great defect in the disciples because they were aduertised of the much danger wherein they were to see themselues that night and they had promised that they would giue their life for our Lord and they had been warned by him two seuerall times in words of great exaggeration and waight that they should watch and pray because they were to be tempted in a grieuous manner and their prayer was to be the meanes for their not being ouercome by that temptation And yet notwithstāding all this they neither watched nor prayed and they suffered themselues to be ouercome by sleepe which was the cause why afterward being ouercome by the temptation they fled all away for feare at the time when our Lord was apprehended and they denyed their Master who was the head and crowne of them all But yet our Lord did suffer and passe by seeke to reforme this so great defect with so great Benignity that finding thē asleepe the first time he corrected them with no other then these gentle wordes Why sleepe you Whereby he would giue them to vnderstand how vaine that confidence was which they had reposed in their owne strength making a promise that they would giue their life for their Lord whereas the while they had not the strength to watch and pray during that little time And when he went to visit them the second time and perceiued them to be ouercome by sleepe through the great weaknes and frailty of imperfect men he dissembled the seeing it and hauing compassion of their infirmity did not reprehend them nor so much as speake a word nor wake them but still let them sleepe And the third time returning to them seing the difficulty they had to ouercome their sleepe in regard of their much sorrow he did not onely passe it ouer but expressely gaue them leaue to repose and rest whilest he was watching and praying and sweating blood for them With this so admirable Benignity and so full of the deernes and sweetnes of loue did Christ our Lord treate his disciples and tolerate their defects and endure the trouble they gaue him and he remoued their ignorances and cured their faults THE V. CHAPTER How wee are to imitate this Benignity of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity must wee vse towards our neighbours in imitation of Christ our Lord and especially it must be done by Superiours towards their Subiects by Teachers towards their Schollers by Masters towards their Seruants and slaues and by Parents towards their children First they must exercise this Benignity by enduring their imperfections negligences and faults not suffering themselues to be ouercome by wrath to wish them any euill or to curse them or giue them iniurious words or any other word of reuenge And to this exteriour patiēce they must add the sweetnes of Benignity in such sorte as that it may be a benigne kinde of sufferance which springeth from the interiour sweetnes of Charity To this did Saint Chrysostome admonish vs who vpon those words of Saint Paul Charity is patient it is benigne discourseth thus There are some who haue patience but they doe not vse it as they ought for although in the exteriour they are silent and dissemble the cause of their disgust yet they doe it with a kinde of bitternes of heart yea and they shew some exteriour vntowardnes and vnderualue of their neighbour and so they grow to offend and prouoke to further wrath euen those very persōs whom they were resolued to tolerate This kinde of patience is not agreeable to charity which is benigne and vseth to suffer with gentlenes and sweetnes both exteriour interiour and whilest it is suffering doth not prouoke a mans neighbour to encrease of anger but rather doth mitigate and appease it For we must not be content to tolerate the faultes of our neighbours after a superficial manner but whilest wee be suffering wee must also admonish and comfort them and thus shall we cure that wound of wrath which they may haue in their hearts Saint Chrysostome declareth that this is to suffer with Benignity Superiors also who haue charge of others must exercise this Benignity prouiding all thinges necessary both for their bodies and soules for their bodies giuing them food cloathing physicke in their sicknes ease in their labours and comfort in their troubles to the end that they may beare them with contentment and for their soules also by giuing them doctrine counselle spirituall consolation and good example which may edify them This doe Prelates owe to their Subiects Lords to their Seruants and slaues and fathers to their children Benignity I say doth require that Superiours make prouision of all thinges necessary both for the body and soule of all such as are vnder their charge not sparingly miserably not with disgust and bitternes and vexation of the inferiours but sufficiently and plentifully according to the necessity of the inferiour to the ability and meanes of the Superiour and that they doe it with facility and suauity and with comfort to the inferiour For to this is the office and charge of a Superiour ordeined not for the honour ease and temporall comfort of the Superiour but for the remedy benefit of the inferiour whom he hath in charge So saith Saint Augustine Wee who are Superiours and Pastors of others haue two capacities the one in that we are Christians the other in that we are Superiours and rulers Our being Christians makes for our selues and vnder that capacity we are to looke to our owne profit fit and good but our being Superiours is for the vse of others and for the complying with this duty wee must procure their benefit whom wee haue in charge This is deliuered by Saint Augustine And although it be true that the Superiour as he is a Superiour is not to looke so carefully to his owne temporall profit as to that of his subiect yet doing that which he ought in his office and complying with them whom he hath vnder his charge he doth also negotiate his owne profit dispatcheth his owne businesse best since he purchaseth spirituall and eternall benedictions thereby All Superiours must also exercise this Benignity by imposing the burdens of their imploymēts and commaundements in such sorte as that the inferiours may be able to carry them on with comfort Let them measure out the labours the businesse and the offices wherewith they will charge their subiects by the strength and talents of euery one of them to the end that they may not carry them with deepe sighes nor be forced to faint vnder thē but that they may be able to discharge them with a cheerfull and contented heart And let them moderate their directions and cōmaundments whereby they rule and gouerne according to the capacity and talent of the inferiours that so they disposing thēselues to obey and to doe their duties may performe them with facility and profit of their soules So faith Saint Chrysostome If thou wilt proceed
like a man who indeed is holy be austere and rigorous towards thy selfe and benigne and pitteous towards others and let men see and heare it said of thee that thou commaundest others to doe thinges which are light and easy to be performed and that thy selfe vndergoest heauy and performest hard thinges As for that which concerneth the chastisement and correction of inferiours the vertue of Benignity doth not teach that they should not be corrected for this vertue is not contrary either to that of Iustice or to that of Charity both which oblige Princes that they should correct chastise their vassailes Lords and Masters their seruants slaues parents their children For the Apostle faith of that Superiour who gouerneth the cōmōwealth It is not in vaine that he hath power and authority to punish as we see by the sword he carrieth but it is giuen him vpon great cause and reason and for a great good vse for he is the Minister of God for the punishment of such as doe ill and for the execution of iustice vpō their persons That which Benignity doth teach and exact is this that since correctiō and punishment is necessary and most important for the generall good of the commonwealth and for the particular members therof which is to the end that they who are faulty may amend and the rest may feare punishment and take warning by others it must be executed with that moderation sweetnes which may carry most proportiō to this end as Christ our Lord hath taught vs by his example This moderation sweetnes consisteth in that when the inferiours commit small faultes the Superiours doe not exaggerate and enforce them too much nor correct them with too grieuous punishments but that they moderate their wordes and deedes according to the fault So faith Saint Dorotheus Be not to great nor too seuere a punisher of faultes and defects which are not great And so also when faultes are cōmitted through ignorāce or through great weakenes or vpon some vehement temptatiō and not with malice obserue that moderation in making the reprehension and inflicting the punishment as that you affront not the offender with ill wordes but that the paine he is to suffer may lessen according to the ignorāce and weaknes wherewith the fault was made And sometimes when the person who sinned through ignorance or passion is such as that of himselfe he growes to know his fault and hath much compunction for it and doth cordially put himselfe vpon amendment and that noe hurt or ill example of others groweth by it the vertue of Benignity doth require that the punishment be remitted or moderated at least very much So saith Saint Gregory Some faultes are to be punished very gently for when men sinne not by malice but by ignorance or weakenes it is necessary that the correction and punishmēt be tempered with great moderation And in another place as the fault of them who sinne by ignorance may be tolerated in some sorte so they who commit it wittingly and wilfully must be seuerely punished And that it is more conuenient to pardon a fault sometimes then to inflict punishment the Venerable Bede doth affirme saying Not allwaies are they to be punished who offend for sometimes clemency doth more good both to the Superiour for the exercise of his patience and to the inferiour for his amendment When faultes are great vnexcusable by any ignorance and that it be necessary to inflict due punishment that which Benignity requires is that the Superiour who correcteth and punisheth be not moued to it by anger and passion but that in his heart he haue pitty of the delinquent and that he commit no excesse in punishing but that he temper and moderate it in such sorte as that it may not seeme cruelty or too much rigour for els he who correcteth and punisheth will receiue more hurt by his owne passion and the excesse which he vseth then he who is punished will receiue good So doth Saint Gregory aduise speaking to a Superiour Let such as are good finde by experience that thou art sweet towards them and let such as are euill finde by experience that thou hast zeale in correcting and punishing their faults In which punishment thou art to obserue this order that thou loue the person and that thou abhorre and persecute the vice procuring that the vice may be destroyed that the person may be amended and preserued and according to this let the punishment be moderated in such sorte that it reach not soe farre as to proue cruelty so thou happen to hurt and to loose him whom thou desirest to amend keepe And to the end that the correction punishment may be imposed with that moderatiō which Benignity requires let the Superiout procure that he do it not whilest he findes himselfe angry and altered or enflamed with choler but let him stay till his heart be calme and quiet And before he punish or reproue let him lift vp his heart to God and desire fauour and grace from heauen to the end that he may do it with such moderation as is fit and to such end as he ought which is that the delinquēt may amend and so others may take warning by his example that the diuine Maiesty may be serued and glorified by all This doth S. Dorotheus declare to vs by these wordes Our Predecessors forefathers the holy men did teach vs that if any Superiour being in anger did reprehend his subiect chollerickely in such sorte as reprehending the other he satisfied his owne passion anger it did amount to be a kinde of reuenge and he discouered the vitiousnes of his owne heart wherby he disedified them whom he was to reforme And for this reason it is fit that first he bridle his owne choler and be wholly in the hands of reason before he punish other folkes All this moderation which is necessary to the end that correction and punishment be imposed with Benignity the Apostle teacheth vs speaking thus to his disciple Saint Timothy Argue that is to say conuince such as erre with reasons and authorities and entreate thē also Which is as much as to say admonish the good by way of request and in sweet manner to the end that they may profit such others as are weake and pusillanimous to the end that they may get vp into heart and reprehend and correct the wicked with feruour zeale but yet this you must doe with much patiēce In a word you must correct such as are faulty without shewing your selfe angry or in passion but let them see that you haue a calme and quiet heart THE VI. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse in touching sicke and leprous persons with his owne sacred hands IT belōgeth to Benignity to shew the sweetnes of loue in life and conuersation with men And a great sweetnes of loue it is that a man placed in dignity should drawe neere to
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
going in his company might hould themselues secure inough and that without his will they could receiue no harme and that they ought to make themselues wholly subiect to that will of his But they forgetting all this and distrusting his power and protection would haue hindred his going into Iudea and would needes haue dissuaded him from the resolutioÌ„ which he had taken in that behalfe as if he had been either ignorant of the danger which there he might incurre or impuissant in defending himselfe from the same and they were full of apprehension and feare as if our Lord had not been able to protect them And these defects of theirs being so great our most merciful Lord was not yet offended with them nor did he shew any disgust nor did he reproue them with sharpe wordes for the meane conceit which they had of him but he informed them in sweet termes that there was no danger in his iourney and that they might hould themselues safe in his company by saying thus to them Are there not perhaps twelue houres in the day He who goes by day stumbles not because the day light lets him see the way but he who walkes by night may stumble and fall because he seeth not the light Whereby he would let theÌ„ know that iust as whilest the naturall day lasteth which hath twelue houres of light it is not in the skill or power of any creature to take away or diminish any one of these houres or any part thereof and that during this time a man may walke securely without stumbling or falling iust so as long as that time of his life was to last in this world which had been determined by the will of his eternall Father in which time he was to illuminate the world with his doctrine and by his miracles there was no cause for them to feare for that all the power of the world was not able to take one moment of that time from him and that so both himselfe and al they of his company were very safe With this Benignity did he tolerate their boldnes and cure their rudenes and their want of that faith and confidence which they ought to haue had in our Lord. THE IV. CHAPTER Of other examples of that Benignity which our Lord vsed towards his disciples enduring their imperfections and sweetly curing their ignorances and other defects THE two brothers Saint Iames and Saint Iohn came to Christ our Lord Matt. 10. Luc. 22. to demaund at his hands the two prime dignities of his kingdome and herein they serued them selues of the intercession of their mother Now the rest of the Apostles seeing the pretension of these two grow into indignation against them and were offended and troubled much to see that they would offer to outstrip all the rest and it moued a strife amongst them to know which of all the company was to be the greatest in the schoole and kingdome of Christ our Lord. These faults of the Apostles being so worthy of repreheÌ„sion for faults they were as wee haue declared elswhere in some of them of ambition in the rest of enuy and such faultes in men who had been so long aduised and instructed by the doctrine and example of Christ our Lord which was euer preaching and perswading humility and charity did well deserue to make our Lord offended with them that he should reproue them after a serious and sharpe manner that he should punish theÌ„ seuerely yet our most meeke Lord hauing compassion of their ignorance and rudenes which was the roote from whence those faultes did spring vsed so great Benignity towards them and cured their defects with so great sweernes that as for the two with onely looking vpon them and giuing them answere to that petition which their mother had presented he made them see that fault into which they had fallen by making their mother their intercessour for that suit and by desiring to couer vnder the piety of a mother the inordinate appetite which they had to be preferred before the rest and with onely saying You know not what you aske he corrected and cured all the ambition which they had and so reprehending their fault he did withall excuse them by imputing it not to malice but to the ignorance of men who knew not what was best for themselues And as for the other ten he reformed them also by calling them to him aduertising them that to desire commaund and aduantage ouer others was the vice of Gentiles who lodged not their heart vpoÌ„ heaueÌ„ly but on earthly thinges and that they were not to doe so but to imitate their Lord and Master who came into this world not to be serued by men but to serue them yea and to giue his life for them With this Benignity Christ our Lord did tolerate and cure those so great defects of his disciples So saith S. Chrysostome As those two Apostles did obey the inordinate appetite of flesh blood and did beg of our Lord the two chief seates in his kingdome so also the other ten obeying the like euill inclination of flesh and blood were offended and afflicted by the demaund and pretension of the former two For it was ill done by the two to desire to be preferred before the rest and the rest conceiued it to be an affront to them that the two should be preferred before them And Saint Hierome addeth That our Lord who was al meeke and and humble did not sharpely reprehend that inordinate appetite of honour wherewith those two came to him nor yet the indignation and enuy which the ten conceiued against the two but he treated them and instructed theÌ„ and â—ured them all with supreme Benignity and meeknes The Apostles being in the garden with our Lord the night of his PassioÌ„ he admonished them to remaine watchfull in prayer least otherwise they might fall into that temptation tribulation which was coÌ„ming towards them But they the while laid themselues to sleepe and our Lord hauing been at Prayer and going to visit them and finding that they were fallen a sleepe did wish them a second time to watch and pray and he said Why sleepe you rise vp to watch and pray least els you be ouercome by temptation And hauing giuen them this lesson he returned againe to Prayer and after went to see them a second time and finding them asleepe yet againe he said nothing to them A third time he went to Prayer and a third time he went to see them and finding them still sleeping as being oppressed by the great sorrow they had he said to them sleepe on and take your rest And so he left them for a while till the time was come wheÌ„ his enemies who were to apprehend him were approaching Then he turned towards them said It is enough rise vp let vs goe for the hower is already come wherein the Sonne of maÌ„ is to be deliuered ouer into the hands of sinners This was a
Prophet dy out of Ierusalem so especially is it decreed of this Prophet who for his eminency and excellency is called The Prophet which is the Messias that he shall dy in Ierusalem And as for the rest of the Prophets it hath ordinarily been true and so also it will bee that they haue been put to death and are to dy in Ierusalem because in that Citty the wickednes of thē who gouerne the people doth abound Now Herod who was called Antipas was a very wicked Kinge and very scandalous He was an adulterer and an in cestuous person for he tooke his owne brothers wife from him He was a murtherer a sacrilegious man for he had taken away the life of the great Saint Iohn Baptist and as it should seem he also went about to murder Christ our Lord secretly least the people being instructed by his holy doctrine might growe to abhorre Herods wicked life He was also a most vaine giddy creature for to reward the dance of a girle he promised the one halfe of his kingdome if need had been and he paid the life of Saint Iohn for it He was moreouer a false and dissembling person for he pretended that he murdered Saint Iohn for the complying with his oath whereas indeed that was not the cause but for the contenting of a wicked woman and for the setling and securing of his owne wicked life Now Christ our Lord resoluing to discouer the authority of the Kinge of heauen and earth and of the Lord of al creatures which himselfe had in his hand for the reproofe and punishment of all the powerfull men of this world and to shew how free he was from all humane feare and to giue an example to the Prelates of his Church of that holy liberty which in such case they were to vse towards the Kinges of the earth and to discouer also how vile and contemptible sinnefull men are in the sight of God how rich and noble and great Lords soeuer they might chance to be and particularly meaning to declare to them who bad him take heed of Herod that he knew well enough all the fetches and designes of that crafty man that he had no need to be tould therof by any other I say to declare and discouer all these thinges he spake this word Tell that foxe c. Which was to say vnder a metaphor Tell that crafty and dissembling man who by the wickednes of his life giues a pestilent odour of ill example that whatsoeuer ēdeauour he may vse he can take no part of my life frō mee till my selfe shall voluntarily part with it as I will do when the time ordained by my eternall Father shall arriue Being therefore most conuenient for these ends which wee haue touched that Christ our Lord should speake with this authority of a Lord he did yet obserue great modesty and Benignity therin For he might well haue said Tell that wicked man that adulterer that murderer and sacrilegious person yea or tell it to that diuell for all this had fitted him he deserued it well but Christ our Lord would not vse any of these termes but fell vpon a more moderate word as this was Tell that crafty and dissembling man that he hath no power to stop the course of my life And so shewing the authority and holy liberty which the Prelates of the Church are to vse towardes the great men of this world and discouering also his owne diuine wisedome he did joyntly teach vs that moderatiō wherewith we are to exeroise that authority and liberty Other examples which may breed the like difficulty in the mindes of ignorant men are the reprehensions which Christ out Lord gaue to the Scribes and Pharisees of the people of Israell in very seuere wordes which did greatly confound and grieuously wound them for he would say sometimes as Matt. 12. You generation of vipers you can not speake well being so wicked This wicked adulterous generatiō asketh signes At other times he would say as Matt. 23. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees you hipoctites Wo be to you who are blinde and guides of the blinde And Ioh. 8. You are of the diuell and him you haue for your Father and you cooperate to his wicked ends Now let vs see the mystery of these words of Christ our Lord how they were not contrary to that Charity and Benignity which he taught vs but full of conformity to the same And let vs also see who they be who may vse such wordes and to what kinde of persons for what ends they may be vsed The Scribes and Pharises who were the Doctours and should haue been the true Religious mē of Israell were at that time not onely wicked but wicked they were in all extreamity and their sinnes were very publicke very contrary to all Religion And with being so wicked they yet would needes sell themselues for good and holy and they accompanied their wicked life with ill precepts which were most pernicious to the people For by their wicked life and peruerse directions and with their pretences and deceits they corrupted the manners of ignorant people and they were blind obstinate And besides these sinnes which were ordinary in them they harboured that supreme wickednes of hindering the saluation which Christ our Lord came to worke in the soules of men calumniating his most holy life and attributing to Belzebub those most euident and expresse miracles which he wrought by diuine power and persecuting him to whom they should haue carryed all veneration and exhibited al obedience as to the true Messias and yet desiring and procuring by all the waies they could to put him to death who came to giue thē life These men being such as I haue said it was necessary that Christ our Lord who was sent by his Father to giue testimony to the truth and to take scandalls out of the world and to giue remedy to soules vsing the authority which he had of Sauiour of the world King of heauen should reprehend vice and that concerning publicke sinnes he should reprehend them publickely and that concerning grieuous very hurtfull sinnes he should reprehend them grieuously according to the quality and perniciousnes of the same that so they who were faulty might well feele the great hurt they did and all the rest of the people might be disabused and not haue cause to follow either the ill exāple or ill precepts of their wicked Teachers and gouernours And now that Christ our Lord might execute this so important office for the saluation of soules which was ordeined to the ends of true Charity such reprehensions of his were necessary as might declare the grieuousnes of the hipocrisy and other sinnes of those Teachers and the hurt they did to the people and the damnation which they prouided for themselues by committing such sinnes and he tould them who was the principall Author thereof namely the diuell whom they obeyed and the
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