is the time and occasion present for I doe not doubt but it is too true that the Prophet hath spoken who saith that the vngodlie are more set by thē the righteous and this is the cause that wrong iudgement dooth proceed How can iustice sit when there is no seat appointed for her you may be sure she vvill not haue to do with the stoole of wickednes where mischiefe standeth in stead of iustice It was a woorthie commendation that Dauid vttered in the praise of Ierusalem when hee said there is the seate for iudgment the which appointing of that seat for iudgement was an argument that they loued iustice and first the place vvherein it vvas set assureth vs heereof for it was set in the gate vvher through men might haue passage to and from the iudgement seat Secondly the maner of framing that seat in the gate namely that the Iudges of force must sit with their faces towards the rising of the sunne in token that their iudgement shuld bee as pure from corruption as the sun vvas cleare in his chiefest brightnesse Oh happie house of Dauid vvhose seat vvas set so conueniently vvhose causes vvere heard so carefullie and matters iudged so iustlie The Israelites thought themselues well apaid vvhen they had the gouernement of Debora that vertuous VVoman for all vvas laied a bed vntill she came vppe a mother in Israell and as shee was a good gouernesse in her time so shee loued those that were like vnto her selfe for saieth shee my heart is set vpon the gouernours of Israell Dauid was a good King vvhile he liued as it did appeare by the testimonie of God himselfe who said of him I haue found Dauid my seruant with my holie oyle haue I annointed him Secondly by his appealing to God for iudgement in this case when he saith be thou my iudge O Lord for I haue walked innocently c. And last of all by that good counsell which hee gaue vpon his death-bedde vnto Salomon his Sonne who was to succeed him in that kingdom for saith he thou shalt prosper and come to great honor if thou keepest the commandements which GOD commanded Moses when Phillip the King of Macedonia did cast of the earnest sute of a poore widowe with this slender answere go thy way for I haue no leasure to heare thee now She replied thus and why hast thou leasure to be a King as if shee should haue said God hath giuen thee time to raigne and power to gouern that thou mightest applie them both vnto that end wherefore they are giuen thee for mercie and truth preserueth a King and with louing kindnes his seat is vpholden When Salomon praied to God for an vnderstanding hart that he might do iustice among gods people it is said that his praier pleased God passing well because Salomon asked wisedoome rather then wealth and knowledge rather then honor for thereby he gaue euidence that his heart was set vpon righteousnes for out of the aboundaunce of the heart the mouth speaketh It is a most excellent praier which the Prophet maketh when he saith giue thy iudgement vnto the King O Lorde and thy righteousnes vnto the kings sonne c. then shall hee iudge the people according vnto right and defend the poore wherein the Prophet praied for himselfe while he gouerned the kingdome of Israell and for his successors in the same hauing relation vnto that promise spoken of in the 132. Psalme the Lord hath made a faithfull oath vnto Dauid and hee will not shrincke from it saying of the fruit of thy bodie shall I set vpon thy seat if thy children keepe may testimonies which I shall learne them And the Prophet proceedeth to say then shall he iudge the people according vnto right and defend the pore by the word then hee insinuateth that when God giueth grace to the Magistrate then hee cannot choose but do right and defend those which doe sustaine wrong But when the Prophet saith and defend the pore Some man would thinke that he had saide enough before and therefore might haue cut of this speach but it is to be remembred that as sick men nedeth not the Phisition or the way fairing man his weapon at one time onelie but as often as the patient is sicke so often hee must haue the Phisitions counsaile and as often as the traueiler is assaulted so often hee vseth his weapon In like sort the pore man oppressed often doth as often neede the defence of the Magistrate And therefore hath the Magistrate the sword is alwaies caried before him this sword is alwaies caried before rather the behind the Magistrat that he might rather remēber iustice then cast the care thereof behind his back the last but not the least thing to bee marked of the Magistrate is that iustice is set foorth with a paire of ballaunces in the one hand whiche admonisheth him to waie those matters iustlie which are brought before him And within the other hand a two edged sword to the intent that iustice might returne to iudgement that is that thinges iustlye iudged might bee rightly rewarded on both sides whereof King Salomon hath giuen a good president First in finding out the true mother of the smothered childe which
THE POORE MANS TEARES Opened in a sermon preched by Henrie Smith Treating of Almes deeds and releeuing the poore LONDON Printed by Iohn Wolfe are to be sold by William Wright 1592. THE POORE-mans teares MAT. 10. He that shal giue to one of the least of these a cup of colde water in my name hee shall not loose his reward THE argument I haue to intreate off is onelie of giuing Almes to the poore and when in what sort we ought to releeue the pore Herein for your better instruction I will shew what Almes is how and to whome Alms must be giuen and wherefore wee are to giue Almes I know in these daies and in this iron age it is as hard a thing to perswade men to part with money as to pull out their eies and cast them away or to cut of their handes and giue them away or to cut off their legges and throw them awaie Neuerthelesse I cannot but wonder that men are so slow in giuing of almes and so hard hearted tovvards the releefe of the poore when the promises of GOD warrant them not to loose their reward S. Iohn saith hee that hath the substance of this world and seeth his brother want howe can the loue of God bee in him This is a question which can hardly bee answered of a great number no it will not be considered of a number nor regarded of a number And yet the Euangelist hereby laieth open vnto all persons that hee which hath wealth seeing his brother in want and will not releue him he loseth the loue of God which loue is so great as is the loue of a naturall mother vnto her owne child nay more then that it is a loue so firmelie setled that it is vnpossible to be remooued There are many rich persons that thinke skorne to releeue the pore of whose hard dealing we haue a president in the sixteenth of Luke The rich man in his life time woulde not releue Lazarus but despised him yea he forgot God and thought there was no God but his gold that cold in iustice punishe him for despising the poore Lazarus died for vvant and so did Diues for all his wealth who soone after being in hell beheld Lazarus in heauen triumphing in Abrahams bosome while hee vvas tormented in hell fire This fire burneth skaldeth skortcheth and tormenteth of which when the riche man felt the smart though all too late he sorrowed and repented and would faine haue sent word thereof vnto his friends but he could haue no messenger for al his lordly liuings nor no releasement of his torments for all his bagges of golde Nowe to whome would he haue sent worde Forsooth to a number of his friends that indeed think ther is no God nor deuill no heauen nor hell nor no torments in hel fire after this life But I would aduise those of that opinion to doe as Thomas Didimus did by Christs wounds that ere hee would beleeue put in his hands felt And therefore to all such I say as will not beleeue it let them goe thither and feele then doubtlesse they will find it so and say it is so This example of Diues may admonish such hard hearted persons to be mollified with the teares of the poore that they maie when Diues hath dined let Lazarus haue the crums We read in Mathewe that vvhen Christ commeth to iudgement hee will say to them on the left hand go from me ye cursed into helfire which was prepared from the beginning by which appeareth that hell fire is not onelie hot but it is euerlasting hot and neuer hath ende Let therefore hell-fire the eternal torments thereof admonish you to bee mercifull to the poore To this also may bee added what hee will say to the righteous goe you into euerlasting ioyes whiche neuer shall haue end When I came among you as a straunger you receiued me when I was naked you clothed me when I was hungrie you fed and refreshed mee which prooueth that the kingdome of heauen belongs vnto those that harboureth strangers cloatheth the naked feedeth the hungry comforts the sicke and doth perfourme such charitable actes of compassion yet not as the papist doth to account it meritorious but as a faithfull christian to doe it in faith and true zeale of a christian life for euerie tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire It is not enough for vs onelie to bear fair leaues but we must also bring foorth good fruit otherwise let vs be sure our Sauiour Christ will forsake vs. The Prophet Esay saith if thovv breake thy bread vnto the pore and powre forth thy hart vnto them thy light shal rise in darknes thy dimnes shal be as the moone-tide and God shal stil guide thee wherby apeareth that those deeds of charitie are commonlie performed by the righteous that stil seek to enioy the pleasures of heauen vvhich 〈◊〉 so farre beyonde the common immagination of men that no heart can thinke no eare can heare no tongue can speake nor pen can write the vnspeakable pleasures thereof Then if the ioyes of heauen bee so great as doubtles they bee and that through good life and good deeds wee are to inherite the kingdome of heauen we ought the more carefullie to see to the continuall reliefe of the poore and do asmuch as in vs lieth to prouide for them euery one according to his abilitie Let me therefore admonishe you in Gods name to mollifie your heartes vvith the pittifull teares of the poore that so you may giue continuall almes to their reliefe that when Diues hath dined Lazarus may haue the crums Christ saith it is a deed more blessed to giue them then to take from them for the excellencie of christians consisteth in leading a godly life and giuing of almâ—â—s And the excellency of all things is shewed in their giuing The sunne giueth his light the Moone her light the Sarres their light the Clowdes their water the Trees their fruit the earth her herbs the hearbes their flowers the flovvers their seeds and the seeds their increase yea beasts and birds fowles fishes giue naturallie in their kinde and are more careful and louing one to an other then we which made Iob say go to the beasts of the fielde and they wil teach thee For man is most vnnaturall to man and so far digressing from nature in his kinde that let some vngodlie rich cormorants see a poore person beg this is their present senteÌ„ce of him whip the roags to Briderwell with these roagues it is pittie these roagues be suffered to liue then if they fall sicke let them fammish starue and die all is one to him for of him they shall receiue no comfort Augustus Caesar thought that day to be lost wherein hee did not benefite any poore person and with money releeue him from penurie And I know some godlie men that take delight in releeuing the
they were the men which were marked like his seruaunts therefore who but they shall enter into Heauen Yet Christ saith I know you not there is their revvarde I know you not as if he should answer you weare not my Liuerie you beare not my Cognisance for all your shewes therefore depart from mee So hee put them off because they had not put him on For though they had seene his person and hearde of his vertues yet they had not faith to applie his mercies his merites his death and his righteousnesse vnto them without which no man can put on Christ nor weare him Faith is the hande which putteth him on Faith taketh first his righteousnes couereth her vnrighteousnes then shee taketh his obedience couereth her disobedience then she taketh his patience couereth her impatiency then she taketh his temperance couereth hir intemperancie then shee taketh his continency and couereth her incontinencie then she taketh his constancie and couereth her inconstancie then shee taketh his saith and couereth her diffidence then shee taketh his humilitie couereth her pride then shee taketh his loue and couereth her rancour And so taketh one roabe after another aud tricketh her selfe vntill shee haue put on Iesus Christ that is vntill shee appeare in the sight of God like Iesus Christe cloathed with his merits and graces that God hath no power to be angry with her because shee commeth so like his Son This is to put on Iesus Christ as you shall see more liuelie vvhen you haue taken a vievv of the garment for we are to speak of christ the Garment and of our putting it on There be many fashions of apparell but they are too light or too heauy or to sad or too course or to stale and all weare out At last the Apostle found a fashion that surpasseth them all it is neuer out of fashion meete for all seasons fitte for all persons and such a profitable weede that the more it is worne the fresher it is what fashion haue you seene comparable to this It is not like the clothes of Dauids Ambassadours which couered their vpper parts but not their lower partes not like Saules armour which tried Dauid when he shoulde fight with it Nor like the counterfait of Ieroboams wife which disguised her selfe to goe vnknowne nor like to the old rags of the Gibeonites whiche deceiued Iosua nor like the paultrie suite of Michah which he gaue once a yeare to his Leuite nor like the gluttons flaunt which ietted in purple euery daie nor like the light clothes whiche Christ saide are in kinges Courtes and make them lighter that weare them But it is like the GarmeÌ„t of the high Priest which had all the names of the Tribes of Israell written vpon his brest so all the names of the faithfull are written in the breast of Christ and registred in the booke of his merites it is like Elias Mantell which deuided the waters So hee deuideth our sinnes and punishmentes that they whiche are clothed with Christ are armed both against sinne and death It is like the Garments of the Israelites in the wildernesse which did not weare fortie yeeres together they wandered in the desart and yet saith Moyses their shooes were not worne but their apparell was as when they came out of Egypt So the righteousnesse of Christ doth last for euer and hys mercies are neuer worne out As Mardocheus shined in the kings robes before the people So and more glorious are the faithfull in the robes of Christ before God When Christ was transfigured vppon the Mount Mat. saith that his face shined like the sunne and his clothes were as white as the light So when we are transfigured into the image of Christ wee shall shine before other menne lyke lights and therefore Christes Disciles are caâ—lled Lightes because they were clothed with light and shined to the world Salomon was not so glorious in all his royaltie nor the Lillies whiche are brauer then Salomon as he which is clothed with Christ because the apparell vppon him is better then all the worlde about him Therefore if Dauid saide Weepe yee daughters of Israell for Saule which clothed ye in purple I may say reioyce ye daughters of Israell for Christ which hath clothed you with righteousnesse as it were with a vesture before you come to the banquet This is the wedding Garment without whiche no manne can feast with the Lord. This Garment is called an Armour because it defendeth vs from all the assaultes of the deuill the flesh the world the heat of persecution the cold of defection This Garment is called Light because it is the beautie and glory of them which weare it This Garment is called a kingdom because none but kinges do weare it that is they are inthroned in the kingdom of christ made kings ouer the world the flesh and Sathan whiche weare this Garment like the hair of Sampson which while he wore he was like a king and all his ennemies had no power to hurt him This Garment Paule hath sent vnto you to go before the king of heauen and earth a holy Garment a roiall garment an immaculate garment an euerlasting garment a garment whereof euery hem is peace of conscience euery pleat is ioy in the holy ghost euerie stitch is the remission of some sin and saueth him which weareth it If he which touched the hem of Christes garment was healed hee which weareth the garment nay hee which weareth Christ himselfe shall not hee bee healed of all his sores though he wer wounded from head to foot You neede not cloath him now which saith VVhen I was naked ye did not cloath me nor cast your Garments in his way as they did when hee came to Ierusalem but take hys Garmentes and suffer your selues to be clothed as Noah did to couer your nakednesse As the good Samaritane put him vppon his owne beast which was spoiled with theeues and bound vp his sores when hee was wounded So Christ Iesus mounteth the faithfull vpon his righteousnesse healeth their sins as though he should couer them with his Garments whom the world the flesh the deuill haue robbed of their Garmentes that is the righteousnesse whiche they had in Paradice before the serpent came so if wee put on Christ we are clothed with his obedience whereby our wickednesse is couered we are clothed with his merits wherby our sinnes are forgiuen we are clothed with his death wherby our punishment is released we are clothed with his spirit whereby our hearts are mollified and sanctifikd renued till we resemble Christ himselfe This is the Apostles meaning to put on Christ as it is vnfolded in Col. 3. 12. Where he bringes forth all the robes of Christ sortes them saith put on mercie put on meeknes put on humility