much more because his name is a more glorious name then any mans can be We use to say what is a man but his good name Crudelis est sibi homo qui famam negligit vel inultam sinit He is cruel to himself that is negligent of his good name or will not vindicate it Solius laesae famae duellum est permittendum quia pari passu ambulat cum vitae duels may be permitted say some Casuists for the vindication of ones name because when a mans reputation is lost he is as good as dead If it be so with men and that they will defend their good name to the death yea the name of a friend or any that we receive benefit by God is not then to be accused if he punish those that abuse his name So then to conclude if Gods name be as most certainly it is most glorious in it self How glorious is thy name in all the world And as it is glorious so is it holy and reverend too Holy and reverend is his name saith the Psalmist Then it must be so in every one of us it bebooves every one to use it 〈◊〉 and reverently and to glorifie it to their power If we do it not willingly it shall be glorified upon us nolentes volentes whether we wil or not as it was upon Pharaoh I will harden 〈◊〉 heart and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and all his host Exod 14. 4. God saith of Israel Thou art a holy people to the Lord. Deut. 14. 2. We must be as Israel or as Pharaoh If we glorifie him not with Israel he will glorifie it upon us with Pharaoh for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vain THE EXPOSITION OF THE Fourth Commandement The Fourth Commandment Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it Holy c. CHAP. I. The excellent order of the Commandments Why God himself appointed a set time for publick worship Why this Commandment is larger then the rest Six special things to be observed in this Commandment which are not in the rest The general parts of it 1. The precept 2. The reasons In the precept 1. The affirmative part what is meant by Sabbath what by sanctifying How things sanctifyed differ from other things God sanctified it not for himself but for us We must sanctifie it 1. In our estimation of it 2. In our use of it AS Gods order in all his works is most excellent for he is the God of order so in the placing of these Commandments it is most admirable For in the First he commands us to beleeve in a God setleth Religion in us and shews that he and no other is that God and how he is to be worshipped Intus within 2. In the Second he prescribeth how we are to behave our selves towards him in our exteriour worship and how to expresse and manifest our inward affections towards him by our outward gesture 3. In the Third how his glorious name ought to be magnified by our outward expression in our words when we converse with others These three first Commandments contain our general and perpetual duties towards God Now in this fourth Precept because men should not be left at liberty when or at what time to perform these duties God hath taken order for a set and certain time to that purpose appointing a day whereon to do it and that more solemnly in a general or publick meeting or Assembly which he elsewhere calleth an Holy Assembly or Holy Convocation that all men together may set forth and make publick professions of their worship of him in fear and give him honour praise and glory As also to learn and be instructed in what hath past in former times and how to behave themselves for the time to come by laying the foundations of Religion and lastly to acknowledge as well the great goodnesse of God and his benefits to us as our duty and service to him It is true which we usually say and which the Heathen man did well see that Publicorum cura minor the care of publick matters is the least of all other for commonly that which ought to be regarded by all is regarded by few or none And so no doubt men would have dealt with God for publick worship had he not provided a particular day for himself and setled it by a special Commandment as we see in those that talk of a perpetual Sabbath who come at length to keep no day at all And therefore God knowing our innate negligence in his service which of right ought to be every ones care did by enacting this law provide for a particular and set time for it This Commandment being of as large or larger extent and more copcious in words then the second should work in us no lesse regard and consideration of this then of that Nor is it in vain that God hath so enlarged it Wee see that four duties of the second Table are ended in a word as it were Non occides Thou shalt not kill Non moechaberis Thou shalt not commit adultery Non furaberis Thou shalt not steal Non falsum testimonium feres Thou shalt not bear false witnesse And the reason is because civil honesty and the writings of Heathen Philosophers who were chiefly guided by the light of Nature and civil Laws urge the observing of them and our Bars and judgement seats condemn sins therein forbidden but the fifth Commandment because God foresaw our stiffenecked humours that we would not willingly or easily be brought under subjection God thought it necessary to fence it with a reason So likewise in the tenth there is great particularity used because men are apt to conceive that their thoughts are free and that they shall not come to judgement for using their liberty in them In the first Table every Commandment hath its particular reason but this fourth Precept hath more then any It hath six particular respects not to be found in any of the other 1. Whereas the rest run either barely in the affirmative as the fifth or barely in the negative as the other in this both parts are expressed The affirmative in these words Remember thou keep holy c. and the negative in these Thou shalt do no manner of work c. so that a mans inclination to the breach of this Commandment is both wayes met withall 2. In this This precept is not onely given to our selves but to all others that belong to us God proceeds here to a wonderful kinde of particularity by a particular enumeration comprehendeth all that with us and by us may be violaters of this Commandment naming all which he doth not in any of the other 3. The other Commandments are imperative onely and run in a peremptory way of command whereas the word here used though it be of the Imperative mood yet it rather intreats then commands Remember and may serve as a note of separation from the
the earth every where wandring 5. Lastly Auscultate ut retineatis Hearken to keep not to forget what you 〈◊〉 this virtus 〈◊〉 a retentive faculty makes a hearer compleat Blessed are they saith our Saviour that hear the word of God and keep it So saith saint John Blessed are they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein On the contrary If any be a hearer of the word and not a 〈◊〉 he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glasse c. So may we say of them that hear and lay not the words up in their hearts A Rabbin compares such ears to an hour glasse that when one glasse is full of sand it is turned and the sand 〈◊〉 into the other These kinde of ears are ever the worst not worthy to participate the mysteries of God There must not be only a laying up in our memories but in our hearts too till the day starre arise in our hearts Among the Schoole-men there is an opinion quod cor non facit non fit that which the heart doth not is not done at all Pharaoh returned to his house but the thing he heard did not enter into his heart And therefore it was that God said The words which I command thee shall be in thine heart and in that place this order of 〈◊〉 is prescribed plainly We are in these dayes for the most part greedy of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a vain superficial kinde of knowledge but our knowledge should be to give to the simple sharpnesse of wit to the young man knowledge and discretion And when wisdom entreth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul discretion shall 〈◊〉 thee and understanding shall keep thee So that the writing committing to memory and talking of that which we hear should be to this end to work deeper impression in our hearts to practise it And that we may do this the better there are three things required in us 1. Examination 2. Meditation 3. Conference 1. For the first it is to be done by following our Saviours counsel Searching the Scriptures not running after Diviners and Soothsayers but the Law and the Testimony according to that of the Prophet Saint Luke testifieth of the 〈◊〉 that they were more noble then they of Thessalonica why because they searched the Scrpturs daily The Preachen or catechizer must not doe all for us something we are to doe for ourselves If we mean to 〈◊〉 to the knowledge of God let us search saith the prophet And the preacher gave his heart to search out wisdom that is by the holy scriptures That which I knew not saith holy Job 〈◊〉 searched out Saint Peter gave testimony of the Prophets that they searched and enquired diligently the things which concerned their salvation Thus must hearers search the scriptures not as if they could understand them without their teachers much lesse to judge their doctrine but to confirm their 〈◊〉 in what they hear Meditation is the second duty We are to meditate and ruminate as well upon the things we hear as upon those we read S. Paul after he had prescribed rules to Timothy how to order himself gives him this counsel also Meditate upon these things give thy self wholly to them that thy profiting may appear to all And after a general exhortation to the Philippians he concludes with Finally brethren c. think on these things The reason is given by S. Augustine Quod habes cave ne perdas take heed thou lose not that which thou hast gotten by reading and hearing If we onely hear and reade and think not afterward upon it it is to be feared that we shall not be bettered by that which we have either read or heard This duty hath ever been in practise with the Saints of God Isaac went out into the fields to meditate And king David did often so as appeareth by the 119 Psalm in diverse places The last duty is conference And this is done either First by Auditors among themselves Or Secondly with the Priest and learned The first we have in the Prophet Malachi They that feared the Lord spake often one to another yet not in Conventicles And the other we have in the Prophet Agge Ask the Priests concerning the Law The reason is given by the former Prophet The Priests lips preserve knowledge because he is the 〈◊〉 of the Lord of Hosts If then in reading or hearing we be at a stand the Scriptures being a deep Sea to wade through repair to the Priest confer with him and desire his direction We see our Saviour while he was young took this course his parents found him not onely hearing the Doctors but conferring with them and asking them questions Though it be the common saying that Experience is the Mother of Knowedge yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conference is the Grandmother for it begets experience Now as the Prophet speaks Hic est omnis fructus ut auferatur peccatum this is the fruit and end of all these duties to take away sin As in diseases there are bastard Feavers which have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verarum febrium symptomes signes of true feavers so is there also 〈◊〉 pietas bastard religion which hath specious shews of true 〈◊〉 Seeing then that preaching and catechizing may fail and that as our Saviour tels Martha Vnum necessarium est there is one thing needful while we have the great blessing of the Word that 〈◊〉 necessarium let us hear it and God in it Lest it happen to us which the Wiseman and the Prophet foretold They shall cry unto the Lord but he will not hear them why because they hated knowledge And as it was with Elies sons they hearkned not to the voice of their father therefore the Lord did slay them Let us therefore labour by hearing to come to the knowledge of God and no doubt but God will have a respect to our hearing and of Catechumeni make us proficients give a blessing to our endeavours we will conclude this point with a saying of S. Cyril an ancient Catechist Meum est docere vestrum auscultare Dei perficere It is my part to teach yours to hear and Gods to perfect and give a blessing to that which I teach and you hear And so much for Venite auscultate CHAP. III. Of Religion in general and the foundations of it The four first steps 1 We must come to God as the onely way to true happinesse No happinesse in riches proved by divers reasons Nor in Honour Nor in pleasure Nor in moral vertue Nor in contemplation General reasons against them all that felicity cannot be in any of them 1 because they cannot satisfie 2 They are not perpetual but uncertain In God onely is true happinesse to be found THe work of
c. Evil men commend many things truly and reprove many things as justly but by what rules do they so whence have they it that men ought to live so seeing they live not so themselves why these rules are right and good though their minds be not so the rules are unchangeable though their mindes be mutable c. Yea he concludes that they finde them in libro lucis in the book of light and truth howsoever they are blinde and as S. John the light shone in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not which truth being in God as a seal makes the same impression in the minde of man yet keeps it self whole and where this print or impression is fet it can never be wiped out And thus we see that all men ever had and have the effect of the Law in them And this we will prove from the performing the duties required in the law before it was given this may appear before the written law in all the ten Commandements 1. For the first Commandement Though it be not very plain that Terah with Abraham Lot and Sarah departed out of Vr of the Chaldees into Canaan because of the idolatry of the inhabitants yet soon after there is a very plain place for it Jacob commanded his houshold to put away their strange gods 2. For the second Jacob buried the idols under an Oak and in that Rachel hid the images under the Camels litter in a godly zeal as some think 3. For the third Abraham caused his Steward to put his hand under his thigh and swear by the Lord of Heaven and Earth that he should not take a wife for his son of the daughters of the Canaanites And we may see a solemn oath taken between Jacob and Laban 4. For the fourth We may see the observation of it plainer before the giving of the Law in Exodus in speech about gathering a double portion of Manna of the Sabbaths Eve 5. For the fifth we may finde in one place how Esau cryed for his fathers blessing and in another how he stood in awe of his father though he were otherwise prophane for he would not kill his brother Jacob while his father was alive 6. For the sixth we see a plain precept Whosoever sheddeth mans blood by 〈◊〉 shall his blood be shed 7. For the seventh Judah would have burned Thamar for playing the whore and Shechem was slain for ravishing Dinah and the whole city spoiled by her brethren For their answer to their father Jacob was should he deale with our sister as with a harlot 8. For the eighth The putting of Josephs cup into the mouth of the sack was enough though among the Egyptians to clap his brethren in prison and God forbid 〈◊〉 they we should doe this that is steale 9. For the ninth Because Judah had promised to send a kid he performed it though as he thought to a harlot 10. For the tenth There was no act nor purpose of heart in Abimelech against Sara as appeareth yet the sinne of concupiscence was punished in him by God Behold thou art buta dead man because of the woman which thou hast taken Notwithstanding Abimilech had not yet come neer her So Pharaoh was plagued for her in the same case By this we see that there was a Law before the written Law The summe of the Law is this Ambula mecum walk with me or before me and the means to do this is Love Can two walk together saith the Prophet and not be agreed if they love they will not part So that love must be the ground and to love Christ is to keep his Commandements Now there is no Love but between likes so that we must be integrl perfect both in body and soule not outwardly alone but inwardly too The Law consists in two Duties 1 In avoiding or not doing Evill 2 Jn doing that which is good Both put together by the Prophet Cease to do evill learn to do good And by the Psalmist Eschew evil and do good The sinne against the first of these is called Peecatum Commissionis sinne of commission and the sinne against the second is called Peccatum Omissionis sinne of omission In regard of the first we are called 〈◊〉 Dei Gods souldiers against his enemies Sine and Satan and therefore are we said to be the Church Militant In respect of the second we are stiled Operarii Dei Gods labourers In regard of the first we are called innocentes guiltlesse And of the latter Boni et justi good and 〈◊〉 or viri bororum Operum men of good works But in any good work these two 〈◊〉 go together For the Jews were very observant in offering Sacrifices to God but because they burned in Lust and every one neighed after his neighbours wife their sacrifices were not accepted and it was in this respect that God to'd them he was full of their Libamina their sacrifices On the other side be we never so innocent yet if we doe not to our power pascere vestire feed and cloth do good works we sinne et 〈◊〉 bonum sit non secisse malum tamen malum est 〈◊〉 fecisse bonum as it is good not to do evil so is it evil not to do good For in keeping of the Law facere abstinere must concur Yet if we could keep the second we should not so greatly offend in the first Saint Paul in his directions to Titus giveth these rules that as we must deny ungodlinesse there 's the abstinere so we must facere too live soberly justly and Godly that is 1. Pie Godly towards God 2. juste justly towards our neighbours 3. Sobrie soberly towards our selves And for these three Saint Augustine hath three rules or natural principles 1. Deterius subiiciendum prestantiori quod commune habes cum Angelis subde Deo Let man subject himself to God and his Angel-like reason to God his best director This is pie 2 Quod commune habes cum brutis hoc subde rationi Let mens faculties common to them and brute beasts submit to reason And this is to live sobrie 3. Fac quod vis pati let every man do as he would be done by And this is juste And the corruption of these is by three contrary rules 1. The first as the Satan said to Eve Dii eritis ye shall be as Gods Be not subject 2. The second as the Tempter said to the sons of men videte nubite quod libet licet voluntas lex esto see and marry do what liketh you Let your will stand for a Law 3. The third Machiavels principle Quod potes fac bonum prestantioris bonum communitatis Do what you can 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod potes that you can do is lawful So much of the first thing in the Law The Action or work 2. The second
fiery furnace without hurt either to their bodies or garments was so terrified and astonied that he repealed his former decree and published another and that a sharp one against them that should 〈◊〉 Gods Name The like did Darius upon the supernatural and powerful preservation of Daniel in the Lions den And so we read that the people were astonied at the mighty works of our Saviour Power breeds terrour then 3. The last is his omniscience No sin that we commit but he takes notice of them My sinnes saith king David are not hid from thee When Moses saw no man by he was bold to kill the Egyptian But when he perceived that some were privy to it he feared and said surely this thing is known There is no creature but is manifest in his sight for all things are naked and open before him In respect therefore that he knoweth our transgressions our fear is to be fixed on him And this putteth a difference between the fear of God and the fear of man which they call malum diuturnitatis custodem an ill keeper of continuance for the fear of God is bonus diuturnitatis custos a good keeper of it And now according to the first rule for exposition of the Decalogue we are to see in this what is commanded and what forbidden 1. Here are commanded both the fears servile and filial 1. The first the School-men call timorem servorum servile fear such fear as servants shew to Masters a fear of punishment and this is a good fear though it be ignorantly condemned by some True it is that the Apostle saith that the sons of God have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father the spirit of bondage is inferiour to the spirit of adoption yet that spirit is better then the spirit of Belial or that of slumber of which the Prophet speaks whereby mens eyes are closed It is a maxime that actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfecte primo there is no perfect action but at first it is imperfect and is perfected by degrees It is a good thing to be a son yet it is better to be a servant a door-keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of ungodlinesse better to be a hired servant then a prodigal son It is good to be in Canaan in the land of promise but in the mean time it is better to be in the wildernesse then in Egypt So fear and spare not fac saith S. Augustine si nondum potes amore justitiae at timore poenae do it if not for love of goodnesse yet for fear of punishment and his ground is out of a place in Deuteronomie cap. 5. Nothing brought the Jews to the love of God but the terrour they conceived out of the strange sights before them yet God wisheth that they might have such a heart in them alwayes that they would fear him yet this was but a servile fear procured by the strange sights at the deliverie of the Law 2. The second they call timorem filiorum filial fear This they illustrate by an example from the son of a poor man that hath a reverend fear not to offend his father though he be assured that he can do him neither good nor hurt And these two fears are distinct and different The first ariseth from the fear of punishment and this from love and may be called reverence This is the fear which the Psalmist calleth clean and endureth for ever and thus we perfect or work out our salvation with fear and trembling The reason why though we may and ought to obey God out of love yet it hath pleased him to command fear is threefold 1. To overthrow the vain sp culation of some erroneous people that dream of an absolute perfection in this life The Wise man saith Beatus qui semper pavit happy is the man that feareth alway And either there is no perfection in this life or else fear is superfluous he that cannot fall need not fear But because in this life there be degrees of perfection and though we have obtained perfection of parts that is all vertues and graces required in a Christian yet there are several degrees of perfection wherein we must still be growing for a childe though it have all the parts of a perfect man yet it hath them not in that degree of perfection which one of yeers hath attained to therefore this fear is alwayes necessary None stands so fast but he may fall and therefore must alwayes fear 2. Inasmuch as the children of God often feel in themselves a feeblenesse in faith a doubt in hope coldnesse in prayers slownesse in repentance and a debility in all other pious duties in some more in others lesse according to the measure of the Spirit communicated to them as it was in King David therefore fear is necessary to recover themselves and he that looseth it not his heart shall never be hardened nor fall into mischief as the Wise man intimates in the place before cited Fear is a good preservative for the heart though all other duties fail yet if fear continue we shall never need to despair Saint Bernard saith I know it for a truth that for the keeping continuing and 〈◊〉 of the vertues and duties which God hath commanded there is nothing more profitable and available then fear when the grace of God is with us and when it is departed so that ther 's nothing left but fear yet this fear wil never leave us or let us rest till we have made our selves fit to receive it again si deficit timor deficis et tu if fear decay thou decayest with it c. when we have recovered the grace that was lost fear will preserve it for fear of a relapse will make us more circumspect Saint Jerome calls it Custodem omnium virtutum 3. Because the excellent duty of love the effect of feare might not fail and grow carles In the Canticles the Spouse fell asleep with her beloved in her arms when she awoke her beloved was gone in her bed she sought him but found him not so that if there be not a mixture of fear with love it will grow secure and fall a sleep and lose her beloved Therefore that we may be sure to keep our love awake when we think we have Christ in our armes there must be a mixture of fear with it So for these three reasons fear is necessary even for them that think themselves in a perfect estate And withall Solomon tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so did his father before him And the same Solomon concludes his book of the preacher with fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the end of all and the whole duty of man And in another place he saith it is fons vitae The
fear of the Lord is the fountain of life to avoid the snares of death As faith is the beginning of Christian religion as the first principles are in every science in ordine credendorum so is fear the first work or first beginning in ordine agendorum of things to be done and as timor servilis servile fear is the first work so timor castus a reverend and filial fear is the last worke and conclusion of all things Now wee have seen what is Commanded wee are to see what is forbidden That is first want of fear the effect whereof is hardnesse of heart which is of two sorts the first being a degree or way to the second 1. The first ariseth from the prosperity or present impunity of the wicked which draweth with it an erroneous perswasion of our own freedom from danger Because sentence saith the Preacher against an evill work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evill They harden their hearts because wicked men escape punishment and conclude with him in the Psalmist that God is like themselves and thus the want of fear opens a way to all wickednesse whereas they ought to have reasoned as the Apostle doth that God deferreth his punishment that we should not defer our repentance and that he that hardeneth his neck being rebuked shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy as the Wise man saith 2. The second is the absolute want of fear There ought to be ever a proportion between the object and the power apprehending The Psalmist saith who regardeth deth the power of thy wrath for thereafter as a man feareth so is thy displeasure Our fear should be proportionable to Gods wrath But though we cannot fear in that proportion etiamsi conteremur ad palverem though we should grinde our selves to powder though we should tremble till one bone fall from another yet some measure of fear ought to be in us at least our fear ought to go beyond the precepts of men not be like those whose fear towards God was taught meerly by the precepts of men Esay 29 13. Math. 15. 2. if we fear onely when mans law punishes our fear comes short the trial is if we make the like conscience of those things to which mans law reacheth not as of those which are forbidden both by the laws of God and man other wise we are voyd of fear Now as the want of fear is forbidden so on the other side to fear that we should not is also prohibited The Psalmist among other notes of the wicked sets this down for one they were afraid where no fear was And S. John saith that the fearful that for fear have transgressed shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone And our saviour bids us not to fear them that can onely kill the body Pharoah was afraid the Isralites should grow into a greater number then the Egyptians and therefore made Edicts to kill the male children of the Isralites So Jeroboam fearing that the hearts of the people would return to Rehoboam their true Lord if they should go up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and therefore set up two Golden calves and brought the people to Idolatry Herod was afraid that he should loose his kingdom and therefore commanded to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and the coasts round about from two yeers old and under And the Jews were afraid that if they suffered Christ to proceed in his doctine and miracles all would beleeve on him and the Romans would come and take away their kingdome and therefore they conspired to put him to death The Wise man saith Quod timet impius id accidet ei that which the wicked feareth shall come upon him And so it happened in the four examples mentioned The Romans dispossest the Jews of their kingdom Herod missed of his purpose and lost his kingdom Jeroboams issue was rejected in the next generation And the Israelites increased and prevailed against Pharaoh and the Egyptians Seeing then that this duty of fear is so necessary and that the Prophet in the person of God tells us that to him will he look that trembleth at his words it stands us upon to keep this fear ever in our hearts And the best motives to induce us is to take to us the consideration of Gods judgements and to consider with the Apostle How fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God for if he shall be extreme to mark what is done amisse no man shall abide his wrath 1. And the first is the consideration of the examples of the judgements of God in former ages left upon record in holy Scriptures Of which the Apostle saith That al these things meaning the judgements spoken of him in the former verses of the chapter hapned unto them for ensamples and are written for our admonition They should be our monitors Quot habebis jndicis Dei historias in 〈◊〉 tot habes conciones The histories of God judgements in the scared Scripture are as so many sermons to us to move us to the fear of God As when we see his justice upon his Angells upon man in Paradise upon his whole posterity in the deluge upon the five Cities upon the Egyptians upon his chosen people the Jews upon his own Church Jerusalem and last of all upon his own and dearly beloved Son in proceeding against him in the fullnesse of bitternesse at his passion insomuch as one of the fathers saith upon it O magna amaritudo peccati qui tantam amaritudinem peperit Oh the great bitternesse of sinne that brought forth so great bitternesse Can we read and hear these things and not fear and tremble 2. And as the judgements of former ages are to be considered so those which are more neere ourselves especially these three 1. Mala inherentia those crosses that it pleaseth God to let us feele in some measure as sicknesse povertie afflictions by bad children and the like 2. Mala impendentia those crosses which we do not feel at the present but hang over our heads and which we have cause to fear may daily fall upon us as pestilence sword c. 3. Malum excubans prae foribus as they cal it the horrour of a guilty conscience which is alwayes ready to accuse and terrifie us in which regard God told Cain that sinne lieth at the door though conscience seem to sleep yet it lies like a mastive at the door which when the conscience shall be awakened will be ready to fly in our faces 3. Besides these we should consider those tria novissima as they are called those three last things death judgement and hell torments first the terror of death which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Philosopher called it the terrible of terribles
proper to God and yet in our practise nothing is more common then to ascribe infallibility to our selves and others whom we admire and thus that pride which we tax in them we practise our selves So likewise it is usual among great men They will speak in Gods phrase and as God saith I will be gratious to whom I will be gratious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy So they will prefer whom they will prefer and whereas God hath appointed to prefer whom he will without gifts they will prefer without gifts and lastly whereas there are no merits with God but all is ex gratia out of favour they will have no merits but all favour and so in all things they behave themselves not as men but Gods and that comes because our hearts are lifted up as the Prophet there speaks Come we to the common sort and in them we shall finde S. Bernards seven notes or signes of pride two whereof are in the soul. 1. Pursuing our own counsel 2. Following our own will and pleasure Two in the mouth 1. Grudging against our betters 2. Disdaining and vilifying our inferiours And three in outward things 1. Superbia habitus pride of apparel 2. Superbia habitus pride in our table and 3. Superbia supellectilis pride in our furniture In the means of grace which God gives us to beget in us humility and other graces we shew much pride as when we take a pride in praying hearing c. and do herein affect the praise and applause of men but an higher degree is when men reject those means of grace especially when they resist the good motions wrought in them and quench those sparkles which are kindled by the word when it comes home to their hearts as if they could have the motions of Gods spirit when they please whereas they know not whether God will ever offer them the like again and so this may be the last offer of grace Nay not onely in the means of grace but even in the graces themselves will pride appeare and whereas the objects of other sins are base and vile even the best things and most excellent graces are made the object or matter of pride Cineres 〈◊〉 peccatorum fomes superbia when other 〈◊〉 are consumed to ashes even out of those ashes will pride spring up yea we are apt to be proud even of our humility There is a pride in the crosse when we are humbled under Gods hand we may be proud in that we are not proud or not so proud as other men or as we have been before Thus the greater our gifts are the more secure we grow and the lesse jealous and suspicious of our selves and so are overtaken as 〈◊〉 David 〈◊〉 and others Therefore where the greatest gifts are there is greatest danger and therefore the greater watch ought to be kept and where the richest prize is there the devil will use his greatest power and subtilty to rob us of it Therefore the more any man hath received the more ought he to humble himself and watch that he be not overtaken with pride 1. We will adde a little to that we have said and that shall be concerning the punishment of this sinne Gods glory as one well saith is fiscus regalis his chief treasure and exchequer into which the proud man breaks robbing God by extenuating his glory and taking it as much as he can to himself But as the wise man speaks the Lord will destroy the house of the proud as he did Pharoah Haman Herod and many others who were taken away even when they magnified themselves most of all 2. Or else God punisheth him by depriving him of the guist which was the cause of his pride His tongue shall cleave to the roof of his mouth or his right hand shall forget her cunning 3. Or when he thinks he hath gotten strength enough that he is able to leane upon his own staff God suffers him to fall under every small temptation because he seeks not to God for supply of his spirit whereas by humility he might have withstood the greatest assaults Thus some of great parts when they will be singular as vnicorns that will have no match they break the net of humility which should bring men unto God by pride and so God leaving them to themselves they become the authors of heresies and errors 4. Or though it pleaseth God to let the gift remain whereof they are proud yet he gives not a blessing to it but leaves it fruitlesse Some have been endued with excellent graces but without fruit they haue made no returne to God of his Talents not a soul gained unto him by them whereas a man of mean endowments joyned with humility hath gained more then the golden tongue of an eloquent Tertullus 5. Or Lastly which is the greatest punishment there is in the minde as ost times in the body as towards the end of a mans dayes a Palsy or an Appoplexy a certain stupidity or numnesse so that neither threats can terrifie them nor perswasions allure them to repentance but passe out of this world without the fear of God or sense of his judgements so that they die and perish like beasts And God punisheth their pride with this dulnesse lest they should feel as Saint Paul did a thorn in the flesh which as the best interpreters expound it was a wrestling against pride 1. Another thing forbidden is forced humility coacta humilitas And such was that of Pharoah So long as Gods hand was upon him and his people and that he was sensible of the plagues sent by him so long he humbled himself and promised to let the people go but when he perceived that the plagues ceased he and his servants hardened their hearts and grew to that height that he said who is the Lord that he should let his people go Saint Bernard describeth these kind of humble men thus vidimus multos humiliates sed non humiles we see many humbled few humble 2. Counterfeit or bastard humility spuria humilitas for in every vertue besides the two extreams there is that which hath the likelihood of vertue which they call spuriam virtutem wherewith many are deceived Thus some are naturally of a low servile disposition which some take for humility though it be nor neither is it true humility to give in Gods cause and not to be stout in maintaining it for detrimentum veritatis non est ornamentum humilitatis that which brings detriment to the truth can be no ornament of humility So to deny the gifts or graces of God in our selves is not true humility Saint Paul would have the Ephes. understand his knowledge in the mysterie of Chist Ephes. 3. 4. 5. and preferres the Jews of which himself was one before the Gentiles Gal. 2. 15. and all this without pride In every one there is somewhat of God somewhat of nature somewhat of sinne now it s true every man
Those that are in want count it a blessed thing to receive but he tells us it is a more blessed thing to give and the Apostle makes men rich by giving Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulnesse To stir us up the better to this duty it is expedient for us to know 1. How we hold our riches or how we come by them 2. What we are to think of the poor 1. For the first we may see in Deuteronomy 26. that men may know that all they have is from Gods gift God took order that they must acknowledge it by performing an homage to him 1. The man must bring his basket with his first fruits to the place where God should place his name and the Priest must take it and set it before the Altar and then he that brought it must say A Syrian ready to perish was my father c. He must acknowledge that God brought him out of Egypt into that fruitful land and that there was nothing in him or his progenitors why God should deal so bountifully with him or them and that in acknowledgement that he holds all he hath of God as Lord Paramount he brings his first tenths as a token of his homage 2. Having brought his basket before the Lords he must say Sustuli quod sanctum est de facultatibus vers 13. I have taken out that which is hallowed viz. the fruits and first-fruits c. out of my substance I have not spent it upon my self but have taken it out and given it ad usus Ecclesiasticos for the Levite and ad usus civiles For the stranger the fatherlesse and poor and that not as an arbitrary thing done of his own accord but by necessity of duty for he must say he did it according to Gods commandement So that we see here every man must confesse 1. that all he hath is held of God ex libera elemosyna as free alms from his hands 2. That there is a rent a duty to be paid which is a tenth at least for holy uses for the priest and Levite and the service of the Altar and after that a second tenth for the poor and 3. that both are due by God command 2. For the second point what we are to conceive of the poor the Psalmist saith that the man is blessed that judgeth wisely of the poor men are apt to erre in their judgement of them for the common conceit of them is as of persons that concern us not To rectifie our judgement we must judge of them as God judgeth whose judgement we are sure can never be reversed How is that As himself tels us in Deuteronomy he hath taken this order that there shall ever be some poor in the land and there I command thee saith God it is not counsel or advice that thou open thy hand to thy brother and to thy poor and to thy needy in the land so that the poor are appropriated to us they are made nostri ours we cannot shake off this affixum this hanger on which God hath fastned upon us and consequently he hath given strict precepts for their relief 1. Negative Non obsirmabis cor thou shalt not harden thy heart against them and nec claudes manus nor shalt thou shut thine hand we must neither be hard hearted nor close fisted towards them nay there must not be an evil thought in our heart against them 〈◊〉 they cry unto the Lord against us and it be sin to us the wages whereof is death as the Apostle speaks 2. Affirmative Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that he wanteth There is a double estate of the poor some are so that if any thing be lent they can imploy it so that they can live thereby and pay it again Others are so impotent that lending will not help them therefore God takes order for both we must lend to the first and give freely to the other Our Saviour joyneth both together Give to him that asketh and from him that would borrow turn thou not away Again s. Augustines counsel is if we would have the word to fructifie in us not to let thorns grow among the seed but to 〈◊〉 the seed with a hedge of thorns which is the proper use of them and this is when our riches are bestowed in works of mercy or else we must inserere verbum spinis 〈◊〉 upon these thorns by relieving our poor brother Here is a science to be 〈◊〉 we must open our hand and lend him or if that will not serve we must give him Thus we must graft and then we may look for fruit in abundance Christ tells us that God hath given us our talents to this purpose Negotiamini dum venio Occupy or trade therewith till I come we must imploy them for his advantage Now this occupying is as himself saith in another place by improving our talent and laying of it out for the use of the hungry the naked and the sick if wee expect the blessed reward from him this is the best way of increase and the surest way to binde him to reward us For hee hath to this purpose made a new promise in the Gospel that what shall be done to the least of these his brethren he will account it as done to himself As for those that the Wiseman speaks of which have viscera crudelia cruel bowels the mercies of the wicked are cruel or as the Apostle speaks 〈◊〉 viscera no bowels or as saint John speaks Viscera clausa close bowels shut up so that no fruit of mercy comes from them the love of God abides not in them 〈◊〉 can they expect any part of this reward Under the Law God took special order to meet with this sin six years they were to plough and sow the land and what should come of it they were to gather in 〈◊〉 themselves the tenths both for the Priest and poor still deducted but in the seventh year they must let it lye that the poor of the people may eat and so they were to do for the Vineyards and Olives And when they did reap their fields they were not wholly to reap the corners of their fields nor to gather the gleanings of the harvest c. but must leave them for the poor and stranger And by an argument a comparatis we may gather that if when a man saw his brothers Asse go astray or any harm befall him he must not passe by but help him much more must he help his brother if any weaknesse befal him Nor because our own necessities must be regarded in the first place for our direction in this case we must know that Divines speak of a threefold necessity which some reduce to two including the third under the first 1. Necessitas naturae the necessity of nature thus every man