that facilitie as his master requireth What is to to be done in this case to see it and alwaies to checke him for it and to gall and gird him with it and euer to be casting it in his teeth and threatning him for it is the extremitie which here the Apostle condemneth The Equitie then in this case to bee performed is in consideration that it is not a fault of malice but of nature not of idlenesse nor carelesnesse but of a naturall weakenesse the Master must gently tell him of it and priuatly and seldome and aduise him what are the best helps for nature in this case And though he see not that speedie amendment which he desireth yet is he to beare with him as long as he is trustie diligent dutifull and willing and for those so many good properties he must beare with his wants and not be too sharp either in reproouing or in correcting him for them In the the third place A man hath occasion to confer often with another man by reason that they are neighbours or speciall friends or of the same calling and course of life but one of them is hastie and soone angrie and it may be in his talke either for the matter or the manner of it he cannot but shewe his anger Extremitie in this case is for a man to deale roughly with him to contradict and crosse him to denie what he saith to stand stifly to our our owne opinion to be angrie againe with him But on the other side Christian Equitie teacheth a man not to see it nor take notice of it nor to be angrie againe nor to checke him for it but to put it off by gentle words soft demaundes and other talke and to yeild to him as farre as a man may doe in good conscience without betraying of the trueth And by the way in conference hold it alwaies for a rule of Christian wisedome and priuate Equitie neuer to sticke stiffely to any opinion vnlesse it be in a plaine trueth and of great moment Now thus doing to our brother and sparing his weaknes and continuing on our speech as though we sawe not that he was angrie hereby the conference holds on and loue is continued as afore But if contrariwise we take the aduantage of his infirmitie and display it and rub him for it if we be as short as he and stand stiffely vpon points then the conference is broken off without edification and heart-burning riseth betwixt them in stead of true loue Thus we see in these examples how in a Christian moderation we are to beare and to forbeare the naturall weakenesses of our brethren if we purpose to liue in any comfort with them in this world Yet this forbearance must be with two conditions First that these wants be wants of nature not of malice nor of old rooted setled and cankred corruption Secondly if they whome wee forbeare containe thēselues within conuenient bonds and doe not exceede nor breake out into any outrage or extremitie for then they are not to be forborne but to be tolde and reprooued for them and a mans dutie is not to winke at them but to take notice of them and to shewe open dislike of them But in as much as these are wants of nature as it is infirmitie in the one to shewe them so it is the glorie and praise of the other to pardon them yea it is a token of wisedome and good gouernment and a signe that a man is a louer of peace and consequently of religion and of God himselfe to passe by them The practise of this dutie maintaines peace in kingdoms countries states cities colledges families and all societies of men Thus much for the first dutie The secōd dutie of priuate equity is to constru interpret mēs sayings that are doubtfull in the better part if possibly it may be this is to be vnderstood of all men though they be our enemies and this must a man do if he will liue in peace in this world Our nature is giuen to take men at the worst to depraue mens deeds and words to peruert them to the worst sense that may be and this is commonly the cause of debate and dissention in the world But the dutie of Christian Equitie is contrary hereunto namely to thinke the best they can of all men to construe all doubtfull actions in the better part and to make the best sense of all doubtfull speeches if we haue any probable reason to induce vs to it The Apostle makes this the propertie of loue 1. Cor. 13. Loue thinks not euill that is not onely then when there is manifest and good cause to thinke well but when it is doubtful if it may by any meanes haue a good meaning if by any means it may be well thought of loue will make a man thinke well of it the more specially a man loues another the more equally indifferently and Christianly will he interpret all his sayings and doings The want of this dutie and the practise of the contrarie is the cause of more troubles tumults garboiles fallings out and heartburnings in kingdomes countries societies and families betwixt man and man then any one thing in the world besides Dealing thus with the wordes of Christ cost him his life for when Christ said Destroy this temple I will build it in three daies they interpreted it of the temple of Ierusalem when as he meant of the temple of his bodie And the wrong and sinister interpretation of Dauids ambassage by his neighbour king Hanu◠was the cause of that great war betwixt two mightie kingdomes the Israelites and the Amonites which cost so many thousands their liues For when Dauid sent Embassadours to comfort him after his fathers death he and his wicked counsellers interpreted it that he sent spies and intelligencers to find out the weaknesse of the land It cannot be spoken what broiles hurliburlies and confusions in kingdomes what contentions in eommon-wealthes what factions and diuisions in colledges societies what disquietnesse in families what vnkindnesse and falling out amongest old friends and what separation euen amongest them that should be neerest are daily in the world by reason of this sinister interpretation of mens words and deeds We therefore that doe professe our selues the children of peace must learne to make conscience of this the due practise whereof is the conseruation of peace And further in this dutie one thing more is to be remembred namely that we must not giue too sharpe a censure euen of the open and manifest euill sayings or doings of our brother we must not iudge them to be done carelesly when it may be they are done ignorantly nor deliberately when it may be they are done rashly nor presumptuously when it may be they are done vpon infirmitie nor to be done vpon hatred or malice to vs when it may be they are done for an other cause nor may we iudge an euill thing to be done for want
beate him with scorpions and bring him to nothing by my heauie hand but I will consider he is my child and but a man therefore will I lay vpon him no more then the nature of man is able to beare As God dealt with his sonne Salomon so this is Gods voice to all his sonnes vnto all my Church and Children will I vse such lenitie and moderation and in my chastising of them I will so abate the rigour of my Iustice that by my hand and rodde they shall not be pressed downe but rather raised vp in new obedience and learne thereby to feare and loue me more then before This should euery Christian man seriously consider of and thinke with himselfe how much this bindes a man to deale moderately with his brother when the Lord deales so moderately with him Thou sinnest God chastiseth thee most mildly and laieth not on thee the thousaÌ„d part of these crosses which in Iustice he might doe Shall the Lord deale thus moderately with thee for thy many and so great sinnes and wilt thou deale so hardly with thy brother in his fewe and small offences against thee remember therefore in thy dealing with thy brother this dealing of God with thee and certainely thou canst not forget the one if thou hast tasted of the other Shew thy selfe therefore that thou hast beene partaker of Gods fauour and that thou hast felt in thy soule the sweetnesse of his mercies by beeing milde mercifull to thy brethren out of that great sea of mercies which God lets flowe ouer thee all thy life long let fall some droppes of mercie on thy brother and remembring how God deales with thee deale not thou with thy brother alwaies so hardly nor so straitly as thou maiest or he deserues Let these foure mercifull actions of god towards thee be foure strong bonds to tie thee to the obedience of this dutie to be milde and mercifull to thy brethren remembring euery day how moderately God deales with thee and howe farre from that extremitie which thou deseruest And to mooue vs hereunto let euery man be well assured that the more he hath tasted of Gods mercie the more shall men taste of his mercie and the more sinnes that a man hath forgiuen him at gods hands the more will he remit and forgiue in his brother and the more he feeles in his owne soule Gods loue and mercie to him and the more neere he is to God by his faith and repentance the more carefull will he be to deale gently with his brethren and the reasons hereof are these First God forgiueth not a man his faults but vpon condition that he shall forgiue his brother God is not mercifull to a man but vpon coÌ„dition he shall be so to all men with whome he deales Secondly the mercie of God to vs in forgiuing our sinnes is not made knowne to the world by any meanes more then this when a man is not hard and extreame but equall and mercifull in his dealing with men Whereupon therefore it followeth that the further a man is from God and the lesse that he hath felt of Gods loue to him the lesse moderation will he performe to his brother Let euery man then be ashamed by these his extreame courses with his brethren to make it known to the world that he is an Impenitent sinner himselfe vnreconciled to God and his sinnes vnpardoned and let no man thinke he shall escape that censure if he be an vnmercifull man for certainely it is imprinted in mens dealings whether they be in Gods fauour and their sinnes are pardoned or no. Let therefore euery man when his owne crooked nature or the deuill makes him boyle against his brother in anger and vrgeth him to vse him hardly and extreamely consider with himselfe and say I liue vnder God I am more in Gods hand then this man in mine I haue offended God more then he me and if I had my desert I had now beene in hell for my sinnes but yet I liue and by his mercie I am spared and am here still But hath God spared me that I should pinch others hath he beene mercifull to me that I should be cruell to others surely therefore I will be mercifull and moderate to my brethren more then they deserue least God take his mercy from me and then what shall become of me but to be throwne suddainly into hell which I deserued long agoe nay I will by my equitie and moderation towards my brethren mooue the Lord to be still more mercifull to me without which his mercie I cannot liue one day in the world Hitherto of the Exhortation of the Apostle and of the great moderation of God to man Now followeth the Apostles reason The Lord is at hand These wordes beare two senses or meanings The first of the last iudgement the second of Gods presence The first is thus framed if the holy Ghost meant of the last iudgement Be you equall and moderate one towardes an other for God is readie in his great and generall iudgment to iudge all men and then happie is he that findes not Iustice but tasts of mercie and who shall tast of mercie then but he that shewed mercie in this world But if secondly the holy Ghost meant of Gods presence then is the argument framed thus God is present with euery man and at euery action to testifie and iudge of it and either to approoue it and reward it if it be vpright equall and mercifull or to correct and punish it if it be extreame and void of equitie therefore let your equitie be knovvne to all men Both senses are good but we will cleaue vnto the latter It is then all one as if the holy Ghost had said Vse equitie and moderation in your dealings and remember who is at your elbow stands by and lookes on readie to iudge you for it Surely there can be no better reason then this if it be setled in a mans heart for a theefe or a cut-purse if he saw the Iudge staÌ„d at his elbow and looked vpon him he would not doe euill he would stay his hand euen because he seeth that the Iudge seeth him who can presently hang him A strong reason with men and it keepes euen bad men from leud practises Consider therefore when the Iudge of Iudges the Lord of heauen and earth stands by and seeth and markes all thy actions whether they be towards thy brother as his is towards thee This ought to make the greatest man on earth feare how he deales cruelly or hardly with his brother But worldly men will not be perswaded of this but when they are laying their plots to deceiue their brother and when by iniustice and extremitie they pinch and wring him they thinke in their hearts God seeth them not nor doe they euer thinke of God but labour that God may be out of all their thoughts This is the cause of all sinne in the world for thence is it that mens hearts are hardned and that they care not how extremely they deale with men because they thinke God seeth them not nor wil cal them to account for it and doe with them as they haue done with their brother Hence comes all iniustice crueltie extremitie suits in law for trifles taking forfaitures of leases and of bonds and taking all aduantages Hence comes it that one man will not spare an other one day nor forgiue one fault nor passe by any infirmitie nor put vp the least iniurie nor yeelde one inch from his right but if his brother offend neuer so liule vpon neuer so apparent weaknes he shall heare of it on both sides as they say and if he deserue ill he shall haue his deserts to the full Thus hearts are hardened affections are immoderate bowells of compassion are shut vp loue and pitie are banished and in their roomes raigne crueltie and iniustice Moderation dwells in corners but extremitie is that which beares sway ouer all the world what is the cause of all this Surely first because men are vnsanctified and haue not repented of their sinnes so they feele not that God is moderate and mercifull to them Secondly they perswade not themselues that God seeth them therefore against this blasphemous thought the roote of all euill and cause of all sinne arme thy selfe with this reason of the Apostle and resolue of it that this is the eternall trueth of God and shall stand for euer The Lord is at hand and seeth and obserueth thee all thy doings Therefore as thou wilt escape his mightie and fearefull hand season thy doings and dealings with moderation and if thou hadst nooÌ„ cscience nor no mercie in thee yet be mercifull remeÌ„bring who seeth thee and deale moderately and equally in the sight and presence of so moderate so milde and so mercifull a God so mercifull a rewarder of him that deales moderately and so powerfull a reuenger of him that deales hardly and extreamely with his brother Let vs then ende with the Apostle as we began Let your Equitie and Moderation be knowne to all men for God is at hand And thus much out of Gods word of Publike and Priuate Equitie wherein I haue not spoken all I might but giuen occasion to others to enter into further consideration thereof Trin-vni Deo gloria a Fulk in prâ—â— in Tâ—st Rheâ—â— b Pius Gregoâ—â— Sixtus â— Paulus â—ius 4. Pius 5. Gregor Sixtus 5 Vrbanuâ— Gregor Innocen Clement 1. King 18 1. Sam. 5. 2 〈◊〉 4 19. 〈…〉 〈…〉 a Nund ver 603. b Catho reforma de mort de vita Prophet Calr in 〈…〉
be sure to defend his owne life In the second place though a man forgiue the Iniurie and wrong done vnto him yet may he safely in some cases goe to lawe for recompence of that wrong It is a deuilish opinion in the world that a man cannot goe to lawe and be in charitie we must knowe that a man may goe to law yet be in charitie for to forgiue the malice and to sue for recompence are things indifferent It is not so much charitie to forbeare the recompence as it is to forgiue the malice If therefore a man forgiue not the malice he is out of charitie but he may sue for satisfaction and be in charitie The scripture forbids not mens going to lawe but tels them how they should doe it lawe is not euill though contentious men and vnconscionable lawyers haue vilely abused it but it Gods ordinance and may lawefully be vsed so it be on this manner First it must not be for euery trifle euery trespas euery ill worde but in these cases a man is both to forgiue the malice and to remit the recompence because he is little or nothing at all hurt by it For example A poore man steales a little meat from thee in his hunger let the law take hould on him but pursue thou him no more for it then by the law thou needs must Againe thy neighbours cattell doth trespasse thee thou must not go to lawe for it the malice be it more or lesse thou must forgiue in Christianitie for conscience sake and the damage is so small as that therefore thou maist not go to lawe for it For the law is abused in beeing executed vpon trifles and those lawyers shame themselues and dishonour their profession who are willing that euery trespasse of sixpence damages be an accion in the law this is one of the causes of the base and vile names that are giuen to the lawe and lawyers in these daies because the law is imployed vpon sueh trifles And it is to be wished that the supreme Magistrate would take order to restrain this generall euil that contentious men vnconscionable lawyers might not conspire together to pester the law with these trifles and though men be so vnconscionable as to run to the law for euery trespasse yet should lawyers be so conscionable and so wise as they should driue them from the law againe Thirdly thy neighbour giues the ill woords raiseth or carrieth euill tales of thee Equitie is not to go to law for euery euill woord but to consider that for the malice thou art to forgiue it and for the damage it cannot be great because many mens tongues are no slander neither art thou any thing worse for it especially when he dare not stand to that he hath said as for the most part they do not The second caution in going to law is that it must not be the first but the last meanes of peace Law is a kind of warr as therefore warr is to be the last meanes of publick peace so should the law be the last meanes to be vsed for the attaining of priuat peace All meanes must be tried ere thou goe to lawe and if none will serue then is the law ordained for thee whereby to recouer thy right and to maintaine equitie for as to go to law for a trifle or at the first is extremitie and so Iniury so to go to the lawe for a cause sufficient and after other meanes vsed in vaine is Iustice and equitie and no extremitie Here therefore let all Christians learne how to go to law and the rather I do vrge this point because the law is notoriously abused and it is almost incredible what infinit sommes and masses of money are daily spent in it most vnnecessarily insomuch as the lawyers do exceed in welth any other sort or calling for men in this whole realme For reformation whereof let men but learne and practise the two former rules 1. lawe is not ordained to be a Iudge of euery trifle It is a shame to our lawe that men be suffered in the common wealth to arreast each other for debts of small value so as tenne times and otherwhiles twenty times as much is spent for the recouery of them as the principal is Are not we a Christian commonwealth why then haue we not the wisdome to appoint another an easier and a directer waie for the recouery of such debts and if there be no other way why doth not a Christian man stay for it or loose it rather then goe to law for it It is a shame for our nation that there should be at one Assises ouer England so many hundreth actions of trespasses wherein the dammage is little or nothing To reforme these is a worke worthie of a Prince and euery man should put to his helping-hand to it Secondly let law be thy last remedie This rule controlls another foule misorder in our land Men are sued when they would gladly compound when they would willingly satisfie by priuate order they are compelled to answer by law And yet there is a worse thing then this the law which should be the last is not onely made the first meanes but whereas it should be open and publike it is vsed as a close secret meanes it steales vpon men as the phrase is For men are sued afore they know and great charges come vpon them ere they are told of it by them that sue them Is this equitie yea is it not rather extremitie And yet alas how commō is it in most places Let therefore euery Christian man remember his lesson here taught by the Apostle Let your equitie be knowne to all men But it seemes then will some say that men may not goe to lawe I answer thou maiest goe to lawe though not for trifles yet for things of waight as for the pursuit of a notorious theife to his due and iust triall for the title of thy lands for the recouerie of thy iust and due debts of value and of thy childs portion for the making straight of great accounts for the triall of thy good name when thou art so slaundered and by such as that thy credit is publikely indangered for these and such like causes thou maiest goe to law whē by other more easie meanes thou canst not procure a reasonable satisfaction For then it is vnlawfull to sue for the greatest cause in the world The trueth of all this doctrine doeth Paul teach the Corinths whome he reprooueth of three faults 1. that they went to lawe before heathē Iudges 2. for euery cause 3. they vsed no priuate meanes of satisfaction but ranne to the lawe at the first The first of these cannot be our sinne for we haue no heathen Iudges in as much as our state and gouernment by the mercie of God is not heathenish but we haue a Christian commonwealth But the other two are the generall sores of this land let vs therefore labour to heale them and to
spared one houre If therefore the Lord did cast ten thousand into hell in one houre he did but Iustice for so the lawe requireth but see the mercifull moderation of the Lord thogh we deserue euery houre to be cast into hell yet is euery houre and minute of our liues full of the mercie and moderation of the Lord so as though our sinnes crie for damnation presently yet God staieth his hand and doeth not execute the sentence of damnation vpon the sinner instantly after his sinne no not in one of ten thousand but spareth euery man many yeares some more some lesse but all more then their sinnes deserue or the lawe requireth We often reade and alwaies finde that God heares the crie of sinners but we seldome reade that God heares the crie of sinne for if he alwaies heard it when sin cries for vengeance to him he should turne vs all into hell in one houre this is a wonderfull patience and moderation in God and yet behold a greater For whereas we by our sinnes doe euery houre plunge our selues into hell as a man that violently castes himselfe into a gaping gulfe see Gods wonderfull mercie we thrust our selues in and he puts vs backe he staieth vs with his own hand and so keepes vs out See what a sea of mercies the Lord doth power vpon man for how can that but be an infinite sea of mercies which is shewed to so many thousands of men so many thousand times in one houre If his mercie did not moderate the extremitie of his lawe there should not be one man left vpon earth but all in one houre cast into hell but God staieth his Iustice and staieth his lawe yea stayeth vs who our selues would execute the law vpon our selues and so cast our selues into hell hee keepes vs out and giues vnto vs a longer time to repent And this is true in all men to some he giues longer to some shorter but to euery one some where as the law giues not one houre to any man nay the law is so far from giuing time torepent that it admits no repentance at all no though a man should sinne but once and instantly after that one sinne humble himselfe in repentāce and craue fogiuenes the law will not accept him to fauour nor yeild forgiuenes nor allowe his repentance for the law can do nothing but this either iustifie and reward him that fulfills it or condemne and punish him that breakes it further then this the law by it selfe goeth not It is the gospell which commandeth vs teacheth vs to beleeue and repent and to the Gospell are we beholding for accepting our repentance which the law would neuer doe which indeede is so farre from accepting repentance as it neuer intendeth nor aimeth at repentance directly in it selfe and therefore in it selfe it is worthily called the ministerie of condemnation So then behold a most straight law and a most mercifull God so straight a law as if that mercy were not it would neuer giue vs one houre to repent in nor receiue vs to fauour though we repented presently but presently vpon our sinne cast vs into hell O therefore tast and see how good and gratious the Lord is the law cannot haue his extremitie nor the deuill his will vpon vs who is the Iayler of the law and is malitious though the law be iust and so by the extremitie of the Iustice of the one the extremitie of the mallice of the other no man should liue one houre in the world were it not for the wonderfull mercie and mittigation of God who contrary to the course of the law both accepteth men when they repent and giues also time to repent and thus hath God done as in the beginning with Adam so in all ages To the old world after many preachers sent and many hundred yeares patience and many thousands of sinnes ripe for vengeance yet God giues 120. yeares more O how many millions of sinnes did they commit against him in that time and yet had they repented at the last they had beene saued but all was in vaine and therefore in the end God sent a flood and swept them all away Euen so and more patiently hath God suffered vs in these latter daies But how comes it to passe then will some say that we haue not a flood as well as they Surely because his mercie was great to them but wonderfull to vs we are as euill as they yea if we iudge aright and consider duely all circumstances our sinnes are farre more yea farre more hainous then theirs were so that we deserue a flood tenne times more then they did and if God dealt but iustly with vs where he brought one vpon them he should bring and hundred on vs and if Iustice bare the sway she should vs sweepe away one generation after another with a continuall flood But marke the moderation of God more to vs then to them who deserue worse then they He gaue vs not an hundred and twentie but many hundreth yeares and brings no floods of Iudgements but spares vs from yeare to yeare and from age to age that so we may either repent and escape hell or when our time is come drowne our selues in damnation and so be the principall cause of our owne destruction It may not vnfitly be noted in this place that sometime God may be said to cast a mā into hell and sometime man himselfe God throwes a man into hell when for some monstrous and contagious sinne he takes away a wicked man in the midst of his wickednesse by some suddaine Iudgement and so sends him to hel But a man plungeth himselfe into hell when God giues him leaue to liue and libertie and time to repent but he continueth carelesly in his sinnes till he die and so casteth himselfe violently into damnation Nowe such is the mercifull moderation of God that for one man whome he casts into hell as he did Iudas presently vpon his sinne a hundred wicked men cast themselues into hell abusing that time and libertie which he gaue them to repent in and so bringing vpon themselues swift damnation Let euery man therefore euery day of his life when he considereth the thousands of sinnes that are committed that day and seeth no flood of water fire nor brimstone to come vpon vs let him wonder at gods mercie and say with the Prophet It is the Lords mercie that we are not consumed Furthermore this moderation of God to all men hath another branch Euery mans ill conscience is to him like the fire of hell and doubtlesse the torment of conscience is a part of the very reall torment of hell now if euery man had but Iustice he should feele presently after euery sinne the very torment of hell namely the sting and torment of a guiltie accusing conscience but see the mercie moderation of God he inflicts it not presently but onely giues the sinner a pricke or a little pang as it were when