old and the new a Diliges thou shalt love But that which is beyond all these and imposeth a necessity upon us to observe it is that whereasnone of the other vertues are mutual or reciprocal nor indeed are properly said to be in God at all as faith hope c. this is here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he reprove us we must not reprove him if he promise and threaten we cannot promise or threaten again but if God love us we must love him again S. Gregory saith Magnum est vinculum charitatis quo ipse Deus se ligari voluit the bond of love is great with which even God himself was content to be bound And S. Bernard saith of it that solus triumphat de Deo it onely triumphs over God and addes Nescis quid majus dici debeat in laudem tuam O charitas deduxit Deum de Coelo hominem invexit in Coelum hominem Deo reconciliasti Deum homini placasti thou knowest not O love what may be more said in thy praise it brought God from heaven and carried man thither thou didst reconcile man to God and pacifiedst God with man And therefore as on the one side we are to consider how willing God is that his affection should grow in us so are we to weigh what God on his part hath done to stir us up to it The heathen could say magnes amoris amor the Loadstone of love is love nothing is more effectual to attract love then love And in that God hath not failed on his part S. Bernard expresseth to the full in these six points Quod prior dilexit nos tantus tantillos tales tantum gratis that he loved us first being so great we so little such kinde of creatures so much and without any respect to himself 1. Prior. S. John proves this point Herein is love not that we loved him but that he loved us It was not our love first to him that caused him to send his Son to be a propitiation for our sins but his first to us S. Augustine saith Nulla major est ad amorem 〈◊〉 quam praevenire amando nimis durus est animus qui se 〈◊〉 nolebat impendere nolit rependere there is no greater alluring to love then to anticipate by loving and that heart is too hard which will not requite though not love first 2. Tantus Of Gods tantus we may rest our selves upon S. Augustine and go no further Tantus ut non liceat conari exprimere quantus so great that it is not lawful to endeavour to expresse his greatnesse it transcends all the learning and witt of man to expresse his greatnesse and yet he condiscends so low as to love us 3. Tantillos Worms and no men This we see in Job and in the Prophet David and being but worms he loved us Nay further as the Apostle speaks cum nondum essemus being not yet born we cannot be lesse then not to be at all and yet even then he loved us when we were not 4. Tales when we had estranged cur selves from him and served his enemies then he loved us nay when we were our selves his enemies 5. Tantum Saint Chrysostame upon that of Saint John God so loved the world In comparison of Gods love with others all adverbs may be left out no sicut to this sic The Apostle may well call it great love He spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all This for Gods tantum 2. God the Son hath his tantum too For our sakes he left heaven the Society of God the Father Angels and Saints and endured upon earth 1. Infamy 2. Poverty 3. Sicknes 4. Enmity 5. death The Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 five fearefull things 1. He had ignominy and reproch and that not onely while he lived as the Pharisees slandered him to deale in sorcery to cast out Devils in the Devils name but when he was dead too The same Pharisees told Pilate that he was an impostor and deceiver He was despised saith the Prophet 2. For the want of necessaries you may take his own word that he was in worse case then souls and beasts Foxes have holes and birds of the aire have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head 3. For his infirmities The Prophet Esay describes them at large long before his suffering them He was wounded for us and by his stripes we are healed c. 4. He was hated above all others as we may read in the whole story of his life Though he did much good and many miracles among them yet they so persecuted him that ost times they were ready to stone him and never left him till they brought him to the last part of the five which he suffered upon earth 5. And that was death This also he suffered for love of us And greater love then this hath no man then to lay down his life for his friend yet Christ suffered a shameful death for us that hated him and were his enemies and as the Apostle saith hereby if all other signes of his love move us not perceive we his love because he laid down his life for us And in this particular is that in the Canticles confirmed love is as strong as death such love is perfect love 3. The holy Ghost is not without his Tantum For after the Passion of our Saviour when Christ was ascended he vouchsafed to come and dwell among us and among other his graces to shed his love abroad in our hearts and to make his residence with us to the worlds end And here we may judge between God and our selves God may refer it to us whether he hath left any thing undone that he might have done to testifie his love to us 6. Gratis he loved us without expectancy of any reward from us we have nothing that can better him nothing at all Our goods or ought else are nothing to him The Prophet demands what reward shall I give unto the Lord nothing but love for love Saint Bernard upon that Psalm is of the same opinion non est melius nec decentius quam per dilectionem rependere quodper dilectionem datum est there is no better or more decent thing then to repay that which is given lovingly by love For as S. Augustine saith Quid est home quod amaxi vis ab 〈◊〉 et si non amet te minavis ingentem poenam Annon panasatis magna est non amare te what is man that thou desirest to be loved by him and that thou shouldest threaten to punish ' him for not loving thee Is it not punishment enough not to love thee There needs no punishment to sorce us to love our meat and drink and other natural things and yet we see that to bring us to the love of that which is supernatural we
need threats and rewards so resractory is our nature And now we come to that which is commanded by the first rule which is love whether it be 1. amore naturali the natural affection which is from God and consequently is by nature due to God for to love him a quo potentiam habemus amandi is but equitable Whether it be 2. amore delectus with a love of election for when we have summed up all the objects in the world together we shall finde nothing to be beloved so much as God Or whether it be 3. amore infuso he it is that hath shed this love into our hearts and it is fit that he which hath scattered should gather that which he hath scattered The wicked servant can tell us so much Now this love and the measure thereof as it proceedeth freely is branched into 1. Desiderium 2. Gaudium 3. Zelus desire and joy and Zeale 1. A desire of God while we feel not the assurance of his spirit in us and then we complain with the Prophet like as the hart desireth the water-brooks so longeth my soul c. 2. The other of joy remaineth when this desire is fulfilled cum 〈◊〉 desiderium posuit gaudium this desire wrought in our hearts by the holy Ghost produceth those fruits mentioned Galat. 5. 22. Joy peace c. And when our desire is hindred that it cannot be obtained then cometh 3. Zeale Jra est vindex laesi 〈◊〉 anger is the revenger of desire not satisfied and this is called sacra 〈◊〉 an holy boyling of grief and anger incensed against all impediments and it is one of the signes of love for quinon Zelat non amat he that is not zealous loveth not He that can discern the impediments to Gods glory and not be desirous and earnest to remove them hath no love in him The measure of this love must extend to this height as to be ready to hate parents those that depend upon us yea our own souls if they could come in competition with it as Saint Luke hath it but Saint Matthew in more gentle termes he that loveth father or mother son or daughter more then God is not worthy of him that is when their commands contradict Gods they must reject them The law saith that we must love the Lord with all our heart with all our mind with all our strength and with all our soul. As the heart is said improperly to beleeve so is the minde said no lesse improperly to love yet here love is ascribed to all parts and faculties which must all concur to the love of God either directly or by consequence either per actum olicitum or imperatum as the Schools speak Saint Bernard hath this meditation Quia fecisti me ideo me tibi debeo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum renovasti quantum Dicto me fecisti sed renovasti me multis dictis factis passis The remaking cost more then the making and with this second making came the gift of God himself Nisi dedisset se saith the same father non reddidisset te Si me solum mihi reddidisset potui me illi denuo at cumse mihi quid illi reddam If he had given me to my self I could have given my self to him again but giving himself to me if I would give my self to him a thousand times it were not sufficient recompence for such a gift Yet this is to our comfort which he addes Etiam si non possum amare ultra quod possum si possim velim et si minus reddo quia minor sum quia tamen tota anima diligit 〈◊〉 deest ubi totum est Although I could not love beyond my ability yet if I could I would and if I render lesse because I am lesse yet because I love with all my soul I want nothing which is all that God requireth and we must labour to attain to Now for the negative part 1. The first thing forbiden is Dilectie inordinata 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Saint Basil calleth it a disordered love whereas God should stand highest in our love and ought to have the first place and nothing should be loved extra Deum and yet we love other things more then God or not with subordination to God then our love is out of order It hath been said that not onely the committing of evil but desertio meliorum the leaving of that which is best is sinne so is it in the love of God if we leave the better and make choice of the worse it is sin whether it be to make our belly our god or earthly things or to bestow the honour due to God upon our selves primatum gerere to usurpe a primacie above God in these cases our love is out of order For pro deo colitur quicquid praecaeteris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amor meus Deus meus whatsoever is loved above other things is worshipped as God for what we love best that is our God Every man hath something that he preferres before all other and that is indeed his Idoll rather then his God This exorbitant and irregular love is of two sorts Amor mundi or Amor sui love of the world and love of a mans self 1. For the love of the world S. Augustine saith Si possimus homines excitare et cum 〈◊〉 pariter excitari ut possemus esse amatores vitae permanentis quales quotidie videmus vitae fugientis his wish is that we were as forward to love the world to come as we are to affect this present transitory world The Philosophers say that the soul of man is placed in loco medio inter Deume 〈◊〉 creatur as hath a middle place between God and the creatures And that which stands in the midst of two things cannot move to both but motibus contrariis by contrarie motions Certainly this is the case of the soul it standeth so in regard of God and the world and cannot move to both but by contrary motions Now because through the corruption of original sinne the soul is a based it apprehendeth worldly things best because they are neer et illis nos ingurgitamiss we fill our selves so with them that we have no tast of heavenly things according to that of the wiseman Anima saturata calcabit 〈◊〉 the full fed despiseth the hony comb And therefore to correct this humour we must jejunare fast and weane our selves from the world for if we glut and cram our souls with worldly pleasures we can have no tast of God and so come to despise or neglect him 2. Besides this there is amor sui self love and this is harder to represse then the other and it is that wherewith men are wilfully infected and till a great measure of the spirit poslesse their hearts they will not be able to rid themselves of it and therefore it is that Prosper saith Amantes donantur sibi these men that over love themselves are given up to themselves
lest at the quitting them from the outward they have neither the inward nor the outward but be like the sons of Belial that is be under no yoke nor government at all 9. The very Heathen could see an aptnesse and disposition in their children to vice and we may perceive their inclinations and propensity to prophane and scurrilous jeasts Therefore we are to take the advantage of their dispositions betimes and to imploy and exercise them in things that are good to which if they be well ordered they will be as apt as to bad For no doubt but if children can say of themselves Bald-head to Elisha they may be easily taught to say Hosanna to Christ. 10. That time is ever to be taken which fitteth any thing best but the time of youth is most fit to learn in respect of the docibility of it They are like to a new Mortar which savoureth most of that spice which is first beaten in it and to a new vessell that retaines the sent of the first Liquor which was put into it Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit 〈◊〉 Testa diu As also in respect that this age is free from those cares and passions which the world infuseth into men of elder age as ambition malice adultery covetousnesse and the like which have been great remoras and impediments in matters of religion to those of riper yeares So much for the time when now for the manner how children are to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will teach or catechize you saith David in this text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Although an argument from the name proveth little yet it explaineth well the English and the Latine follow well the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which seemeth also to be proportioned from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to iterate or to doe any thing the second time or of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth first acuere to whet or sharpen to make it the fitter to enter And 2. repetere to goe over and over the same thing as we use to doe with our knives upon a whetstone And in both these are contained the duties both of Catechist and Catichized Of the first by making his doctrine the easier to enter by giving it such an edg by a perspicuous method as that children may not onely understand but carry away also what he delivereth to them of the later by often going over that which he is taught as a knife doth a whetstone and to repeate and iterate it till he have made it his own So that we see that in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to resound is included an iteration from which word we have our Eccho in English 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indeed to sound the last syllable and such sounders happily there are enough but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to sound the whole after one againe And such is the repetition which is required of the right and true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 young catechised Christians and those places are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that give the whole verse or word againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Catechism is the doctrine of Godlinesse or Religion first declared by the Catechiser to learners of which afterwards account is given by the learners to their instructer And it is thus distinguished from Preaching 1. Preaching is a dilating of one Member or point of Religion into a just Treatise Catechising is a contracting of the whole body of Religion into an 〈◊〉 or Summe 2. Preaching is applyed for the capacity of all sorts of people old and young Catechising is appointed onely for the younger sort and those which are ignorant 3. In Preaching there 's no repetition required from the Auditors In Catechising an accompt or repetition is to be exacted from the Catechised Now upon these differences 3 things are to be considered or 3. queres are to be made 1. By what warrant Abridgments or Summes are made 2. What we have to warrant teaching of children by way of Catechising 3. Upon what grounds answers are to be made by the Catechised 1. The warrant for the first we have from Christ himselfe who in his answer to the Lawyer reduced the whole Law under two heads The love of God and our neighbour 2. Againe our Saviour catechising Nicodemus made an Epitome or Abridgment of the Gospel under one head Sic Deus dilexit Mundum So God loved the world that he gave 〈◊〉 onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeved on him might not perish but have everlasting life 3. Solomon also in his booke of the Preacher reduceth the whole duty of man into two heads 1 feare God 2 and keep his commandments 4. Saint Paul in his speech to the Elders of Ephesus draweth the principles of Religion to these two 〈◊〉 and Repentance Repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And in another place Repentance from dead works and faith towards God 5. The 〈◊〉 are of opinion that teaching by way of Summe is meant by Saint Paul when he speaketh of the forme of sound words and of That form of Doctrine and the proportion or analogy of faith 6. Lastly 〈◊〉 we know have their 〈◊〉 Lawyers their 〈◊〉 Philosophers Isagoges and therefore Divines may have their Epitomes If we demand a reason hereof our Saviour sheweth us one that we may be able 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have a dependance or be able to referre all our readings and hearings to certain principall head thereby to enclose or limit our study And the Rabbins say that the 2 heads to which Christ reduced the Law and the Prophets were 〈◊〉 legis an hedg of the Law containing the heads of the generall doctrine lest we should wander in infinito campo in too large a field and so waver Clemens calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 basis a foundation or groundplot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a first or rough draught of a Picture And as these abridgments are for our shorter so for our more easy attayning to the knowledg of that which may 〈◊〉 us to salvation And such were the sermons of the Apostles when they baptized so many hundreds in one day Concerning which it is well aid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thanks be to our blessed God who hath made necessary doctrines compendious and doctrines which are not compendious not so necessary But here we must take with us a double Proviso 1. That we remain before Gods judgement seat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inexcusable if we seek not his knowledge being made easy by a short compendium 2. We must grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ And we must not be ever hildren but men in understanding And after we have heard the word of truth so compe diously delivered we must trust and beleeve in it being the Gospel of our salvation We are not
Bonum non amatur as the School-men say quod non cognoscitur the good that is not known cannot be loved For if it were known it being the natural desire of all to be better we should love it to be the better by it It is therefore well said That good things have no greater enemy then ignorance Knowledge and faith then as is said shewing us this good love will be stirred up in us and then follows unio affectus the union of the affection all that we can have here and in the life to come instead of this fruition by faith fruition by cleer vision There are two sorts of love 1. Amor mercenarius a mercenary love 2. Amor gratuitus a free love They are distinguished thus when a man loves his meat and drink and when he loves his friend or brother it is certain these loves are not all one in the one there is a desire to have the thing loved that he may make use of it for his own benefit for the present not caring what becomes of it after but his love to his friend is to do him good for himself or for his own sake and it includes in it bene velle bene facere to wish him good and to do him good in the former á man looks at himself and his own good onely in the other at his good whom he loves the first is amor concupiscentiae the other amor amicitiae The Philosopher distinguishes them by Vnde Quo whence and whither In the first love the question is made by Quo in the other by Vnde In the first we ask what good comes to us by it in the other what good it hath in it self though it be no benefit to us The one hath an eye that looks inward on our selves the other outward upon others Yet these two though they may be distinguished yet are not alwayes divided for the one oft-times is the beginning of the other both in our loves to God and man for those that have been beneficial to us though we love them at first for the benefits we receive by them yet afterwards we come to love them for themselves 1. The first ariseth from hope Because a man being cast down by fear conceives hope upon Gods promises then sending forth prayer receiveth fruit and saith Praised be the Lord for he hath heard the voice of my humble petition And thou hast given me my hearts desire which fruit stirreth up the first love and this amor concupiscentiae the love of concupiscence which goes before 〈◊〉 gratuitum free love for as the Apostle saith that is not first which is spiritual but that which is natural or carnal and then that which is spiritual so free love of God for himself is not first but first we love him for his benefits and then for himself and this is true love Therefore it is said that 〈◊〉 vertues of clemency affability liberality c. were greater then Cato's of justice and fidelity in his dealings because the former looked at the good of others these reflected upon himself and his own good That which is natural will be first 〈◊〉 before amicitia or benevolentia and this is the inchoation of the other Perfect love is not attained at first for nemo repente fit summus now S. Chrysostome wondreth how men can slip themselves out of this love for if they will love any for his benefits none bids fairer for this amor mercenarius then God for he offereth for it the kingdom of heaven The Fathers compare fear to the wildernesse and these two degrees of love to the land of promise this mercenary love to that part of it which lay beyond Jordan and the other to that part upon which Sion and Jerusalem stood For amor gratuitus which looks not at reward Saint Bernard saith that Deus nunquam sine praemio diligitur our love to God is never unrewarded though sine intuitu praemii diligendus est he ought to be loved without looking at the reward The Apostle respected his own commodity so little that he wished himself accursed that the glory of God might shine in the salvation of Israel It is lawful to love God for his benefits for God uses them as motives to stir us up to love him and the best of Gods servants have so practised Moses looked at the recompence Hebrews 11. but we must not rest there nor love him onely or chiefly for them but for himself otherwise we love not him but our selves ratio diligendi est Deus ipse modus sine modo the cause of our love must be God himself and the measure without measure saith S. Bernard Some divide love into Quoniam Tametsi Because and Although 1. The first is that which is called mercenarius I love the Lord saith the Psalmist and why He is my defence Psalm 18. 1. And in another place Because he heard my voice yet seeing David did not love God onely or chiefly for his benefits his love was not properly mercenary but true though not perfect To shew the excellency of love S. Paul hath a whole chapter wherein he prefers it above all other vertues and saith in effect If a man for his knowledge and elocution might be compared with Angels and by his faith were able to remove mountains and by his liberality had relieved the poor with all his estate and for his constancy had suffered martyrdome yet were all these vertues little worth except they were joyned with the love of God And in the end of the Chapter after this general commendation of love he prefers it in particular above Faith and Hope 1. If we take the dimension of it it is greatest both in breadth and length of all other For whereas Faith and Hope are restrained within the bounds of mens persons and to singulars this dilateth it self and extendeth both to God and man in general to our selves our friends yea to our enemies S. Augustine saith Beatus qui amat te amicum in te inimicum propter te blessed is he that loves thee and his friend in thee and his enemy for thee And this is the latitude 2. In longitude also For whereas the other are but in us in the nature of a lease but for terme of life the gift of love shall be as a free hold and continue for ever in heaven Our Saviour maketh both the Law and Prophets to consist of one Commandment namely Love And the Apostle reduceth all to one head and if there were any other Commandment it is briefly comprehended in this of love And it is our Saviours mandatum novum admit that all the old Commandments were cancelcelled yet this new commandment ties us to the duties of all And indeed S. John saith commending this duty Brethren I write no new commandment unto you but an old Commandment for both the old and new are all one There is both in the
are to love for every benefit then are we not tied to love him that dedit filium gave his Son for a price et spiritum and his spirit for a pledge et servat se tantum in praemium and reserved himself onely for a crown or reward of the love we shall afford him If we know not his crio let the Oxe and the Asse reach us Now the proper signes of love are patience and obedience which are also the proper effects of love of which we shall speak afterwards Others handle them more particularly and distinguish them by six several signes 1. The first is if the heart be well affected towards God by often thinking of him for our Saviour tells us where our treasure is or that which we love there wil be our hearts also By our hearts our love will be known and by the thoughts of our heart we may know what we love what we think of most We have an example of this in Saint Mark Our Saviour taught his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees now because their thoughts ran upon bread which they had forgotten to take into the ship they conceived that Christ warned them from bread for if a mans minde be set upon any thing above other he thinketh that is meant when ought is spoken that may be taken that way So then it is a signe of our love to God when we think upon him Thoughts are of three sorts 1. A deep thought 2. A long thought 3. A thought often repeated Cogitatio profunda continuata crebra 1. Profunda cogitatio This deep thought was especially in those saints of God when it was so deep that in recounting the mercies of God the matter of their love they seemed to be in an extasie 2. Continuata cogitatio As in secular matters old age is continually thinking upon wealth youth upon pastime and the like so if our thoughts be continued upon God though they be not deep yet they are a good signe of love 3. When a man hath neither long nor deep thoughts yet if his thoughts be crebrae often though they be not extaticall nor continual but with some intermission they signifie that the love of God hath taken root in us 2. A second signe is if we esteem well of the pledges of that party to whom we seem to bear affection if we account of those earnests which he hath left us as King David I love thy Law When a man loves the very pledges that he leaves as the Word Sacraments and prayer as it is on the contrary an ill token to neglect them It was accounted a great pledge of Gods favour to have primo-genituram and Esau is called by the Apostle a profane person or one that loved not God for setting his love so upon his brothers pottage to love his belly so much as to neglect the pledge of birthright and sell it 3. When we earnestly desire the presence of him we love for as the Heathen said ubi amor ibi oculus where the heart is there will the eye be and if we cannot see the party yet if we have his picture our eye will not be of it Now because we walk here by faith and not by sight it is a sign of our love to God to desire his presence and to behold him in his Ordinances the Word and Sacraments to behold his picture as in all the creatures so especially in his servants in whom his image is renewed Davids delight was in those that excel'd in vertue 4. Where there is love we will readily forgo what is dear to us to enjoy what we desire Thus Esau did part with his right of primogeniture the best thing he had the pledge of Gods favour for Jacobs pottage Genesis 25. 30. so well did he love his belly If we then can accept of any condition be it never so hard which may set or keep us in Gods favour it is a good signe we love him 5. The fifth signe as the former falls into desiderium which is a grief for Gods absence from us for the desire of that we love not being accomplished turns to grief and makes us break out into passion with the Prophet When shall I come to appear before the presence of God Saint Gregory saith it is inauditus amor a love unheard of for a man to love one and not to desire his company So that he which desireth to live here and not to be dissolved with the Apostle hath no love These are signes of that part of love which is called desiderium desire now follow the signes of that part of love which is gaudium joy 1. The first is alacritas cheerfulnesse in doing or suffering for the party we love an especial signe of love when a man hath gladnesse in his heart no lesse joy for encrease of spirituall things then the worldly man hath of a good harvest When Jacob had served Laban seven yeers for Rachel they seemed but a few dayes for the love he had to her If we can do thus in the service of God it is a signe we love him But if a man count Gods service a burden and be weary of it thinking one hour three which is spent in it surely he hath no joy nor delight in God and by consequence no love 2. When the affection of love is truely setled the Philosopher saith Quod cupis habere times perdere cuicunque cupis conjungi ab eo times separari thou art afraid to lose that thou desirest to have and art afraid to be severed from him that thou desirest to be joyned with Now if a mans heart bear him witnesse that he is fearful of sin as that which may separate him from God it is a good signe of love On the other side when with Pilate we have a good minde to save Christ but fearing the disfavour of Caesar for so doing he did it not it is a signe of his want of true love to Christ. Timor occupat omnes affectiones fear runs through all the affections Pilates fear of offendig Caesar shewed he loved his favour before Christs for all the affections discover love Demetrius the Silver-smith was afraid that the craft he loved for the benefit he reaped by it should be put down he raised a sedition and so preferred his gain before the safety of the state thereby discovering what he loved best 3. It is much you would think that grief should be another signe of joy but so it is in the case of Gods love as fear of loosing his favour so grief when we have lost the sense of it If we be grieved when we perceive sensibly a defect of our former comfort and vigor of spirit in the love of God it is a sign that we loved him The young man in the Gospel Luke 18. 23. was grieved to part with his possessions for Christ which shewed that he loved them before
who was his Master and whom he followed before they parted The sixth rule for procuring obedience in others is done per edificationem as the Apostle speaks by edifying one another and by avoyding that which they call scandalum let no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way CHAP. XIIII Of patience How it arises from Love of God The necessity and excellency of patience Afflictions are either corrections or tryals Reasons of patience in both Of counterfeit patience in Hereticks and others Stupidity no true patience Cause thereof Of fainting under the crosse Means of patience Signes of patience Of working patience in others THe second principal signe or property of Love is Patience and it might be comprehended under obedience for they use to call it obedientiam crucis It is a fruit of Love charitas patiens est saith the Apostle for if it be active it produces obedience if passive patience The Heathen man hath a strange speech to this purpose Non amo quenquam nisi offendat I love no man but he that offends me the reason is because bearing and sorbearing is an argument of love he that loveth will bear much if not he loveth not Qui desinit sustinere desinit amare saith S. Augustine leave of to forbear and leave of to love and S. Gregory Patientia vera ipsum amat quem portat true patience loves him who is a burden to him In respect of our selves being natural nothing can be trulier said then durum pati It goeth against flesh and blood to suffer and the object of patience is evil But the spiritual man glories in tribulation knowing that tribulation worketh patience and why because patience worketh experience and that hope So that patience never bears evil propter se sed propter mag is bonum for it self but for a greater good The evil we suffer by it will be recompensed with the greater good Labour is durum a hard thing and ease good but if a better thing as learning may be attained by the privation of that good we will take pains and endure labour So the suffering of want trouble and the like conducing to a greater good puts a will into us to endure them Ardor desideriorum saith S. Gregory facit tolerantiam laborum the earnestnesse of our desires causeth us to endure labor This greater good is the glory of God and that as we said of obedience both directly by our selves when we glorifie him by our sufferings and also by others who take occasion by our patience in suffering to glorify God Though the Devil afflicted Job with sundry crosses yet he continued firm and endured them patiently and by his servants patience was God glorified even over the Devil God triumphs over the Devil by the patience of Job 〈◊〉 thou not saith God my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth c. Beatus Job quot voces patientiae in laudem Dei percussus reddidit quasi tot in adversarii pectore jacula intorsit et acriora multa quam sustinuit inflixit blessed Job by his often expressions of patience to the honour of God in his afflictions castas it were so many darts into the bosome of his adversary and inflicted much more upon him then he endured himself The Author to the Hebrews tells us that we need this vertue and our Saviour gives us the reason We cannot possesse our souls without it How Thus if any crosse befall us either it is too great for us to bear and so we fall into exceeding great worldly sorrow which worketh death as it hapned with Achitophel a wise man or else without this gift of patience we set our selves against that partie in passion that we conceive did offer us the injury and so fall to hatred and then to injurious dealing or if it be from Gods hand to murmuring and impatient reoining and so loose your souls But if with patience we bear the afflictions of this life and thereby overcome the last enemy which is death 1 Corinthians 15. 26. then we are sure to save our souls In consideration whereof as we said that in the Christian structure faith was fundamentum the foundation of all vertues so patience is tectum the roof or covering of all vertues to keep and defend them from the storms of afflictions without which storms would beat and rain would descend into the building and rot it And this may well be warranted by that of our Saviour in the Gospel where he saith describing the spirituall harvest that they brought forth fruit with patience The fruit is after the bud and blossome the fruit must come through both But more plainly in the Apostle that therefore patience must have her perfect work that we may be perfect and want nothing and the building be consummate And S. Paul joyns faith the foundation and patience the roof together To you it is given not onely to believe but also to suffer and in another place in side patientia by faith and patience we inherit the promise the first and last the beginning and the ending So that when we have this vertue and the roof be covered we may have good cause to rejoyce as S. Paul did He rejoyced in patience in suffering infirmities reproaches necessities persecutions distresses for Christs sake And patience working experience he then had spem solidiorem more solid hope and thence grew so valiant as to throw down gantlet and chalenge any thing that could separate him from the love of God and beginneth with the least first as tribulations ascending to the most potent as death Angels principalities c. Patience is distinguished according to the object which is affliction and that is of two sorts for it is either for punishment called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or for tryal called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there must be patience in both and the reason is for that in every Law there is a directive and a corrective force if one misse the other will take hold Aut faciendum quod oportet aut patiendum quod oportet either we must do or suffer what we should we must be either active or passive 1. We submit our selves to the corrective force in respect of our deserts knowing the Law to be just for two reasons both which are mentioned by S. Peter It is the will of God of his secret will we cannot enquire the cause but when he hath revealed the reasons we may be bold to take notice of them for confirmation of our faith 1. The first is He will have all the world know that sin shall not be unpunished This is plain The waters of Meribah cost Moses his life his wavering because the waters came not at the first was his forfeiture of entring into the land of promise Numbers 20. 12. Many more instances might be brought but they are all obscured by
such as keep order though the Superiour do not 2. Because every step hath a certain breadth or latitude set and lmited by bounds on both sides then he transcends the nature of a Superiour that prescribes any thing beyond those bounds as if the Prince of this land shall command any thing to be done in those countreys where he hath nothing to do Or if I be bound to obey a man whose power is onely in spiritual things I am not by the same reason to obey him in temporals whereof he hath no cognizance he is not to command out of his series he must not recedere a principio But if a king or ruler observe these two points of order that he do not leave his series nor recedere a principio we are absolutely to obey him It is said in the Gospel No man can serve two masters God and Mammon because their commands are contrary but the case here may be thus reconciled Dominus servus God and the Prince his minister are but one Agent because there is a subordination In this case there is but one master till the Prince break the order himself and be a master against order and do erigere altare contra altare erect one altar against another For it is in order as it is in nature The Prince is the chief mover and Commander others command under him Now in nature heavy things descend and if on any occasion ad conservationem universi they do break their natural course and ascend this is out of order yet is requisite for a greater good of the universe So is it in matters of the Commonwealth If the inferiour Magistrate command one thing I must not obey him if a superiour Magistrate command another for a greater good of the whole land Some are of more honourable estate then other and the higher place any one hath the more honour he hath and in that respect the greater duty belongs to him Festus was honourable yet Nero more honourable and if S. Paul fear that Festus will break order he will appeal to Nero. And we see if a man be before a Judge of an inferiour place of judicature he is free from him if a 〈◊〉 come from a superiour Judge to take the matter into his hands And so when the first mover of all God and his word or command cometh it gives a supersedeas to all other commands and appeal is to be made to him Our Saviour in another place saith Be not afraid of them that kill the body In which place it is plain that his meaning is that though we should not break off our obedience from those that have that power as long they keep within their series yet if once they break order then fear them not but him that after the body is killed hath power to cast the body into hell which is God otherwise the caveat were needlesse And the conclusion in this point is to say with S. Peter and S. John when the Priests commanded them to preach no more in the name of Jesus Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken to you more then unto God judge ye And when they would not take this for an answer but urged them as before they plainly told them Deo potius 〈◊〉 hominibus we ought to obey God rather then men The reason of this standeth thus God hath taken order for the inaugurating of every son of his into his politia or government for our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our conversation must be in heaven as the Apostle speaks and in another place we should be fellow Citizens withthe saints A childe is no sooner born but fertur ad baptismum he is carried to baptism so that he is no sooner in the world but he is presently sent out again for there he renounceth the world and giveth it over and consequently he is to receive his laws from heaven his first oath being sacramentum militare to fight against the world flesh and Devil And in this respect it is that men cannot recede or go backward from their first vow If therefore a superiour command extra seriem suam out of his order we must remember our first vow and disobey him but in regard of that which hath been said that God and he are but one Agent in whatsoever lawfully he commands we must give him chief and especial honour and obedience Let him command out of his line then God and he are two Masters and God of the two is to be preferred We have examples in this kinde For the first Commandment which requires the love of God before and above all others if father or mother or any superiour command any thing contrary to our love we owe to God we are not to obey for our Saviour saith He that cometh to me and hateth not father and mother is not worthy of me He expounds himselfe elsewhere by plusquam me he that 〈◊〉 father or mother 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above me c. they are to be loved but lesse then Christ for as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lesser evil is called good in respect of a greater so minor dilectio a lesser love is called hatred in respect of major dilectio a greater love for bonum quod impedit majus bonum in 〈◊〉 minus est diligendum that good which hinders a greater good is lesse to be loved and so is superiours prove a hindrance to keep us from God our love to them must give place to our love to God 2. For the second Commandment God the great superiour took order men should not bow to any image Nebuchadonozor a superiour a Prince commandeth the contrary and his command is out of order for he commanded that every man should fall down before the golden image at the sound of the trumpet There was a disobedience to his command which was no disobedience at all for disobedience is not but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in order when things are commanded in order and Nebuchaednezzar had transgressed that order Darius also signed a decree out of order For God commands that prayer should be made to him and Darius commands that no prayer be made to God for thirty dayes space Daniel contrary to the kings decree prayeth to God the king brake order and Daniel did not This was not disobedience in Daniel but obedience to the second commandment the disobedience was in Darius 3. In the case of the third Commandment The Gibeonites obtain though craftily a league with Joshua confirmed by solemn oath and he and the Israelites preferred the religion of their oath before their oversight to the time of Saul who made the Israelites to break it but this was unlawful and irregular obedience and therefore the people were punished for breaking this order with three yeers 〈◊〉 and seven of Sauls sons were put to death for it 4. For the fourth
〈◊〉 Such a one was Abigail one that by her wisdom builded her house and was like a marchants ship a good huswife and provident If to these she be like a polished corner of the temple it makes her a meet one Such a one being found we must not presently adhinnire 〈◊〉 after her like Jeremies fedd horses there must not be conjunxit before adduxit which was Shechems case we must tarry till adduxit and that in Gods house Jesus must be at the mariage God must give her as parent and joyn both as priest by the hand of him that he hath appointed in his place And it must be in Gods house not clandestine and then they shall receive a blessing Now for the duties general and mutual between them they consist in two things 1. In fidelity and loyalty They must possesse their vessels in holines and purity and not defraud one another but keep the mariage bed undefiled They must draw both one way and beare each others burden 2. Love She was made of a bone meet to the heart and that was coupled with a fellow therefore their love must be hearty He must love her as a part of himself and she him as wounded for her Again she must love him as her head and he her as his crown He must be better to her then ten sonnes And she embrace him and his love tanquam 〈◊〉 non 〈◊〉 as a vine and not ivy 1. Now severally concerning their duties The man must dwell with the woman with knowledge to direct her Provide and take care for his house and family He must cherish her he must delight in her rejoyce with the wife of his youth Isaac sported with Rebekah Suffer and bear with her infirmities and not be bitter to her To end this he must love her fervently cooperate with her willingly provide all things carefully and though he be the nobler part not despise the lesse noble give good counsel seasonably admonish her opportunely and defend her faithfully 2. The woman in respect that she was not made first but Adam and that she was taken elatere out of his side therefore her duty is to submit and be subject to her husband and do her duty at all times to please him She is also to be adjutrix a help to him She is a bone part of a coupling or rafter in a building she must gird her loyns with strength she must not be trouble some for it were better for her husband to dwell in the wildernesse then with her if she be a contentious woman Nor must she undo him nor 〈◊〉 out his goods Not prove as Jobs wife curst but like to Abigail gracious and milde Not like Michal Davids wife a 〈◊〉 or taunter but like the Shunamite charitable and vertuous Not like Jezabel haughty and cruel but like the woman of Tekoah humble Finally she must love her husband ardently serve him obediently bear and educate her children carefully not oppose his government scornfully So much for the cause or thing upon which this Commandment was grounded Now to the Commandment it self CHAP. II. The dependance of this commandment upon the former The ends for wich it was given The object of this Commandment concupiscence or lust of the flesh The several branches and degrees of the sin here forbidden Diverse reasons against the sin of uncleannesse Non Maechaberis THis Precept is as the former in words very brief and under the name of Adultery forbids all degrees of uncleannesse and all those acts that dispose thereto thereby to shew what reckoning God makes of lust and all those acts that tend to Adultery and of all the lesser degrees of this sin viz. that they are all 〈◊〉 in his sight as rash and unjust anger is murder before him as we shewed in the last Now Adultery implies not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 uncleannesse but injustice too and that in a high degree by communicating that to many which is proper to one for the husband hath not power over his own body but the wife and econtra and therefore it is injustice to give that to another which is not in our power but is already given to another by marriage Thus we see by the word here used what account God makes of all those vices which are subordinate to Adultery The Commandment itself is expounded Leviticus 20. 10. in the law and in the Gospel by Christ in the fifth of S. Matthew vers 27 28. c. And by the Apostle 1 Corinthians 5. and 6. 15. and throughout the whole seventh chapter of the same Epistle The order and dependance is this The principal cause why murder was prohibited was because man is the image of God now the image of God consists especially in purenesse and chastity as one of the Heathen Poets could tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is a pure minde and therefore fitly doth this Commandment wherein purity of soul and body is commanded follow 〈◊〉 that wherein the defacing of Gods image is forbidden The truth of this may plainly be gathered by the contrary assoon as our first parents eys were opened they saw themselves naked being ashamed to see their nakednesse they got figleaves to cover their shame which argued that the purenesse of this image was lost and that they were ashamed of those irregular motions which began to arise in shew The ends of this Commandment are four 1. In respect of God who is of purer eyes then to behold evil therefore we must not 〈◊〉 be pure in heart if we will see him or have him to see us but we must possesse our bodies also our vessels in holinesse and sanctification not in the lusts of 〈◊〉 as the Heathen that know not God 2. In respect of the Church and the good of it God by the Prophet saith that he took order that one man should be joyned to one woman why that he might have a holy seed That the Church might be kept pure undefiled and unspotted for as the Apostle saith our bodies are the members of Christ and not our own And therfore he 〈◊〉 against Christ the head and the Church his body Who takes the members of Christ and makes them the members of a harlot 3. For the good of the Common-wealth wedlock being 〈◊〉 parens the Parent of the Common-wealth the 〈◊〉 of cities and kingdoms And in that respect it is that the Wise man in diverse places counselleth us to refrain from strange women Abimelech charged his people upon pain of death not to touch Abrahams wife And 〈◊〉 sentence upon his daughter in Law was no lesse when he heard that she had played the harlot So in the Law it was no lesse then death to offend in this kinde And God charged Moses
19. 18. Deut. 23. and hate thine enemies viz. Those seven nations whom they were to destroy and to make no league with them nor to shew them mercy Exod. 34. 21. Deut. 7. 1. to whom the Amalekite is added with whom they were to have perpetuall war Exod. 17. 19. Deut. 25. 14. We see then that Christ is so far from taking any thing away from the Morall Law that he rather addes more to it and therfore the matter of the Decalogue is still in force and belongs to Christians as much as to any Nay faith it self which some of late have transformed into a meere Platonicall Idaea abstracted from good works I mean that Faith to which Justification and Salvation is ascribed in Scripture includes obedience as to all the commandments of Christ so to the morall law as the very life and form of it without which as S. Jam. 〈◊〉 it is as a body without a Soul for what is Faith but a relying or trusting upon Christ for salvation according to the promises of the Gospell now seeing that those promises are not absolute but always require the conditions of repentance and new obedience it can be nothing but a shadow of faith when these conditions are not It s true that to beleeve in the proper and formal notion is nothing else but to assent to the truth of a proposition upon the authority of the speaker And to beleeve in one signifies properly to trust rely upon him doth not in its formal conception considered barely and abstractly by it self include the condition of obedience or any other And therefore we may be said to beleeve or trust in one that requires no condition of us but when the words are referred to one that commands or requires something of us to be done and promises nothing But upon such condition of obedience as nothing is more certain then that Christ never promises remission of sins or life eternall but upon condition of Repentance and new obedience In this case to beleeve in Christ must of necessity include obedience to the commandments of Christ as the very life of faith without which it is a meere fansie and hence some have observed that in the New Testament faith and obedience and unbelief and disobedience are often promiscuously used for one and the same First because that to trust or believe in one that promises nothing but to those that obey him and to obey him in hope of what he hath promised are all one and therefore that absolute affiance or unconditionate belief of Gods mercy in Christ which some make to be faith in Christ is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of those first and primitive errours from which those doctrines of Antinomians and other Sectaries that would dissolve the law do follow with ease When Christ upbrayded the Jewes for not beleeving John the Baptist though the Harlots and Publicanes believed who doubts but that his meaning is that the one repented upon Johus preaching which the other did not although to beleeve in the proper formall notion signifies nothing else but to assent to the trueth of what he said Hence S. Aug. saith Non solum bonam vitam inseparabilem esse a fide sed ipsam esse bonam vitam that a good life is not onely inseparable from faith but that faith is good life it self and S. Cyprian Quomodo se in Christú credere dicit qui non facit quae Christus facere praecipit How can he say that he believes in Christ who doth not the things which Christ hath commanded And before them Irenaeus tells us that Credere in Christum est voluntatem ejus facere to believe in Christ is to do his will As for that generall faith of the latter School-men and the Romanists which they make to be nothing but an assent to revealed trueths for the authority of God the speaker I say the latter School-men for some of the Elder where they speak of fides charitate formata which they make to be true faith mean nothing else but that which S. Paul calls faith working by love and Saint James faith consummated by works As also that faith of some amongst our selves who would have it to be nothing but a perswasion that their sins are pardoned in Christ c. Neither of these have any necessary connexion with a good life and therefore neither of them is that faith to which the promises of pardon and Salvation are annexed in the Gospel Not the first as themselves acknowledge and appeares by Bellar. who labours to prove by many reasons that true faith may be in a wicked man Nor the second for how doth it necessarily follow that if a man believe all his sins past present and to come to be forgiven that therefore he must needes live according to the Rules of Christ whereas the contrary may rather be inferred That he needes not to trouble himself about obedience to the commandments in order to remission of his sins or salvation who is perswaded that all hissins are pardoned already and that nothing is required of him for the obtaining of so great a benefit but onely to believe that it is so And if they say that the sence of such a mercy cannot but stir men up to obedience too much experience of mens unthankfulness to God confutes this The remembrance of a mercy or benefit doth not necessarily enforce men to their duty for then none could be unthankfull to God or man Besides it is a pure contradiction which all the Sophistry in the world can never salve to say that a mans sins are pardoned by believing they are pardoned for they must be pardoned before he believes they are pardoned because the object must be before the act and otherwise he beleeves a lye and yet by faith he is justified and pardoned as all affirm and the Scripture is evident for it and so his pardon follows upon his belief and thus the pardon is both before and after the act of faith it is before as the object or thing to be beleeved and yet it comes after as the effect or consequent of his belief which is a direct contradiction True faith then is a practicall vertue and establishes the Law and as this is the proper work of true faith so to direct and quicken our obedience thereto is the whole scope of the Bible There is nothing revealed in the whole Scripture meerly for speculation but all is referd some way or other to practise It is not the knowledge of Gods Nature Essence but of his will which is required of us or at least so much of his Nature as is needfull to ground our faith and obedience upon That observation of some is most true That in the Scripture verba scientiae Connotant affectus words of knowledge do imply affections and actions answerable To know God is not so much to know his Nature and essence as to Honor and obey him which
for apprehension yet not all them so much as this therefore the joyes of the world to come must needs be infinite we usually call that which we cannot value or reckon a Nemo 〈◊〉 This is that name which S. John speaks of in the Revelation that no man knoweth but he that receiveth it And whereas the heaven and earth are too good for us yet he promiseth to create a new heaven for us as if this present were not pay good enough for our service Now the consideration and remembrance of all this is to this end to stir up a love in us for love will make us to do our duties with ease diligence delight and perseverance all these will follow love There are but three things that are motives to love 1. Beauty 2. Neernesse of nature or kinred And 3. Benefits and these three do even make the brute and savage Beasts to love Now these three are in God eminently 1. For his excellency of Beauty it appears most gloriously in those things which he hath made the world and the inhabitants and creatures therein which being so beautiful in themselves argue a far greater in him The Prophet Zachary admiring it breaks out into these words O how great is his beauty 2. For neernesse in Nature what neerer Relation can there be then that of the Creator and the Creature Parents are but instruments of our Creation yet we accompt them the neerest but God is our Father indeed not onely by Creation but by a second bond of Adoption we are his adopted sons You know that David made it a great matter to be son in law to a King but we are neerer sons indeed 3. For benefits if those which God hath bestowed upon us and are mentioned before be not sufficient take one more Such was his love to mankinde and delight to do us good that he spared not his onely son but made him come down from heaven to dye for us So that if these benefits make us not willing to do his will well may the saying of the Prophet 〈◊〉 be taken up Obstupescat coelum be astonished O ye heavens And so much for the first means of preparation willingnesse The second means of preparation begins at the tenth verse God said to Moses Go to the people and sanctifie them to day and to morrrow and let them wash their clothes and let them be ready against the third day for then will I come down c. 1. As the first was to make us willing so the second is to make us able fit apt and capable of his law In the primitive Church they began their Liturgie with Sancta sanctis munda mundis so here none are capable of holy and clean things but holy and clean persons therefore we must sanctifie our selves or else we are not fit to receive the Law of God The reason is because if we put an uncleane thing to a cleane not onely the unclean is no whit the cleaner but the clean thing is made unclean by it It is the Prophet Haggai's allusion And our Saviour maketh it plain in the case of new wine and old bottles If you keep not a proportion between the wine and the bottles both will perish as is said before so if there be not a proportion between the word and the hearer he is not fit to receive so holy a thing and it will turn to the condemnation of the hearer and the frustration of the word heard 2. The time of preparation or sanctifying prescribed by God here is two dayes to day and to morrow c. to shew that a convenient time must be allowed for preparation not like Sauls preparation who being to encounter his enemies called for the Ark and the Ephod and would needs fall to prayer first before the battel began but hearing of the approach of his enemies and fearing to loose time by prayer layes all aside and sets his people in array and so his preparation was all in vain for he did unadvisedly herein God would have us to continue in our preparation and therefore he wishes O that my people would do thus alwayes for the time that is bestowed and spent in prayer is not lost nay it is the best time that can be bestowed of any 3. The sanctification here was at that time but a Ceremony a washing which being a figure to them of Israel they are examples to us And as the Apostle speaks are recorded for our admonition for every Ceremony hath its equity to which we are all bound And though we be not commanded to put our Clothes in the water yet we must be careful to wash our souls The garments of the old Law were Tunica stola the inward and the outward garment which Saint John seems to allude unto which have washed their robes white c. And Saint Paul Cleanse your selves from all filthinesse of the flesh We must be cleansed both in flesh and spirit Now the best way to make our selves clean is to see how we became foul that when we be once washed we may keep our selves clean Now there is a two-fold pollution whereby we became foul as in a garment 1. Pollutio externa outward pollution and aspersion as spots or 2. interna grown within as by Moths 1. If a man in the Law did touch a dead corps or one that had an issue by that very touch he is made unclean and by this is allegorized the pollution we receive of the World by ill examples ill company or the like there is uncleannesse that will defile us with the touch And secondly if a man have an issue in his own flesh he is unclean that is the inward corruption which is within us the concupiscence of our unruly affections arising from the blindnesse of our mindes and resistance of our will and all these had need of washing and separation Therefore as the Apostle upon the first place in Leviticus speaketh we must come out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing and it was the same Counsel which the Prophet Esay gave long before For the second within our selves Saint Paul saith that we are Templa spiritus sancti temples of the holy Ghost upon which S. Augustine saith Quisque Christianus templum habet in templo templum in domo templum foris ubique semper templum ambulans every Christian hath a temple in his temple a temple in his house a temple every where abroad and ever a walking temple And because there must be no pollution in a temple none in Gods temple Nihil inquinatum ingredietur in illud there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth we had need to be careful to wash us so that all things may be clean unto us and then all shall be munda mundis clean to the clean But if we be once cleansed we must
and consequently far more to be beloved 1. Out of this faith or knowledge apprehending his Justice ariseth feare and out of feare humility 2. Out of knowledge and faith of his Mercy with the other eight attributes arise 2. Duties more 1. Hope 2. Love 1. The fruit of hope is 1. Invocation and prayer for what we want 2. thanksgiving in acknowledging whence we have received it 2. Love hath its fruit or effect in obedience in conforming our selves and our wills to God will both in doing what he requirs and in bearing willingly whatsoever it pleaseth him to lay upon us and this last is called patience Obedientia crucis And in these doth the hauing of God wholly consist We are further to understand that the Holy Ghost in the scripture is pleased by the figure Synechdoche for shortnesse of speech oft times to name one of these and in that one to comprehend the whole worship of God as in Saint John all the worship of God is attributed to knowledge This is life eternal to know thee the onely true God And in a nother place all to fear feare God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man In a nother place to hope Saint Paul saith we are saved by hope And so of the rest under the name of one duty Synechdochically are comprehended all the other and this without injury to the rest of the duties for they all have good dependance one of another Now to these we are to adde the duties of the second proposition That we must have the Lord for our God that is true religion And of the third to have him onely for our God that is pure religion against joyning of it with other worship And besides these out of the word shalt it must be perpetual till non erit swallow up our erit which implieth the vertue perseverance throw all the Commandments And corum facie mea before me includeth sincerity of heart against hypocrisy and these make up the manner of Gods worship In the resolution of this first commandment the first thing is knowledge of God which in regard of the excellency of it Saint John saith as before This is life eternal to know thee the onely true God In the handling of which we must follow this method 1. To shew the excellency of the knowledge of God 2. The necessity of it 3. How it is to be attained 1. The first thing concerning knowledge is the excellency of it for other knowledge without this is but a puff a tumor that swells naturally in them that possesse it The Apostle saith asmuch knowledge 〈◊〉 up That therefore our knowledge may be right we must pluck from us our peacockes feathers the gifts of nature as strength wisdom riches birth c. And not be proud or rejoyce in them but as God by the prophet speaketh Let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me 〈◊〉 totae scientia hominis magna est saith S. Augustine 〈◊〉 quia nihil ipse est per se quoniam quicquid est ex Deo est 〈◊〉 Deum 〈◊〉 is the chief knowledge of man to know that of himselfe he is nothing and that whatsoever he is it is of and for God And this is the use we must make of our Knowledge 2. The second is the Necessity of this knowledge It is not the excellency of this knowledge that altogether worketh upon the desires of all men and the hearts of many are so dull and heavy that they desire not to be excellent a meane degree of perfection contents them in it But when we come to perceive that necessitas incumbit there lies a necessity upon us to get it a ferrea ratio that strong forcible persuasion and stricketh to the heart for the Law is Doctrina agendorum and no action can be without moving no motion without the will no will without desire and no desire without knowledge of that we desire So that take away knowledge and take away all and then nothing shall be done It cannot be denied but that evil men are in action they are practicall enough but their knowledge being deprived of the true end and obejct we must also confesse that they must needs erre and fall upon false ends and wayes wandring in by pathes and never attain to the right end butthey walk in darknesse and so they misse of the end for which they came into the world The Apostle saith that without hearing there can be no knowledge for hearing is called the sense of discipline and without knowledge ther 's no beleife without faith there can be no love and without love ther 's no obedience And therefore in as much as faith love and obedience are necessary it follows that it is necessary to have knowledge as the ground of all vertues whatsoever There is in all these vertues inchoation in this life and a consummacion in the life to come The schoolmen call them a first and second perfection or 〈◊〉 partixm graduum and therefore the knowledge we attain to in this life is but a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tast of that blessed knowledge we shall have in the other And as the Apostle makes two Resurrections the first and the second and saith that Blessed is he that hath his part in the first for he shall have it also in the last So there are two degrees of knowledge the first is fides faith the second visio dei or vita aeterna the beatificall vision and blessed is he that hath his part in the first for he shall have his part in the second the beatificall vision of God And as in the second Resurrection none shall have part but they which have part in the first so none can have their portion in the second knowledge but they that had in the first A witnesse without exception of this is our Saviour Martha troubled her self about many things and no doubt necessary to the honorable entertaining of 〈◊〉 yet we know that Christ said vnum necessarium there was one thing necessary and Mary had chosen it to sit down at Christs feet and learn his will So that if this be onely necessary and without it ther 's no getting to the end then have we done with the first part wherein we see the use and necessity of this knowledge 3. If the knowledge be so necessary by what means shall we attain to it In knowledge there is a teacher and a learner we must either finde it of our selves or learn it from others For our own abilities the Propher hath told us long since what they are Every man is brutish or a beast in his knowledge if he haue none to direct him but his own natural parts he shal attain no more knowledge then the brute beasts The wise-man saith that we are all vain by nature We are vain in our imaginations saith the Apostle And according to holy Job
fiery furnace without hurt either to their bodies or garments was so terrified and astonied that he repealed his former decree and published another and that a sharp one against them that should 〈◊〉 Gods Name The like did Darius upon the supernatural and powerful preservation of Daniel in the Lions den And so we read that the people were astonied at the mighty works of our Saviour Power breeds terrour then 3. The last is his omniscience No sin that we commit but he takes notice of them My sinnes saith king David are not hid from thee When Moses saw no man by he was bold to kill the Egyptian But when he perceived that some were privy to it he feared and said surely this thing is known There is no creature but is manifest in his sight for all things are naked and open before him In respect therefore that he knoweth our transgressions our fear is to be fixed on him And this putteth a difference between the fear of God and the fear of man which they call malum diuturnitatis custodem an ill keeper of continuance for the fear of God is bonus diuturnitatis custos a good keeper of it And now according to the first rule for exposition of the Decalogue we are to see in this what is commanded and what forbidden 1. Here are commanded both the fears servile and filial 1. The first the School-men call timorem servorum servile fear such fear as servants shew to Masters a fear of punishment and this is a good fear though it be ignorantly condemned by some True it is that the Apostle saith that the sons of God have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father the spirit of bondage is inferiour to the spirit of adoption yet that spirit is better then the spirit of Belial or that of slumber of which the Prophet speaks whereby mens eyes are closed It is a maxime that actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfecte primo there is no perfect action but at first it is imperfect and is perfected by degrees It is a good thing to be a son yet it is better to be a servant a door-keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of ungodlinesse better to be a hired servant then a prodigal son It is good to be in Canaan in the land of promise but in the mean time it is better to be in the wildernesse then in Egypt So fear and spare not fac saith S. Augustine si nondum potes amore justitiae at timore poenae do it if not for love of goodnesse yet for fear of punishment and his ground is out of a place in Deuteronomie cap. 5. Nothing brought the Jews to the love of God but the terrour they conceived out of the strange sights before them yet God wisheth that they might have such a heart in them alwayes that they would fear him yet this was but a servile fear procured by the strange sights at the deliverie of the Law 2. The second they call timorem filiorum filial fear This they illustrate by an example from the son of a poor man that hath a reverend fear not to offend his father though he be assured that he can do him neither good nor hurt And these two fears are distinct and different The first ariseth from the fear of punishment and this from love and may be called reverence This is the fear which the Psalmist calleth clean and endureth for ever and thus we perfect or work out our salvation with fear and trembling The reason why though we may and ought to obey God out of love yet it hath pleased him to command fear is threefold 1. To overthrow the vain sp culation of some erroneous people that dream of an absolute perfection in this life The Wise man saith Beatus qui semper pavit happy is the man that feareth alway And either there is no perfection in this life or else fear is superfluous he that cannot fall need not fear But because in this life there be degrees of perfection and though we have obtained perfection of parts that is all vertues and graces required in a Christian yet there are several degrees of perfection wherein we must still be growing for a childe though it have all the parts of a perfect man yet it hath them not in that degree of perfection which one of yeers hath attained to therefore this fear is alwayes necessary None stands so fast but he may fall and therefore must alwayes fear 2. Inasmuch as the children of God often feel in themselves a feeblenesse in faith a doubt in hope coldnesse in prayers slownesse in repentance and a debility in all other pious duties in some more in others lesse according to the measure of the Spirit communicated to them as it was in King David therefore fear is necessary to recover themselves and he that looseth it not his heart shall never be hardened nor fall into mischief as the Wise man intimates in the place before cited Fear is a good preservative for the heart though all other duties fail yet if fear continue we shall never need to despair Saint Bernard saith I know it for a truth that for the keeping continuing and 〈◊〉 of the vertues and duties which God hath commanded there is nothing more profitable and available then fear when the grace of God is with us and when it is departed so that ther 's nothing left but fear yet this fear wil never leave us or let us rest till we have made our selves fit to receive it again si deficit timor deficis et tu if fear decay thou decayest with it c. when we have recovered the grace that was lost fear will preserve it for fear of a relapse will make us more circumspect Saint Jerome calls it Custodem omnium virtutum 3. Because the excellent duty of love the effect of feare might not fail and grow carles In the Canticles the Spouse fell asleep with her beloved in her arms when she awoke her beloved was gone in her bed she sought him but found him not so that if there be not a mixture of fear with love it will grow secure and fall a sleep and lose her beloved Therefore that we may be sure to keep our love awake when we think we have Christ in our armes there must be a mixture of fear with it So for these three reasons fear is necessary even for them that think themselves in a perfect estate And withall Solomon tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so did his father before him And the same Solomon concludes his book of the preacher with fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the end of all and the whole duty of man And in another place he saith it is fons vitae The
us three speeches from each of them one 1. Faith saith Repositasunt bona good things that passe the conceit of man are laid up for the faithful 2. Hope saith Mihi illa servantur they are laid up for me 3. Charity saith Curro ad illa and I so run to them that I may attaine them And thus out of the faith of the Gospel hope ariseth as fear doth from the faith of the Law And therefore hope is called by the Fathers the Isaac of faith This vertue of hope hath two uses The first is that it is our Anchor for our life is as a sea and our faith the ship Now when a man sailing in the sea of this life feels his ship tossed with the waves of a conscience terrified with the justice of God and is in the Apostles case when tackling and masts were spent then fearing to be cast upon the rock of despair he casts out this Anchor And it is called by some of the Fathers our Interim that which stayeth us in the mean time till God performs that which he hath promised to us 2. The second use is not onely to stay and support us but also to stay and retain Christ with us and accordingly the precept is Custodispem custodem Christi So the Apostle counselleth us to take fast hold of it and as when we are in danger of drowning or falling into a pit we cast from us whatsoever we hold in our hands and take fast hold of whatsoever cometh first to hand to stay us such an use hath hope 3. And under this use may be another that by hope thus holding and keeping Christ here we have a kinde of possession of heaven in this life as a man may be presens absens so a thing absent is present by hope and as it was said of fear that it wrought humility by removing all impediments so it may be said of hope that it fills the soul by making things absent and future to become present and in a manner enjoyed here And this is one thing which the Philosophers never knew that these which they called affections Hope and Love are become virtutes theologicae to Gods children and the excellentest vertues in Divinity the reason is because they make them good that possesse them For our nature not being able to be a rule to it self but directed by an higher and more excellent nature whatsoever that is which applyeth that rule to us must needs bring some part of goodnesse to us which hope partly doth in respect of the promises and therefore is a vertue to us This the Heathen man expresseth by Pandoras Boxe at the opening whereof all flew out and onely Hope remained under the lidde Therefore Philo Judaeus calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inbred Comforter which forsakes us not when all other things have left us dum spiro spero hope never makes ashamed And in the regenerate hope hath the same use as the Prophet affirmeth I should utterly have fainted but that I trust verily to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living and in another place be saith that his flesh resteth in hope And this spes vitae immortalis hope of immortal life as S. Augustine calls it is vita vitae mortalis the life of this mortal life and if we were without it we should want breath As the body lives spirando so the soul sperando and it is very true in the spiritual life Qui desperavit expiravit he that despaireth is dead Now to conclude this first affirmative rule we may say with the Psalmist O Lord God of hosts Blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee which blessing in this life is the certainty that we shall enter in with the Bridegroom to the fruition of it in the life to come And thus we have seen the nature necessity and end of hope Now for the first rule concerning what is commanded and forbidden Our rule for faith and hope is not unlike to that of humility 1. As Nebuchadouozor Daniel 4. 27. ascribed the building of great Babel to his own power and made his own glory the end of it so on the contrary as we shewed of humility we also say of hope it makes God the Author of all the good it looks for and makes his glory the end of all For first it makes us go out of our selves and trust onely in God and wholly rely upon him as the sole efficient cause of good to us we must wholly depart out of our selves we must not conceive that there is any sufficiency in our selves but that all our sufficiency is of God not so much as to think a good thought therefore much lesse to have a will to do it but that it is God that works the velle and consequently the perficere both the will and the deed in us We must not ascribe any part or help to our selves for our Saviour saith Sine me nihil potestis facere without me ye can do nothing Upon which place S. Augustine noteth it is not nihil magni but nihil omnino not any great thing but nothing at all and not nihil perficere that we can perfect nothing but nihil facere do nothing at all And as it makes God the cause and first beginning so the last end too by giving the glory of his graces in us to him and the reason is plain in the Apostle That no flesh should glory in his presence but as it followeth That he that glorieth should glory in him In the exercise of hope two things are commonly seen 1. Grief 2. Joy Joy because we hope for that which is good and grief because the good we hope for is delayed Or rather 〈◊〉 1. joy and then grief If hope be true it never suffereth us to be secure but we shall be in a continual war The Apostle intimates to us that we are warriours when he adviseth us to put on the helmet of hope And in the Psalms King David is sometime beaten down and sometime raised again sometime hope and joy are victors sometime fear and grief And seeing delatio boni must have rationem mali and that hope deferred affligit animam afflicts the soul it must needs be a great affliction to the soul that when a man shall see that which was promised not onely deferred but sometimes to happen clean contrary as when he looks for peace then terrour and anguish to follow he shall finde not onely wicked men and enemies upbraiding him and saying as they to David ubi spes vestra where is your hope but even his own reason shall make a probleme with his spirit within him and tell him it is in vain to hope any longer Surely this must work upon men for it worketh even in dumb creatures though they shall not be partakers of the resurrection with us yet because the deliverance of man
so that thy loosethe love of God And this humour hath two degrees 1. when we think better of our selves then we are and so loue our selves better then we should 2. when we prefer our selves in our love before God The first is a degree to the second for when man have tasted worldly things though base then nothing wil have any relish with them but those and so many come to say of God with him in Plautus Malo me ista mulier plus amet quam 〈◊〉 so brutish are many in their hearts and in their doings proclaime it that they had rather have the favour of this man or woman then of God Saint 〈◊〉 defines this to be inordinatum 〈◊〉 motum quo aliquis excellentiam propriam admiratur This is a disordered motion of the minde whereby a man admires his own excellency 2. The second thing here forbidden is that which is apposed to zeale commonly called stupor stupidity when we account of all things alike as if there were no difference between good and ill God and Baal and we can be content to tolerate both Saint Augustine saith that this stupor is pejus omnibus vitiis the worst of all sinne this God punisheth with other grievous sins for it is an especial prejudice to the love of God 3. The third is that which the Fathers call nauseam spiritus which we may call a loathing of God when the thought of God is a burthen to them The case of such men is desperate and it is the very extremity of evil to which men may come in this life and though it be more rare yet it is found in some Now all these negatives and affirmatives may be thus examined and known by the contempt or approbation of Gods laws not of God himsely for every man will say he loves God with all his heart but of his laws For the case is alike as between an earthly Prince and us so between God and us 〈◊〉 diligit Regem diligit legem he that loves the King loves his law and so Qui diligit Deum diligit verbum He that loves God loves his word And this was King Davids touchstone O how do I love thy Law saith David and I have therefore loved thy commandments for they are the very joy of my heart We will adde something concerning the means and they are three 1. Pulcbrum 2. 〈◊〉 3. vtile beauty neernesse and profit or benefit Men are moved to love by these or some of these inducements and all these are eminently in God 1. Beauty There is 〈◊〉 a visible and 2. an invisible beauty The visible is that which attracteth our eyes one of the Heathen calls it radium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the beame of divine essence and another florem divini seminis the flower of the divine seed This beauty is not that which ought to move us much it quickly fades one of the Heathen said Da mihi solem 〈◊〉 the summers sunne will parch it Da mihi ventum vernum the march winde wil spoil it or Duc unguem trausversum 〈◊〉 but with thy naile and it is marred But the beauty of God if a man had a glorified ye to see it passeth all these The prophet saith that he saw the likenes of God put in a vision and it filled him 2. The invisible Beauty Saint Augustine tells us how to finde It may be saith he that thou lovest a man because he is thy friend may it not be also that he is an old man And what lovest thou then in him His head is white his body crooked and his face wrinkled but thou wilt say fidelis homo est he is a faithful man well saith he quibus oculis videtur fidei iisdem videtur Deus with what eyes is that seen of faith Why with the same God is seen God is seen with the eyes of faith by nothing more And in God we have perfect rest but set thine eye or heart upon any other countenance or on any earthly pleasure thou shalt finde no rest in it but quicquid est quo 〈◊〉 occurritur whatsoever meets with wearines the same thing in s tigationem vertitur turneth to wearinesse it wearieth us if we fix our eyes but a while upon it 2. Fropinquity or neern sse Name any name of neernes not that of Dominus and servus excepted and there this love is and that is a great priviledge of ours that the Angels are not our Lords but fellow servants 2. But the name of friend is of greater propinquity Our Saviour saith I call you not servants but friends and such a friend as notwithstanding his glorious estate made him not think scorn to be our friend and in the pinch of our adversity did most of all shew his love to us 〈◊〉 The name of brother is yet neerer yet we see he vouchsafed to call us so Go tell my brethren c. And whereas naturally if there be many brethren it qualifieth the affection of Parents as Jacob loved Joseph more then all his children here it is otherwise Besides brethren according to the flesh are a means that the inheritance continueth not whole But this brother is so far from withholding any of the inheritance from us as that having two rights he was content to part with one to entitle us with the same 3. Besides this he is our father Deut. 32. 6. and not as a father after the flesh that begets them harly to a benefit it may be to a curse 4. He is an husband married to us Cant. a jealous God 5. But yet further there is one propinquity more he was not neer enough when the Apostle said It behoved him in all things to be like us but he took upon him our nature the seed of Abraham and that is to be like us indeed in all things sinne onely excepted which made us unlike to him that there might be perfectus a mor ubi perfect a similitudo a perfect love where there is a perfect likenes 3. The last motive is benefit Set up a Crib and put provender in it and the Oxe and the Asse will know you for it so it is in the case of benefit between man and man they that have more given or forgiven them are apt to love more Love increaseth and decreaseth according to benefits received And this the Heathen man could confesse to be but justice Hoc certe justitiae convenit suam cuique reddere benificio gratiam certainly this is consonant to justice to render thanks for every ones benefit Now what benefits doth God confer that we are facti et refecti made and renewed is from his goodnesse our own tables will instruct us how bountiful he is in serving up the creatures for our use so promotion riches honour they come not from men but from God Ipse est qui inclinavit corda eorum whatsoever benefit we receive from men we are accountable to God for all If then we
Christ though he professed to love Christ. 4 The next signe is a care and anxiety to recover it when we have lost it not to give sleep to our eyes nor slumber to our eye-lids nor the temples of our heads to take any rest until we be in statu quo so did the spouse in the Canticles the like care is in worldly men to obtain what they love as in Balaam Numbers 23. who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse though God bid him not go and himself said verse 19. that God is not as man that he should repent yet he would go and try again whether God would let him curse Israel so careful was he to get a reward 5. Again when a man resolves though all the world forsake God yet he will adhere to him his liking is constant goeth not with other mens The Psalmist saith and complaineth that men forsake Gods law but what followeth Therefore I love thy commandments above gold and silver whatsoever other men esteemed of it yet his love was constant and firm 6. If we can love him cum cruce If our love be true water cannot quench it True love will abide tryal the fire cannot consume it It is not like false love of which the Heathen man said Falsus amor inde fugit unde probatur false love flyes from tryal But the other will endure the losse of all Love suffereth long saith the Apostle even to death And as our Saviour saith Greater love then this hath no man And now a little for the sixth rule as in the former As we must love God our selves so must we also be desirous to draw others to this love and in this there is a difference between amor mercenarius and gratuitus for in the first a man is loth that another should love that he loveth lest he be restrained in his liberty of enjoying and hence proceeds jealousie but in the other we wish not our own good onely but the good of him we love In the one quo quis vult bonum suum whereby a man seeks his own good the fewer that partake the better he thinks it is but in the other quo quis vult bonum alterius whereby he seeks the good of another the more that partake the better it is for Deus omnibus communis cuique totus God who is common to all is wholly possessed of every one Therefore the Prophet was of this minde and was desirous to draw all to the love of God and on the other side his zeal was so great that he hated all them that hated God and that with a perfect hatred and in another place who will rise with me against the wicked or who will take my part against the evil doers This argued the perfection of his love to God as he would rise against them himself so he laboured that others would joyn with him CHAP. XIII The proper effects of love 1. Obedience 2. Patience How obedience arises from the love of God It brings glory to God two wayes Is better then sacrifice in four respects Reasons why we should obaudire Deo There be three speakers 1. God who speaks 1. by his word 2. by his works 2. The world 3. Our selves These do obloqui gainsay what God sayes The measure and quality of Obedience Of Disobedience that it is a great sin The degrees of it 1. Neglect 2. Contempt Motives to obedience Signes of obedience Of Obedience THe two principal signes and proper effects of love are as we said before Obedience and Patience There is a saying of S. Gregory Probatio dilectionis exhibitio operis we shew our love by its work and it is a true signe indeed of love when it is operative when it worketh For the will being enflamed with love and having predominance over all the powers and parts of body and minde necessary it is that wheresoever desire taketh hold in the will it must elicere motum produce some action As if a man be given to love wine his love kindleth a desire in him to have it and desire doth elicere motum that he may work and earn so much money as will obtain it So is it in love Our Saviour saith if you love me keep my commandments And S. John saith that if a man obey not he is so far from the love that he hath not the knowledge of God if S. Peter love Christ he must feed his sheep We must know that where the parties are equal between whom love and mutual affection is there love is called amicitia but where one party is superiour then they are not properly called friends but this love in the inferiour is called observantia the natural act whereof is obedience for though a Prince will in speech or writing vouchsafe to call his inferiours friends yet are they but subjects And so though our Saviour was pleased to stile his Disciples and Apostles friends yea and by neerest names of consanguinity brethren c. yet S. Paul and the other Apostles presumed not upon these titles but acknowledged this observantia and in the beginning of their epistles and writings stiled themselves servants of Jesus Christ. And S. Paul shewing that this is infallible saith Know ye not to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are whom ye obey In the first petition of the Lords prayer we desire that Gods name may be glorified God being a King and bearing rule over us how can this kingdome and rule be established better then by fulfulfilling his commands and obeying him as the Angels do in heaven For in regard of the glory which God hath by our obedience Gods name is hallowed or glorified And therefore from the beginning in Paradise God commanded obedience to Adam in that estate that he should not eat of the tree of knowledge that in obedience to that precept his glory might be shewed Now by our obedience we bring glory to God two wayes 1. Directly by our selves as Psalm 50. 15. Call upon me in the time of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me 2. When we give occasion to stir up others to glorifie him therefore God is not content with the former but saith further Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven Matthew 5. 16. Thus God is glorified by our saith whereupon follows our first justification before God but then there must be a second justification also viz. before men and the world by our good works whereby God is glorified by others and so God will have glory of us both immediately by our selves and mediately by others Saint Augustine saith that nothing makes men good or evil but good or evill love and that Amor male inslammans timor male humilians that love which inflames but not aright and that fear which humbles but not aright are the
Christs punishment for our sins which may inform us how highly sin displeases God And although the main punishment fell on the Son of God and this Passio Christi this suffering of Christ was the greatest signe of the love of God to us yet he loves us not so as to exempt us from all punishment there must be a visitation for his Church It is a great part of that league and covenant made long since that though his mercy shall not be withdrawn from us yet if we forsake his Law he will visit our trespasses with the rod c. this is a signe of his love too as well as his punishing the Son for us therefore we must still be subject to his fatherly correction though his children and servants Judgement must begin at the house of God saith S. Peter But he will punish the wicked more grievously for as our Saviour speaks If this be done in me that am a green tree what shall become of the dry If I bring evil upon mine own city where my Name is called upon saith God shall you go unpunished And it is certain that the Lord chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth and as many as he loveth he rebuketh and chasteneth S. Augustine saith Si huc non tibi magis malum videtur exhaeredari quam non castigari hoc elige If to be disinherited seem not to thee to be a greater evil then not to be chastised choose that 2. As the first was a reason of the declaration of Gods justice so this second is for our own benefit Vexatio dat intellectum trouble brings understanding It was good for David that he had been afflicted many men cannot be without it S. Aug. saith that when he followed this world by pleasures with a full stream a pain in his breast pectoris dolor was the first means of his recalling S. Pauls unhorsing and smiting blinde was his initiation to God Sepiam vias tuas saith God I will hedge up thy wayes with thorns If thou wilt go out of the way the thorns shall prick thee and keep thee in Nazianzen reporteth of S. Basil that being subject to infirmities and sicknesse he petitioned God for recovery of his health and when he had obtained it he remembred that he had left out a condition that lest he should grow proud God would by afflictions put him in minde by sicknesse again which he did as the same Father reports Thus in these two respects its necessary we bear correction with patience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The tryal is of two sorts 1. There is either Delatio boni a deferring of good touched before in hope which ever hath rationem mali a shew of evill Hope deferred maketh the heart sicke the bearing of it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 longanimity though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come saith the Prophet Wait patiently for the Lord will come saith the Psalmist This is the onely patience which is in God who waits ut misereatur nostri that he may have mercy on us for as S. Augustine saith Dominus patitur neglectus patitur contemptus patitur negatus the Lord though we neglect despise deny him yet still bears with us with what patience then should we wait upon him and not to make this conclusion by infidelity Because that we wait for is long in coming therefore it will never come or to say with them in Saint Peter Where is the promise of his coming 2. The second tryal indeed is the bearing of some real affliction not for sin as in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but for righteousnesse sake To whom more is given of him more shall be required The Devil shall have a larger liberty to tempt him The Philosopher saith very well Deus non habet amorem maternum erga filios sed paternum that is he will not dandle his children in his lap and rock them as a mother but put them to tryal as a father And he tryes them by this if they will rather pati malum quam facere suffer evil then do evil or as S. Augustine saith utrum velint malum non patiendo facere or non faciendo pati whether they will rather do evil without suffering or suffer evil without doing any And this is as S. Peter saith That the tryal of our faith may be more precious in the sight of God then gold And the reasons are four 1. Because we commonly see that res prosperae are mare mortuum the dead sea or the lake Asphaltites in Judea where Sodom and Gomorrah stood that corrupteth all that is put into it Noverca virtutis prosperitas prosperity is the stepmother of vertue saith one And Seneca Ipsa foelicitas nisi temperetur premit felicity it self if it be not qualified is a pressure We settle upon our lees if we be not poured out from vessel to vessel standing water putrifies armour not used contracts rust a full body ill humours unfallowed ground brings forth weeds but by exercise our graces grow bright the stirring them up makes them burn which else would die in us 2. The second is that as the Apostle saith there may be a conformity between Christ and us Romans 8. 29. Christ hath his inheritance in heaven by two rights one as he is the first begotten son of God and the other by his obedience Ye see he saith of himself Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so to have entred into heaven Now in respect of the first we can have no conformity with him but the right we must claim by is the other which is suffering and if we claim the inheritance by Christ we must have it by his title viz. by suffering In mans Law it is a principle that inheritance which descends from one to another must be held by no other title then by that which he that was formerly possessed of it held it by And therfore the Apostle pleads that through much tribulat on we must enter into the kingdom of God This is the tenure and lest any should think himself exempted he tells us All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution none excepted And for this cause whereas the Church militant hath six resemblances 1. To a Camp 2. to a ship 3. to a building 4. to com 5. to wine 6. to a flock The nature of all these imports patience 1. A souldiers life is nothing else but agere sub dio abroad in the open air much patience is required in them that follow the camp 2. A ship we see is subject to winde and storms to be tost with the waves of the sea 3. 4. The resemblance to these two One well describeth Forsitan te temporaliter punit ut aeternae mortis ardores poena redimat temporalis In edificatione enim temporali omnes lapides prius malleis
use of his punishment and know that all things worke together for good to them that love God And to this we may apply the speech of the Heathen man Patior ne patiar I suffer now that I may not suffer hereafter That Abraham make not that argument against us which he did to the rich man Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things therefore now thou sufferest pains but Lazarus who suffered pain shall for his patience have his reward That this conclusion may not be here we must suffer those pains that may be ended mitigated endured with patience and have hope of an end that we may not hereafter suffer those pains in which there is no patience in bearing no hope to be delivered no mitigation to be expected but the end will be without end And indeed this continuus cursus temporalium to have no misfortune or trouble nor to be plagued as other men is a dangerous signe of Gods disfavour to us And these for the corrective part The motives for patience in that affliction which is explorativa or probativa are 1. To consider before hand what troubles and crosses are incident to a Christian life Our Saviour upon this hath two comparisons of a builder and a king going to war both whom it behoveth to cast their accounts before hand what charge they may be at For the want of forecast of them that intend to live a Godly life what troubles what temptations they must go through makes them unprepared and unresolved when the crosse cometh and so they give over 2. The Apostle though it may be equally applied to other vertues tells us that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope that is in this point of patience we may see in scriptures what the Saints of God have endured and by considering their afflictions and sufferings what it cost them and what they suffered we may see what it will cost us and what we must endure and so we may be the better armed against the like and especially if we consider our Captain as the Apostle calls him and what he suffered Recogitate illum consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds This is a good preparative to patience Si paessio Christi saith Saint Gregory in memoriam revocetur nihil tam arduum quod non aequo animo toleretur if we would but call Christs passion to remembrance there 's nothing so difficult but we would willingly endure it He suffered so much in all parts of soul and body that its impossible for us to endure the like 3. Martyres 〈◊〉 flamma esse possumus si in anima patientiam retineamus we may be martyrs without fire if we endure Gods crosse with patience And to endure them we shall be enabled by Gods own promise in the words of the Apostle God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but with the temptation will also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it He will not trie us above our patience but either give us sufficient strength to suffer great afflictions or lesson our trials as our patience shall decrease And the consideration of this is also a great motive to continue in this vertue 4. Lastly The hope of the reward laid up for those that suffer in this world is a principal means to stir us to this duty Saint Paul saith I reckon not the sufferings of this present time worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us And he gives the reason in another place For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Here is a gradation of so many steps that a man cannot reach to the top of it The glory great the affliction light the glory exceeding the affliction for a moment nay the glory far more exceeding with an eternal weight added to it Here is Hyperbole upon Hyperbole and yet no Hyperbole can fully expresse it The Apostle could not expresse it and we cannot conceive it So much of the means The signes of patience are these 1. Tolerantia Crucis When a man findes upon examination that he is able and willing according to the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to abide under the crosse it is a good signe When a man is so affected to the Crosse that if it please God to take away his sinne the cause of punishment he is willing to beare the punishment Let me onely be assured of forgivenesse and let the Crosse lie on me still 2. The second is when we can Tolerare et amare beare and love too When our suffering turns not to murmuring or disobedience but so affecteth us that notwithstanding our chastisment we can love God with his chastisment and for it say with Job Blessed be the name of the Lord. When it is Benedictus Dominus in donis suis blessed be God in his gifts Jobs wife can say grace aswell as he but when it cometh in ablationibus suis blessed be God who takes away a true note ariseth of difference between true and counterfeit patience It is in this as in the affections when they arise from contrary objects they are true and not counterfeit as when justice which properly stirs up fear works love in us and when we can fear him for his mercy which properly stirs up love Wicked men may fear God for his justice and love him for his mercy but the true note of difference is if we love him for his justice and can say with David There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared So that when a man can love God as we count it post injuriam this is true love and is a signe of true patience The Heathen man said that 's true love cum amare possis post injuriam when one can love him that hath injured him 3. The third is when we finde our selves humble in our sufferings which is a distinction between true Christian patience and heretical The Fathers in the primitive Church had much to do to make the people observe the difference of patience between a true Christian and a Donatist and were forced to use these two notes of distinction 1. That in the suffering of a Donatist which is to be observed in our dayes they should finde a spirit of pride and vanity whereas true patience is humble And this humility appeared in the Martyrs sufferings which was without disputation with God about the cause or murmuring at the torments tolerabunt non gemuerunt or else respondent pro Deo they either bear them and mourn in silence or if they reply it is on Gods behalf like Job of whom the Holy
Tranquilla justitia a peaceable and quiet justice 3. We are to conceive that God speaks thus for mans capacity as the Apostle saith after the manner of men or as in another case not to us as spritual but as carnal in our own termes as in the case of man and wife some think they love not their wives enough except some jealousy be mixt that they participate their love with other men and God in his service here is as jealous as a man for breach of wedlock and therefore representeth himself in that manner and under the like affection 4. Fourthly Quia nos non promovemur ad nomen justitiae introducitur zelotypus We are so dull of spirit that the attribute of Gods justice alone moves us not and therefore he takes a terme from an affection that falls not into him as it is in men to the end we may be quickened and made fearfull to offend 5. Lastly as Tertullian saith vtitur spiritus hoc vocabulo ad exaggeranda ejus generis scelera The Holy Ghost vseth this terme to shew how odious this sinne of Idolatry is to God that if it might be it would make God be that which he cannot be The vse of all is that which the Apostle maketh God professeth himself jealous here that we our selves might be jealous of our own salvation For if we would redire ad corda enter into our own hearts and consider first what God is and then what vile creatures we are we should wonder at the excesse of Gods love to usward that he should be any way jealous of us and not rather let us take our own courses to our own ruine and take no further regard of us But chiefly that we should rather so love him as to be jealous of his anger and the losse of his love lest he should bestow it somewhere else And so much of the Preface of the Sanction CHAP. IX Of the Commination wherein 1. The censure of the sinne 2. The punishment 1. In the censure The sinne viz of Idolatry Is called 1. Hatred of God How God can be hated 2. Iniquity The punishment Visitation upon the children The grievousnesse of this punishment by 1. The greatnesse 2. The multiplicity 3. The continuance Of Gods justice in punishing the sinnes of the fathers upon the children That it is not unjust in respect of the father nor 2. Of the son The use of all THe next thing is the Commination Which containeth in it two things 1. The Censure of the offence 2. And secondly the punishment for it 1. The Censure is in two things 1. First that it calls it hatred of God 2. Secondly that he calls it The iniquity 〈◊〉 Perverssenes 1. If love be a means to make us keep the Commandments then it is hatred that makes us break them But is there any man that can hate God Certainly his Essence is good even goodnesse it self which cannot be the object of hatred Again there are sundry effects of his goodnesse and love and such as the wicked themselves cannot but love them and him for them as that he bestoweth on all men and so on them their being moving and life sense c. But there are another sort of effects which proceed also from his love by which he would have us preserved which are his Commandments yet because they restrain us of our liberty and will not suffer our inordinate affections to bear the sway therefore preferring our own wills before his we hate him so when a man is linkt to his own will and possessed with zeal of himself he hates the Commandments of God because they are contrary to his will and affections and so men come to hate God by too much love of themselves I loved Jacob saith God by the Prophet and hated Esau which the Apostle sheweth to be nothing else but that he chose not him but preferred Jacob before him and in this respect we are said to hate God when in a case between his will and ours we choose not his but prefer our own Hoc est odisse Deum non eligere we hate God when we choose him not For God loving us so exceedingly it is his will that we should love him alone which love is vinculum conjugale a marriage bond and therefore our love to God should be amor conjugalis the love of a man to his wife which hath no third thing in it aut amat aut odit he either loves or hates there is no medium in it 2 The second thing in the Censure is that God calls this sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnavon Iniquity or perversenesse and peevishnesse And this is to meet with the opinion of men who think it perversenesse if men will not do as they would have them by yeelding to false worship as Nebuchadnezzar thought of the three children It is of purpose O Shadrach c. they were called perverse and disordered fellows for not transgressing this commandment and so God to meet with them sheweth that the breakers of this Commandment are in truth the disordered and perverse persons therefore we must not do evil either cum magnis aut multis with the great ones or the multitude lest we fall into this sin of perversenesse But the vote of the world is clean contrary and the fathers resemble it to a pond full of Crabs the Hieroglyphique of frowardnesse into which if you put fish of another kinde it will be charged to swim out of course because it swimmeth not backward as the Crabs do But Jerome gives us a good lesson against this Nequaquam consideres quid alii mali faciunt sed quid boni tu facere debeas consider not by any means what evil others commit but what good thou oughtest to do nor be thou led to evil because of the multitude of transgressours Of the Punishment And visit the sins c. After the Censure of the sin comes the Punishment And though it be true that if there were no other punishment to man it were enough to be found among the haters of God that were sufficient Yet Gods addes further that he will have a visitation What the meaning of this word is we may gather out of the book of Samuel where it is said of him that he went yearly in circuit to such and such places and judged Israel and it is like that which we call the Judges Circuit as also out of the Acts where the Apostles went from City to City to visit the brethren which s like to the B shops visitation which presupposeth an absence before So God intermitteth his judgements for a time and though some stick not to say that he is long in coming and others that he will not come at all that God will never visit He hideth his face and will never see it becaufe as the Wise man speaketh sentence is not executed against an evil work speedily
it with the timber and stones of it But if they be reserved to the right use then a blessing follows God gives good encouragement and his promises never fail Bring ye al the tithes into the store-house that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it CHAP. XII The two last rules 1. The signes of keeping the day 2. Of procuring the observation by others The Conclusion THus much for the fourth rule concerning the means of keeping this Commandment There are two things more which are required by the two last Rules 1. The signes that the Sabbath hath been rightly kept 2. The procuring of the obsertion of it in others of which very briefly 1. Of the signes we need say little having already shewed in what duties the sanctifying of the day consists the performance of which are signes that this Commandment is kept In general these two signes manifest the same 1. Our careful frequenting the house of God that day for publick service and worship this we finde in Esay 66. 23. from moneth to moneth and from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all flesh come and worship before me saith the Lord. 2. Our private sanctifying the day in holy duties if every city be like mount Sion every house 〈◊〉 templi like a Temple and every man instar 〈◊〉 like a priest offering up the spiritual sacrifice of 〈◊〉 and praises to God 2. The last rule is for procuring the keeping of the sabbath by others This is Plainly expressed in the letter of the commandment Thou and thy son and they daughter c. And the stranger that is within thy gates Where we see the charge is given to the master of the family not to let the day be prophaned by any within his 〈◊〉 Examples we have for a family in Job who sanctified his sons and offered sacrifices for them For a publick person in the Commonwealth in Nehemiah who caused the gates of Jerusalem to be shut and would not suffer the Merchants to come in and sell their wares upon the sabbath day That which the father is to the family that is the Magistrate to the City as the one should command those of his houshold so the other is to look to them that are within his jurisdiction that they neglect not their duties in this point Nehemiah testified against the people for breaking the sabbath God makes the magistrate Custodem utriusque 〈◊〉 an overseer that men breake no commandment either of the first or second table And he is to take care aswell for the keeping of the sabbath as the maintenance of the Minister He is to call to account those that are under him if the sabbath be broken What evil thing is this that you do and profane the sabbath day Nehemiah commanded his servants and the Levits that no burdens should be brought into the City on the sabbath day and a strict charge is given to the kings and Princes of Judah concerning the observing of the day with a severe threatening if they sufferd it to be prophaned Jer. 17. 18. 19 20. c. Now to conclude when a man hath observed all these rules concerning the sabbath by his own practise and his care over them that belong to him he may in humble manner with Nehemiah after his care herein say to God Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatnes of thy Mercy Remember saith God in the beginning of this Commandment Remember saith Nehemiah in the end So should we end the sabbath and all our actions think of me O my God for good according to all I have done That I have with my family observed the sabbath that all we have been present before God to hear all things that are commanded by him that I and my house have served the Lord. Lord remember me in this Yet let us not be proud of that we have done for at the best we are but unprofitable servants And we have our tenebrosa intervalla fits of darknes too the best of us And in this case as we may say Lord remember us so also we are to say with the same Nehemiah and spare us according to thy great mercy It will be well with us if we can be able to say remember me in hoc in this thing if we have done well but withal we must say spare me in this and that offence committed by me and in the defects that are in my best performances spare me in thy goodnes spare me in the greatnes of thy mercy spare me for the merits of our Saviour That which is here added in the former edition concerning some sins forbidden in this precept is 〈◊〉 here inserted contrary to the Authors method and the same things are formerly handled more fully in their proper places according to the first rule of extension that the negative is included in the affirmative Finis precepti quarti THE EXPOSITION OF THE Fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. CHAP. I. Of the sum of the second table The love of our neighbour How the second table is like the first 1. Of the Act love How christian love differs from other love The fruits of it The parts of it 2. The obiect our neighbour Who is our neighbour Degrees of proximity and order in love 3. The manner of love as thy self This must appear in 1. The end 2. The means 3. The manner 4. The order THis fifth Commandement beginneth the second Table It is called by some the Table of justice As the other taught us the love and duty of man to God so this the love and duty of one man to another which gives us a Testimony of Gods love towards us that he made man after his own image like to himself and allows him a Table for his good and that with more precepts then that of his own The sum or contents of this Table is delivered Mat. 22. 39 out of Levit 19. 18. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self In which place of Saint Mat. Our Saviour saith that the second is like the first for indeed when we come to the second Table we depart not from the love and honour of God it being no lesse in the second then in the first nay rather somewhat more The similitude mentioned by our Saviour consisteth in this that whereas he hath taken order for his 〈◊〉 love in the first so he hath taken order for the love of man for 〈◊〉 in the second and though it come not so directly to God yet indirectly it doth for our love to man must be grounded uponour love of God we must love him in and for God therefore the Schoolmen make but one Theological vertue of love to
an accepter of persons So 2. if he be not just he will accept a gift It was the fault of Foelix In the first case he that respects persons will transgresse for a piece of bread In the latter he that receiveth gifts overthroweth a kingdom And thirdly if he want understanding every one will despise him and his authority will be contemptible therefore he must have all these qualities that so he may judicare justitiam and that justissime give judgement that most justly He must not pervert the law thereby to colour his oppressions like those the Pialmist speaks of who sit in the chaire of wickednes and frame misch 〈◊〉 by a law If he be such a one like the unjust steward that wastd his masters goods if he abuse his princes authority who hath intrusted him he ought upon complaint to be put out of his stewardship and that by him that put him in that so more fit may be in his place CHAP. IX Of fathers by excellency of gifts The honour due to them is not debitum justitiae as the former but debitum honestatis 1. Of those that excel in gifts of the minde The honour due to them 1. To acknowledge their gifts Not to 〈◊〉 or deny them Nor to extenuate them Nor undervalue them Nor tax them with want of other gifts The duty of the person gifted 2. To prefer such before others to choose them for their gifts Reasons against choice of ungifted persons The duty of the person chosen c. 2. Of excellency of the body by old age and the honour due to the aged 3. Of excellency by outward gifts as riches Nobility c. Reasons for honouring such How they must be honoured Fourthly excellency by benefits conferred Benefactors are fathers Rules for conferring of benefits The duties of the receiver VVE said at the beginning in the explication of this precept That those duties which belong to any propter rationem 〈◊〉 excellentiae by reason of any special excellency may be referred hither and we did distinguish the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the excellency of the person from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 power and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 principality and government for the former may be without the other two there may be excellency of gifts in some who yet have no authority nor power conferred upon them nor are put into any place of government and in some they do all concur as in good princes and governours Now where there is the first viz excellency of gifts though they have not power or principality there is an honour due to such by vertue of this commandment for honour is nothing else but testimonium excellentie a testimonie of that excellencie which is in another and therefore such ought to be honoured though they want the other two Dignitas sometimes signifies a state of dignity and honour and sometimes onely the merit or worth of the person whereby he deserves honour and dignity though he have it not Of the former we have hitherto spoken and the honour due to persons so dignified of the honour due to such as have onely the latter we are now to speak And according to this two fold consideration of dignity there are two degrees of debitnm duty to be performed which the Casuists and schools call 1. debitum legis and 2. debitum 〈◊〉 1. A legal duty or that which is required by law which cannot be denied to the party without injustice and to which a man may be forced such is the duty owing to parents Masters Tutours Ministers Princes and Magistrates of which hitherto 2. The other is due in honesty and though there be no compulsion to perform it yet if we would be such as we ought before God this duty must not be neglected such is the duty of honour which we owe to all men for their gifts of the minde body or fortune c. This being premised we come to those that have excellency separated from dignity who yet in regard of their excellency are to be honoured And here according to the threefold good there is a threefold excellency 1. Of Minde as knowledge c. which they call excellentiam doni excellency of gifts 2. Of the body as old age 3. Of fortune or outward estate as Nobility riches c. 4. To which we may adde the applying of any of these to others for their benefit whereby men are said benefacere to do good or become benefactors As when by the gifts of the minde from those that are gifted or from rich men by their estate or aged men by rules of experience we receive good they become then benefactors to us and so an honour is due to them from us co nomine for that cause 1. For the gifts of the minde They are called fathers who excelled others in any such kinde of excellency Thus are they called fathers in scripture that have the gift of invention of arts as Jubal who invented musick So likewise Joseph was called Pharoahs father for his wisdom and policy and art in governing Egypt And such gifts as these are called by the Schoolemen Gratiae gratis datae graces given freely by the spirit of God And upon whom these 〈◊〉 are bestowed they are to be reverenced and honoured in respect of the giver and the end for which he gives them which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the profit of the whole body And though these gifts be in some that want the true love of God which is that gratia gratum faciens the grace which makes a man accepted of God as a son and that the most able and sufficient men be not allwayes the most religious yet there may be use made of his gifts and his 〈◊〉 endowments must have honour for vaspropter donum the very vessel for the gift must have respect 1. The reverence to any such is first freely to acknowledge that to be in him which he hath and commend it and praise God for bestowing it on him as if he had imparted it to our selves and pray that God would increase it in him and make it become profitable to others Not to think it a derogation to our selves to honour him that hath it not to be of their minde that say Qui auget 〈◊〉 famam detrahit suae that he which honoureth another detracts from his own worth It was not Ezechiels opinion in commending Daniel for his wisdom as in that speech Art thou wiser then Daniel nor of Saint Peter that commended Saint Pauls Epistles and acknowledgeth a great measure of high and abstruse wisdom to be in him especially considering that Saint Paul had reproved him to his face Nor of Saint Paul concerning the other Apostles when speaking of James John and Peter he calls them pillars of the Church Nor of Saint John Baptist in the commendation of Christ not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoes And this is to be
this this life is as the Heathen said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life without life It is a foolish opinion of some that think that the body and senses are the best things they possesse and thereupon infer that murder hath onely 〈◊〉 to the body but the truth is there is a murder of the soul as well as of the body So that murder is referred to two lives 1. The life present And 2. the life to come The world and the Common law account it an offence if the body or good estate of it be endammaged The good estate of the body is called incolumit as corporis the good plight and habit of the body and this consisteth in 3 things which are all included in murder as degrees to it 1. 〈◊〉 integritate corporis in the perfectnesse of each member of the body The body therefore is not onely prejudiced when life is taken away totally but when the body loseth an arm or a leg A maim will 〈◊〉 a good action 2. In incolumitate sensus in the soundnesse of the senses of our bodies when we are at ease without pain and therefore when a man is wounded hurt or stricken though no limb be taken away This bears an action of Battery 3. In libertate motus in freedom to go whither we will When a man is unjustly committed to prison and there wrongfully detained The law in this case allows the party so restrained his action against the person that deprives him of this liberty Now as there is inconlumitas corporis soundnesse of body so there is of the soul too called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the tranquility of the soul and this may also be endammaged The good estate of the soul consists also in three things 1. In dilectione in love against which cometh in odium hatred with its crue and retinue 2. In 〈◊〉 joy Against this cometh that which so handleth a man that he falleth in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into Torporem 〈◊〉 a sloth or drousinesse of soul so that he taketh 〈◊〉 delight in any good thing or if he fall into envy 3. In pace Peace is the last which is twofold 1. Either within a mans 〈◊〉 quiet thoughts against which cometh scandalum scandal given or 2. without between him and others and the opposer of this is discord and contention So that not onely offences against the body or the incolumity and good thereof but offenders contra animam against the soul and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good plight thereof are comprehended within this Commandment as breaches thereof When Esau against the will of his parents had matched himself with strange women the daughters of Heth the text tells us that Rebecca professed She was weary of her life and this wearinesse of life Job calleth amaritudinem anima the bitternesse of his soul. Esau in this act was a trespasser against this Commandment On the other side Jacobs soul being as it were dead by the report of Josephs death 〈◊〉 imprisonment and Benjamins departure it is said of him when he was told that Joseph was alive that his spirit revived as if before it had been dead The Hebrews have a phrase 〈◊〉 animam to kill the soul and the English have the like to kill the heart and the Wise man hath one neer to it Spiritus tristis exsiccat ossa a broken spirit drieth the bones for grief is a cause of diminishing the natural heat so that he that ministreth this occasion to any man doth what he can to shorten his life and is within compasse of breach of this Commandment for whatsoever is contrary to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well-being is forbidden by this Commandment Thou shalt not kill The scope of this Commandment is not any private benefit but the publick good as was said before of the Law in general for the sin forbidden here is 1. In respect of God himself God will not have any man killed and his reason he gives because man is his own image and it is accounted a capital crime against earthly Princes to deface their image 2. In regard of the Church Christians are all one body in Christ therefore he that shall take away any member of it makes a rupture in that mystical body 3. In respect of the Common-wealth Peace is a great benefit and a great blessing when men shall live without fear besides Tutela singulorum the safety of every private person who as he hath received life from God so he hath received reason by the use whereof he is to preserve it For as the Psalmist saith God is the fountain of life from whom life is derived to every man and it is he that hath given man nobilem rationis usum whereby he may procure himself both incolumitatem corporis the good plight of body and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good habit or tranquillity of soul and with this he hath fenced him round So much in general Now for the particulars CHAP. II. Of murther in general The slaughter of beasts not prohibited but in two cases Of killing a mans self diverse reasons against it Of killing another many reasons to shew the greatnesse of this sin The aggravations of this sin from the person murthered THe Manichees held a fond opinion that because it is said Non occides Thou shalt not kill that a man ought not to kill a beast or 〈◊〉 or cut down a tree or 〈◊〉 up an herb because there is life in it But this errour may be confuted even from the Creation for before the flood God saith Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed and every tree c. to be to you for meat he gave all things for the use of man as alter the flood Every moving thing that liveth c. And under the Gospel we see it most plainly S. Paul tells the Corinthians that whatsoever is sold in the shambles that ye may eat 1. The reasons are evident First where there is not 〈◊〉 societatis right of society there cannot be societas juris not participation of right but they have no right of society with us because they want reason and therefore it can be no injurie to them to kill them for where there is no right no jui there cannot be injuria wrong 2. To use a thing to that end for which it is ordained is no sin but the lesse perfect was made for the more perfect therefore herbs were ordained for beasts and both for the use of man 1. Yet in two cases we are prohibited the killing of beasts first when it turneth to the detriment of our neighbour It is not the killing of the beast but the wrong and detriment done to our neighbour that is the sin 2. If we kill it in the 〈◊〉 of our wrath exacting or seeming to 〈◊〉 from it that power of understanding of which it is not capable S.
primus gradus castitatis est 〈◊〉 virginitas secundus fidele conjugium The first 〈◊〉 of chastity is pure virginity the second faithful wedlock So that for these three reasons mariage is good and non est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse solum it is not good for man to be alone said God Non est 〈◊〉 it is not good saith God it was not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not good for me but non homini not for man Gods decrees are ever for our good 1. Solitude is not good Society is good Homo est animal sociale man is a sociable creature It is good to strengthen one lest a man fall and to help if he do fall Two are better then one saith the Preacher And if two lie together they have heat but how can one be warm alone 2. Solitude is unpleasant 1. In regard of God for his purpose and intent is to communicate his goodnesse with many and not to restrain it to one 2. In regard of it self for 〈◊〉 est sui 〈◊〉 goodnesse is no niggard or close handed and therefore God would that there should be a generation sui similis of one 〈◊〉 to it self 3. In regard of the world not perpetuando for perpetuity sed 〈◊〉 for the cause of increase But this 〈◊〉 was necessary may some say when there was but one man in the world it is not now when there be so many thousands when people are multiplied tiplied as the sand of the sea and like the dust of the earth and like the stars of Heaven It was needful when the earth was inanis vacua empty not now when there is terra plenitudo 〈◊〉 an earth full of inhabitants and so full that it needs rather tonsuram the fhaving which the Prophet speaks of then the command of repleteterram replenish the earth or crescite multiplicamini be fruitful and multiplie Yes it is still bonum good to the worlds end and necessary For though Moses saith it is good to marry and Saint Paul to abstayne Yet if we distinguish the persons we shall reconcile the places all the difference is in homini and esse It is true that there are some persons exempt as 〈◊〉 and every man that hath his proper gift Yet to others not so qualified a wife is permitted it is bonum for others to marry either for propagation of children to encrease 〈◊〉 Church or for comfort or to avoyd incontinence The three reasons before mentioned There are also times offorbearing a time to refrain imbracing as the Preacher tells us as in times of distresse in sad times But again at other times it is good for man All rests in this that which course soever we take we do 〈◊〉 Deo draw neer to God and accordingly it must be measured and taken as bonum or not We must not use this liberty for a cloke or veyle nor for wantonnes nor for a snare Therefore for the avoyding of the inconvenience of solitarines God thought fit to make another to keep man company yet this one was to be meet for him for a man were as good to be alone as never the better for companie He made not that one 1. Either to molest or trouble him such a one as Solomon speaks of that it were better for him to dwell in the wildernes then with her a contentious and angry one Nor an unprofitable one a gadder But one that should be able to do him good to be a helper to him 1. In pietate a woman that feareth the Lord not a 〈◊〉 to draw him from his religion but such a one as may save him that may winne him to goodnes by her life and conversation 2. In prole the Prophet asks the question why God made this one and answers himself that he might seek a godly seed 3 In 〈◊〉 to help him in guiding and ordering things belonging to houshold To act 〈◊〉 part in makeing provision To looke well to the wayes of her houshold and not eat the bread of Idlenesse The Apostle tells us that one part of her help must be in guiding the house Lastly God did not think every help meet for man 1. Not beasts they are jumenta helps but they are too low under our feet 2. Nor Angels and they are helps too but too high above our heads 3. But a woman in the mid way collateral a latere out of the side Like conformable in shape speech and reason quasi alter ipse image ipsius as another himself his own image And all this is a mystery signifying the union of Christ and his Church The Apostle saith we are members of his body 〈◊〉 and bones we are joyned to him Saul was told that his persecution of the Saints was the persecution of Christ. And as man is to do for the woman and shee for the man to leave father and mother so Christ tells us we must do for him Wee see it plainly that all must be left neither father nor kinred must be owned if they come in competition with Christ. There are in this law two words which every man is bound to observe First relinquet he shall leave whom must he leave And secondly 〈◊〉 to whom he must 〈◊〉 1. Relinquet he must leave all for his wife This seemes to be somewhat unnatural for the bond of nature worketh much downward Moses in his song describes the tendernes of the Eagles to their young ones and the Prophet tells us of the love of lions to their whelps and the Prophet 〈◊〉 of the care of Sea-monsters to their young and the Prophet Esay makes it as a thing unpossible that a woman should forget the son of her womb yet is she within this law of relinquet again we see the bond upward is greater God commands the love to Parents and the censure of unnatural is heavy The ravens of the valley shall pick out their eyes Nay even death is to be inflicted on them this affection is zealously expressed by Ruth she would nor leave her mother though but a mother-in law Yet this relinquet transcends all breaks all We commonly leave not a thing but for that we love better Now if father and mother or children c. come in competition with the wife or the husband the first must be waived as a thing not so 〈◊〉 in conjunction for the last And indeed it is a thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supernatural a miracle that a woman living with her parents where as 〈◊〉 said to Hadad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou lacked with me where 〈◊〉 wanted nothing should as 〈◊〉 relinquere leave them to go to one that was known but the day 〈◊〉 into another country and as the daughter of Jethro did to go from him into Egypt with Moses But
surcharging the stomach which is called crapula when it is with meat and vinolentia when it is with drink 2. Per desidiam or otium By idlenesse which is either in excesse of sleeping or else in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a defect of labour and exercise 2. Secondly after the subactum solum there is another thing which is called Irrigatio 〈◊〉 the watering of the seed in the ground so fitted It is as when a man is sick and will not withstanding give himself to those things which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evil for his disease as when he that hath an ague will drink wine or he that is troubled with the 〈◊〉 the Ptisick will not for 〈◊〉 sharp things or he that hath the Colick will eat hony Such a thing is in our Concupiscence Solomon calleth it illecebram concupiscentia the inticement to lust and it bringeth forth the sin called Lascivia wantonnesse or immodestia immodesty And this is either in the body or from without 1. In the body it is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 platting of the hair and fucus colouring of the face or in the apparel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in the gesture either some common gate used generally or a certain kinde of particular gate or gesture which by a peculiar name is called Dancing 2. From without our lust is watered either by corrupt company or by reading lascivious books or by beholding lascivious pictures as 〈◊〉 in Terence or such playes and spectacles as contain matter of unchast love and are apt to breed this sin in us or by giving ear to wanton tales or histories or songs that nourish the humour of lust And thus for the means 3. For the signes we will use no other then them we had before The jaundise of it is in the eyes too and it hath its foam in sermone 〈◊〉 in filthy language And not onely that but in frequenting such places using such actions and at such times as may justly be suspected Now for the outward act it self we have first the dispositions to this sin such as in Physick are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the grudgings before an Ague such as were in the other Commandment quarrelling and battery before murther Such are these here like to the signes of the leprosie before it break forth Of this kinde are 1. Incasta oscula unchast kisses 2. Wanton imbracing the bosom of a stranger 3. Going about or endeavouring to procure the act whether it be by waiting at the door for an opportunity or by 〈◊〉 or inchantments or any other means The act it self one may be guilty of two wayes as S. Augustine saith 1. Either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by ones own motion and inclination or 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the perswasion of another and they both come to one and the same Again it is practised either with a mans own self corpus 〈◊〉 secum which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 or with another and if with another it is that which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the abomination not to be named with beast or mankinde And with mankinde it is either willingly or unwillingly The party patient not consenting it is called 〈◊〉 a rape which may be with either sex for there may be a rape in both or else agreeing and this either with male or female with male such an one is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that defiles himself with mankinde 1 Cor. 6. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 10. and this sin is commonly called Sodomy or the sin of Sodom With female either with one or more with more if there be a pretence of Mariage it is Polygamie if without any pretence thereof it is 〈◊〉 whoredome If with one it is either in wedlock and then it called 〈◊〉 excesse of lust For there is a fault even in Matrimony as S. Ambrose saith 〈◊〉 amator 〈◊〉 proprie est adulter a man may commit adultery with his own wife or it is out of Matrimony either with a party allyed which is incest or with a stranger not allied and then we consider her either as 〈◊〉 married to another or as 〈◊〉 free if married or 〈◊〉 betrothed for all is one then it is Adultery And this is 1. When both are married which is worst of all 2. When the woman onely is married and the man single 3. When the man onely is married and the woman single The second is a greater evil then the third because in it there is corruptio prolis an adulterating of the 〈◊〉 begotten If one be free and unmarried either he retains one peculiar to himself and then she is not a common 〈◊〉 but a 〈◊〉 or else there is not this continual keeping and then if she be not common it is stuprum 〈◊〉 whether she be a virgin or a widow especially if she be a virgin if she be common it is fornication properly though that name be given to all Besides these the act is either once committed or often iterated and then for distinction sake we may call it luxuriam lechery in the habit and the party a 〈◊〉 when he sets himself after it or that which is beyond this as there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the cry of adultery when they dare impudently defend it Last of all there is 〈◊〉 and that is either private of a particular person for his daughter or 〈◊〉 or any of his kinred which is called Prostitution or else publick of a 〈◊〉 in permitting and tolerating stews as at Rome and other places These are the 〈◊〉 branches of the sin prohibited in this Commandment Before we proceed in the handling of these 〈◊〉 let us take a view of some reasons against this sin of 〈◊〉 why it ought to be odious to man as it is to God 1. It is of all sins the most brutish and makes a man come nearest to the condition of beasts making him to lose the nobility and excellency of his nature And therefore it is that the Prophet compares Adulterers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 horses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to exen going to the slaughter God himself saith 〈◊〉 shalt not bring the hire of a 〈◊〉 or the price of a dog into the house of the Lord. The learned observe upon this place that a whore is compared to a bitch that hath many 〈◊〉 following after her 2. The second hath a dependance upon the first yet it hath a peculiar consideration There is no sin whereby the light of mans reason is so much extinguished nor put so much besides the preheminence it hath over the affections or the 〈◊〉 The Prophet saith that it doth auferre 〈◊〉 take away the heart for 〈◊〉 it swallows up the reason and understanding and by this as the Apostle speaks of the heathen that committed all 〈◊〉 with greedines their understandings were darkened and their hearts blinded It is one of the Epithets they give to 〈◊〉
what we may desire And that we may do after this order 1. Remember that which the Apostle directs us to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haveing food and rayment be therewith contented A contented minde is a great treasure and if God bestow no more upon us then these we must not murmur fot want of super fiuities for God as he hath plenty of spirit so he hath plenty of wealth and could have made all men rich if he would And it was out of his great wisdome that he made some poor that as the rich might have 〈◊〉 benignitatis the reward of their 〈◊〉 so the poor might have mercedem patientiae the recompence of their patience as Saint Ambrose saith and so as Solomon saith the rich and poor meet together for the Lord is the maker of them both Therefore every man is to rest contented if God shall call him no higher nor bestow more upon him he must avoyd distracting cares which breed noysome lusts when he sees Gods will and pleasure and thus he must stand then as the Apostle alludes to the gathering of Manna he that gathereth much shall have nothing over and he that gathereth little shall have nothing lesse when they die This is therefore the first rule concerning the measure to be observed we must not desire more nor seek to rise higher then God will have us 2. Though we must be contented with our estate yet is it lawful to gather in Summer and to provide against winter which care the wiseman commends in the Ant and 〈◊〉 before us for our imitation to provide for the future by all honest and lawful means with a sober and 〈◊〉 minde 3. A man may 〈◊〉 more and take care for those that belong to him and thus when he seeth his houshold encrease his care in providing for it ought to be the more provided that his desires be still limited with the former conditions He must provide for his houshold with Jacob that so he and they may drink out of their own cisternes and not be chargeable to others but rather 〈◊〉 habeat 〈◊〉 qui deriventur foris ut tamen juste ipsorum 〈◊〉 sit that he may have wherewith to be liberal to others yet have enough to live of himself 4. Lastly a man may lawfully desire to have not onely for himself and his family but also wherewith to pay his half shekel his offering to the Lord to help the Church to pay tribute to the King to be beneficial to the common-wealth to relieve the poor Saints and others that have need Thus far if lawful means be vsed and a sober minde kept the measure is kept But if we go 〈◊〉 this then we come to that which the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the love of mony which is the root of all evil from which root these branches spring 1. 〈◊〉 that others are in better condition then our selves As the 〈◊〉 when they wisht they had tarried in Egypt they preferred the life in Egypt before that in deserto in the wildernesse The flesh pots of Egypt before the Manna that God gave them from Heaven 2. 〈◊〉 and overcaring and taking thought Quid comedam quid edam quid 〈◊〉 what shall I eat what shall I drink wherewith shall I be clothed This distracting care this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which divides the soul is incident to rich men when they have much The rich 〈◊〉 in the Gospel thought within himself what shall I do 3. It breeds a nest of Horse-leeches and 〈◊〉 that have 〈◊〉 bisulcam a cloven or forked tongue that cry give give and unde habeant nihil refert sed oportet habere it skills not how we have it but have it we must and in this there consists that Suppuratio Concupiscentiae a festering of the desire Now in the next place for the making of 〈◊〉 solum the soyl 〈◊〉 the way is to carry a bigger sale then we are able to bear by soending more then we are able and wasting plus quamopus est more then needs For by this means men fall into want whereby they become fit soyl for the Devil to cast in his seed for the Devil finding a man to be thus fitted moveth him to stealth and other unlawful 〈◊〉 In the parable of the prodigal we see that the prodigal fell into riotous company among wasters sic dissipavit patrimonium and so he wasted his substance It a man 〈◊〉 such company they will set him supra analogiam above his allowance he must spend disorderly till all be gone and then he saith as they in the Proverbs Come with us let us lay wait for 〈◊〉 let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause 〈◊〉 us swallow them up alive as the grave c. We shall finde precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil c. The 〈◊〉 or Jaundise of this vice is likewise discovered by the eye Ahab saw a thing which served for his turn and lay well for him and he was sick till he had it though he had enough of his own and when he could not obtain it by lawful means he made a shift to get it by wrong even by the blood of an innocent For the foaming of it at the mouth there be many of the speaches of such men mentioned by the Heathen Menander is full of them and much to this purpose is in the book of Ecclesiastes and in the Wisdom of Solomon They say wisdom is good but with an inheritance and as wisdom so money is a defence c. Concerning the act it self of theft forbidden in this Commandment The several wayes whereby men become guilty thereof we may conceive by those several uses of wealth which we said were lawful which are by Lawyers and Divines reduced to those two 1. The attaining or getting of riches 2. The use of them In the first respect is to be had to justice in the second both to justice and charity for as we said before they are given us not onely for our selves but as the Apostle saith for the exercise of our liberality towards those that want and so we finde in the Law that God took order that out of the substance of the rich the Levite Stranger Widow and Poor should have their portion Thest therefore is committed 1. Either in the attaining and getting of wealth and riches from whence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acquisitio possessio 2. Or in the use and dispensation of that we have gotten which is 〈◊〉 usus For he is fur 〈◊〉 qui male acquirit a thief to another mans estate that gets an estate unjustly and he is fur sui qui male 〈◊〉 a thief to his own that useth it 〈◊〉 And therefore in the getting there must be a respect of justice and in the use and dispensation there must be regard both of justice and
which speech implies that a man being not called may be a false witnesse against his neighbour when there is no cause How can this be In common ordinary talk when a man speaks evil of his neighbour he bears false witnesse against him though he be not before any Judge Therefore he advises to put far from us proter vitatem oris labiorum a froward mouth and perverse lips we must not breath out slanders against him who it may be doth not think the least evil of us That we may understand this we must know that there are four things to which the tongue may do harm For 1. a man hath favor or good esteem among men this is in the minde 2. A good report which consists in speaking well of him 3. Friendship with friends c. 4. A state or dignity as a Superiour And as all these may be hurt by the tongue so may the faults of the tongue extra judicium be distinguished Of the first and second Solomon speaks when he saith A good name is 〈◊〉 to be chosen then great riches and loving favour rather then silver and gold Of the third in another place he saith a faithful friend is an unknown treasure Against the fourth we have an example in Rabshekah who reproached and blasphemed King Hezekiah and in him God himself Against these there are diverse faults of the tongue which we are now to speak of 1. Contumely and disgrace which is against the 〈◊〉 credit and favour and is when a man is present such men as use these the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 despightful which disgrace a man to his face by opprobrious speeches 2. If it be per sales oblique glauncingly by jeasts it is called subsannatio taunting and this is against the fourth viz. against ones dignity Those that are laughed at are moriones fools the off-scourings of men fit to be laughed at Now to make a man as one of them to set him in that estate that he shall be 〈◊〉 at is an impairing of his state and dignity and gives him a great wound 4. This was Sauls reason why he would have his harnessebearer to kill him he would rather be killed then be mocked by the uncircumcised Philistims for an ingenuous nature counts onely probrum to be delictum reproach to be a crime other railings are to be neglected 3. As two are when one is present so there is a third who hurts a good Name behinde ones back Obtrectator a Backiter he offends against the second which is good Report and the fourth viz. Friendship Plautus calls him Mus nominis a Mouse that is the Gnawer or eater up of ones good name But Saint Paul calleth him by his true Name Diabolus the Devil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in lingua a Devil in the Tongue that is a false accuser or detractor first he speaks against one to this man then to another then to a third thereby to make him lose some of his 〈◊〉 and then they call him susurro a talebearer and indeed he often so prevails that as the Wise man observed he sowes discord and dissention between Princes and so between whole Realms This sin when it is contra bonum aestimationis against a mans credit and estimation and to his face it is called Shimeis sin If it be behind ones back it is called Hamans sin If it take away friendship and bring alienation of 〈◊〉 it is Ziba's sin for he informed David against Mephibosheth to alienate Davids affection 〈◊〉 him If it be to the scorning and vilipending of a man it may be called the sin of the men of Succoth who slighted Gedeon and we may read afterward how he requited the Princes of Succoth A heroical minde cannot endure this David complains often that he was scorned by his friends and acquaintance and that the very abjects made jests of him and so doth Jeremy who was used in like manner This sin as it may be by words so by letters also Sanballat sent a letter to Nehemiah full of slanders against him And as it may be in words either directly or indirectly so it may be by writings either directly as in that of Sanballat or indirectly as in Libels whereof we have a resemblance in that which Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amazia concerning the Thistle and the Cedar which was nothing else but a scoffe of Jehoash against Amazia And as it may be both in words and writings so also by outward acts as when the Souldiers platted a crown of thorns upon our Saviours head this was a real scoffing of him Any of these whether done directly or indirectly come under the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foolish talking and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jesting and such as use it are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jesters which is the common name given them of curtesie when as indeed they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foolish talkers In all these kindes a man may be guilty of bearing false witnesse though he speak the truth for the truth ought to be spoken in love as love delighteth in truth so the truth must be spoken in love which is the affirmative part of this Commandment And therefore though one speaketh truth yet if it be not in love he is a slanderer Therefore Doeg was Doeg though he told the truth it was true that when David came to Nob to Abimelech that Abimelech gave him bread and the sword of Goliah all was true that he said but yet he was a Doeg still for as David said truly His tongue did cut as a sharp razor for it cut all the throats of the Priests Some go further and cover their malice under a veyl of love they are like those false brethren the Apostle speaks of that were unawares brought in of whom S. Jerome gives the reason why they were so called because they came in like those in the story of Daniel that came under the table and eat the meat provided for the Idol so these men privily insinuate themselves into those they speak to by pretending a great deal of love and affection to the party they speak against Their lips swim with butter and oyl but their words are very swords Such were they that askt Christ whether they might pay tribute to Caesar or no Magister bone Good Master say they we know thou speakest the truth this is the oyl but here is the sword shall we pay tribute to Caesar If he answer one way he offends the people who would be ready to stone him if the other he offends Caesar and off goes his head Thus whether a tale-bearer speak to bring a man into danger or to take away his credit His words as the Wise man speak are as wounds and they go down into the 〈◊〉 parts of the belly S. Bernard upon the
Canticles describes such an one well Vide magna praemitti suspiria you shall have him send forth great and deep sighs before and he will speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum quadam tarditate dimissis superciliis voce plangenti c. sic egreditur maledictio as if he were confounded and ashamed and then with an affected slownesse casting down his countenance with a whining voice and then cometh out the cursed venome of his heart you would think it were rather done dolenti animo quam malitioso with a mourning rather then a malitious mind he saith vehementer doleo quia vehementer diligo I am heartily sorrow for him because I heartily love him and then he saith compertus jam est it is now known otherwise I would never have spoken of it but seeing it is known I must needs say it is so and thus he breaks out his cursed speeches This is one extream CHAP. V. Of reproof or fraternal correption the vertue opposite to flattery Of flattery which is 1. In things uncertain 2. In things certain and those either good or evil Of boasting and vaunting a mans self and its extream THe other extream opposite to slandering and detraction is flattery of which before we speak we shall premise somewhat of the affirmative duties opposite to it which is Fraterna correptio fraternal admonition or brotherly reproof opposed to flattery and secondly the giving a true report opposed to detraction Because we are joyned together by the law of love or charity and for that as S. James saith In many things we offend all therefore God took order in his law that as we should not slander or speak evil of our brother so we should admonish and reprove him when he 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin to rest upon him This is as much to say that as the Heathen man said we should cum opus est contristari amicum when there is occasion even to make sad the heart of our friend by reproof If any be disordered by a bare admonition if the offence be small and without aggravating circumstances then to reprove him in the spirit of meeknesse but if it be otherwise to reprove him sharply and roundly if it be an open fault then openly and before all if secret then privately in the ear with this caveat except it redound to the damage and detriment of another for then it must be declared to the party whom it concerns So we see as S. Augustine saith that there is a double truth 1. Dulcis quae fovet a sweet truth which cherishes when we do well 2. Amara quae curat a truth which is bitter yet cures us when we have done amisse And therefore the Apostle writes to the Corinths Though I made you sory yet I repent it not though the example of the person punisht made you sorry for a 〈◊〉 Rather I do now rejoyce not for the act of punishment inflicted upon the offendor as for your amendment by that act Thus we see reproof is a way to bring men to repentance and therefore we are to perform this duty that thereby we may bring men to repentance and so having performed it we shall never repent us of it And this is the reason of that speech Non amo quenquam nisi 〈◊〉 I love not any till I have made him sad which is to be thus understood that by making him sad we bring him to repentance and so we testifie our love to him There are some such as the Philosopher saith who having done evil if a man come to deal with them he must either 〈◊〉 veritatem or prodere amicitiam betray the truth or lose their friendship they cannot abide this 〈◊〉 But though they be such yet we must not fear openly to rebuke them for as Solomon saith Open rebuke is better then secret love and vulnera diligentis the wounds of a friend are better then oscula blandientis the kisses of a flatterer as in Physick we know Amarum salubre a bitter thing whlosome is better then perniciosum dulce an un wholsome thing though sweet This duty must not be neglected though we shall be sure to meet with such as the Prophet Amos mentions who will hate him that reproves them For this was seen by the Heathen as appears by that speech Veritas odium parit truth brings forth hatred There are tres optimae matres trium filiarum pessimarum three very good Mothers which have three most wicked Daughters the first of which mothers is Truth quae parit odium which brings forth Hatred so there is mater optima filia pessima an exceeding good mother and a most naughty daughter Neverthelesse we must resolve to speak truth to our friend though we make him sad as Demaratus in Herodotus who speaking to Xerxes the King began thus Shall I speak truth or what will please you If I speak truth you will not like it and yet Non poteris uti me amico adulatore I cannot be both a friend and a flatterer therefore I will speak truth for though it be not to your liking yet it may be for your good The vice opposite to this duty of fraternal reproof is flattery which Hierom calls Natale malum our native evil for natali ducimur malo philantiae we are all transported with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and inbred evil of self-self-love and hence it is as Plutarch observed that every one is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his own chief and greatest flatterer And because we love our selves therefore we think we are good and that he that loves us doth his duty and is therefore good ipso facto in so doing And therefore he that speaketh in commendation of what we do we thereupon think him to be a good man 〈◊〉 that he doth but his duty and for this cause we love him On the contrary he that grieveth us we think him to be evil and consequently hate him This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this native evil and that good 〈◊〉 which we have of our selves makes us 〈◊〉 we do cito nobis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 please our selves if any good be spoken of us as if any will say we are 〈◊〉 presently we believe him and willingly hear him for ubi propitia mens est where the minde is favourable propitiae aures the ears will stand wide open to receive any thing that is said Nay further as 〈◊〉 saith when men will deny what the flatterer saith and say it is not so with them they deserve no such praise yet etiam blanditiae cum excluduntur placent flatteries do please men though they be not believed or received And hence it is that a man having this good perswasion of himself is 〈◊〉 to say as those in Esay Prophecy not to us true things but prophecy pleasing things such things as we do love and like and