faith as this in Israell And many shall come from the East and from the West and from all the parts of the world out of the nations of the Gentiles and by meanes of faith and obedience to my Ghospell shall sit in company of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the rest of the Patriarches and shall raigne with God and on the other side they who be the children of the kingdom which are the Iewes who descēd from the Patriarchs and to whom the promise of the Messias and of his celestiall kingdome was made shall the most part of them be excluded from that Kingdome and shut vp into eternall torment Christ our Lord praised the faith of the Centurion for the reproofe of the infidelity of those Iewes who belieued not in him at all of the weak faith of some others who belieued in him and to confound them by this example and to mooue them to penance for their fault and to perswade with them who belieued not and to encrease their faith who beleeued And so he was pleased to expresse himselfe to this effect This Centurion being a Gentile and not hauing read the Prophets nor hauing been brought vp in the Lawe of God nor in any discipline but of the warre and not hauing seene my workes and miracles but onely heard relation of mee hath beleeued my truth and my power with so great and so firme a faith and on the other side the children of Israell who are descended from the Patriarches who haue read the Scriptures and know the Prophecies which speake of mee and who were looking for mee and haue seen my miracles and heard my doctrine some of these haue not belieued in mee nor will receiue my truth but persecute the same others haue beleeued it so imperfectly that none of them hath arriued to so great a Faith as this man hath and as he confesseth in honour of mee They I say notwithstanding the many causes motiues which they haue had to beleeue my truth with a perfect faith haue not beleeued it as they ought and this man hauing had so few motiues as he had to beleeue in me hath beleeued with so great perfection that he hath farre outstripped all the rest And therefore this man though but a Gentile and all the other Gentiles also who throughout all the parts of the world shall be conuerted to mee and shall be like this man in his faith and obedience to my word shall be admitted into the Kingdom of heauen in company of the holy Patriarches whom they haue imitated and on the other side the children of Israell who according to the extractiō of flesh blood descend from Patriarches if they doe not penance and reforme their infidelity and disobedience by true and constant faith and reall subiection to my commaundments shall be excluded from the Kingdome of heauen and condemned to eternall torments In this sort did Christ our Lord praise the faith of the Centurion and thereby did he correct the infidelity or at least the weake faith of the Iewes And he did it with much reason for the faith of this man was so great that some of the Saints conceiue that he did truly know and beleeue the diuinity of Christ our Lord and that it was couered with the veile of his sacred humanity For thus saith Saint Hierome The wisdome of the Centurion is discouered in that with the eyes of faith he saw the diuinity which lay hid vnder that veile of humanity And the same doth Saint Augustin confesse saying in the person of the same Centurion If I being a man subiect to others haue yet power to commaund how much more hast thou it ô Lord whom all the powers of the earth obey and serue Wee are to profit by this example of Christ our Lord in praising such seruants of God as liue in a more eminent degree of vertue then the state and condition of their life seemeth to exact at their hands for the admonishing and correcting of others who by reason of their vocation and of the parts and gifts which God hath bestowed vpon them were obliged to greater vertue As when for the correcting of some Prelate who may be straight handed in giuing almes and negligent withall in the gouernment of his subiects we may praise some Lord who being a secular man is yet most liberall in giuing almes and most vigilant in procuring that his seruants and vassailes may be vertuous And as if for the reproofe and amendment of a Religious man who were remisse in making Prayer and doing Penance and were full of tepidity in the exercise of vertue and imperfect in the performance of his Obedience we should praise a secular Cauallier for being much giuen to prayer and diligent in the mortification of himselfe and full of feruour in the exercise of vertue and very obedient to his Ghostly Father For we frame the reason after this manner If a Lord or a Cauallier being a secular man be of so great recollection so great vertue such purity of life such diligence in the doing of good workes his vocation not seeming to bind him altogether to it how much more reason is it that a Prelate make himselfe a possessor of these vertues whom his state obligeth to be a perfect man and a Religious person whom his Religion obligeth to procure to be perfectly vertuous And so to reforme some very wise and learned man who wanteth spirit and deuotion we may praise a man who is wholly ignorant but yet full of the spirit of God and of true deuotion saying If this rude creature hauing so little knowledge of God and of his workes and mysteries and being able to vse so little discourse of reason haue yet so great loue of God and so great feeling of his goodnes and of his mysteries and workes so great gust of diuine things and maketh so great estimation of vertue and spirituall blessings how much more is it reason that a wise and learned man to whom God hath giuen so great wit knowledge for the comprehending of truth both diuine and humane and so great light of reasō to discourse and passe by meanes of visible thinges to the knowledge of such as are inuisible and by the creatures to come to the knowledge and loue of the Creatour haue such deuotion as was said before or at least procure to haue it In this sort did the Apostle S. Paule following this example of Christ our Lord cōmend the Gentiles who were conuerted for the most excellēt vertues which they had and the admirable workes they did and for those most high gifts which God had communicated to them by meanes of their faith to the end that so the Iewes who were in their infidelity might know their errour and be in confusion for their wickednes and might be awaked by the vertue of the Gentiles and encouraged to the incitation thereof This did he signify by saying Rom. 11. For as much as I
corrupt intention OVr Lord shewed great Benignity in yeelding so liberally and sweetly to all that which the persōs who came to him desired of him with good intention and true desire of finding remedy by his meanes but he discouered it much more in yeelding liberally to that which was desired of him with a corrupt minde and with a meaning to calumniate him and to drawe some word out of his mouth or to note some action wherby they might defame him and condemne him to death There came to him a man of the Lawe Luc. 10. after a counterfeit manner to tempt him and he asked him what he was to doe for the obtaining of eternall life but our Lord did not discouer his treachery nor reprehended his wickednes but graunted that which he desired instructing him with wordes full of sweetnes concerning the truth of what he was to know and doe for the obtaining of eternall life There came a Pharisee to him Matth. 22. who was learned in the Lawe to aske him which was the greatest commaundment of the Lawe and he came with a malitious minde and not with a desire to vnderstand the truth but to finde matter whereof to accuse him And yet he without shewing any feeling or disgust either in his countenance or wordes did answere to the questiō with much facility suauity and he taught him the truth The Pharisees did often inuite him to eate with them Luc. 7. 11. Matth. 22. not with charity but with a peruerse and malitious intention which was to see if he did or said any thing which might be taxed and finding nothing whereof they could take hould wherewith to hurt him they procured to serue themselues of his piety and religiousnes towardes the making good their ill purpose and therefore they inuited him vpon their Sabboth daies and would place sicke persons before him to the end that curing them vpon the Sabboth they might accuse him for not obseruing it And our Lord knowing the malice and wicked intention wherewith they inuited him did not yet excuse himselfe from going but with great facility graunted the suite they made accepted their inuitation and he went to their houses and did eate with them and comfort them by his presence illuminate them by his doctrine and edify them by his example And though he vsed most exact temperance in eating and drinking yet to accommodate himselfe to them to shew himselfe affable and benigne towards them he fed vpon those ordinary meats which they vsed And euen this was a proofe of his very vnspeakeable Benignity that coming into the world to suffer for man and carrying such an intense loue towards the Crosse and such a most ardent desire to abstaine from all earthly comfort and regalo and to take all that to himselfe which was most painfull and grieuous that so he might suffer the more for man and satisfy the diuine Iustice more perfectly and discouer and exercise that loue so much the more which he carryed both to the eternall Father and to the whole race of mankinde yet neuertheles he did in many things remit much of this rigour at some times and did both in his feeding and cloathing serue himselfe of ordinary and vsuall things so to shew himselfe more appliable and sweet towards them with whō he conuersed and fed to make himselfe more inuitable by all men and to giue them all the greater hope of their saluation So saith the venerable Abbot Euthymius It was fit that our Lord who came to take away finne should be benigne and sweet and that he should accommodate himselfe to the weakenes of men to gaine them for heauen as he did and for this cause he went to the table of sinners and fed vpon their meates though he did it in a most temperate and religious manner as it becometh holy men to doe And although at times he condescended thus to the vsuall custome of men for the winning of them he did not for all this giue ouer his manner of austere and painfull life which he also exercised at certaine times as namely during those forty daies which he fasted in the desert This was said by Euthymius wherby it is cōfirmed that so to admit of the inuitatiō of sinfull people and especially such as did inuite him with a malitious minde as if it had been but to eate with them was a worke of supreme Benignity whereby he shewed his most sweet loue in the strength whereof he had a meaning to cōfort and saue all the world Especially he shewed this vnspeakeable Benignity in the time of his Passion For being in the house of Caiphas Matth. 23. Luc. 22. before that Councell of vniust Iudges they asking him whether he wore Christ and the Sonne of God or no our Lord seeing that they asked it not with a desire of knowing the truth or for the doing of Iustice but onely from his answere to take occasion of blaspheming him and condemning him to death and accusing him to Pilate to the end that he might execute that vniust sentence which they had giuen against him And obseruing that by reason they were so wicked so vaine and proud they were most vnworthy of any answere yet neuertheles that soueraigne Maiesty of Christ the Kinge of glory refused not to giue them answere and disdained not to speake to them but in very modest wordes was content to declare to them who he was by saying thus Herafter when my Passion is at an end the Sonne of man shall be sitting at the right hand of the power of God which was as much as to say that he was to raigne discouer his power and authority as he was God coequall to the eternall Father And they enducing another question hereupon saying Therefore belike thou art the sonne of God he answered also to that saying your selues say that I am so which was to answere truth but with very modest and humble words whereby though he gaue to vnderstand that in very truth he was the Sonne of God yet he affirmed it not expressely as it was fit not to doe to such as would not profit by it though the answere had been more expresse cleer And by answering them after this manner he also shewed his inclination to answere them more plainely and directly to what they asked if they would haue knowen the truth to haue beleeued it And this he signified by saying If I tell you what you aske you will not beleeue mee and if I aske you any thing to the end that I may teach you truth you will not answere mee Our Lord by answering these questions which were asked by Iudges so wicked so cruell and so vndeseruing of any respect at this hands did shew how free his heart was from all passion and choler since he answered with so great serenity peace of minde and therby he preuented that aspersion which they would haue cast vpon him if he had been wholly
a man may clearly see what force those praises haue to make men giddy how much occasion they minister of making them fall into vaine complacēce and pride First in that the diuells who are so great and wise Masters in doing ill did take the meanes of praising and publishing the power which Saint Ambrose and Saint Marcellus had ouer them from Almighty God as the likeliest way to make them fal into pride And this truth may bee also seene by the great diligence which the Saints haue euer vsed in flying from the praises of men for the dāger which they knew to be therein and the feare they had to fall thereby Surius doth relate in the life of the blessed and most holy man Iohn who was a Prior of Chanons Regular that fearing the danger of praise he fled from it after an extraordinary manner He went to do a certaine office of charity to certaine woemen the seruants of God who were retired from the world and one of them who was there shut vp receaued a Reuelation of his going thither and therein our Lord had declared to them the great sanctity and merit of that seruant of his Now there was here no necessity to recount that reuelation in praise of his sanctity for it was not made to her for the profit of the Saint but to the end that they might profit by his coming thither so much the more by how much more they were certified of his sanctity And therefore as soon as the Saint heard her begin to speake thereof he found that there was danger of conceiuing some vaine complacence or estition of himselfe and it troubled him much to heare such praises of his vertue and he made her a quicke answere and concluding the busines in few wordes went imediatly away For the danger that he found to heare humane praise made him resolue not to stay where there was so great estimation of the holy manner of his life Saint William who of Duke of Aquitania came to be a most holy Monke and a Father of many Monkes was much praised by men for his many vertues the great miracles which he wrought This put him to extreme paine and he would faine haue auoided the working of miracles through the feare he had of being praised And Theobaldus the Bishop saith in his life That in regard he was not able to ēdure humane praise he went into a solitary place and betooke himselfe there to a little cottage in company of a disciple of his doing penance there and leading a celestial life till he made a most holy end The Saints therfore haue well vnderstood the danger which ordinarily there is in human praise especially when they are giuen with great honour and estimation of sanctity And for this reason when we praise the seruants of God for the benefit of others wee are to doe it if wee can in their absence Wee are also to doe so for an other reason which is to secure our selues from the note and suspicion of being flatterers For when wee praise our neighbour for the profit of his soule namely to deliuer him from pusillanimity and to animate him to vertue the necessity which then ther is of praising him in his presence will free vs from being suspected to doe it out of flattery but when wee praise him for the good of others if wee doe it without necessity in his presence it draweth the suspicion of flattery with it and therefore as much as we may wee must procure to giue such praise in absence And this also did Christ our Lord teach vs in this praise of Saint Iohn For vpō this reason he staied till the disciples of the Saint were gone to auoid all suspicion of flattery So said Saint Chrysostome Therefore did Christ our Lord praise Saint Iohn whē his disciples were gone that so it might not seeme to be flattery THE XXIV CHAPTER Of other rules which wee must obserue when wee praise men that is that wee praise some without offence to others and that wee doe it in moderate words ANother rule which wee are to obserue in these praises is to praise some in such sorte as that we giue no offence to others by diminishing the vertues and parts of some to encrease those of other folkes And therefore we must procure as much as we may not to make cōparisons between some and others telling the faultes of this man and the abilities of that other abasing and vilifying some and exalting and magnifying other men and of this we must especially take heed when they of whom wee speake are aliue Christ our Lord gaue vs an example of this rule in the praise which he vttered of Saint Iohn for he said not of him that he was the greatest of all them who had been borne of woemen but that no man had been borne before that time greater then hee thereby leauing men in liberty to thinke that others might be equall to him And out of this general sētēce he brought that exception which was fit saying that the least of the kingdome of heauen was greater then he And although some vnderstand thereby the least of the Angells who are blessed in heauen yet the more certaine exposition is as we haue said before that he vnderstood him who was the least by humility which is that Saint of Saints and he who is the fountaine of all sanctity of whom Saint Iohn Baptist himselfe said that he was not worthy to vntie the latchet of his shoo Wee also must follow this rule of prudence in praising men who are praise worthy For if we praise men for the loue of God being moued by charity as wee ought the same charity will tell vs that we must doe it without offending any body and that so wee must comfort and honour some with our praise as that wee doe not offend or dispraise others by sleighting their vertues The last rule which wee are to hold is that wee praise men euen although they be Saints with moderation and temperance in modest wordes in such sorte that wee exceed not the limits either of truth or of necessity by our enforcing or exaggeration thereof For if wee praise a man either to make him friendly or to animate him to the doing of good or to perswade him to the beleefe of any truth or to the practise of any vertue or to gaine credit for him with other folkes it will be fit to speake so well of him as is necessary for the obtaining of that end which is pretended to worke that good effect which is desired and this is sufficient laying other praises and exaggerations aside which neither are necessary nor profitable to the edification of others This moderation which wee ought to vse in praising men is taught vs by the holy Scripture saying doe not praise a man till he be dead He doth not here prohibite all praise of such as liue for it is clearly lawful and necessary and
all that which may giue him any disgust or paine And so Benignity falls out to be the act and exercise of Charity with that perfection which wee haue declared and interiourly it embraceth the act of beneuolence and loue and exteriourly the exercise of beneficence liberality affability and of all sweetnes in conuersation It is also one of the fruites of the Holy Ghost For an act of vertue in regard that it proceedeth froÌ„ thence and giueth gust to him who performeth it is called a fruite and therefore Benignity being an act of Charity and causing delight in him by whom it is possessed is accounted amongst the fruits of the Holy Ghost All this is confessed by the Saints when they speake of Benignity Saint Isidorus saith That man is said to be Benigne who doth good with a good will and vseth sweetnes in his wordes And Saint Anselmus declaring what Benignity is saith thus Benignity is a good affection of the will a serenity of heart in vertue whereof a man doth for Gods sake giue all he can after a gratious and cheerfull manner and discourseth and conuerseth gently and sweetly with his neighbours And Saint Thomas explicating the nature of Benignity saith that it is the very sweetnes tendernes of Charity which spreads communicates it self exteriourly that as natural fier doth melt mettel make it flow so the fier of loue which is Benignity maketh a maÌ„ scatter what he hath towards the succour of the necessities of his neighbours This is that which the Saints say of Benignity and the summe of it all is this that it is the tendernes of Charity which doth not only communicate a mans exteriour goods to his neighbour but together with them it communicates his owne very bowells which is to discouer both by wordes and workes the dearnes sweetnes of Charity The Apostle declareth this by saying Charity is Benigne Which signifieth that it makes the man who possesseth it not to be straight handed but apt to communicate his goods and not to be harsh or bitter but that he communicate euen his very hart by conuersing with all men after an affable and sweet manner And to giue vs to vnderstand this truth the holy Scripture doth by one the selfe same Hebrew and Greeke word which signifieth Benignity in doing good signify also a softnes and sweetnes in the manner of shewing mercy And so whereas Dauid saith Our Lord is sweet towards all another letter saith Our Lord is benigne towards all And whereas he saith That maÌ„ is gentle sweet who sheweth mercy another translation saith The man who sheweth mercy is Benigne And therfore S. Basil when he would explicat what it was for a man to be Benigne saith that it is he who doth liberally enlarge himselfe to doe good to all such as are in necessity And he confirmeth it by that Psalme which saith Our Lord is benigne towards all and by that other which also saith That a man is Benigne who sheweth mercy and imparteth his goods to such as are in necessity In this Benignity did Christ our Lord instruct vs and perswade vs to it by many examples Mysteries of his holy life which wee wil eÌ„deauour to declare The first and principall Mystery wherein he discouered his Benignity was that of his Incarnation In that the most high sonne of God was pleased to become a naturall man to appeare visibly in the world in mortall flesh obnoxious to the miseries and penalties of other men and in that he did all this to doe good to man and to draw him to his loue and so to saue him not onely did he discouer an immense loue towards vs but a loue which was also most sweet and dear And not onely did he communicate his blessings to vs but he also did it with supreme liberality and gust and ioy of his owne sacred heart And together with his blessings he communicated to vs his very selfe namly his body his blood his blessed soule and his diuinity and all that which he hath yea and euen all that which he is he communicated to vs by many admirable mysterious waies This did the Apostle signify by saying WheÌ„ in the time of grace the Benignity immeÌ„se loue of our God and Sauiour to man did manifest it selfe to the world he saued and freed vs from our sinnes not by the title of Iustice and the merit of our workes which were not of any valew without Christ our Lord for the arriuing to that end but through his owne great mercy and most gratious bouÌ„ty and by meanes of that sacred Lauatory which is holy Baptisme whereby wee are engendred a second time to be the sonnes of God and renewed by a spirituall generation renouation which is wrought by the holy Ghost which Holy Ghost the eternall Father hath by meanes of his gifts and graces infused and coÌ„municated to vs in great abundaÌ„ce through the merits of Christ our Lord to the end that being iustified through the grace of the same Lord wee might from this instant become heires of eternall life which now wee hould by certaine hope and which hereafter wee shall haue in actuall possession This is deliuered by Saint Paule And Saint Bernard vpon these words declaring that Benignity of God which was discouered in this Mystery discourseth thus Before the humanity of Christ our Lord appeared in the word the Benignity of God was hidden from vs. There was already in God this Benignity mercy which in him is eternall but so great Benignity as this was not knowen before nor was there any meanes how to to know it And although it were promised by the Prophets yet men vnderstood it not and felt it not and many did not so much as beleeue it But when that time arriued which had been ordained by the diuine wisedome Almighty God came in mortall flesh and being vested with his sacred Humanity and appearing to the eyes of our flesh blood his Benignity came to be made knowne for by no meanes could he more haue manifested his Benignity then by taking our flesh and by no meanes could he more haue declared his mercy then by vndertaking our misery Let maÌ„ consider and vnderstand from hence how great care God hath of him and how much he esteemeth him and for how mighty an end he made him since he did and suffered so great thinges for him And thus by this Humanity wee may know his Benignity for how much the lesse he became by his Humanity so much the greater doth he shew himselfe to be in bounty and by how much the more he abased himselfe for vs so much the more amiable doth he shew himself to vs. This is said by Saint Bernard and so it is a most clear truth that nothing hath made so great discouery â—o vs of the bounty and Benignity of God nor hath moued obliged vs so to loue and praise him as for that he hath
towards such as came to him full of imperfection weaknes and ignorance and wee must receiue after a sweet manner our neighbours when they come to vs full of necessity ignorance enduring with a serene countenance their importunity rudnes and giuing eare and satisfaction to their questions and benignely instructing them in those thinges which are fit for them to be knowne by them according to the capacity of euery one and remouing the ignorance wherin they are comforting theÌ„ with the knowledge of truth and the hope of saluation and appeasing their conscience deliuering theÌ„ from vaine scruples and feares To this doth the Apostle Saint Paule Gal. 6. aduise in these words My brethren if any of you be surprised by any sinne as it happens to them who sinne out of Passion or weaknes orignoraÌ„ce and not out of meer malice and who are as it were preuented and surprised by that sinne into which they fal because they haue not well considered the ill they doe in respect whereof they are the more worthy of mercy and more easy to be reformed If any such I say haue fallen you who are spiritual men and liue according to spirit that is according to the true and spirituall vnderstanding of the Lawe of God instruct and informe well such a kinde of sinner as this and doe it not with sharpenes rigour but with sweetnes and gentlenes both of words and deedes wherin true Benignity consists And for this purpose let euery one consider himselfe and reflect well vpon his owne weaknes and danger and how subiect he is to fall as the other did and peraduenture worse And from hence he will grow to instruct and correct others with the sweetnes of mercy and Benignity and not with too much rigour and seuerity least himselfe also growe both to be tempted and conquered This in substance is deliuered by the Apostle and with great reason he wisheth him who treateth such as haue fallen into sinne without mercy and Benignity that he looke well to himselfe least he be teÌ„pted and ouercome For in very truth it is the punishment which he deserues and which ordinarily almighty God inflicts vpon such as rashly iudge and condemne their neighbour for committing any fault and as despise him for it to let them fall into the same sinne As on the other side our most piteous Lord is wont to vse supreme Benignâ—ty and mercy towards such others as vse Benignity mercy towards their weak and imperfect brethren This did that great and admirable woman Christina with great ponderation and feeling affirme when shee said There is no thing in the whole world which doth more moue Christ our Lord to vse Benignity and mercy towards men then to see that themselues are benigne and mercifull towards others and such Benignity and mercy cannot but leade them on to a happy death which will deliuer them vp to eternall life THE III. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards the Apostles enduring and curing their defects THis very manner of Benignity did Christ our Lord vse towardes his blessed Apostles whilst he conuersed with them in mortall flesh For during all that time which was the space of three yeares they were very imperfect and liued in great ignorance and by reason of their much rudnes made litle profit of the great light of doctrine which was propounded to them and of that so admirable example of the life of Christ our Lord which they had before their eyes Let vs produce some examples to proue this truth Our Lord had already wrought that illustrious miracle in the sight of his disciples Matt 15 of feeding fiue thousand men with fiue loaues of bread and shortly after another necessity offering it self wherin our Lord was pleased to feed foure thousand men with seauen loaues and hauing already tould his disciples that he would not permit those troupes of men woemen to returne home to their houses till he had fed them they conceiued it to be a matter of so much difficulty that as if it had indeed been impossible for our Lord to doe they said where can wee be able to procure in this desert such a quantity of bread as would be necessary for the feeding of such a multitude What a great imperfectioÌ„ was this in them and what a strange rudenes and blindenes of heart that hauing seen with their owne eyes that our Lord had wrought so many like and greater miracles then that they did not yet beleeue and confide so much in him as that with so few loaues he was able to feed so much people and especially considering that he had declared himselfe to haue a will to doe it and that he had wrought the like in the selfe same case some few dayes before And yet these disciples making him answere with so little faith and indeed with so little good manners our most blessed Lord did yet treate them with so great tendernes and sweetnes that he blamed or reproued them not nor shewed himselfe a whit disgusted or offended for the little account and estimation which they shewed themselues to haue of his power But passing by all this he asked them how many loaues they had and they saying that they had seauen he coÌ„manded the troupes to sit downe and he gaue them all to eate of those seauen loaues and he made the Apostles gather vp seaueÌ„ baskets full of the ouerplus and in this sorte he did by that action of his let them see their rudenes and he remoued their ignorance setled them faster in their faith And this was so great a fault in the Apostles that the confessing and publishing of it themselues after the coming of the Holy Ghost was an act of great humility in them and the suffering and curing it by our Lord with so great pitty and mercy was admirable Benignity in him So saith Saint Chrysostome It is worthy of great admiration to see the Apostles so great friends to the truth as that themselues who wrote the Euangelicall history would not couer those so great faults of their owne For it was no little one that they could so soon forget that miracle which our Lord had wrought so lately before in the multiplication of the fiue loaues of bread And Theophylact addeth thus It was not reason that they should so soon haue forgotten that miracle whereby our Lord had giuen food in the wildernes to more persons with fewer loaues of bread But the disciples were men very grosse and of meane vnderstanding which our Lord permitted to be so to the end that when afterward wee should finde them so full of discretion and wisedome we might know that it was the gift of diuine grace which caused it But their ignorance and vntowardnes being so great as wee see it was our Lord did not yet rebuke or reproach them for this fault but cured it with great Benignity and instructed vs thereby not to put our selues in choler with
ignorant people nor to be sharpe or wayward towards them but that we must haue compassion of their ignorance and instruct them and correct them with charity Our Lord did also discouer his Benignity to the Apostles in that hauing already wrought that miracle of the seauen loaues telling them that they were to take heed of the leuen of the Pharisees and Saduces Matt. 16. Marc. 8. which signified their euill doctrine and example they would needes vnderstand as if he had said it because they were not prouided of bread inough for the desert and so they were affraid they might want food And our Lord reprehēding this fault in them which they had added to the former said in this manner do you not vnderstand and remember the fiue loues of bread and the fiue thousand men which I susteined with thē nor yet the seauē loues wherewith I fed foure thousand men And thus reprouing them as much as was necessary he did it yet in words as gentle as you haue heard and with so great sweetnes as that together with reprehending them he excused them imputing their fault to ignorance and forgetfulnes O admirable Benignity worthy of such a Lord as he who together with the chastisemēt giueth comfort and whilest he speaketh of the fault he giueth hope of pardon and remedy So doth Saint Chrysostome obserue Consider the reprehension which he giueth thē all tempered with meekenes for whilest he reproues them he excuseth them yea he answereth for the very men whom he reproueth But let vs looke vpon some other examples of this Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards his disciples When thus he had answered that rich young man Matt. 19. who said He had kept the comaundments If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou hast and giue it to the poore and come and follow mee and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and when the young man was going sad away because he was very rich and had not the heart to embrace the counsaile of our Lord and to make himself poore for the kingdome of heauen Saint Peter said to our Lord Behould ô Lord how as for vs wee haue left all thinges and wee haue followed thee what therfore shall be done to vs What reward wilt thou bestow on vs Our Lord made them this answere Verily I say to you that you who haue followed mee shall sit vpon twelue seates and thrones to iudge the twelue Tribes of Israell with the Sonne of man when he shall sit in the seate of his Maiesty at the generall resurrection to a life of glory At that day you shal haue great authority and glory by raigning with the sōne of man and iudging the world together with him It was very little which Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles had left for Christ our Lord for they were but a poore company of fishermen and that which they had left as Saint Chrysostom saith was some fishing rod some net and some little barke And although together with these thinges they also left whatsoeuer they might growe to haue yet that also must needes be very little for in the trade they had they were neuer able to get much And all this being so little and that Saint Peter with so much liberty and audacity should say to him Behould ô Lord wee haue left all wee had for thee as if they had left most abundant riches and great hopes our Lord might with much truth and reason haue said to Saint Peter What greate possessions hast thou left for mee and what great acts of prowes hast thou performed in my seruice And yet he said no such thing nor did he answere them with any shew of any disdaine or euē disgust or with little estimation of that which had been left for his sake but he spake to him in great earnest and with wordes of much weight and with shew of great estimation of that which they had lest and of that which they had performed in following him and he declared that most high reward of glory that most eminent dignity which he would giue them in the kingdome of heauen By this answere Christ our Lord did shew extreme Benignity partly by making so great account of such a trifle as his disciples had left for his sake and promising such a soueraigne reward for such a sleight seruice as they had performed in following him and partly by shewing how greatly he loued them who then had laboured so little for him and by esteeming them so much who were so meane and poore as to promise to exalt them to so great dignity and to giue them a seate of so great Maiesty and by answering them in words so serious so sweet so full of comfort and which gaue them such a height of hope So saith Origen Saint Peter asked what reward he would giue him for what he had left as if he had performed things of mighty difficulty But although the thinges which he his brother left were little in the account of the world yet in the sight of God who regarded the loue and great good will wherewith they were left they were much esteemed This is the most benigne sweet condition of Christ our Lord and our God who be houldeth the seruices which are done him and the good will men haue to serue him their holy desire to please him and that grace which he liberally bestoweth for the doing of them and therfore doth he recompence little works with most high and euerlasting rewardes Our Lord 10.11 whilest he was in the desert hauing heard the message of Lazarus his sicknes and two daies passing on after he had heard it and now vnderstanding that Lazarus was dead he said resolutely Let vs goe yet once againe into Iudea for Bethania was seated in that Prouince But his disciples answered him after this manner Master it is but the other day since the Iewes were ready to stone thee in Iudea and doest thou thinke of going backe where there is so much danger And our Lord saying still let vs goe yet againe into Iudea and they seeing his resolution and being full of apprehension and feare of death Thomas said to the rest of the Apostles Well then let vs goe and dy with him Now the Apostles hauing known by so many experiments that our Lord knew the secrets of mēs hearts and that his enemies hauing a minde to take and stone him were not able to touch him because he had all power in his hands and hauing heard him say many times that in all thinges he performed the will and good pleasure of his eternall Father they ought to haue beleeued that if our Lord went into Iudea it was most conuenient thnt he should doe so and that he knew very well whatsoeuer was to happen to him there that if he should haue a minde to free himselfe from his enemies they could fasten no hurte vpon him and that themselues
immense a reward in the kingdome of heauen THE VIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse to diuers blinde men hearkning to them expecting them and illuminating them and how wee are to imitate him in this Benignity IT doth also belong to this vertue of Benignity to giue that to ones neighbour which he desireth with facility and sweetnes yea and more then that which he desireth and not to reflect vpon the indignity of him who asketh nor vpon the authority greatnes of that Lord who may need the like but to consider what is agreable to charity which whensoeuer it is great it communicateth it selfe to all and doth good to all and taketh order that in many things the high and lowe the great and little men of the world be made equall to one another Christ our Lord left vs many examples of this truth Saint Luke chap. 18. relateth how once coming to the Citty of Iericho a blinde man neer the way was asking almes and when he heard the noise of the people in company of our Lord and vnderstood that it was Iesus of Nazareth who passed by he began to cry out and say Iesus thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me And although the people bad him hould his peace yet still he continued in crying out and beseeching our Lord that he would free him from the misery wherin he was Our Lord heard his cry and deteined himselfe in the high way and made all that people which was in his company stay with him and commaunded that they should bring the blind begger to him and he stayed expecting till he came being come he asked him this question What wouldest thou haue mee doe for thee What doest thou desire at my hands The blinde man answered the thing which I desire and beg of thee is that thou wilt giue mee my sight and instantly our Lord without the least delay gaue him that which he desired and said Receiue thy sight And he receiued the sight of his corporall eyes the sight also of his soule for being full of faith and deuotion he followed Christ our Lord both with body and soule and did not cease from glorifying Almighty God This passed at the entry which Christ our Lord made into Iericho for Saint Luke relates that he entred into Iericho after he had wrought this miracle Saint Matthew also chap. 20. shewes that Christ our Lord going forth of the same Citty of Iericho and being accompanied with much people there stood two blinde men close vpon the way demaunding almes when they knew that Iesus passed by they began to cry out and say Iesus the sonne of Dauid take pitty on vs. Christ our Lord did instantly make a stand in the way and caused them to be called to him and being arriued he asked thē thus what do you aske at my hands They answered Lord that thou open these eyes of ours and take this blindenes from vs and at the instant our Lord extended his hand to their eyes and they obtained sight both of body and soule and they followed our Lord being full of gratitude for so great a benefit and of faith and desire to doe him seruice Much is here to be considered in the admirable Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards these blind men in that he would hearken to their cries and they being so base persons and our Lord so soueraignely high that he would yet pawse in the way stay for them and make all them also stay who went with him and condescend thereby to the necessity of those blinde men and accōmodate himself to their weaknes For if our Lord had gone walking on they not seeing the way could not haue followed him or at least not fast enough to ouertake him he must haue giuen them much trouble in putting them to it That way of Iericho was also full of impediments and dangerous precipices as Saint Hierome notes and so if they had been put to goe a pace in such a way they had been in danger to receiue much hurt For these reasons did our Lord make a stand as also because he would vouchsaffe to doe them honour making so much accoūt of them as for their respect to stay in that high way and to make so much people stay with him And besides it was a great testimony of his Benignity towardes them to graunt them at the instant of their asking it and that with so much comfort to them so great a benefit as it was to receiue their sight both in body and soule and such deuotion as carryed thē on to glorify Almighty God A great wonder it was that Iosue should cause the Sunne to stand still and make a pawse in the heauen to illuminate the earth till such time as he had obtained victory ouer his enemies and that the Sunne and all the Orbes which moued with it should stand still obeying the voice of Iosue the seruant of God But a much greater wonder it is that our Lord who created both the Sunne and the whole machine of the world should make a stand in the way obeying the voice of a blinde begger that he might illuminate him both in body and soule as the true Sunne of Iustice A great Benignity it is that a Kinge of any earthly kingdome passing on his way through a street should stay and make all the Grādes of his Court stay with him vpon the cry of a begger who asketh almes and that he should expect that begger till he could arriue and should giue audience to his petion and then instātly open a purse with his owne hands and giue the begger whatsoeuer almes he had desired But a farre greater Benignity it is that the King of heauen and earth should deteine himselfe in a high way and stand expecting a poore begger till he could arriue to him and then should aske him what he would desi◅ to the end that his owne mouth might be the measure of that which our Lord would giue him and that instantly he should open the treasures both of his mercy power and bestow all that almes vpon him which he could aske or desire yea and much more then he knew how to aske Now our Lord by shewing this mercy to those blinde men hath shewed also a very great mercy to all faithfull Christians instructing vs and perswading vs by his example to vse Benignity towards our neighbours giuing eare to the cry of the poore and bestowing with liberality what they aske according to the ability wee haue and that when they are not able to come to vs to aske remedy as being hindred either by infirmity or ignorance or any other weakenes wee goe to seeke them out or make thē be sought to the end that wee may helpe them accommodating our selues to their impotēcy and necessity And teaching vs also by this example that wee must expect and stay for our neighbours when there is occasiō to do
the tempest he began with teares to recommend himself to Christ our Lord and to beg remedy at his hands He passed in this anguish six whole daies without eating any thing and still continuing in this affliction Christ our Lord appeared to him in great brightnes and beauty and comforted him and fed him and commaunded him to cut the mast which was the ordinary remedy wherof the ship seemed capable in that extremity For though our Lord was resolued to deliuer the poore man yet he was pleased withall that he should also do his part He put himselfe therfore to cut the mast and because he alone was not able to doe it the Angells of heauen helped him in it When this visit was at an end and the man had disposed himselfe to sleepe our Lord came againe and appeared to him and gently touching his eare with his hand and gently pulling it he waked him and required him to goe about the doing of those things which were necessary for his nauigatiō and in that which himselfe could not doe he had the assistance of the Angells Another time he appeared to him sitting in the pupp of the ship where the sterne is wont to be letting him see that it was he who gouerned her The good man came to the feet of our Lord and perceiuing that he vouchsaffed to be so familiar and Benigne towards him that he did so cherish and inuite him to himselfe he tooke great courage and confidence and bent his head downe sometime towards his sacred feet and sometimes reposed it in his bosome Our Lord departed then hauing both by word and deed affoarded those great fauours and regaloes of so great Benignity to this old Catechumenus And the ship being directed and conducted by the fauour of heauen sailed three and twenty daies by sea and and passing by Africke and Sicily and by the Faro of that Iland he came at last to the coast of Lucana which is the lower part of Calabria There the inhabitants did receiue him and were all eye witnesses of the miracle seeing him come safe in a ship which was all defeated without sterne or men to gouerne her From thence they conducted the old man to Saint Paulinus who receiued him with great loue and baptised him and whereas first his name was Valgius he called him now by the name of Victor And the Saint affirmes that this was a very well conditioned and a sincere innocent kinde of man and that he would recount this benefit and apparition of Christ our Lord with so great tēdernes and deuotion that whosoeuer heard him could not choose but weepe from the heart By this example and many others ouer which I passe for breuities sake Christ our Lord hath discouered that the Benignity and and sweetnes of his condition which he vsed towards miserable mē whilest he liued in this world in mortall flesh is still conserued by him and still he vseth it towards such as will profit by it THE XIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity of speaking in sweet ciuill words which was vsed by Christ our Lord towards men he commaunded his disciples in the Ghospell that they should also vse towards their neighbours And so when he sent them to preach to the people of Israell he commaunded that as soon as they were entring into any house they should instantly salute them who were in it saying peace be to this house desiring and begging of God the most holy gift of peace for them all And this was to teach them that they were to be curteous and affable and benigne to all them with whom they conuersed The Apostles obserued this order very exactly S. Peter the Prince of the Church called the wicked Iewes his Brethren who had crucified our Lord saying Act. 23. Brethren I confesse that you did it by ignorance doe penance and you shall be forgiuen And such as were conuerted he called his fellowes and equalls 2. Pet. 1. in the faith and grace of Christ our Lord. And the great Euāgelist Saint Iohn called the faithfull his much beloued children And writing to a Christian woman called Electa he saith in the letter to the Lady Electa and her children whom I truly loue And writing to another Christian called Caius he saith to my much beloued Caius whome I doe very truly loue But what then shall wee say of Saint Paule With what Benignity with what curtesy and good māners and with what regalo did he speake to all men For speaking to the Iewes who still continued in their infidelity he saith Act. 13. Men and Brethren and the sonnes of Abraham to you was that word sent from heauen which giueth saluation And speaking to the Christians who had been conuerted from gentility he saith Philip. 4. My brethren much beloued and much desired who are my ioy and my crowne And in another place he saith 1. Tim. 2. You are my hope my ioy and my glory And speaking to Kinge Agrippa who was a wicked Prince by nation a Gentile and by sect a Iew he made him an exordium full of estimation curtesy and good fashion saying I bold my self happy ô Kinge Agrippa in that I am to defend my selfe before thee concerning those thinges whereof I am accused by the Iewes especially since thou knowest the customes and questions which are amongst them and therefore I beg thy patience in hearing mee By these few wordes so full of diuine sweetnes and eloquence he made him so propitious and gained so farre vpon his good will as to make him gladly and with great attention giue eare to a discourse and sermon full of diuine mysteries And speaking to Festus the Iudge a Gentile and an Idolater hauing heard this word of iniury from his mouth Paule thou speakest like a madd man too much learning hath put thee out of thy wits for him selfe being blind vnderstood nothing but earthly thinges and so the mysteries of heauen which S. Paule expressed seemed madnes to him he answered thus Most excellent Festus I am not madd the wordes which I haue spoken to thee are full of sobriety and truth What admirable Benignity was this not to be offended or disgusted nor a whit altered by such a great affront as it was to be called mad man and to answer with so great serenity of minde and so great sweetnes of wordes so full of curtesy and good manners as to call him good or Excellēt who was an impious Idolater and he might say so too with truth for although he were not Good or excellent in his Religion nor in that kinde of vertue which maketh a man iust in the sight of almighty God yet he was very vertuous in conuersation and morally vertuous and so vsing a word of a double signification in a true sence he honoured him as much as he could yet still speaking truth The Apostle did much declare his Benignity
suauity by these examples wherby he honoured his neighbours both in speaking to them and speaking of thē but much more he discouered it in this instance which followeth Onesimus an Infidell a slaue fled from Ph◅emon his Master and came to S. Paule being at Rome The Apostle receiued him with much loue and instructed him in the faith and conuerted him by the grace of Christ our Lord and baptised him and returned him to his Master and recommended him by his owne letter wherin he wrote to this effect I beseech thee for my some Onesimus whom I haue engendred for as much as concernes the spirituall life of grace whilest I was in prison at Rome and I embraced him as I would doe mine owne bowells Which signifieth to this sence I receiued him with much tendernes of affectiō as a sonne whom I loue with my whole heart with all the affections thereof If thou houldest mee for thy friend and if thou louest and respectest mee as such an one receiue him euen as thou wouldest doe mee with the same affection of loue and with the same estimation and good vsage wherwith thou wouldest receiue mee And if he owe thee any thing either for hauing runne away or for taking any thing from thee put it vpon my account demaund satisfaction and paiment thereof at my hāds for I offer to pay and satisfy it all for him Grant my suite as I desire it and I will reioyce with thee in our Lord for this good worke of thine Make my heart glad by doing as much as I haue asked which is to say giue mee this comfort and this regalo that thou receiue and treate Onesimus as I haue begged at thy hands Who would not be amazed to read and heare these wordes of Saint Paule That an Apostle of Christ our Lord a Prince and Instructor of the world hauing been personally visited before by Christ our Lord himselfe and raised by him vp euen to the third heauen and chosen out to iudge all the Nations of the Gentiles yea and the very Angells with them in company of Christ our Lord and being so employed both day and night in preaching the Ghospell and gouernment of the Church as that in his brest he carryed the sollicitude and care of all the particular Churches thereof that such a man I say as this so venerable to the Inhabitants of heauen and so reuerenced here on earth should take so much to heart and negotiate at so great leasure the busines of a fugitiue slaue but newly conuerted to the faith as that he should write a letter frō Rome to Phrygia which was in Asia minor where his Master was dwelling in Colossus and recommend him to be receiued to be pardoned and to be treated well And not being contented to performe this office of charity in ordinary wordes which yet had been sufficient that he should honour Onesimus with termes of so great estimatiō loue and sweetnes and should recommend him to his Master in termes and with reasons of so great exaggeration as a Father would do recommēding his only sonne whom he did extreamely loue to some great friend of his This was the Benignity and curtesy and suauity of speech which the Apostles learned of Christ our Lord and this must all faithfull Christians imitate treating our neighbours with termes of curtesy and good manners and giuing thē the most honourable titles and names we can according to the estate of euery one and according to the custome of that people amongst whom wee liue in speaking honorably of them both in presence and absence In this sorte wee shall preuent many sinnes which we vse to cōmit for want of obseruing the rule of charity We shall free our selues from detraction and murmuring which is a vice through which a man contemnes and affronts his neighbour speaking ill of him and recording his defects and faults whether it be with truth or with falshood But howsoeuer this is a vice much abhorred by Almighty God and very abhominable to them who feare him which made Saint Paule say detracters who are abhorred by Almighty God And the wise man in the Prouerbes saith The murmurer who speaketh ill of his neighbour and maketh a scorne of him is abhominable to men And because when God hath abhomination towards a sinner it is to wish him the euill of eternall paine from hence it is that the murmurer is subiect to eternall malediction and condemnation as Ecclesiasticus chap. 28. signifieth saying The murmurer who secretly speaketh ill of his neighbour and who hath two tongues because in the presence of his neighbour he speaketh well of him and in his absence he infameth him by ill report is accursed both of God and man because he hath giuen trouble to many depriuing priuing them of the peace and quiet of their hearts and filling them with grief and anger and destroying that agreement and good correspondence which they had with their neighbours Wee shall also deliuer our selues by this meanes frō the sinne of contumely and reproach into which they fall who face to face giue ill wordes to their neighbours whereby they vnderualue and affront them and this is the vice of them who want iudgmēt as the wise man affirmeth saying He who speaketh contumelious words to his neighbours is a foole And in another place all fooles are apt to thrust themselues into suites and strifes and such other businesses as tend towards the affronting of others or els to the being affronted by others with iniutious wordes And this is so grieuous a sinne and so worthy of punishment as that Christ our Lord said He who shal cal his neighbour foole with a minde to affront him is worthy of eternall fier Wee shall also thus excuse our selues from cursing others wherby men offer their neighbours to the diuell that they may be damned or els whereby they desire them any other euil Which sinne is so grieuous as that it excludes men from that glory to which they were created as the Apostle signified 1. Cor. 6. when he said They who curse men desiring the accomplishment of that with their heart which they say with their tongue shall not possesse the kingdome of God We shall defēd our selues from these sinnes so pernitious to the soule which are committed by the tongue if we be well conditioned and benigne in our words whereby wee honour our neighbours in their presence speake not ill of them in their absence And together with this wee shall by the good vse of our benigne speech giue great gust to Almighty God and shall deserue much in his sight and wee shall winne the loue of our neighbour making them friendly and kinde to vs to the end that they may willingly receiue any good aduice and counsell from vs which wee shall thinke fit to giue And wee shall conserue the peace and strength of our owne soules yea and of our estates also for the susteining of our liues which many
by reason of our weaknes and our little talent either of vertue or goods or power any other way our workes be very small since God hath regard to the good will wherewith they are done to the pious heart from whence they proceed The Apostle Saint Paule followed this example of Christ our Lord. Who to animate the Corinthians to giue almes to the Christians who were in want at Ierusalem and that none of theÌ„ should omit to giue according to his power how little soeuer that might be did praise the vertue and charity which they of Macedonia had shewed to the same Christians assisting them liberally with almes according to the power of euery one And he praiseth them in these wordes 2. Cor. 8. Wee giue you brethren to vnderstand the gratious and liberall gift which God communicated by his goodnes to the Churches of Macedonia who receauing many grieouous persecurions from the Gentiles who afflicted and affronted and robbed them of the goods they had did yet abound with ioy in their very tribulations and they did not onely accept of them with patience but with interiour ioy yea and that a very great ioy for the loue of Christ our Lord for whom they suffered and through the hope of celestiall blessings which God promiseth to them who suffer for the loue of him And being poore they were all according to their weake power and strength so liberall in giuing that they did very abundaÌ„tly discouer the pure intention which they had therin and their great promptitude and euen hunger and thirst to giue to please God by doing all the good that possibly they could to their neighbours And I giue testimony to this truth that not only they gaue willingly all they could but more then they could for not onely gaue they of the superfluity and that which they could conuenieÌ„tly spare but they gaue part of those very thinges which were euen necessary for the very support of their liues The Apostle hauing praised in these wordes the Charity and mercy of the Macedonians inuiteth the Corinthians by the inducement of this example to doe the like and he saith that considering what the Christians of Macedonia haue done I haue perswaded my self to seÌ„d Titus to you that this grace which he begun in you may be finished and perfected by his exhorting moâ—uing you to giue almes to the Christians who suffer in Ierusalem and by procuring that all men may giue what they can that it may be put all together and sent to Ierusalem as was done by theÌ„ of Macedonia And he wisheth them moreouer that euen they who haue but little to giue should yet giue some what euen of that little with a ready minde and a desirous good will to giue more if they could And he affirmeth and testifieth on the part of God that the litle which they should giue with such affection good will would greatly please God and be much esteemed by him and be also rewarded according to the good will where with they gaue For he saith if the will be ready and efficaciously prepared to doe good it is very acceptable and pleasing to God if they worke giue according to what they haue or can performe and God doth not require for the making men acceptable to him that they should giue or do what they cannot giue or do THE XX. CHAPTER How it is fit to praise the vertue of some thereby to correct the vice of others ANother way which makes our praising others to be very profitable for vs and pleasing to almighty God is to praise the vertue and good workes of them from whom no such thing had been expected and thereby to conuince and confound those others who were not so vertuous and did not worke so well notwithstanding that they had greater helpes and were in greater obligations then the former Let vs declare this by an example There was a Centurion that is to say a Captaine of a hundred souldiers in Capharnaum Matt. 8. Luc. 7. placed there by the Romans and a Gentile he was who descended not from Patriarches Prophets but from Gentiles Idolaters and from people who had noe knowledge of the true God This man by meanes of conuersation which he had with the Iewes came to know this truth that there was one God and he had taken an affection to his holy Lawe and to his people of Israell and he loued cherished them and built a Sinagogue for them vpon the vnderstanding which he had that of all the men in the world these were the professors of true Religion This Centurion had a seruant whom he greatly loued who fell sicke of a pleurisy was growne to the very point of death And the seruant being in those termes and the Master hauing heard of the miracles which had been wrought by Christ our Lord he conceiued a great confidence and faith that if he desired remedy for that seruant he should obtaine it and he belieued with great assurednes that Christ was a Lord so powerfull that euen in absence he could giue him the life and health of his seruant by the onely commauÌ„dment of his word Not presuming therfore to appeare in the presence of Christ our Lord as holding himselfe vnworthy therof he interposed the auncient and prime men of the Iewes for intercessours These men therfore in the name of the Centurion desired that he would goe to his house and cure his seruant instantly our Lord put himselfe vpon the way to doe as much as they desired As soon as the Centurion knew that Christ our Lord was comminge to his house he tould him by meanes of the same intercessours that in no case he was to doe it for that himselfe was vnworthy of so great honour but he onely prayed that from thence he would commauÌ„d by some one word of his that his seruant might be cured and that that would serue for his recouery And this he confirmed by the example of his owne person for if he being a weake man and subiect to the commauÌ„d of another who was the Generall of the Army could yet commaund his soldiers to dispose themselues here or there and that accordingly and instantly the thing was done how much more could Christ our Lord being so absolute and of so great power commaund from wheresoeuer he were that sicknes and death should be gone and that health and life should come and that they would not faile to obey him This man discouered great humility in not presuming once to to appeare in the presence of Christ our Lord but to negotiate by meanes of the Iewes whom he held for better then himselfe and by those wordes he also shewed a great faith And so Christ our Lord hauing heard this message shewed to be in admiration to see so great faith in a Pagan souldier And turning his countenaÌ„ce to the troupe of Iewes who followed him he said Verily I say to you I haue not found so great
he questioned but only in regard both of his owne disciples and of al that people that so they might forsake the ignorance wherein they were remain more confirmed in their faith not thinke that he demaunded it in regard of the ignorance wherein himself was for this reason did Christ our Lord extoll him afterward with so illustrious praises and testified with so great asseueratiō the constancy and purity of his life and the eminency of his person and dignity And he proued this both by the experience of what they sawe and by the testimony also of a Prophet to the end that they might be settled in the great belief which they ought to haue of his truth and sanctity and that so they might profit by the doctrine which he had preached and the example of life which he had shewed In this sort are wee to praise men for their vertues after the example of Christ our Lord because their life and doctrine concerne the good of the faithfull to the end that their wordes of counsell may be more efficacious and their example more profitable to all men Thus did Saint Paule proceed who resoluing to send Timothy a most faithfull instrument of the Ghospell to preach and administer holy thinges at Philippos a Citty of Macedonia doth praise him first in a letter which he writeth to the Philippians wherin he testifieth his vertues saying I hope in the mercy of Christ our Lord that I shall very shortly be able to send Timothy to you And I haue designed to send him in particular because I haue none other who is so agreeable to mee and so of one heart with my selfe and who with so pure loue and true charity hath so particular a care of your good These and other praises did S. Paule deliuer of Timothy to the end that the Philippians might receiue him with great estimation of his sanctity and zeale and might profit by him And he did the like when he resolued to send Titus a seruant of Christ our Lord and a preacher of the Ghospell to them of Corinthus for first he praised him saying to this effect I giue great thankes to God for inspiring the heart of Titus with the same desire that I haue and for hauing kindled him with the same loue and endewed him with the same desire of your spirituall profit which he gaue to mee With these other wordes Saint Paule praised Titus to the end that his labours might prooue of greater spirituall profit to the Corinthians And after this manner are we also to praise Prelats Preachers Gouernours of Citties Pastours of soules Religious men and Priests and all such as haue publicke office and authority ouer the people when they clearly expresse true vertue in their liues For when they are knowne for-such and that they are wise and diligent in doing their duties they shall profit the people more and especially such families thereof as conuerse with them Let vs praise saith Ecclesiasticus such men as are excellently glorious aboue the rest THE XXIII CHAPTER Of the rule which wee are to hold when vpon the aforesaid reason we shall praise the seruants of God BVt in affoarding this praise wee must obserue these directions and rules of discretion That whē we praise another man not to the end of encouraging him or moouing him to the practise and proceeding in vertue or for the perswading him to the doing of some good worke but for the good and profit of others that so his vertue and wisdome being knowne and much esteemed his neighbours who heare and discourse thereof may profit by his example instruction aduice and gouernment which is the case wherof we are speaking we must not then praise the party in his own presēce nor yet before his familiar friends who already know his parts and who are likely to tell him what they haue heard but onely before such others whō it may concerne to know his vertues and parts to take profit by him So did Christ our Lord whē he praised Saint Iohn for he did it in his absence and he staied for the doing of it till the disciples of Saint Iohn were gone This rule must wee also hold that so we may take from the seruant of God whom we praise all occasion of vaine complacence and estimation of himselfe especially when the praises happen to be great in respect that the parties vertues and parts are greatly worthy to be praised For although it be true that many seruants of God who haue laid the rootes of humility very deeply in their hearts and who by long experience and much light from heauen haue wel vnderstood and penetrated the weakenes of man are free from this danger take no occasion of vanity by it but contemne themselues so much the more yet this is not euery bodies case How soeuer we see indeed that it happened in the case of Saint Ambrose when once a diuell speaking by the mouth of a possest person had a minde to cry out thus aloud Ambrose torments mee For then the Saint vnderstood the diuells craft what he pretended by praising him But he did not onely not growe proud by occasion thereof but he humiliated himselfe so much the more and said Hold thy peace thou diuell for it is not Ambrose who torments thee but the faith of the Saints in God and thine owne enuy Know that Ambrose will not growe proud vpon thy praises This passed with Saint Ambrose and the like happened to Saint Marcellus the Abbot For this man had a gift from God to cast out diuells and they brought diuers possest persons to him and the diuells desiring by their infernall craft to hoise vp the Saint into pride with praise they cried out thus aloud Marcellus doe thou commaund vs to depart out of these bodies for thou hast power ouer vs and this they repeapeated often The Saint vnderstood the malice of the diuells would not send them out vpon their commaundmēt but taking occasion from that speech to humble him selfe so much the more and lifting vp his eyes to heauen he begged of Christ our Lord that he would cast them out saying thus O Lord preserue this worke of thy hands he continued praying so long that the diuells departed out of the bodies Though this be so and that many great seruants of God are settled so firmely and solidly in the truth of humility that humane praises moue them not at all but rather they humiliate themselues the more by occasion thereof yet there are others who though indeed they be the seruāt of God and haue very excellent vertues and gifts from heauen and are worthy to be praised yet notwithstanding they haue some weaknes this way and are subiect to the danger of growing proud vpon humane praise and especially whē they are praised much And this is the vsuall case and which ordinarily happeneth that euen good men are subiect to this weaknes and are exposed to this danger And