In learning saith Chrysologus the wise man hath found what hath made him more skilfull The Warriour how to confirme his mind against all dangers The Prince how to gouerne his people with equality Nec aliqua in mundo potest esse fortuna quam literarum non augeat gloriosa notitia Nor can there be any condition in the world which the noble knowledge of learning doth not make more honourable Wherefore Socrates the wisest Philosopher that euer was being demaunded what creature was most excellent made answere Homo doctrina ornatus A man beautified with learning If this be so necessarie and commendable in euery calling how much more in the Minister and Messenger of God who is the eye of the world and as it were a Sunne in the Firmament of the Church to disperse the clouds of ignorance and giue light vnto such as sit in darkenesse And what maruell if wee call such Sunnes when our Sauiour himselfe said vnto such Vos estis lux mundi you are the light of the world Matth. 5.14 For as God in the beginning of the world did set the Sunne and other lights in the heauens to shine vpon the earth so in the firmament of the Church hee hath placed Bishops as Sunnes who onely properly may be said to be Sunnes because while others are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seers 1. Pet. 5.2 they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ouerseers and other teachers as the rest of the lights and starres to enlighten the mindes of men and to impart to others what they haue receiued from God themselues If therefore it belong to a Shepheard to teach his flocke how can he performe this if he hath not learning The Sunne cannot giue light if it be eclipsed no more can a Pastour performe his duetie who is drowned in the deepes of darke ignorance Where the case stands so what can follow but that which our Sauiour himselfe said If the light which is in you be darkenes how great is that darkenes Matth. 6.23 What is there in the whole office of a Shepheard that stands not in great neede of the light of learning for to iudge of the grounds of faith to take away contentions in the Church to decide Controuersies to instruct the people to discerne the Leaper from him that is cleane learning is so necessary that without it he can no more determine any thing then hee that is blinde can iudge of colours Wherefore the Lord purposing to bestowe a benefite vpon his people promiseth them Pastors according to his owne heart who should feed them with knowledge and vnderstanding Ier. 3.15 Which benefite will appeare the greater if we compare it with the contrary for that must needs be a great good the defect wherof is so great an euill And what an euill that is the Prophet Isayah will tell vs who reckoning vp the miseries of the people makes this one that God would take from them the Iudge and the Prophet the prudent and the aged the Counsellor and the eloquent man Isa 3.2 When the Apostle Peter was ready to lay downe his Tabernacle he did appoint that Clement an holy man and very learned should be his successor and gaue commandement that the same Clement should signifie so much in his letters to Iames the brother of our Lord then Bishop at Ierusalem And feare not saith he least hee be much sorrowfull for my death seeing he cannot doubt but that I suffer for righteousnes sake Erit autem ei grande solatium si didicerit quòd post me non imperitus aliquis Primo Tom. Concil aut ignorans Diuini verbi misterium Ecclesiastici ordinis disciplinam vel doctrinae regulam nesciens susceperit Cathedram meam And it will be a great comfort vnto him to know That no Illiterate Prelate ignorant of Gods word and Church discipline That no stranger to Learning and good Arts shall vsurpe my Chaire For he knoweth well that if some rude and vnskilfull Person should take vpon him the place of a Pastour the flocke wandring in the Thickets of ignorance must needes runne headlong to destruction Hitherto are the words of Peter as Clement himselfe relateth them in his Epistle to Iames at Ierusalem how true I cannot tell yet profitable I am sure for our instruction Since it appeares hereby how necessarie a thing Learning is in the place of a Pastor I will therefore passe from this to the next with that good saying of a godly man Ridiculosa res est vel potius periculosa Gilbert speculator caecus Doctor inscius proecursor claudus Praelatus negligens praeco mutus A blind Seer a lame forerunner a negligent Prelate and a dumbe crier is a thing ridiculous or rather dangerous As he must be learned so must he be louing The first makes him able Diligens the second willing Though hee speake with tongues of men and Angels yet if he hath not loue hee is as sounding brasse or a tinkling Cymball 1. Cor. 13.1 And this likewise ariseth out of the notation of the word For it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a Sheepe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to desire earnestly or to seeke for it hath both Which loue how great it should bee who cannot coniecture by Christs thrice iterated Question to Peter Simon Ioannes diligis me plus his c. Iona louest thou me more then these Feede my sheepe Ioh. 21.15 As if he should haue said If thou louest me truely and sincerely if thou desire to glorifie my Name if thou loue my Sheepe as it seemes thou dost whose safetie is more regarded of me then mine owne life if for all the benefits thou hast receiued thou desire to gratifie me in any part and with loue to requite loue feede my Sheepe which I haue fed with my dearest blood for whilest thou feedest those thou feedest me in them thou fats me and dost nourish me and whatsoeuer thou bestowes on them thou conferres on me for I am hee who haue sometime spoken it Mat. 25.40 Whatsoeuer you haue done to the least of these ye haue done it vnto me This loue then of the Shepheard to the Flocke proceedes from the loue which hee beareth vnto Christ for hee doeth not say which is worthy your obseruation If thou loue my sheepe feede them which should seeme a good consequent Cum probatio dilectionis as S. Gregorie saith exhibitio est operis Greg. in Homil. When the proofe of loue is the performance of the worke But he saith Si diligis me If thou loue me feed my sheepe As if hee should say If thou loue me thou oughtest likewise to loue those things that are mine and belong to me and there is nothing more mine then my Sheepe are to whom I haue giuen my flesh for foode and my blood for drinke whom by my death I haue recald to life If therefore nothing bee more
glory that they might be strengthened by his spirit in the inner man Ephe. 3.14 And deepely protesteth to the Romanes calling God to witnesse that without ceasing he made mention of them alwayes in his prayers Rom. 1.9 And he thankes God that without ceasing he had remembrance of his Scholler Timothie in his prayers night and day 2. Tim. 1.3 To these two adde sanctitie of life and no more can be required Operâ— be vnto them that beleeue saith S. Paul to Timothie an example in word and in conuersation 1. Tim. 4.12 For he that saith and doth not is like him who hauing mony can put it to no other vse but to tell it Plutar. de profectu morum which Anacharsis the Scythian somtimes spake of the Grecians who were great Philosophers in words but in life and manners most lewd and light Jn Lacon Plutarch tels a Story to this purpose of a certaine old man who hauing a long time walked vp and down amongst the Grecians at the games of Olimpus and finding no place to rest him in at length he went among the Lacedemonians where not onely all the children did rise to giue him place but many of the men likewise which when the Grecians as many of them as were present and did obserue did with great applause approue of The old man cries out Heâ— misertam Omnes graeci norini quid sit honestum sed eo soli vtuntur Lacedemonii All the Grecians doe know what is honest but the Lacedemonians onely practise it I would not our Shepheards proued Grecians and the flockes Lacedemonians and then that follow which the Lord spoke by his Prophet They that should minister the law knew me not and the Pastors also offended against me Iere. 2.8 Gods ministers are called the salt of the earth and if the salt be vnsauorie Mat. 5.13 wherewith then can it season other things Qui sibi nequam Cui bonus hee that cannot rule himselfe is not fit to rule others They are called lux mundi the light of the world Mat. 5.14 for the example of their vertues If therefore that light be put vnder a bushell how can it enlighten others It was a good saying that of Senecaes Eum elige tibi doctorem quem magis admireris cum videris quam cum audieris Epist 34. make choice of such a teacher as thou maist admire more hauing seene him then when thou heardst him Whose life is more commendable then his learning And therefore Paul commaunds Titus that aboue all things he should show himselfe an example of good workes Titus 2.7 For plus mouent exempla quam verba Examples do moue more then precepts Gregorie and a good life then a good lesson Et facilius homines ad bene faciendum exemplis quam verbis inuitantur Origen and men are incited sooner by works then by words and by liues then by lawes to doe well And this manner of teaching is very admirable and powerfull to inflame the minds of men with a desire to doe well A good souldier Non sentit sua cum benigni ducis contuetur vulnera Bernard feeles not his owne wounds when hee sees the soares of his kinde Captaine Iulius Caesar as Tullie tels it neuer said to his followers Goe but Come for the labour seemes alwaies the lesse when hee that commands cannot be idle Let Shepheards learne to instruct their flockes as Abimilech did his subiects by making himselfe an example who when he had cut downe boughs and bare them on his shoulders spoke to those that were with him Quemadmodum vidistis me facientem ita vos facite As you haue seene me doe so doe you Iudg. 9.48 But as the godly life of good Shepheards is powerfull to perswade the people vnto good So the lewd life of bad Shepheards is of as much or farre greater force to draw them vnto euil since such is our nature that we learne nothing sooner then filthines forget nothing more hardly And therefore saith Saint Gregorie Greg. in past There is no man more daungerous in the Church then hee that liues wickedly and carries a name or degree of sanctitie whereupon saith Saint Austen August lib. de past Omnis qui male viuit in conspectu eorum quibus praepositus est quantum in ipso est occidit He that liues badly in the sight of those ouer whom he is placed as much as in him is is a murderer Wherefore I will conclude this point with that of Saint Bernard to Eugenius Lib. 2. de considerat Monstrosa res est gradus summus animus infimus sedes prima vitaima Lingua magniloqua manus otiosa sermo multus fructus nullus vultus grauis actus leuis caput Canum et cor vanum facies rugosa lingua nugosa ingen authoritas nutans stabilitas And thus much of the Shepheards office Should not the Shepheards feed But whom should they feede Obiectum This is our third part the obiect of the duetie Pasce gregem Non seipsos sed greges Not themselues but the flockes Should not the Shepheards feede the flockes The Elders which are among you I beseech saith S. Peter feede the flocke of God 1. Pet. 5.1.2 Be diligent saith Salomon to know the state of thy flocke and take heede to thy heards Prou. 27.23 Two things there are of speciall moment to persuade hereunto The first whereof is the price the second the perill If we respect the first experience tels vs Praetium that we must regard what we hold deerest we loue most and what is most worth And what I pray you is more precious then the safetie of soules for which the onely begotten sonne of God did not sticke to shed his blood to lay downe his life to humble himselfe to an opprobrious death If the second what is subiect to more apparant dangers Periculum since our life is a warfare as Iob cals it vpon earth In which wee haue to deale with three cruell and bloody enemies The world the flesh and the diuell The first vaine and curious the second fraile and rebellious the third euill and malitious Saint Austine compares our life vnto a sea and such an one Vbi ventus est procellae non desunt tentationum Tract 14. in Ioan. Wherein there are both windes of aduersitie and stormes of temptations And Saint Chrysostome to the Aegean sea where there are venti angustiae Charibdis stagna syrtes winds waues rocks sands very hard to be sayled In the Marsilian sea saith Saint Bernard ex decem nauibus vix vna aliqua periclitatur of ten ships scarce any one is endangered but in the sea of this world often soules scarce any one is saued To be short for I would not likewise trouble you with tediousnesse amongst all the dangers of this world tell me of any either more imminent or eminent then this of
deere to me thē life how much more deere are those for whom I haue humbled my selfe to death The summe then of this is Those that loue Christ will loue his Flocke and those that loue it will feede it And for our encouragement herein Super. Ezech. Gregorie tels vs Quod nullum potest esse Deo gratius sacrificium quam Cura animarum That there can be no Sacrifice more acceptable vnto God then the Cure of soules And this Cure doth God require at euery mans handes who hath a Cure As he did of Moses as Moses himselfe doth witnesse when he Complaines vnto the Lord saying Haue I conceiued all this people or haue I begotten them that thou shouldest say vnto me Carie them in thy bosome as a Nurse beareth the sucking child c. Numb 1.12 In which kind how zealous S. Paul was himselfe can tell vs who thus much is bold to say of himselfe and his fellowes to the Thessalonians We haue beene gentle among you euen as a Nurse cherisheth her children Thus being affectionate towards you our goodwill was to haue dealt vnto you not the Gospel of God onely but also our owne soules because yee were deare vnto vs. 1. Thess 2.8 What is it that a Nurse will denie vnto her child and what will not Paul performe to this people He was ready to doe any thing because he was affectionate his affection made him ready To these two adde the third and that is Prudence he must bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prudens wise and discreet likewise that must be a good Shepheard For as those who are skilfull in Phisickes Art doe not minister all things to all men nor at all times but to euery one according to the qualitie of the disease or the complexion and constitution of the body of the patient So must he that is a healthfull feeder of Gods flocke bee wise to consider the nature of each sheepe and the strength of their stomackes and to minister foode there after to some milke to some flesh Some must haue comminations some consolations some must be gently intreated others seuerely reprehended Sometimes Wine will be necessarie sometimes Oyle sometimes one thing sometimes another This Prudence Paul requires in a Pastor 1. Tim. 3.2 And that good old Abbat alluding to his owne profession Cals it Abbatissam virtutum Bernard The Abbatisse the Lady or chiefe of all vertues which who so wanteth may rightly suspect himselfe since nothing is more necessary by Gods own testimonie Mat. 10.13 Thus are Ministers called Pastors feeders to shew that they must bee like Nurses in abilitie in affection and in discretion Now you that are Shepheards who haue taken vpon you the feeding of Christs flocke which hee with such care committed vnto Peter consequently to you Examine your selues vpon these three Articles whether you be able if able whether willing if willing whether wise enough to discharge so great a charge whilst I set this Shepheard which I haue brought into the field thus furnished to attend on his Office Next to the Title followed the Duety which is Pascere to feede what is he Officium and what call you him sayeth one in the Dialogue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in Mino◠who is excellent in feeding a flocke of sheepe Answere is made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Shepheard the name is taken from the office hee therefore that fulfilleth not the one cannot challenge the other He must feede that would be called a Feeder and the necessitie of this Consequent was to Dauid an occasion of great comfort for calling God his Shepheard hee triumphs in it and hee giues this reason he can therefore want nothing God will feed him in greene pastures Psal 23.1.2 This is a large field and the further I walke in it the more subiect I am to wander I will therefore follow the path wherein Saint Bernard hath trod and take him to be my guide who vpon those words of our Sauiour vnto Peter Serm. 2. Resurr domini pasce oues meas Feed my Sheepe hath these pasce mente pasce ore pasce opere and then expounds himselfe pasce animi oratione verbi exhortatione exemplï exhibitione Feed with prayer feed with preaching feed with thy life and godly conuersation These as the three former doe well together but being a sunder profit little The most precious foode of the soule is the word of God Pasce ore This is that which perisheth not but endureth vnto euerlasting life Iohn 6.27 And this is conferd vpon the flocke by the action of preaching wherein how industrious the Apostles were none that are conuersant in the Scriptures can be ignorant What was the great charge giuen by S. Paul to his Scholler Timothie was it not to preach the word to bee instant in season and out of season to improue rebuke and to exhort with all long suffering and doctrine 2. Tim. 4.2 This he was to performe as he would answere before the tribunall seat of God when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed And this he confirmes with his owne instance when being to depart from Ephesus he committed the keeping of Gods flocke vnto the Elders of the Church with this memento Remember that by the space of three yeeres I ceased not to warne euery one both night and day with teares Acts 20.31 To whom was it said but to Shepheards Negotiamini dum venio Labour till I come Luke 19.13 Quod profecto negotium tunc verè nos agimus Libr. 2. Epist 39. Si viuendo loquendo proximorum animas lucramur saith Saint Gregorie which businesse wee surely then performe if by our preaching and liuing we gaine the soules of men if wee rebuke and reproue such as are obstinate if we comfort the penitent if we strengthen the weake heale the infirme bind vp the broken seeke what is lost and bring againe what was driuen away by the example of the good Shepheard Ezech. 34.16 As they must preach so must they pray for when they haue studied the word diligently Mente preached it purely exhorted gently reproued sharpely and laboured euery way sincerely to what end will all this come Paul may Plant Apollo may Water but it is God that must giue the increase 1. Cor. 3.6 As therefore Shepheards are the mouth of God to speake vnto the people so must they be the peoples mouth to pray vnto the Lord And herein wee haue our Sauiour himselfe for an example who albeit he was very God aswell as man and had power of himselfe to sanctifie the eares and hearts of his hearers and to make his preaching as profitable as himselfe listed yet he prayed to his Father both for himselfe and them Iohn 17.9 Whose example the Apostles followed Paul did bend his knees for the Ephesians As himselfe professeth vnto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that he would grant them accorcording to the riches of his