Honour all men a generall honour which respecteth all men as well those from whom it is due as those vnto whom it is due that is to say an honour which all men owe to all men and each man to each and euerie man the King himselfe not excepted in that dutie which hee oweth to his meanest subiect And therefore is hee called both by prophane writers as also by the prophets and namely Ezechiel the 34. The sheapheard of the people Ezec. 34.2 VVo to the sheapheards of Israel And again Heare the word of the Lord Vers 9. O ye sheapheards Where hee speaketh as well to the ciuill as Eclesiasticall Magistrate as it is in the Psalme Thou didst leade thy people like sheepe by the hand of Moses and Aaron Psal 77.20 The office therefore of Kings and rulers is to leade and feed the people and to doo them good And this is the thing which so generally is here commanded commended vnto vs by the name of Honour euen our dutie of dooing good vnto al that especially need our good For first that this is due it appeareth by another Apostle saying Looke not euerie man on his owne things but euery man also on the things of other men Philip. 2. and 4. And againe Phillip 2.4 to the Galathians the 6 and 10. VVhile we haue time let vs do good vnto al specially those that are of the houshold of faith Gal. 6.10 And in the third of the Prouerbs Prou. 3.27 VVithhould not good frō the owners therof when it is in thy power to do it Where note that hee calleth the needie the owners of thy good or benefit as due vnto them the enemie himselfe not excepted considered not indeed as an enemie for that is not possible vnlesse wee should conspire against our selues but as a man and so commeth hee within the compasse of this honor of the Apostle Honour all men For this honor as all other duties must not onely bee pure and without hypocrisie but full perfect in all her parts not partiall excluding any but including all euen the enemie as Christ also teacheth vs by his owne example in the fift of Mathew Matth. 5 44 45 48. But I say vnto you loue your enemie blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you pray for thē that hurt you and persecute you that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heauen For hee maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and on the good and sendeth raine on the iust and vniust Ye shal therefore bee perfect as your father which is in heauen is perfect And secondly that this duty done is honour it is plaine also by the former Apostle in the fifth of the first to Timothie The elders saith he which rule well 1. Tim 5 17 are woorthie of double honor specially they that labour in the word and doctrine Where hee speaketh properly of the wage and maintenance of the minister to be allowed vnto him according to the waight and worthinesse of his worke and labor as appeareth by that that followeth For the Scripture saith saith the Apostle Thou shalt not mosell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne Vers 18. And againe The Labourer is worthie of his hire And in the same place speaking of poore widowes that liued well and had no kindred able to releeue them hee commendeth them to the prouision of the Church and saith Vers 3. Honour widowes that are widowes indeede And in the 15. of Mathew Matth. 15. Christ very sharpely reprooueth the Scribes and Pharisies for loosing the bands of this dutie and bringing this honour into contempt in children towards their parents especially such as were poore and needie lay as we say vppon their childrens hands For these hypocriticall couetous Maisters had so preferred in holinesse and worthinesse the gold of the Temple before the Temple and the gift of the Altar before the Altar because they could sweepe away the gold and the gifts and turn them to the maintenance of their pompe and pleasure that the people as they taught them did euer well to bring bring And howe euill so euer they were and whatsoeuer euill they had done as a thiefe that robbeth on the Plaine yet if the Priest had receiued their gifts and sanctified them in the Temple they were as safe as they thought and as well shrowded in this hipocrisie from all danger of the wrath of God as the theefe is in his den as the Lorde also by the Prophet Ieremie obiecteth to them Iere. 7.11 And this went so farre as I sayde that if a sonne or a daughter who themselues had somewhat and had their father and mother relying on them had carried all to the Temple and left themselues so needie that scarcelie or not at all they were now able to relieue their Parents yet all was well For if the father or mother complaining for maintenaunce the sonne had aunswere Gift as it is in the fifteenth of Mathew or as in the seuenth of Marke Corban that is gift The Verb is wanting which must bee supplyed thus gift it is or become gift and giuen alreadie wherewith thou mightest bee helped and relieued at my handes he was free that is to say faultlesse by theyr doctrine VVho to establish theyr owne Tradition of freeing men from sinne in such a case as this had abrogate as Christ chargeth them the commaundement of GOD saying Honour thy Father and thy Mother And againe I will haue mercie and not sacrifice This mercie therefore comfort and reliefe which shoulde bee bestowed vppon the needie parents is the honour which the Sonne or Daughter oweth vnto them in case more then gifts or sacrifices vnto the Temple and therefore is honor in deed which God so esteemeth of and so alloweth to bee done that rather then it should not be don he is content to want some part of his owne outward honor as here we see And in deede these I meane the needie of all sorts specially those that concerne vs most are the liuelie Images which our Papall men and great Pharisaicall doctours shoulde haue taught the people to honour and to bring their gifts and presents vnto and not to the Church walles and windowes to stockes and stones Roode-loftes and the like stumbling at the same stone that their fathers did For there is in the person of man aboue al other things a certaine excellencie and dignitie as the Image of God so to be honored of vs that wee preserue it by all meanes possible And therefore in the Lawe of murther it is ordained that hee that sheddeth mans blood Gen. 9.6 by man shall his blood bee shedde because hee destroyeth the Image of God VVhat is man saith Dauid that thou art mindfull of him Psal 8.6 Heb. 2 6 7 Thou madest him little inferiour to the Angels thou crownedst him with glorie and honour and hast
TWO SERMONS on these wordes of Peter the Apostle Honour all men Loue brotherly felowship Epist 1. chap. 2. vers 17. Preached at Marlebrough the seuenth of Nouember and fifth of Ianuarie 1595. by Charles Pynner Minister of the Church of Wotton-Basset in North-wiltshire Gal. 6.10 VVhile we haue time let vs do good vnto all men but especially vnto them which are of the houshold of faith LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede 1597. TO THE RIGHT honourable and my especiall good Lady Anne Ladie de La VVarr wife vnto the L. de La Warr that now is a grace mercie and peace from God the Father and from the Lorde Iesus Christ MAdame when at the request of my worshipfull and godly friend Master Iohn Bailiffe theÌ„ Maior of Marl-brough I had there preached these two Sermons I purposed euen theÌ„ though thwarted til now by some occasions to offer the same vnto your Ladiship in part of paiment of a much greater summe which for many your benefites as manie knowe and my selfe most willinglie acknowledge is due vnto you And the rather I haue done this and in this kinde sought some part of recompence because as Dauid sayth vnto God One day in thy Courts is better then a thousand Psal 84.13 So your whole life telleth vnto others and to mee especially that one Sermon yea one sentence of the Lawe of GOD is dearer vnto you then thousands of Gold and Siluer Psal 119.73 And therfore this spark of Gods grace howe little so euer it be if any at al it be I know wil be accepted of your Ladiship and all other of like spirite in which hope I haue beene bold to make it publike desiring it may worke that good in others which the like labours of others by Gods grace and I humbly thanke him for this grace in some measure hath wrought in mee And I pray God this zealous care may still be in vs chiefly in those that haue receiued most to helpe theÌ„ which especially haue neede thereof as lacking the liuelie voyce of theyr owne pastours In the want of which duetie in many most learned of whome howe many haue receiued how many taleÌ„ts which go not abroade or so broade as they might euen he which hath receiued a little I speake for my selfe may I trust bee allowed to giue a little VVhich if there be a willing minde first as sayth the Apostle it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not The Lord Iesus preserue your good Ladyship with my honourable good Lord and your happy children happie if they knowe their happinesse of such their parents and increase in you the graces of his holy spirite Amen From London the second of August 1597. Your Honours bounden and in all dutie to commaund Charles Pynner THE FIRST Sermon 1. Pet. Chap. 2. Vers 17. Honour all men THe Apostle in these words not so much teacheth the faithfull to whome hee writeth as exhorteth them vnto certaine duties which it seemeth they knew before Like as himselfe in this and his other Epistle with the rest of the Apostles and indeede all the holy Scriptures both of the old and new Testament are very plentifull in this matter of exhorting These things commaunde and teach 1. Tim. 4.11 faith Paul to Timothie the first fourth That which is taught must be commaunded like as that which is commanded must first bee taught Which sheweth our dulnes deerely beloued and how restie we are and needing a spurre in the knowen way And yet it may bee many Philips heere not so vnwilling to embrace their dutie as not knowing what dutie is that they may embrace it In the fourteenth of Iohn If ye had knowen me saith Christ ye should haue knowne my father also Ioâ—â— 14 7.â— â—seq and from henceforth ye know him and haue seene him Phillip saide vnto him Lord shewe vs the Father and it sufficeth So we shew vs what it is to honour all men and we will honour them What is the brotherhood we will loue them what it is to feare God and we will feare him and so forth But Iesus said vnto him Phillip I haue beene so long time with you and hast thou not knowne me he that hath seene me hath seene my Father I cannot chalenge you as Christ doth Philip I haue beene so long time with you for I haue bin seldome with you Neither yet can your own Pastours so chalenge you notwithstanding their bodily presence which you haue had much longer time then Christ was with his disciples because they haue not so preached and shewed Christ vnto you as Christ his father to his disciples And whence this deadly plague should come I knowe not except partly from the the measels of the Gergesites contented rather then they would bee at any cost with Christ to be without him and partly from the seueritie of God against this sinne and others who despiseth vs in this prophanenesse as once his owne people Israel and Iuda in the eleuenth of Zacharie the Lorde by the Prophet denouncing thus Zach. 11.9 Then I saide I will not feede you that that dyeth let it die and that that perisheth let it perish As Christ also telleth them in the 23. of Mathew Math. 23 38 that they are giuen ouer Beholde saith he your house it left vnto you desolate O my people sayth the Lord by Esay They which leade thee Isa 3 12 misleade thee and hide form thee the way of thy pathes And yet lo deerely beloued some parte of your pathes as a stranger that passeth by and is content to go a little with you to shewe you the way that GOD hath shewed him For God that commaundeth the light to shine out of the darkenesse sayth the Apostle 2. Cor. 4 6 the second to the Corinthians chap. 4. ver 6. is he which hath shined in our hearts to giue foorth the light of the knowledge of the glorie of God in the face of Iesus Christ And hee it is which hath lighted our candle not that we should put it vnder a bed or vnder a bushel but on a candlestick that it may giue light vnto the whole house And lo now it shineth vpon your candlestick to shew you some parte of the way which you must walke The first steppe vvhereof is this Honour all men the seconde this Loue brotherly fellowshippe or the brotherhood the third this Feare God and the sourth and last this Houour the King And yet it seemeth this last point needed not to haue bin added by the Apostle hauing spoken so largely at the first saying Honour all men For is the King no bodie Yes verily hee is more then any besides and therefore hath a speciall honour by himselfe In which respect the Apostle saith againe more distinctly and particularly of him Honour the King but of this in place Wee haue therefore heere in the first place or point of this exhortation
the first for necessitie sake as wee reade in Genesis Bonum est hominem non esse solum Gen. 2.18 It is good for man not to be alone Who therefore as hee receiueth his good from other so ought hee to minister helpe and doo good to other And therefore if thou do say with Cain Am I the keeper of my brother it shall be answered Yes indeede are thou the keeper of thy brother anâ— thou must honour him as the Apostle here commandeth saying Honour all men And if thou do not so honour them as heere is taught thou doest contemne them and in contemning them dost kill them as Christ before teacheth thee in the third of Marke Where I may conclude that it is not onely the fire of the wrath of God which hath brought this desolation vpon this place where yet we may beholde and see many heapes of stones and dust moystened no lesse with the teares of the afflicted then with the raine from heauen but the carelesse mercilesse hearts of many which still suffer it so to bee In whome if this of Peter had taken place there should now haue beene no signe of this destruction amongst vs. Specially there beeing so many who in the dayes of our peace haue receiued so much For this of the Apostle Honour all men being spoken generally to all doth yet so require this honor to be done of all vnto all that he that hath most must do most and he that hath little must doo according to his litle VVhich if there be a willing mind first as saith the Apostle it is accepted according to that a man hath 2. Cor. 8.12 and not according to that he hath not And thus in doing this honour to all men wee must obserue the proportion which pertaineth to vs according to our portion For of him that hath receiued much much shall bee required and of him that hath receiued little little shall be required The summer must beare more in the building then the iuist or rafter and if one talent may not bee digged into the ground what shall be the iudgement of those euill seruants which haue hid many talents but this Take from them their talents Matth. 25 and binde them hand foote and cast these euill seruants into vtter darknesse there shall bee weeping gnashing of teeth And yet see in this parable the euill seruant wasteth not his talent nor abuseth it vnto oppression but onely he vseth it not at al doth no good with it For of that seed of Cain which oppresse kil and destroy which griende the face of the poore Isa 3 15 Amos 2.6 as it is in the third of Esay and in the second of Amos which sell the iust for money and the needie pro pari Calceorum for a paire of shooes I will speake no more Onely thus for the order of this honour he whose hand hath most his charge is most and he that hath little hath charge for a little Which if euerie man would looke vnto as here wee are commanded to Honour all men Lord what a heauen as I may so say of help would there bee amongest vs and howe true would the prouer be be Homo homini Deus Man is God to man And the poore of the Land should be prouided for as we are commanded in the 15. of Deuteronomie euen by the superfluities of manies aboundance Deut. 25.7 seq And yet againe as in this honour heere required wee obserue a proportion in those from whom it is due so likewise ought wee to do in and as concerning those vnto whome it is due and all must honour all but not alike euen as all are bounde vnto all but not alike And therefore the Apostle in the fifteenth of the first to Timothie 1 Tim. 5 8. maketh them deerest who are nearest to vs If there be any saith hee that prouideth not for his owne and namely for them of his owne houshold hee hath denied the faith and is worse then an infidell And in the 6. verse of the same chapter If any faithfull man or faithfull woman saith he haue widowes meaning of their kinne and which are neere vnto them let them minister vnto them that is let them helpe and releeue them and let not the church bee charged Thus the father oweth more to the childe the husband to the wife the brother to his brother yea the friende to his friende because hee hath bounde him by a speciall band then to any other And if these will not honor these protect and defend helpe comfort and nourish these as too often we may see this honor wanting it is because we are fallen into the last times of which the Apostle forewarned they should bee greeuous it would euen greeue any godly minde to see the maners of them 2. Tim. 3.3 For men saith he shal be louers of themselues couetous proude boasters and so forth At length he addeth without naturall affection Which in a sort doubtlesse may be extended euen to those also which deny this honour of which we speak vnto their ioynt-neighbours and fellow-citizens vnto whome by a speciall band they owe more then to anie other by reason of the mutuall societie and cÌ„oiuuction of the members of the bodie politique wherein they are placed And therfore ought they more especially to reioyce and suffer one with another and to procure the good one of another because the help or hinderance the honour or rebuke of any member redoundeth to the whole body in which euery member hath his part as Paule also speaketh of the naturall bodie 1. Cor. 1â— â—6 And this made Moses first so seuere and couragious against the Egyptian Act. 7 23 c. whÌ„o he slue in defence auenging the cause of one of his brethren and afterwardes so carefull to agree his Countri-men and brethren which stroue togither saying Sirs we are brethren why do ye wrong one to another A great wrong much dutie broken wheÌ„ a brother shal wrong a brother a neighbor his neighbor one towns man an other a citizen his fellow citizen when enuie debate deceit and oppression shall raigne amongst them as strife in the members of the same body which reacheth home For if ye bite saith the apostle and deuoure one another Gal 5.15 take heed least ye be consumed one of another Which is the plague of the people mentioned in Esa 3. Opprimet in populo alter alterÌ„u quisque proximum suum Esay 3 5 One shall oppresse another amongst the people each man his neighbour As also in the 9. of the same prophecie Esay 9 20 â—1 Euery one shall eate the flesh of his owne arme Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh and both these against Iuda And what of this A citie yea a kingdom deuided in it self caÌ„not coÌ„tinue Mat. 12 25 For it is not the honor of our times that can hold it vp so light foolish and ful