o Iupiter geuest right vnto straungers And the naturall affecte towarde citezens commonly stirreth vp euery man that if he méete a straunger and one that is in nede he wil to his power help him and prouide harborow for him So we also if peraduenture the Saints which as touching the eternall countrey are our Citizens doe come vnto vs ought to helpe them and gently to entertaine them But what if they be euil and enemies vnto vs and such as curse vs and hate the Gospel What is in this case to be done Paul addeth Blesse them which persecute you blesse and cursse not Reioyse with them that reioyse and wepe with them that wepe Be of like affection one towards an other Be not highe minded but making your selues equall to them of the lower sorte Be not wise in your selues Recompence not euill for euill procure things honest in the sight of all men If it be possible as muche as in you is haue peace with al men Dearly beloued aueÌ„ge not your selues but geue place vnto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I wil repay saith the Lord. Therfore if thine enemy honger fede him and if he thirst geue him drinke And in so doing thou shalt heape coles of fire on his head Be not ouercome of euil but ouercome euill with goodnes Blesse those which persecute you Blesse and curse not I thinke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is blesse â–ª in the first place signifieth to speake wel but it may séeme maruellous how we can allow or commend him that reuileth vs worketh mischief against vs. And if we so do we shal be found liers But Epictetus in his Enchiridion An excelleÌ„t laying of Epictetus wisely admonisheth that euery thing hath two handlesto be holden by therfore euery wise man ought to haue a consideration by which of those handles it may best be taken and holden For if thou take a thing by that part whereby it can not be holden thou losest thine labor Now there can none be founde of so wicked and vngratious a nature but that he which iudgeth indifferently may beholde in him some gifts of God For he is either actiue or stroÌ„g or learned or noble or eloqueÌ„t How we may speake well of our enemies or witty These things though we be neuer so muche prouoked by iniuries we ought not to deface or to kepe in silence if any opportunity be offred vs to speake wel of our enemies Eschines an Ethnike hidde not from the men of Rhodes the eloquence of his most deadly enemy Demostenes but rather as much as he coulde amplified it and recited vnto them his most spitefull Oration which he had written against him and added that it was nothing in comparison of the gesture and pronunciation which the orator vsed in vttering it Dauid bothe in wordes and in deede reuerenced Saul being his enemy for that he was anoynted of the Lord. And the Apostle now therfore commaundeth this for that the world iudgeth that men should deale farre otherwise For either it delighteth in cursed speakers and enemies of the truthe or it thinketh that it is honest to requite iniuries done against vs. Wherfore Vespasian when there sprang a contention betwéene a certain Senator and a knight of Rome with this sentence appeased the contention A Senator ought not doubtles to reuile but when he is reuiled it is both a thing lawful and ciuile to reuile againe for that he which first reuiled spoyled himselfe of the prerogatiue of his honour But Paule commaundeth vs far otherwise For we must not consider what our aduersary deserueth but what is comely for vs. Neither requireth the Apostle that we should only speake well of our enemies but also that we should wish well vnto them For so thinke I that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the second place is to be taken as an Antithesis to that which followeth and cursse not Some thinke that it is nothing but a repetition for a more vehemency sake But I thinke that this is the better sense that we are first commaunded to speake well of our enemies and then to wishe them good and in no wise to cursse them as men commonly vse to doe And if this séeme a hard matter to doe let vs remember that we are his children which maketh his Sunne to shine vpon the good and vpon the euill and his Disciples which aunswered his Apostles when they required fire from heauen to burne the Samaritanes ye know not of whose spirite ye are namely of his spirite which came not to destroy but to saue of him which healed those that persecuted him of him which restored vnto Malchus his eare who came with the other souldiers of the chief rulers to take Christ Of him which saluted his betrayer Iudas as a friend and receiued him with a kisse of him finally which forgaue the wicked thiefe and promised vnto him eternall felicity whiche prayed for them that crucified him and which of his owne accorde died for his enemies It shall nothing profite thée to recompense iniuryes with iniuryes and taunts with taunts thou oughtest rather to commit the matter to God who will be a most iust arbitror neither caÌ„ he by any perturbation be led away from iustice Further héereby may we gather that it is not lawfull to speake euill of any man nor to cursse any man For if we be prohibited to doe these things against our enemies which thing mought otherwise séeme tollerable in mannes iudgement much les it is lawfull for vs to doe it vnto others Chrysostome to persuade vs to follow these wordes of Paule reckeneth vp the commodities which the cursings and persecutions of the If we oghâ— not to speak euill of our eâ—nemies much lesse of others aduersaries commonly bring to the godly First sayth he it excellently well helpeth vs to the obtainment of the kingdome of heauen For Christ saith blessed are they which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theyrs is the kingdome of heauen And he addeth Blessed are ye when they reuile you and persecute you speaking all manner of euill â–ª and lying against you for my sake Be glad and reioyse for your rewarde is great in heauen c. Moreouer they are an occasion or mater of most excellent vertues For as Paul teacheth tribulation worketh patience patience experience and experience hope But where is the patience of the sayntes Where is their experience Where is their hope If thou take away the wicked enterprises of our enemies against vs Moreouer the glory of God can by no other meanes be more highly aduaunced then if we valeantly and couragiously behaue our selues in those things which are to be suffred for his name sake For it is not so hard a matter to cleaue vnto God so long as all things goe prosperously and quietly with vs and as we would desire But when all manner of aduersities happen and yet constantly to abide in his obeysance this doubtles
and by which they iudge themselues vnhappy those thinges I say Christians count for a prayse and gladly embrace and reioyce chiefly in them For euen as the Planets direct their course farre otherwise A simâ—â—itude then doth the 8. speare for it moueth from the East to the West but the Planets from the West to the East so godly meÌ„ gladly embrace those thinges of them in them reioyce which the wicked fly fro and count ignominious which is a thing vndoubtedly rare and worthy of admiration For to reioyce of the promises for that he hath obteined the glory of God it is not to be marueiled at But in afflictitions to reioyce passeth all humane reason Farther because it is no reioycing vnles it be for principall singuler good thinges which we now so assuredly possesse that they can not be takeÌ„ from vs for otherwise it should be no true reioycing but rather a boasting lest our reioycing for the hope of the glorye of God should séeme vayne because we haue not yet in very dede the fruicion thereof he addeth what good thinges GOD in the meane tyme whilest we liue here bestoweth vppon vs namely tribulations patience experience and hope which confoundeth not Vndoubtedly a very excellent and most profitable gradation and worthy to be obserued An excelleÌ„â— gradation of vs all against doubtfull and feareful tymes But godly men somtimes sigh are sad and are heauy and complayne when they fall into afflictions how then do they reioyce Here is no coÌ„tradiction at all For our outwarde man sigheth is heauy That godly men do at one time both sigh reioyce is no contrariety is sad the flesh complayneth But the spirite and our inward man reioyceth is glad When Dauid went forth of the city from the face of Absalon bare footed his hed vncouered and with many teares outwardly there appeared in him no signification but of misery and sorrowes For Semei which vpbrayded vnto him this misery saw in him nothing but misery and sorrow But who can doubt but that he as touching faith and the inward man reioyced excedingly for the fatherly correction of God For therunto was his minde bent and therefore he spared Semei when as Abisay would haue killed him For how knowest thou sayd he whither the An example Lord hath commaunded hym to curse me That one and yâ— selfe same man may haue contrary affections Dauid declareth when he saith Serue the Lord with feare and reioyce in him wyth trembling But afflictions thou wilt say are euill how then can we reioyce in them That they are euill no man will deny For they are punishâ—ments of sinne souldiours of death the last enemy that shall be driuen out of the world and at the length from godly men be vtterly remoued For God shall wipe away all teares from the eyes of the saintes We confesse that afflictioÌ„s are of their own Afflictions of theyr owne nature are euell nature euil howbeit we say that vnto the godly and vnto the elect of God of whoÌ„ we here speake they are by the clemency of God made good and profitable For vnto theÌ„ al things work vnto good For neither do they suffer these things to theyr hurt but to their triumphe And these things are like vnto the red sea wherein Pharaâ— was drowned but Israel was saued for in the wicked they stirre vp desperation but in the godly a most assured hope They are instrumentes whereby in vs is shewed forth the goodnes and might of God both in comfortyng vs and also in erecting vs. They are occasions of most excellent good things The power of God is in our infirmitie made perfect By these thinges as by a fatherly chastisement are corrected our daily falles hautines and pride is kept vnder the flesh and wantonnes is restrained our olde man is brought to corruption but our inward man is renued sluggishnes and slouthfulnes is shaken of the confession of faith is wrong out the imbecillitie of our strengthes is vncouered and we are prouoked more feruently to pray and to implore the fauour of God and daily the better vnderstand the peruersenes of our owne nature Farther by afflictions we are made like vnto Christ For it behoued Christ to suffer and so to obteyne his kingdome we also ought to follow the selfe same steppes For the kingdome of God suffreth violence and narrow is the way which leadeth to lyfe But euen as he after the obedience of the crosse was exalted and had geuen vnto him a name aboue all names so also if we shal suffer together with hym we shall raigne also together with him and it is a swéete thyng also vnto a louer to suffer for the thing that he loueth Hereby also we accustome our selues to patience that beyng become as harde as the adamant stone when we are smitten we shall rather be weary then once breake For these are as it were exercises in the body of a man by which is confirmed health and strengths are gotten rather then that by them they are taken away or weakened Wherfore the godly do vpon good consideration reioyce in afflictions Knowing that affliction worketh patience Here is to be noted a phrase of speach much vsed in the holy scriptures wherby that which longeth vnto the thing is attributed vnto the instrumeÌ„t or signe that this maner is oftentimes vsed in the sacramente we haue many times proued by Augustines minde although That which longeth vnto the thinge is attributed vnto the instrument our aduersaries are sore agaynst this Here Paul attributeth vnto afflictions that which is the worke of God and of the holy ghost namely to worke patience by which affliction forasmuch as they are of theyr owne nature euill and odious patience is not gotten but rather shaken away which thing in the wicked we se to be playne who when they are somewhat greuouslye afflicted burst out into blasphemies and also oftentimes fall into desperation And as a phisition of thinges venemous and hurtfull composeth most healthfull medicines so almighty God by his wisedome out of afflictions how euill so euer Afflictions of their owne naworke not ture pacience A similitude Patience is referred to fortitude The consolation that the Ethnikes had in their afflictions they be bringeth forth most excellent vertues amongst which is patience This vertue pertayneth to fortitude vnto which are referred all the thinges that the saintes suffer whither it be in the stout bearing of afflictions of the body or in the ouercomming of reason and mortifiing of the wisdom of the flesh The Ethnikes also suffred many thinges with a valiant minde But yet bare they them with no sound consolation Only they sayd that by sorrow they could nether chauÌ„ge them nor let them For they ascribed them vnto the necessity of the matter Wherefore they sayd that this is our lot that as it were at a banquet we must ether drinke or depart And if we
reason of inconstancy he doth not alwayes abyde still in one and the selfe same purpose partly because he performeth not those thinges which he promiseth and partly because he oftentymes bringeth forth a lye and that ether of infirmity whilest he is not able to attayne vnto the truth or els of an euill purpose to vse deceite This sentence is read in the 116. Psalme In my hast A place of Dauid out of the 116. Psalme I sayd euery man it a lyar And certayne interpreters of the Hebrues affirme that Dauid had then a respect vnto Samuell For when he was on euery side enclosed in by the host of Saule was in a maner past all hope to escape such cogitacions were offred vnto him through the infirmity of the fleshe as though the Prophet had made a lye touching those thinges which he had promised him concerning the kingdome Or els he mought speake these thinges against himselfe for that when according to mans reason he had cast awaye all hope of escaping and thought himselfe to be in a maner forsaken of God as soone as he came agayne into the right way he brake into this sentence Euery man is a lyer because he also had deceaued himselfe touching the goodnes of God And by the antithesis or contrary position it is playne that a liar here signifieth an vnconstant person For before he sayde Let God be true Wherefore we maye conclude The word of God and the sacramentes depend not of our fayth that the dignity of the scripture or of the sacramentes dependeth not of our fayth or misbeliefe For whether we beleue God or mistrust him they are to be estéemed according to their dignitie because they depend of the institution of God who is most true neither is hys truth chaunged through our defaultes as Dauid writeth That thou mightest be iustified in thy wordes and ouercome when thou arte iudged Thus the 70. interpâ—eters haue turned it whom Paule now followeth when as in the Hebrewe it is thus written Lemaan titsdek be dhob recha tizkeh beschoatecha And that which the 70. haue turned That thou mightest be iustified may accordyng to the Hebrewe be Therfore shalt thou be iustified And where as it is written agaynst thee onely haue I sinned Rabbi Dauid Chimchi expoundeth it thus I haue priuilie and in secret transgressed and therefore agaynst thée onely But thou art iustified and in iudgement ouercommest which hast by Nathan the Prophet shewed the thou knowest these thinges But thys exposition fitteth not very well with the wordes of Paule Wherfore we omitte it Others interprete it Although Dauid sinned agaynst Vrias and agaynst Bersabe and agaynst the hoste of Israell yet these were not sinnes but in respecte that they were prohibited by God in the lawe For there hence dependeth the iuste consideration of sinne But it is better to say that Dauid was so much gréeued because he sawe that God by reason of hys sinne was blasphemed and had in derision which bare fauour vnto such a kyng who to satisfie hys owne filthye luste permitted hys enemyes to haue the vpperhand These things I say so much vexed hym that in that feruencie of minde he had a regarde vnto these thynges onely And therfore by the figure Hyperbole he sayth Against thee onely haue I sinned As we when we are oppressed with many troubles at one tyme are accustomed to say of the chiefest and greatest trouble which afflicteth vs most Thys one thyng greueth me very much But afterward he comforteth hym selfe hauing conceaued a firme hope and sayth That thou mightest be iustified in thy wordes as if he shoulde say Vndoubtedly I haue greuouslye sinned but such is thy goodnes that hereby I sée it to bee more poured out so that alwaies when thou contendest in iudgement thou wilt in the cause haue the vpperhand Neyther is it to be thought that Dauid when he sinned had thys consideration in hys minde to illustrate the goodnes of God For there he sought onely to satisfie hys owne desire and luste Wherefore thys particle That hath Good haps are not to be ascribed vnto sinnes but vnto the mercy of God a respecte not vnto Dauid but vnto God by whose benefite it commeth to passe that of that which is euill shoulde come some good vnto them which loue hym Forasmuch as vnto them all thynges turne to good Wherfore the good things which followe after sinnes coÌ„mitted are to be ascribed not vnto our sinnes but to the mercy of God Neyther let vs maruaile that God is iudged as Paul saith For oftentymes it happeneth that men when they thinke them selues to be euill God is iudged of men handled of hym they reason concerning hys iudgementes and although not in wordes yet in thoughtes they striue agaynst hym But then if they shoulde call to memorye how many how greuous sinnes they haue committed they should alwayes pâ—rceaue that God is in hys cause iustified and ouercommeth Thys worde wordes which in Hebrewe is bedhobrecha may signifie iudiciall actions and in that sense haue I interpreted it Although other take that worde for the wordes of the promises and especially touchyng Christ For Dauid when he considered that he had greuouslye fallen desired God to make him cleane and that he woulde not by reason of the wicked acte which he had committed cease to accomplishe the promise which was that of hys séede shoulde Christ be borne Which interpretation Ambrose hath But besides the expositions now alleaged of these wordes there are two other expositions also Of which the one is thys For that Dauid was a kyng and was the chiefest in authoritie amongest the people of God he had no iudges ouer hym whose tribunall seate or iudgement or sentence he shoulde néede to be afrayde of But he saw that onely the wrath of God dyd hange ouer hys head Therefore he sayd Vnto thee onely am I giltie although men can not punishe me The other exposition is Vrias Bersabe and part of the hoste haue bene ill delte withall through my meanes but they vndoubtedly as they were men had sinnes for which they deserued those thynges which they suffred yea and thynges farre more greuous then them But thou O God hast nothing in thée for which I ought so to offend thée whom thou hast adorned with so many great benefites and exalted to so high a dignitie There were some also which thought that thys addition That thou myghtest be iustified in thy sayinges is to be referred vnto that which went before Haue mercy vppon me O God Washe me and clense me that being receaued into grace I may obtayne those thynges which thou hast promised me and so thou mayest be iustified and ouercome euen by the iudgement of men Here we sée that thys worde Of the woord iustifieng It is the part of perfect men when they are afflicted to acknowledge God to be good iustifying signifieth not to obtayne any newe righteousnes which thyng we can not
in this place saith when he writeth And they shall say vnto Sion Thy God raigneth Hetherto hath sinne raigned Wherfore Paul in this Epistle said Let not sin raigne in your mortall body Death also hath raigned For the same Apostle Death hath raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses The Deuill also hath raigned whom the Lord calleth the Prince of this world and Paul the gouernour of this worlde and the God of this worlde All these thinges haue hitherto miserably exercised their What maner of princes the Hebrues had tyranny ouer vs But nowe the Lorde raigneth For as touching outwarde kingdomes the Iewes indéede had many iudges and many kings few good some tollerable but a greate many moste wicked tyrannes And they whiche were good as Dauid Ezechias Iosias and suche like were yet notwithstanding weake neyther coulde they eyther defende the people from calamities or make them good Wherefore the Iewes were oftentimes oppressed of theyr enemies led away into captiuitye and being therout deliuered were in reste for a while But after Alexander the greate came the Macedonians and most grieuously afflicted Iewry After theÌ„ came Pompeius Crassus Herode and last of all Vespasianus and Titus whych vtterly ouerthrew all The church also of Christ had hys outward Princes partly wicked and partly good as touching ciuill righteousnes but yet very Then shall we bee in good estate wheÌ„ Christ raigneth in vs. Wherein coÌ„sisteth the kingdom of God weake Wherefore our estate can neuer be in good case vnlesse Christ raygne in vs. Thys as Daniel sayth in hys seconde chapter is the kingdome of heauen which is neuer corrupted in it is peace not during for a time but an euerlasting peace For in the Psalme it is sayd In his dayes shall aryse righteousnes and aboundance of peace vntill the moone be taken away And in Esay And of his peace there shall be no ende But herein consisteth hys kingdome that we be directed by the word and spirite of God After these two maners Christ raygneth in vs. The woord sheweth what is to be beleued and what is to be done The spirit impelleth and moueth vs to doo these thinges Thys is the euerlasting kyngdome of God whereunto when he wil adioyne any people or any nation he visiteth them by hys ambassadours whych are Preachers of the Gospell and them wyll hee haue to be receaued cherefully yea he sayth He which receaueth you receaueth â—e and he which despiseth you despiseth me We haue now the iudgemeÌ„t of God â—ouchyng Ministers wherewith the beleuers ought very mutch to comfort themselues although the world iudge otherwyse and count them for mad men and 〈…〉 castes and estéeme them as paringes and chips so long as there is a world thâ—y shall be so iudged of But for as much as the iudgement of the world is foo 〈…〉 and vnderstandeth not the thinges that pertayne vnto God therefore we 〈…〉 st not leane vnto it but rather embrace the most firme and most pleasant sen 〈…〉 ce of God Nahum the Prophet in hys fyrst chapter hath the lyke saying of 〈…〉 beutifull féete of such as preach the Gospell so that that whych was foretolde of Esay he also foresawe shoulde come to passe But at Rome in our dayes men At Rome they fall downe to kisse the fete of the Pope drawen by thys testimony of the Prophet doo fall downe and kisse the féete of the Pope as though he preached the Gospell going about the whole worlde preachyng peace when as rather he is a sworne enemy of the Gospell and maketh open warre agaynst the true doctrine thereof neyther at anye tyme ceaseth to disturbe peace betwene Christian Princes The Pope as a sworne enemy of the Gospell not a preacher therof But all obeye not the Gospell For Esay sayth lorde who hath beleued our hearing vnto whom is the arme of the lord reuealed Then faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God But all obey not the Gospell This séemed to bee agaynst that so great dignitye of the Apostles whych hath now bene proued both by the authoritye of God which sent them and also by theyr ambassadge that very fewe and especially Of preaching doth not always follow the faith of the hearers of the Iewes beleued which came to passe by no other meanes but for that outward preachyng is not alwayes of necessity ioyned wyth the fayth of the hearers For it is possible that for as much as the power of God is not bound vnto instruments a man may beleue wythout a Preacher and on the other syde a man may heare preaching yet not haue fayth As in thys selfe same epistle he ioyned foreknowledge together wyth predestination although manye are foreknowen of God which yet are not predestinated vnto eternall life he ioyned vocation also together wyth iustification although verye manye are called whych yet are not iustified The Apostle in thys place describeth fayth by the name of obedience and that not wythout iust cause for in it is contayned obedience twoo maner Faith is iustly called obedience of wayes For fyrst it is necessary that the minde or humaine reason do geue place vnto the reuelation of God simply consenting thereunto whych thing pertayneth to a redy obedience for otherwise there are many thinges which let and after a sort call vs an other way There is also an other obedience for they which truly beleue endeuor themselues to obey the commaundementes of God whiche thing before they neither did nor could do The Apostle vsed this selfe same phrase in the first chapter of this epistle By whome we haue receaued grace and Apostleship to be obedient vnto fayth In the Actes of the Apostles also it is declared that many of the priestes were obedient vnto faith and in this sence is faith somtimes Why faith is called a law called a law not for that it bringeth with it blessing or cursing but because that it likewise as the law doth requireth obedience howbeit diuerse For the law requireth obedience euen of them that will not and yet in the meane tyme doth it not geue strenthes to performe it but faith forasmuch as it most fully persuadeth piety stirreth vs vp to liue according to the profession thereof And for that thys doubt touching the fewnes of the beleuers chiefely moued the Iewes therefore to quiet their mindes he bringeth a testimony of Esay whose doctrine they durst not reiect whereby they mought vnderstand that God had long tyme before prouided for this skarsity of the beleuers For Esay sayth who hath beleued our hearing The Prophet before those wordes brought in God the father which commaunded that his sonne should be preached and that his reproches which he should suffer for the saluation of mankind should be tolde abroade vnto whome the company of the Prophetes aunswered who hath beleued our hearing And to whome is the arme of the Lord reuealed As if they should say we indéede haue
sonnes of Abraham are two testamentes These I say forasmuch as they are found in the holy scripturs may in no wise be reiected but are firme places wherby when nede requireth may be proued doctrines There are other allegoryes which men through their owne iudgement and reason find out whoÌ„ indéede we confesse yâ— they may follow their owne fantasie so that they beware of two things First that they deuise nothing that is repugnant vnto sound doctrine secondly yâ— they obtrude not those their deuises as naturall proper senses of the holy scripture There is also a third kind of allegories which is when the scripture vseth a trope or figure neither hath any other sence but that allegoricall sence as we now graunt is in the words of Dauid And then the allegory is the only sence of the words as Cicero in his oration for Marcus Celius called Clodia by the name of Medea Palatina But what I besech you hath this kinde of allegories common with Origens allegories And whereas he interpreteth the imprecation of Dauid as though he should pray that the Iewes should not sée that things which are euill and hurtfull it is most farre of from the purpose of Paul for he entreated of incredulity and said that the cause thereof is for that the Hebrues were made blind and then he cited the words of Dauid Now there is none which séeth not that faith hath a respect vnto good sound doctrine and if he pray that they might not sée such sound doctrine then doubtles he wished not vnto them good thinges but euill And I wonder that Augustine should fall in a maner into the like interpretacion when he entreateth of a place in the 1. chapter to the Galathians in his 16. booke and 22. chapter against Faustus The place is I woulde to God they which trouble you were cut of The sence whereof he saith is vtinam euirentur yâ— is I would to God they were gelded for the kingdom of heauens sake These meÌ„ without doubt were moued to those expositions for that they thought it a thing not Of imprecations and cursinges mete for Dauid or the Prophetes or Christ to pray for the euill thinges against any man for that semeth straunge from the gentlenes and lenity which we are in the scriptures commaunded to shew eueÌ„ towards our enemies But forasmuch as we are fallen into such matter it shall not be amisse somewhat to speake of imprecations and cursings This maner of execration and euill speaking is in the ExecratioÌ„s much vsed in the scriptures scriptures a thing tyme out of mynd vsed Nohe cursed his nephew Chanaan Cursed be Chanaan let hym be a seruaunt to his brethern Baalake also the sonne of Zippor called Balam to curse Israel In Deut we rede Cursed shalt thou be in the town â–ª and in the field in the barne and in all other thinges cursed be the fruite of thy body These execrations were recited vpon mount Heball The law of ieolosy hath also in the booke of nombers his imprecations that the wombe should swell and rent in sonder and the thighes rotte all which things could not hurt the woman if she were innocent but vnto an adulteresse they were not without vertue and efficacy recited Iosua cursed him which should réedifie Iericho namely that he should do it with the death of his children which thinge happened vnder Achab as the historye of the kinges mencioneth And Nehemias saith that he not onelye reproued them which had maried straunge wiues but also cursed them In the newe testamentâ— also there wante not examples whiche we will hereafter bring yea and the Ethnikes also vsed cursinges Acteius a Tribune of the people of Rome as Plutarche declareth in the life of M. Crassus wheÌ„ he could by no other meanes dissuade Crassus from his expedition into Parthia at the length in the way which Crassus should go foorth at he set on fire the city of Crates and there with horrible and bitter curses he cursed the Generall Captaine and his host and that these execrations were not vaine the euent plainely and manifestly declareth Oedipus also as the Poets tell with banninges cursed his Sonnes Adrastes and Polynices namely that they might be without citie and house that they might be beggers and wanderers abroade and haue such discord betwéene themselues that the one shoulde kill the other whiche thinges according to his wishe came to passe And Horace saith I will banne you and let not my banning be put away or purged by any sacrifice Neyther is that to be passed ouer which Augustine meÌ„cioneth of Paulus and Palladia for they being cursed of their mother miserably wandred about from country to country vntill at the last they were deliuered at the tombe of Sainte Stephan Wherefore séeing that alwayes both amongst the Iewes and amongst the Gentils there hath bene so great plenty of cursinges and banninges is it possible that it should vtterly be vniust and sinne to curse or to wish euill vnto any man so that at no time it should be lawfull Augustine without doubt was of this minde yâ— it is not lawful ExecratioÌ„s â—n the Prophetes are foretellings and entreateth of this matter towardes the ende of his first booke de sermone Domini in monte and writeth that those imprecations which are red in the Prophetes perâ—â—yne onely to prophesies so that vnder that forme of prayer they onelye foretolde the thinges which they saw should come to passe And whereas they vse the optatiue moode in steade of the indicatiue moode that he sayth amongest the Hebrues is not to be wondred at when as they oftentimes vse such figures in theyr speache for manye times they vse one tempse or an other wheÌ„ they put the time past for the time to come Why haue the Gentils sinned the people imagined vayne things Againe They deuided my garmeÌ„ts These thinges were to come and were forespoken of Christ when yet they are written as already paste Howbeit he confesseth that sometimes men praye for punishmentes and chastisementes to come vnto some that they may be corrected whiche is not saith he to pray against them but for them And he citeth a place out of the Apocalipse in the It is lawful to pray for punishmeÌ„ts to light vpoÌ„ some meÌ„ to the end they may be corrected A place of yâ— Apocalips Sinne may be destrâ—ied two maner of wayes The soules of the martyrs pray for the ende of the world 6. chapter where the Martyrs cry vnder the alter Take vengeaunce vpon the earth for our bloud which is shed and he thinketh that therebye is mente that these martyrs pray against the kingdome of sinne And sinne may be destroyed two maner of wais First by bringing in a contrary qualitye so that sinne beinge excluded do succéede mortification of lustes and do followe righteousnes honesty and all kindes of vertues Againe sinne is subdued vnto GOD when vpon it is inflicted punishment for so longe as
commeth of a manly and strong faith And therfore I thinke Iames sayd that patience hath a perfect worke vnles peraduenture a man will thus vnderstande it that perfection is not in any work vnles we perseuer in the same For when we leaue of we bring not the worke to his ende and so without patience it is left vnperfect And besides all this our enemies are by this meanes chiefly feared away from continuing to persecute vs For when they sée yâ— we are not moued by their iniuries they thinke that they lose their labour And therfore they take not so great pleasure of the reproches wherwith they reproched vs. But if they perceiue that we are out of quiet and take it in ill parte they will thinke that theyr iniuryes haue taken good successe and will afterward be more bolde in theyr wicked endeuors By this we may sée why the Lord sayd blessed are ye when they reuile you and persecute you and speake all maner of euill and make lies against you for my sake Reioyse and be glad for your rewarde is great in heauen This commaundement of Christ the Apostles executed For they returned from the presence of the Counsell reioysing that they were counted worthy to be reuiled for his name sake And Paule in the first to the Corinthians sayth we are euill spoken of and we blesse In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paule alwayes wished not weâ— to his enemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How be it this counsell Paul alwayes obserued not For to the Galathians he sayth I would to God they were cut of which trouble you And Dauid saythe let theyr table be made a snare before them let theyr eyes be made dimme that they may not see and bow downe theyr backe all wayes And other bookes of the Prophets are euery where ful of cursses and imprecations wherewith they cursse the enemies of the people of God Here doubtles as I iudge is it to be sayd that we ought so to deale as Paule now admonisheth so long as we haue a respecte to our owne iniuryes Whether it be lawful at any tyme to curse ouâ— enemies and that we walke the ordinary way and common course whereby we are of loue bound to wishe well to our neighbours But if God open vnto vs his hiddeÌ„ will and declare what shall without doubt come to passe of our enemyes and of those which persecute vs then if we sincerely and truely loue him we ought vndoubtedly to stay our selues in his will and counsell Howbeit this caution is added first to be fully assured whether those things which God hath opened vnto vs pertaine only to a threat or wholy to declare his determinate and assured wil. For where we suspecte that God threatneth only to bring vs to repentaunce we ought not to cease of from prayers euen for the wicked So did Moses when he made supplication to God for his people So did Abraham for the Sodomites so did Samuel for Saul and so did Ieremy for the people But when they are assured that it is the fixed and certaine will of God they doe not only pray against yâ— wicked in prophesying as Augustine thinketh against Faustus in his 16. booke and. 22. chapiter where he thus writeth But cursses when they are spoken by the way of prophesie come not of the euill desire of him that curseth but of the foreknowing spirite of him that denounceth them But also it is done with a minde now consenting vnto God and wishing the self same things that he wisheth Dauid when as otherwise he was so gentle and fauorable towards Semei Absolon Saul and other enemies yet sometime so cursseth and banneth the wicked that it driueth an horror into the readers Christ also first be wailed the infelicitie of the City of Ierusalem for that it knew not the time of his visitation and sayth how often would I haue gathered together thy children as a henne doth her chickens vnder her wings and thou wouldest not Howbeit euen the same Christ when he knew the assured and vnmoueable will of God did burst forth into these words I geue thanks vnto thee O father of heauen and of earth for that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent men and hast reueled them to infants Euen so Lord for that it hath so pleased in thy sight Moreouer men of God when they come to this poynt haue not a respecte to theyr owne cause neither doe regarde theyr owne iniuryes but consider that by the wicked workes of the vngodly the Church of God is hurt the spirituall procedings therof are letted the course of the Gospell is hindred And they moste ardently desire that the name of God might be sanctified his kingdome most amply spred abrode And hereof it commeth that wheÌ„ the godly pray against wicked men they persecute not theyr own enemyes but the enemies of God whom they desire might be most purely worshipped Dauid sawe that he was called of God to the kingdome and vnderstode that the enterprises of the wicked wer not so much repugnant to his honor as to the will of God Wherfore worthely in his prayers he wisheth rather that they should pearish and that most vily then that any iotte of the most iust will of God should be hindred Wherefore bothe in this place and in suche other like we are prohibited not only to cursse but also to speake euill when we are ouercome with the contumelies iniuryes of the wicked by which it is not méete that we shold suffer our mindes to be broken to be led away from the rule of charity Herein doubtles consisteth the noblenes of stomake of Christians their incredible valiantnes of courage not only not to cursse them that persecute them but also to speake well of them and to pray vnto God for them How be it I can not inough wonder that Aquinas should say that by these words of Wherin consisteth the noblenes of â—omacke of the Christians â—n erâ—our of Aquinas Paule Christians are not compelled by the force of the commaundement to shew singularly an affect of loue to theyr enemies or as they vse to speake to shewe signes of beneuolence vnto them except it be in case of necessity For it is inough if they exclude them not from the generall bond of loue wherewith we ought to loue our neighbours Neither sayth he is it necessary that we peculiarly pray for them But this is sufficient if we exclude them not from the common prayers which we make for all men And if any man sayth he besides the case of necessity doo shew vnto his enemy tokens of a singular loue or doo singularly make intercession for him that man followeth the counsell of Christ but obeyeth not the commaundement But Christ and Paul when they spake of these thinges taught not this distinction This doctrine doubtles cutteth in â–ª sonder the strings of Christian religion it abateth the vehemency of the spirite
are committed to a mans charge to be caried are commonly sealed vp that it may the certainlier be knowen that they are all whole and without fraude rendred to theÌ„ which ought to haue theÌ„ which seales if they be vnbroken whole theÌ„ is his fidelity yâ— brought theÌ„ discharged Wherfore Paul by this kind of speachment to signifie his innocency simplicitie vpright dealing touching this mooney For meÌ„ are yâ— willinger redier to bestow theyr goods vpon yâ— poore if they vnderstaÌ„d yâ— they shal Almes is called fruit be administred faythfully He here calleth almes by the name of fruite which he before called a communion or communication and that for many and iust causes First for that after the Gospell is sowed and receaued with a pure and liuely faith straight way is geuen iustification before God Then is it requisite that there followe some fruite both of a pure and perfect life and also loue towardes our neighbours that there may be had some assured signification of our inward righteousnes Moreouer those almes are called friute for that such liberality was fruitefull to those nations which dealt so louingly with the poore saynts Last of all that communion semed to bring to them of Ierusalme some fruite of theyr piety For he which putteth his trust in Christ and professeth him when he is in extreante troubles although he haue a reward in heauen yet here also oftentimes when it semeth good to God he reaâ—eth such fruites Further lest the Romanes should suspect that the time would be very long and vncertayne before Paul would come vnto them therefore when he speaketh these thinges he setteth and appointeth a certayne time So soone sayth he as I haue performed this which I am in hand with I will come vnto you Agayne he maketh meÌ„cion of his iorney into Spaine which although he accomplished not yet ought not Paul therefore to be reproued of an vntruth For this is sufficient to discharge his faith that when he wrâ—t those It is not â— lie except it be done with amind to deceiue letters he purposed the same thing is his mind which he wrote For no mortall man hath the euents of thinges in his owne hand But to the full and perfect nature of a lie as Augustine testifieth is required a will to deceaue And thereof we haue a manifest testimony in the latter to the Corinthians The same thing touching this matter writeth Gelasius in the 22. the 2. question For sayth he so much as his will was then to doo he pronounced that he would in dede performe For I know that when I come I shall come to you with fulnes of the blessing of the Gospell of Christ Chrisostome semeth at the first sight to referre this fullnes of blessing to almes for that Paul many times caled them by that name which Almes are a blessing thing I thinke he did according to the custome of the old scripture wherein a gift or reward is oftentimes called a blessing For Iacob desired Esau to vouchafe to receaue the blessing which he had sent before him And Abigail desired Dauid to receaue the blessing which she brought And Dauid sayd to the elders of Iuda Receaue ye the blessing of the pray of the enemies of the Lord. And so the meaning of this place that Paul hopeth that wheÌ„ he shall come to Rome he shall find layd vp with them a great and plentifull almes for the poore which he here calleth a blessing This sence were apt inough but that this woord of the Gospell is added which is a let thereunto After that Chrisostome had peysed that woord he at the length leneth this way to interpretate blessing for the aboundance of all vertues and good A demonstratiue kinde of speach vsed for a deliberatiue woorkes and they without doubt are a most plentifull blessing of the Gospell namely that they which beleue should shine most brightly with excellent woorks Chrisostome also is of this mind yâ— Paul by a certaine spiritual prudence coÌ„mendeth those things in yâ— Romanes wherunto he chiefly exhorted theÌ„ And this is much vsed amongst yâ— best lerned orators to vse a demoÌ„stratiue kind of spech for a deliberatiue kind But Ambrose expoundeth yâ— aboundance of the blessing of yâ— Gospel to be a confirmation of the dectrine of yâ— Gospel by miracles Origen addeth yâ— this pertaineth to yâ— gift of prophesieng as though Paul should prophesie that he should come to Rome with most excellent gifts This exposition disliketh me not and especially when I consider with my selfe those wordes which were before cited out of the 19. chapiter of the Actes For Luke in that place saith that Paule purposed in spirite to goe to Rome And he might boldly promise vnto himself that he should bring aboundaunce of spirituall giftes who knew assuredly that vnto him was graunted the grace of the Apostleship which he doubted not but that it shold amongst them Wherof coÌ„meth the fruite of preaching be fruitfull And I thinke that no man is ignorant but that the fruit of preaching is sometime muche holpen by the piety of him that preacheth and sometimes by the simple and pure faith of the hearers although in very déede all whole ought to be ascribed to the power force and working of God Also brethren I beseche you for our Lord Iesus Christes sake through the loue of the spirit that ye helpe me in my busines with your prayers to God for me That he wold dâ—liuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury and that this my ministery which I will doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes That I may come to you with ioy by the will of God and may together with you be refreshed The God of peace be with you all Amen I beseche you brethren c. The force of this obsecration or prayer is héereby made plaine for that it is set forth not only through the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ then which there ought to be vnto vs nothing more holy but therewithall The spirit of loue also is mingled the loue of the spirite And this particle throughe the loue of the spirite is all one I thinke as if he had sayd through the spirite of loue For as in Esay is mention made of the spirite of strength of wisedome of fear of counsel c. to geue vs to vnderstande that all the excellent faculties or powers of the minde come from the spirite of God so here is mention made of that gifte of the holy Ghost whose helpe Paul most néeded namely that the Romains should with a feruent loue pray vnto God for him Verely the corrupt affects of our vnclene nature doe so draw and plucke vs one from an other that vnles we be holpen by the bond of the holy Ghost we can not be ioyned together with a true and holy society and if that society want then shall there vtterly be no fruit of mutuall prayer It may