her his drudge by denying her the honour of a tender respect and loving condescension Which kinde of honour is in some measure and according to their different proportions due also to be given by Parents to their children and by the greatest Masters to the meanest of their servants 6. We have another example of the like use of the word 1 Tim. 5. where S. Paul biddeth Timothy honour widdows that are widdows indeed Timothy was a man of eminent rank in the Church of God a Bishop and that of no mean See but of Ephesus a famous city and the chief Metropolis of Asia and the Widows he there speaketh of were poore old women such as in those times for the meane services they were to performe to the Saints were called also Diaconissae and were therefore to be maintained out of the contributions of the Church and the common stock The parties being of such wide distance it had been most unseemly for him to have given to them but extreme and most ridiculous arrogancy in them to have expected from him any honour properly so called honour of reverence and subjection But the honour he was to give them was such as was meet for persons of that quality especially in relation to their maintenance that in the execution of his pastoral charge amongst his other cares he should take care that those widdows should be provided for in fitting sort that so in the Province of Ephesus there might be no cause of such complaint as had formerly been by the Grecians at Ierusalem Acts 6. that their widows were neglected in the daily ministration 7. In like manner we are to understand the word Honour here in the Text in such a notion as may include together with the Honour properly so called and due to Superiors only all those fitting respects which are to be given to Equals and Inferiors also which is a kinde of Honour too but more improperly so called And then it falleth in all one with that of S. Paul Rom. 13. Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome feare to whom feare honour to whom honour As if he had said I would not any of you should be behinde with any man in any thing but if you owe him any duty performe it to the full If any honour or respect in whatsoever kinde or degree belong to him account it as due debt and let him have it to the utmost of what can with justice or in equity be demanded So that we then fulfill this precept of our Apostle when we are careful to our utmost power and best understanding to respect every man whether Superior Equall or Inferior secundùm gradum meritum according to his place and desert For those two are as it were the Standards whereby to measure out to every man his proportion of Honour in this kinde That is to say every man is to be honoured and respected according to the dignity of his place whatsoever his deserts are and according to the merit of his person whatsoever his place and condition be 8. It would be a tedious indeed rather an endless taske and therefore I undertake it not to drive the general into its particulars and to shew what peculiar honours and respects are due to all estates of men considered in their severall ranks and mutual relations It must be the care of every godly wise man to inform himself the best he can for that matter so far as may concern himself and those whom he may have occasion to converse withall and it must be his resolution to give honour to every man accordingly that is to say neither more or less but as nere as he can understand within a convenient latitude that which is justly his due Yet let him take this withall that where the case is doubtfull it is the safest course lest self-love should incline him to be partial to pinch rather on his own part then on his neighbours especially if his Superior That is to say rather to forgoe a good part of that honour which he may think is due to himself if he be not very sure of it then to keep back any small part of that honour which for any good pssurance he hath to the contrary may fall due to his neighbour Agreeably to the other Apostles advice Rom. 12. that not in taking but in giving honour we should go one before another 9. Now we see in the meaning of the words both what duty we are to performe and to whom The Duty Honour and that to all men and all this but Quid nominis It may next be demanded Quid Iuris upon what tye we stand thus bound to Honour all men I answer Funiculus triplex There lyeth a threefold tye upon us for the performance of this Duty to wit of Iustice of Equity of Religion A tye of Iustice first whose most proper and immediate office it is suum cuique to give to every one that which of right appertaineth to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Aristotles phrase but S. Pauls is far beyond it in the fore-cited Rom. 13. Render to all their dues So we translate it but the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signifieth Debts accordingly whereunto he saith in the next verse there pursuing his metaphor Owe nothing to any man We do not account it discurtesie but dishonesly in any man that is able not to pay debts Withhold not good from them to whom it is due saith Solomon Prov. 3. Whosoever withholdeth a debt or due from another doth an unjust act and is next akin to a thief and as a thief is bound to restitution The other word in the same place inforceth as much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 more then Aristotles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very same word that is used where Zacheus promised fourfold restitution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 19. Render or restore 10. It is a thing not unworthy the observing that all those words which usually signifie Honour in the three learned languages do either primarily signifie or else are derived from such words as do withall signifie either a Price or a Weight Now by the rules of Commutative Iustice the price of every commodity ought to be according to the true worth of it And things payable by weight are by Law and Custome then onely currant when they have their due and full weight and that usually with some draught over rather then under Even so it is a righteous thing with us to make a just estimate of every mans worth and to set a right valuation upon him so near as we can respectively to the quality of his place and his personal desert and to allow him his full proportion of Honour accordingly neither under-rating him in our thoughts nor setting lighter by him then we should do in our
to despise their Governors and no less ready the enemies of their Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to speak evil of them under that colour as persons licentious and ill affected to Government The preventing of which whether abuses or misconstructions of so wholsome a Doctrine caused the holy Apostles to touch so often and to beat so much as in their writings they have done upon the argument of Christian subjection and obedience as a duty highly concerning all those upon whom the name of Christ is called both for their Consciences and Credits sake cheerfully to perform If there be in them at all any care either to discharge a good conscience before God or to preserve their own and the Gospels reputation before men they must endeavour both to do the will of the most wise God and to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men by submitting to every humane creature that the Lord hath set over them for his sake 2. This I conceive to be the scope of that part of the Chapter whence the Text is taken which I now stand not with farther curiosity to analyse Suffice it us to know that in this seventeenth verse St Peter shutteth up his general Exhortation concerning subjection to Superiours in four short precepts or Aphorismes of Christian life Honour all men Love the Brotherhood Fear God Honour the King Which four though considerable also apart and as each hath a compleat sence within it self may yet not unfitly be ranged and that agreeably as I conceive to the Apostles intendment into two combinations The two former into one as thus Honour all men but not all men alike you must be ready to do all offices of respect and love as occasion serveth to every man but yet you are to remember that your brethren in Christ may claim a nearer and deeper interest in your affections and so in the exercise of your charity too then they that are without have any reason to do Honour all men but especially love the brotherhood The two later also into one thus Fear God and the King where the fear of the one will consist with the fear of the other But where they are incompatible hold fast to the fear of God howsoever but even in that case where ye may not fear the King you must yet do him all the honour otherwise that may be Fear God yet honour the King too 3. We shall now hold us to the former Combination onely consisting of these two Precepts Honour all men love the brotherhood In either of which we may observe First the Duty what it is and then how that duty is either extended or limited in regard of the Object The Duties are Honour and Love The duty of Honour in the former Precept and that extended to every man Honour all men The duty of Love in the later Precept and that limited to the Brethren Love the Brotherhood Of which in their order keeping the same method in both even this to consider first Quid hominis then Quid juris and lastly Quid facti The first by opening the Duty and what we are to do The next by enquiring into the Obligation and why we are so to do The last by examining our Performance and whether we do therein as we ought to do or no. And first of the former Precept Honour all men 4. Honour properly is an acknowledgment or testification of some excellency or other in the person honoured by some reverence or observance answerable thereunto Thus we honour God above all as being transcendently excellent and thus we honour our parents our Princes our betters or superiours in any kinde And thus the word is clearly used in the last precept of the four in this verse Honour the King But so to take it in this first Precept would be subject to sundry difficulties and inconveniencies this especially above the rest that the Scripture should here binde us to an impossible thing Impossible I say not onely ex hypothesi and by consequent in regard of the weakness and corruption of our nature for so is every good duty impossible to be performed by us without the grace of God preventing and assisting us but impossible ex naturâ rei as implying a flat contradiction within it self For honouring in that notion being the preferring of some before other some we should be bound by this Text were the word so to be understood to prefer every man before every other man which how it should be possible for us to do is beyond the wit of man to imagine For to prefer all is in truth to prefer none and so the Apostles command to honour all men shall be all one upon the point as if he had directly forbidden us to honour any man It is necessary therefore for the avoiding of this contradiction and sundry other absurdities which would follow thereupon and I omit to take the word Honour in this place in a signification somewhat looser and larger then the former so as to import all that esteem or regard be it more or less which either in justice or charity is due to any man in respect of his place person or condition according to the eminency merit or exigency of any of them respectively together with the willing performance of such just and charitable offices upon all emergent occasions as in proportion to any of the said respects can be reasonably expected In which sense it is a possible thing for us to honour not onely our Superiours that are over us or a above us but our Equals too that are in the same rank with us yea even our inferiours also that are below us or under us 5. And in this latitude you shall finde the word Honour sometimes used in the Scriptures though not so frequently as in the proper signification You have one example of it in the seventh verse of the next Chapter where S. Peter enjoyneth husbands to give honour to the wife as to the weaker vessel It was far from his meaning doubtless that the husband should honour the wife with the honour properly so called that of Reverence or Subjection For that were to invert the right order of things and to pervert Gods ordinance who hath given man the preeminence and commanded the woman to be in subjection The woman therefore may not by any means 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 usurpe authority over the man but it is her duty to reverence her husband and she must see that she do it His meaning clearly is that the husband should cherish the wife as one that though in some degree of inferiority is yet his yoke-fellow bearing with the weaknesses whether of her sexe or person framing to her disposition and yielding to her desires so far as reason and wisdom will allow Being her head he must not make himself her slave by giving her the honour of dutiful observance and obedience and yet being his companion he may not make
into the place of magistracy and authority having neither head nor heart for it I mean when they have neither knowledge and experience in any measure of competency to understand what belongeth to such places not yet any care or purpose at all to do God their King and Countrey good service therein The wise son of Sirac checketh such ambitious spirits for their unseasonable forwardness that way Sirac 4. Seek not of the Lord preeminence neither of the King the seat of honour Think not he hath any meaning to disswade or dis-hearten men of quality and parts for medling with such employments for then the service should be neglected No men that are gifted for it although the service cannot be attended without some both trouble and charge yet should not for the avoiding either of charge or trouble indeed they cannot without sin seek either to keep themselves out of the Commission or to get themselves off again being on His meaning clearly is only to repress the ambition of those that look after the Title because they think it would be some glory to them but are not able for want either of skil or spirit or through sloth not willing to perform the duties And so he declareth himself a little after there Seek not to be a Iudge being not able to take away iniquity lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty and lay a stumbling block in the way of thy uprightness 25. Did honour indeed consist which is the ambitious mans errour either only or chiefly in the empty Title we might well wish him good luck with his honour But since true honour hath a dependance upon vertue being the wages as some or as others have rather chosen to call it the shadow of it it is a very vanity to expect the one without some care had of the other Would any man not forsaken of his sences look for a shadow where there is no solid body to cast it or not of his reason demand wages where he hath done no service Yet such is the perversness of our corrupt nature through sloth and self-love that what God would have goe together the Honour and the Burden we would willingly put asunder Every man almost would draw to himself as much of the Honour as he can if it be a matter of credit or gain then Why should not I be respected in my place as well as another But yet withall would every man almost put off from himself as much of the burden as he can if it be a matter of business and trouble then Why may not another man do it as well as I Like lazy servants so are we that love to be before-hand with their wages and behind-hand with their work 26. The truth is there is an Outward and theâ—e is an Inward honour The outward honour belongeth immediately to the Place and the place casteth it upon the Person so that whatsoever person holdeth the place it is meet he should have the honour due to the place whether he deserve it or not But the Inward honour pitcheth immediately upon the Person and but reflecteth upon the Place and that honour will never be had without desert What the Apostle said of the ministery is in some sence also true of the Magistracy they that labour faithfully in either are worthy of double honour Labour or labour not there is a single honour due to them and yet not so much to them as to their places and callings but yet to them too for the places sake and we are injust if we withhold it from them though they should be most unworthy of it But the double Honour that inward Honour of the heart to accompany the outward will not be had where there is not worth and industry in some tolerable measure to deserve it The knee-worship and the cap-worship and the lip-worship they may have that are in worshipful places and callings though they do little good in them But the Heart-worship they shall never have unless they be ready to do justice and to shew mercy and be diligent and faithful in their Callings 27. Another fruit and effect of this duty where it is honestly performed are the hearty prayers and blessings of the poor as on the contrary their bitter curses and imprecations where it is slighted or neglected We need not look far to finde the truth hereof asserted in both the branches we have Text for it in this very chapter ver 24-26 He that saith unto the wicked Thou art righteous him shall the people curse nations shall abhor him But to them that rebuke him shall be delight and a good blessing shall come upon them Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer As he that withholdeth corn in the time of dearth having his garners full pulleth upon himself deservedly the curses of the poor but they will powr out blessings abundantly upon the head of him that in compassion to them will let them have it for their mony Prov. 11. So he that by his place having power and means to succour those that are distressed and to free them from wrongs and oppressions will seasonably put forth himself and his power to do them right shall have many a blessing from their mouths and many a good wish from their hearts but many more bitter curses both from the mouth and heart by how much men are more sensible of discourtesies then of benefits and readier to curse then to bless if they finde themselves neglected And the blessings and cursings of the poor are things not to be wholy dis-regarded Indeed the curse causeless shall not come neither is the Magistrate to regard the curses of bad people so far as either to be deterred thereby from punishing them according to their desert or to think he shall fare ever the worse doing but his duty for such curses For such words are but wind and as Solomon saith elsewhere He that observeth the wind shall not sow so he that regardeth the speeches of vain persons shall never do his duty as he ought to do In such cases that of David must be their meditation and comfort Though they curse yet bless thou And as there is little terrour in the causeless curses so there is as little comfort in the causeless blessings of vain evil men But yet where there is cause given although he cannot be excused from sin that curseth for we ought to bless and to pray for not to curse even those that wrong us and persecute us yet vae homini withall woe to the man from whom the provocation cometh Such curses as they proceed from the bitterness of the soul of the grieved person in the mean time so they will be in the end bitterness to the soul of him that gave cause of grievance And if there were not on the other side some comfort in the deserved blessings of the poor it had been no wisdom for