that is of the sinnes of others hastily and rashly to step forth and censure the secret infirmities of others which can not be so easily discerned as the Leprosie of the body This kinde of iudgement is oposite to Christian charitie which if we be Gods children should shine forth amoÌ„gst vs it springeth from a two fould pestilent roote First because a man himselfe is wicked hee iudgeth others to be like himselfe neither can any iudge better of another then he doth of himselfe Qualis quisque tales et â—liot iudis at As the man is so he iudgeth of others The coueteous man that iâ— aconstomed in buying and selling to deceiue suspecteth all others in the same The Adulterâ—â— and carnall liuer easily misdeemeth others So impure Nero was perswaded Neâ—â—â—em 〈◊〉 pudicum saith Suttoniâ—â— that no man liued honestly Mala mens malâ—s animâ—â— An euill conscience hath euer an euil surmising minde Secondly rash iudgement proceedeth of hatâ—ed and euill will for of him whom a man hateth or enuieth vpon the least signes hee is ready to iudge euill and condemne him Euery one is easily perswaded in the thing that he desueth Such was Simon the Pharises iudgement vpon Christ Luk. 7.39 for that hee suffered himselfe to be touched of the sinfull woman This rash iudgement is caused of the long experience of the manners of men that when they haue oftentimes sâ—â—â—â— men fall into many sinnes they are in duced thereby vpon very light occasions or surmises to condemne their brethren But it should not so be if wee be truly graâ—ted into Iesus Christ charity will measure all our thoughts and actions Loue saith the Apostle thinketh not euill 1 Cor. 13 5 vnto the pure are all things pure Tit. 1.15 but vnto them that are defilled vnbeleeuing iâ— nothing pure but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled And is euen as the swine which are euer rooting in dyre dung so an euill and filthy minde is alway plodding vpon filthy things and hee that is affected with wicked desires loueth to be rubbing the same vpon another either that he might iustifâ—â— his owne faults by the comparison of other mens or at the lestwise by reason of the multitude of offendours make his owne through society seeme light Euen as they that can finde little to doe at home are often walking and gadding abroade so when men are negligent in examining their owne liues they are curious in scanning and iudging the dooings of others men Non iudicat personalitor qui diligit aqualiter saith S. Augustine in his thirtieth sermon vpon Iohn For we iudge according to the person and not according to the matter because wee are accepters of persons and loue not the person of him whom weiudge But shall I set thee downe a rule whereby to examine thy iudgement whether it proceede from reason or from some corrupt passion Before thou condemnest thy brother Imagine the fact which thou dislikest to be done by some other whom thou louest or transferre it vpon thy selfe suppose thou thy selfe hadst done it And if the fact doth yet displease thee then it is reason and not thy passion that iudgeth But if now thou canst â—igest and brooke it without any distast well enough or with Menius in the Pâ—â—t say Egomet mihi iguâ—sco I pardon my selfe and count it no fâ—ult in thy selfe surely thy iudgement is corrupt some depraued affection hath deceiued thee It is a law among the good Merchants to be coparmeâ— as well in their losse as in their gaine so should it be in the society of the faithfull For euen as charity maketh an others good her owne and so gaineth much so mercy maketh also anothers euill her owne by a fellow feeling of others miseries according to this of the Apostle Reioyce with them that reioyce Rom. 12.16 weepe with them that weepe and be of like affection one towards another But on this iron and flinty age of the world where are now become the bowels of mercy louing kindnes This simpathy of affection one towards another which was amongst the Christians of ancient time which were of one heart and one soule Acts. 4. in what angle of the world almost shall we find them Shall we locke them as one once sought for a good man in the temples among the tombes of the dead For surely such is in these daies the depriuation of manners from that which was in our fore-fathers daies that we may truly say as the wise man did once Quos fugiam scio quos sequar non video whom to beware of I know but whom I should follow I see not Nothing in Christian society is worse or more troublesome then such kind of vncharitable censurers of their neighbours who as it were violently divulge lay open mens secrets pull from them the best ornament of their good name and cast out of their vncleane mouths all the filth and corruptions of their brethren that is their faults and infirmities That therefore we may the better beware how we commit this odious sinne I will here set downe some remedy against this peruerse and dangerous disease of rash iudgement First if our neighbour haue done or said any thing we should not rashly iudge or condemne it interpret calumniate or touch his credit for wee know not whether the report be true sometimes this or that may be fastned on a good man It was a goulden counsaile of the wise man Eclesicus 19.10.11.15 If thou hast heard a word against thy neighbour Let it die with thee and be sure it will not burst thee A foole traueleth with a word as a woman with childe Tell thy friend his fault for often times a slander is raised and giue no credit to euery word Secondly though a thing be done or spoken as wee thinke amisse yet we are ignorant of the causes and occasions why then doe we exaggerate and iudge of things vnknowne Good workes are manifest and thâ—se that are otherwise cannot be hid that is a man may many times doe that which is good and right but thou knowest not by and by his intent yet afterwards thou maist find that he did well Thirdly consider that if thou hadst bin in the place of thy neighbour at that time thou wouldst perhaps haue done as he did Digito courpesce labellum Put thy finger to thy mouth 1 Cor. 4.5 lest thou be iniurious to thy self Iudge nothing saith the Apostle before the time And S. Iames willeth vs â—ames 4. not to speake euill arte of another And againe the Apostle Paul giueth this counsaile Let vs not Iudge one another any more Rom. 14.13 but vse our Iudgement rather in this that no man put a stumbling blocke before his brother Pasquils and Libels are not to be cast forth as the heathenish manner of some is for who appointed thee a iudge of thy brother Fourthly if thou findest a defect in thy brother suppose that vnder that
same paine and griefe if any one yea but the meanest sufferany thing the rest are also pertakers thereof For whosoeuer trippeth at the toe his purpose is to bring the head to the ground If therefore we haue the loue that ought to be in the hearts of Christians we cannot chuse but in some part as hauing a fellow feeling of the miseries of our brethren be ready to helpe them and relieue them and to doe workes of mercy toward them And herein Iobs friends may be commended vntovs Iob. 2.11 It is said that hauing heard of the misery wherin Iob was suddēly cast they came to him not as the common custome is to bid him be of good cheere and wee hope you shall doe well feare not we will helpe you the best wee can c. but they came to lament with him they wept with him they rent their clothes and sat downe with him mourning they hearing their friends woe would let him know they were touched with it and therefore they shew it by weeping wayling and lamenting in the dust making his cause theirs so neere as might be And surely hee that is throughly and sensibly affected with other mens miseries will be very ready and willing to relieue them and to doe workes of mercy to them But for want of this partaking of other mens griefes it commeth to passe that men be so hardly drawne and haled to any worke of mercy that it must be pulled from them by maine strength yea by many forcible arguments reasons and inducements must they be constrained to it before they will yeelde there vnto and when all is done they bestow a thing of no valew nothing to the purpose yea they that are bountifull enough in matters of lust and vanity in playes vaine shewes gaming wantonnesse and the like are so sparing in works of merey that one can hardly wring a penny from them by all the perswasions he can make But why should they be so slow and vnwilling Surely because they neither haue nor will haue any sense of other mens griefes but put away al consideration and regard of these things and giue themselues wholly to pleasure In those matters which will cost them many teares much lamentation great griefe of hart bring them no good hereafter but much sorrow they care not how farre they run and what charges and expences they be at but for visiting the sicke duties of compassion and workes of mercy such as will further their soules and doe good to the church and Saints of God they come off so slowly heauily as though all were lost that were that way bestowed And thus it falleth out because their heartes are mercilesse and voide of compassion Whereas affliction should makes v◠more mexciful pittifull and compassionate towards others as hauing our selues endured the like crosses and miseries and our hearts which are hard in themselues should be softned and made the more tender and in fellow feeling of their griefes more ready and willing to yeeld vnto them any comfort refreshing Thus those who haue beene sicke are apt to pitty those most whom they see payned with the like diseases Those who haue bin imprisoned do more readily compassionate and accordingly helpe and relieue those who are restrayned Those which haue beene pinched with penury and paine with hunger doe aboue others pitty them who being poore want foode to feede them and clothes to couer them Now therefore to conclud this point in as much as in this life there is nothing certaine it being often incident for men to flourish in a moment and on a sudden to be plunged into the pit of miserable pouerty or a affliction Neither is there any man that would refuse comfort when occasion necessitie doth require it why then should wee with-hold that from our brethren which wee should expect at their hands towards our sclues if neede were Let vs therefore be merifull towards others as we would expect the mercy of God toward our selues And thus much touching the first worke of mercy to the body Poto Cibo THe Second and third worke of mercy to the body consists in giuing bread and drinke and other foode to such as want it These two are as twins which may not be parted touching which duty S. Rom. 12.20 Paul saith If thine enemy hunger feede him If he thirst giue him drinke If thine enemy much more thy friend yet such is the hard hartednesse of the age and time wherein wee liue that charity is not extended to a friend nay scarce to a brother how then shall an enemy expect any fauour Neuerthelesse the spirit of God reacheth vs by the mouth of Salo mon. To cast our bread vpon the waters Eccle. 11.1 2.3.4 for after many dayes we shall finde it Giue a portion to 7 and also to 8. for thou knowest not what euill shall be vpon the earth As if he should say be liberall to the poore for though it seeme to be as a thing ventred on the sea yet it shall bring thee profit If the cloudes bee full they will poure forth raine vpon the earth As the clouds so the rich that haueal oundance should distribute liberally If the tree fall toward the South or toward the North in the place that it falleth there it shal be Be beneficiall there fore whilest you liue for after life there is no power He that obserueth the winde shall not sow and hee that regardeth the clouds shall not reape So he that feareth inconueniences when necessity requireth shall neuer doe his duty And thus you see Salomon in this Metaphoricall speech stirreth vp the people of God to the workeof mercy liberality towards such as are with misery and want afflicted What we should giue he sheweth when hee saith Cast thy bread by which word bread he signifieth all kinde of foode and meate for the preseruation of the life of man or necessary to the reliefe suslentation of our needy and distressed brethren We are bound therefore to giue whatsoeuer is requi sit to supply the want of such as are in neede necessity There is also an Emphasis to be obserued in this word Cast the latine word Mitte signifieth to send any thing as if the almes wee giue to the poore were sent by them into heauen So it is reported of Laurence the Martir who hauing distrito the poore the treasures which Sextus left him āswe red Decius the Emperour in this māner The treasure of the Church which thou requirest In celestes The sauros manus pau perū deportauerunt the hands of the poore haue carried them into the heauēly treasury If we will then lay vp our corne our garmēt our money in a safe place where the the eues cānot steale thē the mothes cate nor the rust consume them letys send them to heauen by the hands of the poore where weshall be fure to haue thē safe kept that which we cānot carry with
the mercilesse and such as haue heene negligent in the workes of charitie into eternall fire Of earefull sentence to be tormented with the Diuell and his Angels Oh that this sentence were continually sounding in our eares But you are to note that these workes of the faithfull are not here set downe as the causes whereby men merit saluation but because these workes of charity are the infallible fruits of our faith to shew the same to be liuely and working through loue Gal. 5.6 and so consequently the markes and signes of our election and that way wherein God would haue vs to walke towards the possession of his heauenly Kingdome Many men pretend many excuses that they may not giue some for feare of diminutiō of their goods that if they extend liberally to the poore they themselues shall want others cut of their bounty to the poore vnder pretence of prouiding for their children that they may leaue them the richer but what is this else but to distrust God then not to be lieue his word then not to trust him vpon his promise Hath not truth it selfe said which cannot lie Pro. 28.27 Hee that giuth to the poore shall not want Luke 6.38 Likewise doth not our Saniour Christ say Giue and it shall bee giuen you a good measure pressed downe shaken together and running ouer shall men giue into your bosome And doth not God assure thee that this honouring of God with thy substāce Pro. 3.9 shal be so far from diminishing thy wealth That it shall fill thy barnes with aboundance And doth not the Apostle confirme this 2 Cor. 9.10 That God will multiply your seede and increase the fruite of your benenolence If thou wouldest prouide for thy children what better course canst thou take then that which S. Ciprian giueth If thou hast many children be the more carefull by distributing to the poore to leaue them Gods blessing commit to his custody the goods thou wouldest lay vppe for thy children make God their tutor and protectour and so shalt thou be sure to haue them safe kept Otherwise thy niggardlinesse and sparing frōthe poore to make them rich what is it else but a subuersion of thy selfe thy house and thy children We are all not Lords but Gods stewrds of the goods commited to our charge and the poore be but Gods receiuers which come to receiue Gods blessings at our hands to deny then to pay vnto thee poore which beare Gods Image that which we owe vnto God what is this but an heinous theft and an intollerable sacriledge Christ saith saith S. Augustine giue vnto mee of that which I haue giuen thee I aske but mine owne giue and restore thou hast found me liberall make me thy debtor thou giuest vnto me temporall things I render vnto thee eternall Surely there is nothing more dishonoureth God then disobedience and distrust in his prouidence and promises for it deroguteth from his goodnes as if he would suffer vs to want if we obey his will Euen as mothers which haue many small children haue ouer bread by them that they may giue vnto their children when they craue so our God aboundeth with all treasures of goodnesse and is ready to impart vnto those that serue him and craue at his hands As did the Leaper Mat. 8. Master if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Then would the Lord presently answer I will be thou cleane thou shalt haue sufficient thou hast obeyed my will in giuing reliefe vnto the poore I will not faile thee Luk. 16.9 nor for sake thee Make you friends saith Christ of the unrighteous Mammon that when you shall want they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations Damasoene telleth a tale of the rich mans three friends his goods his kinsfolkes and his workes of charity His goods when he dieth can afford him but a shrowding sheete a few mourners and so forsake him his kinsfolke follow him to the graue and there leaue him but his almesdeedes and vertues neuer forsake him This this I say is the friend wee should most regard and as for the drosse of the world and all other friends we must leaue them and they will forsake vs. And surely there is nothing more effectuall to the good of a family then when the Master of it opens his hands aboundantly with all plenty of good workes of mercie I will therefore conclude this fift-branch with this saying Who helpes the poore and pittieth the oppressed He liues to God and doubtlesse dieth blessed Let vs therefore be merciful as our heauenly father is mercifull And thus much touching the fift worke of mercie to the body Colligo THe sixt worke of mercy to the body consisteth in lodging the harbourlesse and in the entertaining of strāgers And this the Apostle cōmendeth vnto vs saying Receiue yee one another Rom. 15.7 as Christ also receiued vs to the glory of the father But so great was the loue of Christ that he sticked not to offer vp his body and bloud as a liuely sacrifice to God the father for our attonement and reconciliation How great then should ou◠Christian loue be one towards another to further the good one of another to relieue the wants necessities one of another The Apostle to the Hebrewes calleth to vs with a remembrance Heb. 13.2 saying Be not forgetfull to entertaine strangers for thereby some haue entertained Angels into their house vnawares Wherein he eanswereth an obiection made by many saying I could be willing to entertaine any honest man but I did not remember that any stranger past by my dore at any time vnregarded Did you not And why I pray you would you be so forgetfull can you tell to whom you denied entertainement and vpon what occasion they trauailed this way Gen. 19.1.2 For had not Let entertained the two Angels when hee saw them he might peraduonture haue had his destruction amongst them of Sedom Gomorrah 1 Kings 17 10.22 Had not the widdow of Sarcphath enter tained Elias neither could she haue continued her meale in her barrel nor her oyle in her cruse neither had her sonne dying bin restored to life Iosua 2.1 And Rahab had not saued her selfe her household neither could she haue obtained this priuiledge that afterwards Christ Iesus according to the flesh should haue come of her stocke posterity if she had not entertained and defended with the hazard of her owne life those spies which Iosua sent It is recorded that the Lucans had a law which condemned that man to be sined which suffered a stranger to passe vnlodged after the sunne was downe And surely were the like law in England practised vpon our Inhoulders and victualling houses our poore trauailers should be better respected For albeit the law tolerate those houses rather for the reliefe of strangers then for the maintenance of drunkards and other shifting mates Let a trauailer neuer thelesse be his occasion neuer so