the appointing how they shall bee disposed and will call vs to account of our stewardship who hath appointed the poore a part therefore without this we can bring in no good bils of account Wee must not be like the Gyants den that haue all the footings comming to vs and none from vs. As that rich churle that comming ouer among his Tenants at the halfe yeare a poore body askt him a penny No hee told them hee came to receiue money and not to giue the contrary had beene better sense and reason a great deale Else how can we shew our selues thankfull to God that hath made vs able to giue that might haue made vs receiuers the tayle as well as the head it being in his hand to make poore or rich and there being nothing in vs to moue him to giue vs the better part It s a great honour to bee the Almners of the King of Heauen and Earth and that to those that bee not our owne flesh onely but may bee such as belong to the Kingdome of God as well as our selues If wee should see an Oxe or Asse in misery ready to famish or lying vnder the burden wee ought to pitie and helpe them how much more our Christian Brother It s honour enough that wee may bee giuers and lenders though wee keepe not all to our selues It s good manners for them that sit at the vpper end of the Table when they haue cut well to set downe some to them that sit below that all may goe away satisfied and praise the Master of the Feast 4 By our liberalitie and mercifull dealing wee shall bring much glory to God for we shall cause many thanks to bee giuen him from the poore 2 Cor. 8. and make them more to depend vpon God and to speake good of his dispensing of things that though hee hath appointed some to bee poore yet hath also commanded the rich to haue respect vnto them 5 Wee shall doe them a great deale of good whom we relieue First to their bodies feeding their hungry bellies clothing their naked loynes refreshing their bowels Or by lending we set them to their worke whereby they may get to liue of Next to their soules keeping them from murmuring impatience theft discontent if they haue no goodnesse in them it s the way to breake their hearts and to bring them to good or else to conuince them at least if they haue any good wee shall comfort their hearts strengthen their faith and make them serue God much the more cheerfully But especially we shall doe our selues a great deale of good First wee shall procure many prayers of the children of God for vs. which is no small benefit 2 Tim. 7. and the three last verses the third Epistle of St. Iohn the first and second verses St. Paul prayeth earnestly in the one place for Onesiphorus and St. Iohn in the other for Gaius his host and such prayers be not in vaine Besides wee bring vpon our selues a great many blessings God hauing made such promises of blessing to this Duty rightly performed Wee prouide well for our outward estate for he that soweth liberally shall reape liberally and with encrease God hath giuen his Word for requitall Pro. 19 17. So that we haue God in our Cupboard for it as wee may say with holy reuerence he is the Poores Suretie whose word is better than any mans bond Heauen and Earth must be empty ere hee will faile to pay He that findes seede to the sower will supply to such 2 Cor. 8. His righteousnesse shall endure for ouer Psal. 112. God will not put him out of his Farme that payes his Rent so well but blesse his stocke and store his crop and increase Deut. 15. 10. Eccles. 7. 1. Yea hee will blesse them not in their goods onely but in their names they shall haue loue and a good report which is better than a good ointment and than much siluer and gold Prou. 22. 1. How fresh and sweete is Maries name still for her ointment poured out and Gaius whose name is vsed when wee speake of a bountifull man to the people of God he is a Gaius we say Yea God will blesse such in their soules Prou. 11. 17. Isa. 58. from verse 8. on forward Matth. 5. the mercifull shall obtaine mercy As on the contrary God will not heare the prayer of the vnmercifull man Isa. 1. 15. Prou. 21. 13. Hee that stops his eare at the cry of the poore c. Nay God will not blesse the mercifull man in this world onely but at the resurrection of the Iust Luke 14. when they shall heare this comfortable and most sweet word Come ye blessed c. because he counts it as done to himselfe and will we not giue to God that giues all nor to Iesus Christ that spared not his life for vs If we say Yes to God or Christ wee will giue any thing else God forbid God takes it done to himselfe that is done to any of his Whereas the Lord will plague both here and hereafter the vnmercifull man here as Nabal whom he strucke that he dyed and the Foole Luke 12. that had all for himselfe neuer mentions any body else was strucke with sodaine death and hereafter as the rich glutton Luke 16. for no couetous or vnmercifull man shall euer come in the Kingdome of heauen but there shall bee iudgement without mercy to them that shew no mercy they that will not giue crumbs of bread on earth shall be denyed drops of water in hell Nay God wil not only blesse the liberall and mercifull man himselfe but his posterity after him Psalme 37. 26. The sonne of a Tennant that paid his rent duely shall not be put out his of Farme Whereas God will curse the posterity of vnmercifull men and plucke from them the poores portion which their wicked fathers vnconscionably hoarded vp among their owne God will let the extortioner catch him or giue him vp to a riotous wastefull course that shall consume all one way or other God will draw it out of his belly and he oft dyes in misery whose father had no mercy Therefore howsoeuer they haue a Prouerbe Happy is that son whose father goes to the Deuill yet it s most wicked and false for euen for outward happinesse they misse of it except it be some odde one that by Repentance breakes off and heales his fathers sinne by mercifulnesse to the poore So that euery way a mercifull man prouides well for himselfe furthers his reckoning and brings a great heape of blessings vpon himselfe and his But an vnmercifull cruell man is well called a miserable man for of all men a couetous man is most miserable in goods name soule and posterity here and hereafter Vse 1. This rebuketh a number of cruell and vnmercifull and hard hearted men of whom there are euery where some seen True the Gospell God bee thanked hath preuailed with many and they shew forth some good fruits
cursed generation of idle and sinnefull Varlets which seeing God hath maruellously and mercifully rid vs of what encouragement should it be to vs to relieue our owne true poore And for lending where is this in vse but rather as if God had neuer giuen precept of it or as it were a Statute repealed and that is out of date so is this duety of lending That cursed and cruell trade of Vsury hath eaten vp and banisht out of the Country this Christian duety of free-lending Some rich men are so grim and so austere as a poore man dares not speake to them for such a thing And indeede how few be there that haue any thing to lend at any time Some lend out all so neare to Vsury as they haue not to lend but borrow rather Or if a poore man doe any worke for them they cannot pay them of a good while they be so bare For as soone as any money comes in it must out againe straight as if it would burne a hole in the Cupbord or would be halfe an vndoing to them if it lay there but a weeke or two Others are euer purchasing and so keep themselues bare and in debt and then they whine at euery charge and wrangle at rates and are neuer fit or ready to lend or to any good vse Such bring a curse vpon themselues making themselues borrowers when they might bee lenders Deut. 28. 44. Others be so miserable as though they haue it yet they will not lend So for the last duety of neighbourly dealing inuiting visiting these are decayed so that we may beleeue in all these respects these be the times foretold Matth. 24. 12. wherein Loue should waxe cold Yet indeede there is a great deale of counterfeit loue of fauning crouching and congeying of pot-companionship and ioyning together in euill A great deale of selfe-loue also making others faults great and our owne small or none nay sometimes making them vertues extenuating and making light of the vertues of others highly esteeming our owne seeking our selues in all our dealings and courses with little regard of our neighbours which selfe-loue the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 2. foretels shall be in the last times and sets it in the fore-front as the cause of many other euils that follow Now let euery man examine himselfe in particular touching these things and so make vse to his owne soule for comfort or the contrary But who shall not finde himself failing in euery one of them whereby we haue much cause to be humbled and the courses of the common sort are wholly contrary to all these properties of true Loue whereby they may conclude fearfully against themselues CHAP. 5. Causes of the want of Loue to our Neighbour NOw to this end that euery man may the better see how to mend that that is amiss let vs a little look into the causes of this want of Loue and what are the hinderances of the fruits thereof The maine and generall cause is an euill heart pestered with selfe-loue and many lusts that be contraries to Loue. 1 More particularly Want or weaknesse of Faith is one great cause When our Sauiour Christ told his Apostles they must for giue till seuenty times seuen times what said they Luke 17. 4 5. Increase our Faith Assurance of Gods loue to vs in pardoning our many sins and giuing his Son Iesus Christ and assurance of eternall Life makes vs loue againe and both to giue and forgiue which are two principall dueries and fruits of Loue. Pride and the following Vices are hinderers of the exercise of Loue. 2 Pride whereby men thinke highly of themselues and meanly of others thinke they may speake or doe any thing but others may doe nothing to them Onely by pride doe men make contentien Prou. 13. 10. Humblenesse causeth loue Ephes. 4. 2. Pride makes men think themselues so wise and good as euery body should say as they say doe as they doe and after a sort doe homage to them if they doe not then the peace is broken straight Pride will not endure a reproofe therefore being told of a fault they fall out deeply as Ioash with Zechariah Ahab and Iezabel with Eliah Herod with Iohn 3 Couetousnesse is another this makes men contend for trifles the least dammage done him is thought so great looking on it in a false glasse as its sufficient to breake Loue and cause a suite It causeth men to oppresse to vse false weights sleights c. It hinders both mercy to the poore and all other neighbourly offices of inuiting and the like 4 Enuie hinders Loue exceedingly When one enuies at the prosperity of another in whatsoeuer kinde of temporall or spirituall good things As Labans sons did at Iacob which changed their countenances towards him and made him weary of his place Cain that enuied that Abels sacrifice was better accepted than his and Esau that Iacob was blessed Ismael that Isaac was the son of the Promise what breach of Loue and wofull fruits followed of all these 5 Frowardnesse shortnesse of spirit breakes Loue very oft for angry words stirre vp strife Prou. 15. 1. 6 These dayes of peace are an occasion through mens corruption that men grow hollow and strange and to set light by one another Troubles cause men to make much of each other and cling together as the sheep that out of danger and in a faire day scatter themselues ouer a field in a storme or when they see a dog come run all together These and such like be wofull causes of the want of Loue which also bring forth as lamentable effects euery where both in Church and Common-wealth What wofull breaches hideous contentions what hard measure and wrongs are offered what enmities and oppositions to the hazzard of the Church danger of the Common-wealth and ouerthrow of the prosperity of many Parishes What ruine brings this want of Loue vpon many Families And among particular persons what breakings out both in word and deed to the dishonour of God Religion the vndoing each other many times both in soule and state to the disgrace of the Gospell and ill example of the beholders and hurt to their own soules by keeping them from and disabling them for the right performance of holy dueties which cause cold prayers and those not heard and hereby eyther kept from the Sacrament as many times it is Oh fearfull thing to bee spoken or else slubber it ouer and come with festered hearts and so lose the benefit nay by such vnworthy comming they prouoke the wrath of God and eate their condemnation as much as in them lyeth but oft times they eate and drink their iudgement a sore sicknesse and may be their owne death or the death of wife or some childe that is deare to them to teach them and others by their example the price of such boldnesse Now seeing these things bee so the Lord giue vs euery one hearts where we finde our selues faulty to humble our selues
but yet loue their persons and pray God to open their eyes and turne their hearts Obiect 2. God bade the Israelites kill the Cananites man woman and childe and spare none Answ. If God bade them hate them they had a warrant so to doe for wee must loue our enemies in God and for God and not against God and wee must obey his commandement But God bade them not hate them but kill them and so they might doe and yet wish well to them and pity them The same may be said of all iust warres wee may hate the bad cause of our enemies ouerthrow their enterprizes and slay their persons and yet pity them and pray for their saluation As the Magistrate also that puts a malefactor to death for his offence and to terrifie others by his example yet hates him not but desires that his bodily punishment may be an occasion to bring him to Repentance to the sauing of his soule and therefore giues him godly counsell grants him respit and time sends Preachers to him to labour with him So in the other And thus much of Gods enemies Besides these we may haue priuate enemies that be vpon occasion fallen out with vs that hate and hurt vs and haue done vs wrong and seeke our mischiefe These our enemies wee must loue and of these principally as also of Gods curable enemies is our speech to be vnderstood in all that followes We must loue our enemies that is we must carry a tender affection towards them as desiring their good wishing saluation to their soules and outward prosperity so farre as may stand with Gods glory and their good reioycing at their welfare and grieuing at the contrary and this wee must shew forth by all signes and fruits of good vsage euery way which are referred Mat. 5. 44. to these three heads first Blesse them that is speake kindly to them and of them secondly Doe good that is be readie to helpe and relieue them and lastly Pray for them that hate and persecute you euen pray to God to pardon them and to turne their hearts And thus are we to doe to those that be neuer so deadly set against vs yea and neuer so wrongfully And marke that in this last cited place wee are first bidden to oue them the beginning must be in the affection of the heart that so the other dueties required may be performed and that in a right manner without which the one or the other or both will faile and then that wee must not say wee loue them onely but shew it by the fruits Rom. 12. 20. If thine enemy hunger feed him c. ouercome euill with goodnesse Prou. 24. 17. we are forbidden to reioyce at our enemies fall eyther into sinne or punishment Thus Dauid put on sackcloth fasted and prayed when his enemies were in affliction Elisha bade the King set bread water before his enemies and them that came to take the Prophet 2 Kings 6. So did our Sauiour Christ to his Precept Matth. 5. ioyne his Patterne not onely not reuenging as St. Peter saith being reuiled he reuiled not againe being persecuted he threatned not but on the contrary prayed for them that put him to death Father forgiue them they know not what they doe Thus he spake kindly to Iudas when he betrayed him with a kisse and called him Friend Matth. 26. 50. Thus Steuen prayed for his persecutors euen in the act of their stoning of him Lord lay not this sinne to their charge Acts 7. at the end Now listen to some Reasons to moue vs to this difficult duety and the Lord make them powerfull to perswade vs thereto First They be our owne flesh Isa. 58. 7. therefore wee are not to hurt them nor turne away our face from them to do them good Secondly they haue some part at least of Gods Image in them in their soule being an immortall spirit in the Maiesty of their face aboue all creatures in their authority they beare or age or gifts or the like Thirdly our Sauiour Christ commands it But I say vnto you Mat. 5. 44. The Scribes and Pharisees had taught they should loue their friends and hate their enemies But our Sauiour Christ the Law-maker and so the truest Interpreter thereof the Doctor of his Church hee of whom the Father bade from heauen heare him Matth. 17. 5. who is also our Lord and King bids vs loue our enemies So that if hee may be heard who is onely to be heard and if his authority and commandement may beare sway with vs that only ought to command our consciences then must wee doe so So that though Scribes and Pharisees say Loue friends and hate enemies though the Deuill say so flesh and bloud say so and doe so yet there is another to be heard against all these But I say vnto you c. Let vs therefore listen to his voice Fourthly so shall wee be the children of God and be like him who makes his sunne to shine and raine to fall on the iust and vniust and besides many outward mercies giues them the Gospell to call them to repentance And euen loued vs when we were his vtter enemies and when as hee might haue glorified himselfe in our condemnation yet he so loued vs as he gaue his own deare Sonne to redeeme vs and hath effectually called diuers of vs to the Faith of his Son Iesus Christ and the hope of eternall life Oh Loue vnspeakeable to bee shewed to enemies Now what should we desire and is our happinesse but to be like him Now when wee can loue our enemies indeed it will be a certaine euidence wee are the children of God a signe we loue God dearly when wee can doe this difficult thing for his sake And a signe of much grace to mortifie the rebellion of our nature that lusteth to the quite contrary And wee can haue no mark we are the Lords except wee can doe this in some measure and striue after it more and more Fifthly Gods people must doe singular things such as the world cannot attaine to Now euery Publican ciuill person hypocrite can loue his friends and hate his enemies but we must doe more God hath shewed vs singular mercy therefore we must yeeld him singular obedience and shew forth the power of his grace that is in vs. We must not be singular in conceits opinions and courses of our owne deuising but wee must be singular in obeying such commandements of God as the world will not be brought vnto and to reproach vs for such singularity shewes them to bee of this world that doe it Sixthly this hath reward from God so hath not louing them onely that loue vs which is selfe-loue wee shall haue their loue still its like and there is the reward we are like to haue but in louing our enemies we shall haue a reward Prou. 25. 22. not of merit but of promise for our encouragement Seuenthly we are commanded Matth. 5. 48. whence all these