Linguistic DNA - Concept Modelling Demonstrator

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	word_n	work_n	wound_v	93	3	8.6796	4	false

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A21050	A treatise of benignity written by Father Francis Arias ... in his second parte of the Imitation of Christ our Lord ; translated into English.	Arias, Francisco.; Matthew, Tobie, Sir, 1577-1655.	1630 (1630)	STC 742.7; ESTC S1497	83,775	312

Prophet dy out of Ierusalem so especially is it decreed of this Prophet who for his eminency and excellency is called The Prophet which is the Messias that he shall dy in Ierusalem And as for the rest of the Prophets it hath ordinarily been true and so also it will bee that they haue been put to death and are to dy in Ierusalem because in that Citty the wickednes of theÌ„ who gouerne the people doth abound Now Herod who was called Antipas was a very wicked Kinge and very scandalous He was an adulterer and an in cestuous person for he tooke his owne brothers wife from him He was a murtherer a sacrilegious man for he had taken away the life of the great Saint Iohn Baptist and as it should seem he also went about to murder Christ our Lord secretly least the people being instructed by his holy doctrine might growe to abhorre Herods wicked life He was also a most vaine giddy creature for to reward the dance of a girle he promised the one halfe of his kingdome if need had been and he paid the life of Saint Iohn for it He was moreouer a false and dissembling person for he pretended that he murdered Saint Iohn for the complying with his oath whereas indeed that was not the cause but for the contenting of a wicked woman and for the setling and securing of his owne wicked life Now Christ our Lord resoluing to discouer the authority of the Kinge of heauen and earth and of the Lord of al creatures which himselfe had in his hand for the reproofe and punishment of all the powerfull men of this world and to shew how free he was from all humane feare and to giue an example to the Prelates of his Church of that holy liberty which in such case they were to vse towards the Kinges of the earth and to discouer also how vile and contemptible sinnefull men are in the sight of God how rich and noble and great Lords soeuer they might chance to be and particularly meaning to declare to them who bad him take heed of Herod that he knew well enough all the fetches and designes of that crafty man that he had no need to be tould therof by any other I say to declare and discouer all these thinges he spake this word Tell that foxe c. Which was to say vnder a metaphor Tell that crafty and dissembling man who by the wickednes of his life giues a pestilent odour of ill example that whatsoeuer eÌ„deauour he may vse he can take no part of my life froÌ„ mee till my selfe shall voluntarily part with it as I will do when the time ordained by my eternall Father shall arriue Being therefore most conuenient for these ends which wee haue touched that Christ our Lord should speake with this authority of a Lord he did yet obserue great modesty and Benignity therin For he might well haue said Tell that wicked man that adulterer that murderer and sacrilegious person yea or tell it to that diuell for all this had fitted him he deserued it well but Christ our Lord would not vse any of these termes but fell vpon a more moderate word as this was Tell that crafty and dissembling man that he hath no power to stop the course of my life And so shewing the authority and holy liberty which the Prelates of the Church are to vse towardes the great men of this world and discouering also his owne diuine wisedome he did joyntly teach vs that moderatioÌ„ wherewith we are to exeroise that authority and liberty Other examples which may breed the like difficulty in the mindes of ignorant men are the reprehensions which Christ out Lord gaue to the Scribes and Pharisees of the people of Israell in very seuere wordes which did greatly confound and grieuously wound them for he would say sometimes as Matt. 12. You generation of vipers you can not speake well being so wicked This wicked adulterous generatioÌ„ asketh signes At other times he would say as Matt. 23. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees you hipoctites Wo be to you who are blinde and guides of the blinde And Ioh. 8. You are of the diuell and him you haue for your Father and you cooperate to his wicked ends Now let vs see the mystery of these words of Christ our Lord how they were not contrary to that Charity and Benignity which he taught vs but full of conformity to the same And let vs also see who they be who may vse such wordes and to what kinde of persons for what ends they may be vsed The Scribes and Pharises who were the Doctours and should haue been the true Religious meÌ„ of Israell were at that time not onely wicked but wicked they were in all extreamity and their sinnes were very publicke very contrary to all Religion And with being so wicked they yet would needes sell themselues for good and holy and they accompanied their wicked life with ill precepts which were most pernicious to the people For by their wicked life and peruerse directions and with their pretences and deceits they corrupted the manners of ignorant people and they were blind obstinate And besides these sinnes which were ordinary in them they harboured that supreme wickednes of hindering the saluation which Christ our Lord came to worke in the soules of men calumniating his most holy life and attributing to Belzebub those most euident and expresse miracles which he wrought by diuine power and persecuting him to whom they should haue carryed all veneration and exhibited al obedience as to the true Messias and yet desiring and procuring by all the waies they could to put him to death who came to giue theÌ„ life These men being such as I haue said it was necessary that Christ our Lord who was sent by his Father to giue testimony to the truth and to take scandalls out of the world and to giue remedy to soules vsing the authority which he had of Sauiour of the world King of heauen should reprehend vice and that concerning publicke sinnes he should reprehend them publickely and that concerning grieuous very hurtfull sinnes he should reprehend them grieuously according to the quality and perniciousnes of the same that so they who were faulty might well feele the great hurt they did and all the rest of the people might be disabused and not haue cause to follow either the ill exaÌ„ple or ill precepts of their wicked Teachers and gouernours And now that Christ our Lord might execute this so important office for the saluation of soules which was ordeined to the ends of true Charity such reprehensions of his were necessary as might declare the grieuousnes of the hipocrisy and other sinnes of those Teachers and the hurt they did to the people and the damnation which they prouided for themselues by committing such sinnes and he tould them who was the principall Author thereof namely the diuell whom they obeyed and the

if he had said Behould here a man truly good not dissembling or counterfeit but that vertue which he sheweth in his exteriour fashion and publicke conuersation which is subiect to the sight of men is possest by him in the secret most interiour part of his heart which is seen by Almighty God This was a true and moderate praise and much good grew to Nathaniell by it for therby he vnstood that Christ our Lord knew the secrets of his heart and he was certified of it so much the more by the further answere of Christ our Lord. For saying to him where knew you mee he answered I sawe thee when thou wert vnder the sigtree It should seem that Nathaniell had retired himselfe vnder that tree to pray or to doe some other good worke and so he inferring thereby as a wise man might well doe that Christ our Lord knew all thinges he beleeued perfectly in him and tooke him for his Master Let vs deliuer another example of the same truth Christ our Lord Luke 19. came into the house of Zaccheus the Publican and he mooued him by his wordes and by his presence to so great pennance and change of life that not onely he resolued to giue ouer all those sinnes into which he had fallen to restore all that to the restitution wherof he was obliged but to render it foure fould thereby giuing satisfaction for the fault he had mitted by voluntarily vndergoing the paine which the lawe imposed vpon such persons as tooke away the goods of others and besides all this he gaue halfe his substance to the poore Christ our Lord perceiuing so good beginnings of a holy life in Zaccheus did praise him by saying of him to the standers by This day is true saluation wrought in this house For the Master and owner of it is already a true sonne of Abraham not only now by the extraction of flesh and blood but by the imitation of his faith and vertue In this sorte therefore did Christ our Lord praise Nathaniell who was a new beginner in his schoole of vertue and good life and so also did he praise Zaccheus And the praise was true and moderate it did no more then declare in plaine wordes that the one of them was a man truly good and the other truly penitent by meanes of these words he strengthned and encouraged them both to perseuer and grow in the good course which they had begunne But not only did Christ our Lord praise them who had good intentions who were truly good and vpright and well meaninge soules as Nathaniell already was before and Zacchaus was growne to be but he approued and praised also that good which was said or done by such as came to him euen with an ill minde There came a man Luc. 10. who was learned in the Lawe to tempt him asking what he was to doe for the obtaining of eternall life Christ our Lord demaunded of him how it was written in the Lawe He answered It is written that thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbour as thy selfe Our Lord theÌ„ said to him by way of allowing praising what he had formerly said Thou hast answered well doe as thou hast said and as the Lawe commaundeth and thou shalt obtaine euerlasting life There came another time a Pharisy to our Lord Mat. 22. Marc. 12. in name of all the rest to see if he could draw some such answere from him as whereby he might calumniate him and he asked him which was the greatest commaundment of the law And Christ our Lord hauing answered him that it was to loue God with all the heart the Pharisy approued the answere of our Lord and added thereunto these words that to loue God with all the heart and the neighbour as ones selfe was a better worke and more acceptable to God then all the Holocausts and other Sacrifices of the Lawe Then our Lord liking the speech of this man did praise him saying Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God Which is as much as to say Thou art not farre from beleeuing and obeying the Ghospell and obteining true saluation For the knowing of a diuine truth so important and the approouing it by the supernaturall gift of God was a disposition for the being conuerted to him and to acknowledge Christ himselfe who was sent into the world to saue it Christ our Lord if he would haue encreased his Iustice vpon these two learned meÌ„ in the Law might haue seuerely reprooued the ill mind wherewith they were come to him and he might haue discouered the craft and malice which they carryed in their hearts for so also they would haue vnderstood that he knew all things and thereby he might haue put them to confusion and shame Yet this he would not do but he heard them with admirable meekenes and answered their questions with supreme Charity And he approoued that which they had said well though it were very little and very imperfect and he praised it with strange Benignity that so he might remooue that peruersenes of minde from theÌ„ which they brought to him and encourage them to encrease in the knowledge and loue of truth till at length they might grow subiect to it And so by this true Benignity he changed their hearts and sent them bettered from him and he taught vs withall that not only we are to praise good men for the true vertue which they haue but that we may also praise with moderation euen in imperfect and wicked men the good they doe or say to the end that they may growe to take affection to vertue and may so detest and driue out of their hearts the wickednes which they haue and goe encreasing in the good way begunne as also to gaine their good will to make them beneuolous and kinde which is a very good disposition towards the inducing them to receiue in good part the doctrine which we shall deliuer and the reprehensions which we may haue cause to vse And therefore Saint Gregory aduiseth that when they who are endowed with authority and wisdome for this purpose reproue sinners who are pusillanimous weak they shal do wel to mingle some sweetnes of praise the sharpenes of correction that so they may the better admit of the doctrine and reproofe which is giuen them The Saint expresseth it in these words Wee shall better drawe such sinners as are not peruerse proud but weake and poore of heart to the way of heauen if whilst we reprehend the euil thinges which they haue done wee ioyntly praise those good thinges which wee know to be in them to the end that by this meanes such praise may confirme and strengthen theÌ„ in their weakenes who were humbled by that reproofe Thus did S. Paule proceed with those Christians of Thessalonica For they hauing fallen into the fault of giuing credit to certaine false Prophets who taught theÌ„ that the day of iudgment

am an Apostle of the Gentiles and during the whole time that I shall be so I will honour this ministery taking paines and suffering for them to bring them to the faith who are not yet come to it and to confirme and perfect them with vertues and the gifts of God who haue already receiued it And by this meanes I will procure the conuersion of the Iewes who are of my kinred according to the flesh to the end that they behoulding the most abuÌ„dant fruite which is produced in the Gentiles and the most pretious gifts which God coÌ„municated to them by meanes of their faith may be moued to a holy emulation and imitation of them and so some of them may be saued THE XXI CHAPTER How wee are to praise the vertue of our neighbours to defend them so from some vniust slaunder ANother very iust reason for which wee must praise our neighbours and commend their vertues and good workes is to defend them from some slaunder or false testimony or some detraction or affront wherewith their reputation is vniustly spotted their good name and the opinion of their vertue obscured Let vs deliuer an example which Christ our Lord left vs of this truth Christ our Lord being in Bethania at supper in the house of Simon the leaper Ioh. 12. Matth. 26. Mary Magdalen came with an Alablaster box full of very odoriferous and pretious ointment she anointed the feet of our Lord with it filled the whole house with the sweet odour Now Iudas began to murmur at this worke and to speake ill of the holy woman in that she had wasted the ointmeÌ„t which was of so great value that it might haue beeÌ„ sould for three hundred peeces of money and been giuen to the poore And the rest of the disciples seeing the indignation and murmuringe of Iudas and not vnderstanding the root of malice from whence it grew like good simple men conceiued that he had reason for what he said and were induced by his example to murmur too and to reproue that good worke which Mary with so great deuotion had done Now our Lord saw well how the disciples murmured against this holy woman without all reason esteeming that to be vitious which was an act of vertue and speaking ill of that which was well done For being a custome of the couÌ„try as it was to anoint the feet of their guests with pretious ointmeÌ„ts if they were eminent men it was no euill but a good worke to doe that which was in vse for some good and honest end For an indifferent actioÌ„ such an one as this was is made good by addressing it to a vertuous end But then to this is to be added the pure intention and great deuotion wherewith Mary did this worke for she did it as being moued by piety and religion to exhibite honour and veneration to our Lord whom she knew to be worthy of all possible reuerence and respect Our Lord therefore on the one side seeing the goodnes of the worke considering moreouer the mystery which himself meÌ„t to signify thereby who had moued her to it and on the other obseruing the rash iudgment murmuring of the disciples and especially of Iudas who was the spring of all that ill he began to defend the woman and to praise the good worke which she had wrought and to discharge the slaunder whereby they thought to doe her wrong saying after this manner Why are you troublesome to this woman Why are you enraged against her Why thinke and speake you ill of her worke leaue her free froÌ„ your reproach and giue her leaue to keep this ointment for my buriall His meaning was to say the bodies of dead men are according to our custome to be anointed before they be interred and this woman would be glad to anoint my body when I shall be dead then will not be able because that office will be first performed by others before I be buried and after that buriall she shal be preuented by my resurrection But suffer her to doe that now which she would doe them and that she may signify by this vnction that I am to dy and that my body will be soon laid in the graue and she in the meane time doth but performe that office of piety which is performed to other dead bodies Our Lord said further she hath wrought a good worke towards mee and it was conuenient that shee should doe it although by doing it the price of this ointment were thereby not giuen to the poore For the poore you shall haue allwaies with you and so shall you euer haue oportunity and occasion to doe good to them but as for mee you shall not allwaies haue me with you in this visible forme for I am quickly to leaue this world and to goe to my Father And I tell you for certaine that in whatsoeuer part of the world the good newes of this Ghospell shall be preached the worke of this woman shall be recounted and celebrated in her memory and for her glory in all the parts of the world And by these words did Christ our Lord defend the Magdalena and praise her good worke From this example we are first to fetch this fruite to make great estimation of good workes how little how light and how easy so euer they may be How easy a thing is it for a rich woman to buy a pound of pretious ointmeÌ„t for three huÌ„dred peeces of siluer and to anoint the feet of a holy man therwith especially of such a Saint as Christ our Lord was For in that he who was anointed was so great a Lord the worke became more sweet and easy to be performed Well then so light and easy a worke as this for hauing been performed by a person who was in the state of grace and with a pure intention to serue and please Almighty God was esteemed so highly as wee see by Christ our Lord and praised with such Maiesty of wordes and rewarded with such a high reward both in heauen and earth Such value and dignity and excellency haue those good workes which are done for the loue of God If the Magdalena had spent not three hundred peeces of siluer but three hundred thousand in the seruice of the world as in braueries and vaine dressings in curious and delitious bankets and in making some feast triumph to giue delight and gust as louers of the world are wont to doe all that expence had been lost and she had not pleased Almighty God therby nor had merited any thing is his sight and there had been no honorable memory therof continued amongst men And not reaping any profit by them shee would haue incurred many faultes as ordinarily there are in these thinges which would haue condemned her either to the teÌ„porary paines of Purgatory or els to the eternall torments of hell But now for hauing spent a little money vpon the seruice of Christ our Lord and for vndergoing

A TREATISE OF BENIGNITY WRITTEN BY FATHER FRANCIS ARIAS OF THE Society of IESVS in his second parte of the Imitation of Christ our Lord. Translated into English Estote inuicem Benigni misericordes donantes inuicem sicut Deus in Christo donauit vobis Be benigne to one an other mercifull pardoning one an other as God in Christ hath pardoned you With permission of Superiours Anno 1630. TO THE READER GOOD Reader The traÌ„slatour of the treatice of Patience lately printed had also rendred this of Benignity out of the same Autour but it came not in time to be dispatched with it therefore goeth here a parte by it selfe It will serue no lesse then that other of Patience to inamour vs with Christ our Lord if we will consider the vnspeakable sweetnesse of his charity whilest he made the world happy by conuersing in it The particulars whereof thou shalt finde Good Reader admirably expressed in this treatice by this holy Autour which is therefore recommended vnto thee A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS THE 1. CHAPTER IN what the vertue of Benignity consisteth and how Christ our Lord discouered it in the Mysteries of his Incarnation Natiuity and Apparition to the Shepheards and in the vocation of the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. pag. 1 The 2. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards sinners and other very weake and imperfect men supporting and instructing them pag. 17 The 3. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards the Apostles enduring and curing their defects p. 34 The 4. Chap. Of other examples of that Benignity which our Lord vsed towards his disciples enduring their imperfections and sweetly curing their ignorances and other defects p. 40 The 5. Chap. How we are to imitate this Benignity of Christ our Lord. p. 57 Tho 6. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse in touching sicke and leprous persons with his owne sacred hands p. 74 The 7. Chap. How the Saints haue imitated this Benignity of Christ our Lord towards sicke persons pag. 82 The 8. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse to diuers blinde men hearkening to them expecting them and illuminating them and how wee are to imitate him in this Benignity p. 93 The 9. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed to little children and what he taught vs thereby p. 102 The 10. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed towards wicked persons vvho came to him with a corrupt intention p. 111 The 11. Chap. Of the Benignity which wee are to vse towards our neighbours doing them honour by good vvordes and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs herein pag. 122 The 12. Chap. Of other examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs of his Benignity in the same kinde p. 132 The 13. Chap. Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. p. 142 The 14. Chap. How vve are to exercise this Benignity and to vse this good manners tovvards them vvho vse vs ill p. 157 The 15. Chap. That it is not contrary to Benignity to reprehend vvicked and obstinate persons in their vvickednes seuerely as Christ our Lord did p. 161 The 16. Chap. That it vvas conuenient that Christ our Lord should vse these seuere reprehensions to teach the Prelates of his Church hovv they should proceed against sinners and hovv the Saints haue been euer vvont to proceed pap 176 The 17. chap. Of the Benignity vvherevvith a Christian it to be glad of the good of his neighbour and to approue and praise the same and of the example vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof p. 192 The 18. chap. Of the intention and moderation vvherwith vvee are to praise vertue in our neighbours and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof p. 207 The 19. chap. Hovv we must praisse vertue for the making it be more esteemed and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs to this purpose pag. 220 The 20. Chap. Hovv it is fit to praise the vertue of some thereby to correct the vice of others p. 231 Tho 21 chap. Hovv vve are to praise the vertue of our neighbours to defend them so from some vniust slaunder p. 245 The 22. chap. How vve ought to praise vvise men vvhen they are vertuous to the end that others may profit by their example and doctrine p. 156 The 23. chap. Of the rule vvhich vvee are to hold when vpon the aforesaid reason vve shal praise the seruants of God p. 266 The 24. chap. Of other rules vvhich vvee must obserue vvhen vvee praise men that is that vve praise some vvithout offence to others and that vvee doe it in moderate vvords pap 276 The 25. chap. Of the rules vvhich they are to keepe vvho are praised that so they may be at no preiudice but receiue profit thereby p. 282 A TREATISE OF THE VERTVE OF BENIGNITY wherein the nature thereof is declared together with the operations and exercises of the same and the examples thereof which Christ our Lord gaue vs. TraÌ„slated out F. FraÌ„cis Arias of the Society of Iesus in his 2. part of the imitation of Christ our Lord. THE I. CHAPTER In what the vertue of Benignity consisteth and how Christ our Lord discouered it in the Mysteries of his Incarnation Natiuity and ApparitioÌ„ to the Shepheards and in the vocation of the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. THe vertue of Benignity consisteth in that a man desire and dispose himselfe to doe good to his neighbour whosoeuer he be and in that he do it from the hearte yea and with a sweet and tender kinde of will and in that he put this will in execution by doing good indeed to his neighbour and in that he do it abundantly if it be in his power and lastly in that it be with a kinde of contentment and ioy It doth also consist in that a man treate conuerse with his neighbours after a sweet and gentle manner condescending to them and giuing them gust in any thing which is lawfull and agreable to the seruice of God and behoulding them with a clear and discharged countenance and speaking to them in sweet and gentle words There are men who in very truth haue the essentiall part of the vertue of Charity with their neighbours both friends enemies both wishing them good and performing it to them but yet they fall short in remedying their necessities according to their ability and they are austere and sharpe in their conuersation and dry and vntoward in performing the very good which they doe The vertue of Benignity doth cure and heale a man of all these defects making him who is the owner of it to loue his neighbour hartily and sweetly and to doe him good liberally cheerfully and to conuerse with him affably and gently auoyding for as much as the lawe good pleasure of God will permit

all that which may giue him any disgust or paine And so Benignity falls out to be the act and exercise of Charity with that perfection which wee haue declared and interiourly it embraceth the act of beneuolence and loue and exteriourly the exercise of beneficence liberality affability and of all sweetnes in conuersation It is also one of the fruites of the Holy Ghost For an act of vertue in regard that it proceedeth froÌ„ thence and giueth gust to him who performeth it is called a fruite and therefore Benignity being an act of Charity and causing delight in him by whom it is possessed is accounted amongst the fruits of the Holy Ghost All this is confessed by the Saints when they speake of Benignity Saint Isidorus saith That man is said to be Benigne who doth good with a good will and vseth sweetnes in his wordes And Saint Anselmus declaring what Benignity is saith thus Benignity is a good affection of the will a serenity of heart in vertue whereof a man doth for Gods sake giue all he can after a gratious and cheerfull manner and discourseth and conuerseth gently and sweetly with his neighbours And Saint Thomas explicating the nature of Benignity saith that it is the very sweetnes tendernes of Charity which spreads communicates it self exteriourly that as natural fier doth melt mettel make it flow so the fier of loue which is Benignity maketh a maÌ„ scatter what he hath towards the succour of the necessities of his neighbours This is that which the Saints say of Benignity and the summe of it all is this that it is the tendernes of Charity which doth not only communicate a mans exteriour goods to his neighbour but together with them it communicates his owne very bowells which is to discouer both by wordes and workes the dearnes sweetnes of Charity The Apostle declareth this by saying Charity is Benigne Which signifieth that it makes the man who possesseth it not to be straight handed but apt to communicate his goods and not to be harsh or bitter but that he communicate euen his very hart by conuersing with all men after an affable and sweet manner And to giue vs to vnderstand this truth the holy Scripture doth by one the selfe same Hebrew and Greeke word which signifieth Benignity in doing good signify also a softnes and sweetnes in the manner of shewing mercy And so whereas Dauid saith Our Lord is sweet towards all another letter saith Our Lord is benigne towards all And whereas he saith That maÌ„ is gentle sweet who sheweth mercy another translation saith The man who sheweth mercy is Benigne And therfore S. Basil when he would explicat what it was for a man to be Benigne saith that it is he who doth liberally enlarge himselfe to doe good to all such as are in necessity And he confirmeth it by that Psalme which saith Our Lord is benigne towards all and by that other which also saith That a man is Benigne who sheweth mercy and imparteth his goods to such as are in necessity In this Benignity did Christ our Lord instruct vs and perswade vs to it by many examples Mysteries of his holy life which wee wil eÌ„deauour to declare The first and principall Mystery wherein he discouered his Benignity was that of his Incarnation In that the most high sonne of God was pleased to become a naturall man to appeare visibly in the world in mortall flesh obnoxious to the miseries and penalties of other men and in that he did all this to doe good to man and to draw him to his loue and so to saue him not onely did he discouer an immense loue towards vs but a loue which was also most sweet and dear And not onely did he communicate his blessings to vs but he also did it with supreme liberality and gust and ioy of his owne sacred heart And together with his blessings he communicated to vs his very selfe namly his body his blood his blessed soule and his diuinity and all that which he hath yea and euen all that which he is he communicated to vs by many admirable mysterious waies This did the Apostle signify by saying WheÌ„ in the time of grace the Benignity immeÌ„se loue of our God and Sauiour to man did manifest it selfe to the world he saued and freed vs from our sinnes not by the title of Iustice and the merit of our workes which were not of any valew without Christ our Lord for the arriuing to that end but through his owne great mercy and most gratious bouÌ„ty and by meanes of that sacred Lauatory which is holy Baptisme whereby wee are engendred a second time to be the sonnes of God and renewed by a spirituall generation renouation which is wrought by the holy Ghost which Holy Ghost the eternall Father hath by meanes of his gifts and graces infused and coÌ„municated to vs in great abundaÌ„ce through the merits of Christ our Lord to the end that being iustified through the grace of the same Lord wee might from this instant become heires of eternall life which now wee hould by certaine hope and which hereafter wee shall haue in actuall possession This is deliuered by Saint Paule And Saint Bernard vpon these words declaring that Benignity of God which was discouered in this Mystery discourseth thus Before the humanity of Christ our Lord appeared in the word the Benignity of God was hidden from vs. There was already in God this Benignity mercy which in him is eternall but so great Benignity as this was not knowen before nor was there any meanes how to to know it And although it were promised by the Prophets yet men vnderstood it not and felt it not and many did not so much as beleeue it But when that time arriued which had been ordained by the diuine wisedome Almighty God came in mortall flesh and being vested with his sacred Humanity and appearing to the eyes of our flesh blood his Benignity came to be made knowne for by no meanes could he more haue manifested his Benignity then by taking our flesh and by no meanes could he more haue declared his mercy then by vndertaking our misery Let maÌ„ consider and vnderstand from hence how great care God hath of him and how much he esteemeth him and for how mighty an end he made him since he did and suffered so great thinges for him And thus by this Humanity wee may know his Benignity for how much the lesse he became by his Humanity so much the greater doth he shew himselfe to be in bounty and by how much the more he abased himselfe for vs so much the more amiable doth he shew himself to vs. This is said by Saint Bernard and so it is a most clear truth that nothing hath made so great discouery â—o vs of the bounty and Benignity of God nor hath moued obliged vs so to loue and praise him as for that he hath

and to giue him light to vnderstand them helpe whereby he might go encreasing and profitting in the good way which he had begunne There came to Christ our Lord Mat. 9. Marc. 5. a Prince of the Synagogue to aske remedy for a daughter of his who already was at the last cast and he held her for dead as indeed she died instantly after and he desired our Lord that he would goe to his house and lay his hand vpoÌ„ her that so he might giue her life This man coming to Christ our Lord with so imperfect a faith and with so meane a conceit of the power of our Lord as to thinke that it would be necessary for the health of his daughter that he must goe to his house lay his hand vpon her not beleeuing that he could cure her without these ceremonies yet notwithstanding all this our Lord receiued him and conuersed with him after so sweet a manner and shewed himselfe so affable to him that he dissembled the seeing of all these defects and he reproued him not for them least he should haue grieued him by his wordes whereas he ment to cure him by his workes Nor did he deny that which the other asked nor did he differre the doing of it but instantly he rose vp and went with him and graunted not onely that which he asked but a great deale more For he raised his dead daughter to life in body and he also gaue health to her soule by making her beleeue firmely in him vpon the sight of so great a miracle and he moued and obliged him to doe him seruice with deuotioÌ„ for so singular a benefit This was an act of great Benignity and so did Saint Chrysostome obserue thereof saying Behould the dullnes of this man who for the health of his daughter desires Christ our Lord that he will goe to his house and lay his hand vpon her And yet our Lord not looking vpon the vnworthines of him who asked the benefit did with much facility and suauity grant his suite going presently to his house to doe the thing which he desired and much more then he desired For he resolued to raise her from death to life and moreouer to giue a firme hope of the Resurrection to them who sawe and beleeued that miracle Let vs be hould other examples of the same kinde of Benignity in his receiuing rude and imperfect people after a sweet manner and in teaching and comforting theÌ„ both by word and deed Iohn 4. There came a Samaritan woman to Christ our Lord and notwithstanding that she were a creature of very base condition and of more base life and a Gentile by descent and extreamely rude in matters which concerned Religion and spirit yet he inuited her to haue speech with him himselfe beginning the discourse and desiring water of her whereof he knew he would not drinke and he fell into a most sweet and fauourable communication with her and he made her a very long Sermon full of Mysteries and he passed by the rudenes both of her questions and answeres and he condescended to her ignorance and he accommodated himselfe to her weakenes and by the resemblance of corporall thinges taught her things which were spirituall and by meanes of materiall water he aduanced her to the vnderstanding of the value and effects of the water of grace And he went instructing her by little and little discouering to her first that he was a Prophet and teaching her afterward how she was to honour one only God with spirituall and true worship And hauing already disposed her by the knowledge of these thinges he plainly declared to her at last that he was the very Messias who was come to saue the world and that which he tould her in words he imprinted in her heart giuing her both light to beleeue it and courage and deuotion to confesse it What dearnes what sweetnes of discourse and conuersation can be imagined to exceed this That the Creator of all thinges should speake in so familiar maÌ„ner with so base a creature and that the eternal wisedome should vouch saffe by his very selfe to instruct at so great leasure and by such a lowly manner of speech so ignorant and rude a woman and should giue so high mysteries to be vnderstood so quickly and so clearly by her This is the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards this woman and the Apostles were in wonder at it as Saint Chrysostome obserueth saying The Apostles were in admiration to see that excessiue meekenes and humility of Christ our Lord in that he was content so publickly and in sight of all men to speake so of set purpose and so at leasure and so benignely with a poore woman that a poore Samaritan There came to Christ our Lord Matt. 9. Marc. 5. a sicke woman who was subiect to a bloody fluxe and she came with much want of vertue for out of shame and inordinate feare she durst not discouer her infirmity and shee thought to keepe her selfe from being known by Christ our Lord by meanes of the presse of people coming secretly neer him without the obseruatioÌ„ of others and meaning after this sorte to steale health froÌ„ our Lord without so much as his knowing of it who was to giue it But notwithstanding shee came so imperfect and weake our most pitteous Lord did passe by all these defects of hers without so much as reprehending them or reproaching her for them and he granted that which she desired and hoped for yea and much more then that For instantly he cured her of that corporall infirmity and he cured her soule by taking away that vaine feare to which she had bene subiect and by enabling her to coÌ„fesse both her sicknes and the health which she had receiued and by augmenting in her the gifts of faith and loue And hauing vsed so great Benignity towards her by this worke he was also benigne to her in words For putting her into quiet and giuing her comfort he said Thy faith hath made the whole Which was as much as to say In regard of that saith wherewith thou diddest touch mee although it was imperfect I haue deliuered thee from thy disease goe thy waies in peace and still be free from the same disease So saith Chrisostome This woman had not a perfect opinion of Christ our Lord for if she had she would neuer haue imagined that she could hide her self from him our Lord tooke publicke notice of her for the good both of her selfe and many others For by discouering her he tooke away her feare and he preuented that remorce of conscience which was to accuse her as hauing stolne the gift of her health and he rectified her from that false imagination and he made her know that nothing could be hid from our Lord and then coÌ„meÌ„ding her faith he placed her for an example to be imitated by others Wee also are to imitate Christ our Lord in that Benignity which he vsed

ignorant people nor to be sharpe or wayward towards them but that we must haue compassion of their ignorance and instruct them and correct them with charity Our Lord did also discouer his Benignity to the Apostles in that hauing already wrought that miracle of the seauen loaues telling them that they were to take heed of the leuen of the Pharisees and Saduces Matt. 16. Marc. 8. which signified their euill doctrine and example they would needes vnderstand as if he had said it because they were not prouided of bread inough for the desert and so they were affraid they might want food And our Lord repreheÌ„ding this fault in them which they had added to the former said in this manner do you not vnderstand and remember the fiue loues of bread and the fiue thousand men which I susteined with theÌ„ nor yet the seaueÌ„ loues wherewith I fed foure thousand men And thus reprouing them as much as was necessary he did it yet in words as gentle as you haue heard and with so great sweetnes as that together with reprehending them he excused them imputing their fault to ignorance and forgetfulnes O admirable Benignity worthy of such a Lord as he who together with the chastisemeÌ„t giueth comfort and whilest he speaketh of the fault he giueth hope of pardon and remedy So doth Saint Chrysostome obserue Consider the reprehension which he giueth theÌ„ all tempered with meekenes for whilest he reproues them he excuseth them yea he answereth for the very men whom he reproueth But let vs looke vpon some other examples of this Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards his disciples When thus he had answered that rich young man Matt. 19. who said He had kept the comaundments If thou wilt be perfect goe and sell all that thou hast and giue it to the poore and come and follow mee and thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and when the young man was going sad away because he was very rich and had not the heart to embrace the counsaile of our Lord and to make himself poore for the kingdome of heauen Saint Peter said to our Lord Behould Ã´ Lord how as for vs wee haue left all thinges and wee haue followed thee what therfore shall be done to vs What reward wilt thou bestow on vs Our Lord made them this answere Verily I say to you that you who haue followed mee shall sit vpon twelue seates and thrones to iudge the twelue Tribes of Israell with the Sonne of man when he shall sit in the seate of his Maiesty at the generall resurrection to a life of glory At that day you shal haue great authority and glory by raigning with the soÌ„ne of man and iudging the world together with him It was very little which Saint Peter and the rest of the Apostles had left for Christ our Lord for they were but a poore company of fishermen and that which they had left as Saint Chrysostom saith was some fishing rod some net and some little barke And although together with these thinges they also left whatsoeuer they might growe to haue yet that also must needes be very little for in the trade they had they were neuer able to get much And all this being so little and that Saint Peter with so much liberty and audacity should say to him Behould Ã´ Lord wee haue left all wee had for thee as if they had left most abundant riches and great hopes our Lord might with much truth and reason haue said to Saint Peter What greate possessions hast thou left for mee and what great acts of prowes hast thou performed in my seruice And yet he said no such thing nor did he answere them with any shew of any disdaine or eueÌ„ disgust or with little estimation of that which had been left for his sake but he spake to him in great earnest and with wordes of much weight and with shew of great estimation of that which they had lest and of that which they had performed in following him and he declared that most high reward of glory that most eminent dignity which he would giue them in the kingdome of heauen By this answere Christ our Lord did shew extreme Benignity partly by making so great account of such a trifle as his disciples had left for his sake and promising such a soueraigne reward for such a sleight seruice as they had performed in following him and partly by shewing how greatly he loued them who then had laboured so little for him and by esteeming them so much who were so meane and poore as to promise to exalt them to so great dignity and to giue them a seate of so great Maiesty and by answering them in words so serious so sweet so full of comfort and which gaue them such a height of hope So saith Origen Saint Peter asked what reward he would giue him for what he had left as if he had performed things of mighty difficulty But although the thinges which he his brother left were little in the account of the world yet in the sight of God who regarded the loue and great good will wherewith they were left they were much esteemed This is the most benigne sweet condition of Christ our Lord and our God who be houldeth the seruices which are done him and the good will men haue to serue him their holy desire to please him and that grace which he liberally bestoweth for the doing of them and therfore doth he recompence little works with most high and euerlasting rewardes Our Lord 10.11 whilest he was in the desert hauing heard the message of Lazarus his sicknes and two daies passing on after he had heard it and now vnderstanding that Lazarus was dead he said resolutely Let vs goe yet once againe into Iudea for Bethania was seated in that Prouince But his disciples answered him after this manner Master it is but the other day since the Iewes were ready to stone thee in Iudea and doest thou thinke of going backe where there is so much danger And our Lord saying still let vs goe yet againe into Iudea and they seeing his resolution and being full of apprehension and feare of death Thomas said to the rest of the Apostles Well then let vs goe and dy with him Now the Apostles hauing known by so many experiments that our Lord knew the secrets of meÌ„s hearts and that his enemies hauing a minde to take and stone him were not able to touch him because he had all power in his hands and hauing heard him say many times that in all thinges he performed the will and good pleasure of his eternall Father they ought to haue beleeued that if our Lord went into Iudea it was most conuenient thnt he should doe so and that he knew very well whatsoeuer was to happen to him there that if he should haue a minde to free himselfe from his enemies they could fasten no hurte vpon him and that themselues

great defect in the disciples because they were aduertised of the much danger wherein they were to see themselues that night and they had promised that they would giue their life for our Lord and they had been warned by him two seuerall times in words of great exaggeration and waight that they should watch and pray because they were to be tempted in a grieuous manner and their prayer was to be the meanes for their not being ouercome by that temptation And yet notwithstaÌ„ding all this they neither watched nor prayed and they suffered themselues to be ouercome by sleepe which was the cause why afterward being ouercome by the temptation they fled all away for feare at the time when our Lord was apprehended and they denyed their Master who was the head and crowne of them all But yet our Lord did suffer and passe by seeke to reforme this so great defect with so great Benignity that finding theÌ„ asleepe the first time he corrected them with no other then these gentle wordes Why sleepe you Whereby he would giue them to vnderstand how vaine that confidence was which they had reposed in their owne strength making a promise that they would giue their life for their Lord whereas the while they had not the strength to watch and pray during that little time And when he went to visit them the second time and perceiued them to be ouercome by sleepe through the great weaknes and frailty of imperfect men he dissembled the seeing it and hauing compassion of their infirmity did not reprehend them nor so much as speake a word nor wake them but still let them sleepe And the third time returning to them seing the difficulty they had to ouercome their sleepe in regard of their much sorrow he did not onely passe it ouer but expressely gaue them leaue to repose and rest whilest he was watching and praying and sweating blood for them With this so admirable Benignity and so full of the deernes and sweetnes of loue did Christ our Lord treate his disciples and tolerate their defects and endure the trouble they gaue him and he remoued their ignorances and cured their faults THE V. CHAPTER How wee are to imitate this Benignity of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity must wee vse towards our neighbours in imitation of Christ our Lord and especially it must be done by Superiours towards their Subiects by Teachers towards their Schollers by Masters towards their Seruants and slaues and by Parents towards their children First they must exercise this Benignity by enduring their imperfections negligences and faults not suffering themselues to be ouercome by wrath to wish them any euill or to curse them or giue them iniurious words or any other word of reuenge And to this exteriour patieÌ„ce they must add the sweetnes of Benignity in such sorte as that it may be a benigne kinde of sufferance which springeth from the interiour sweetnes of Charity To this did Saint Chrysostome admonish vs who vpon those words of Saint Paul Charity is patient it is benigne discourseth thus There are some who haue patience but they doe not vse it as they ought for although in the exteriour they are silent and dissemble the cause of their disgust yet they doe it with a kinde of bitternes of heart yea and they shew some exteriour vntowardnes and vnderualue of their neighbour and so they grow to offend and prouoke to further wrath euen those very persoÌ„s whom they were resolued to tolerate This kinde of patience is not agreeable to charity which is benigne and vseth to suffer with gentlenes and sweetnes both exteriour interiour and whilest it is suffering doth not prouoke a mans neighbour to encrease of anger but rather doth mitigate and appease it For we must not be content to tolerate the faultes of our neighbours after a superficial manner but whilest wee be suffering wee must also admonish and comfort them and thus shall we cure that wound of wrath which they may haue in their hearts Saint Chrysostome declareth that this is to suffer with Benignity Superiors also who haue charge of others must exercise this Benignity prouiding all thinges necessary both for their bodies and soules for their bodies giuing them food cloathing physicke in their sicknes ease in their labours and comfort in their troubles to the end that they may beare them with contentment and for their soules also by giuing them doctrine counselle spirituall consolation and good example which may edify them This doe Prelates owe to their Subiects Lords to their Seruants and slaues and fathers to their children Benignity I say doth require that Superiours make prouision of all thinges necessary both for the body and soule of all such as are vnder their charge not sparingly miserably not with disgust and bitternes and vexation of the inferiours but sufficiently and plentifully according to the necessity of the inferiour to the ability and meanes of the Superiour and that they doe it with facility and suauity and with comfort to the inferiour For to this is the office and charge of a Superiour ordeined not for the honour ease and temporall comfort of the Superiour but for the remedy benefit of the inferiour whom he hath in charge So saith Saint Augustine Wee who are Superiours and Pastors of others haue two capacities the one in that we are Christians the other in that we are Superiours and rulers Our being Christians makes for our selues and vnder that capacity we are to looke to our owne profit fit and good but our being Superiours is for the vse of others and for the complying with this duty wee must procure their benefit whom wee haue in charge This is deliuered by Saint Augustine And although it be true that the Superiour as he is a Superiour is not to looke so carefully to his owne temporall profit as to that of his subiect yet doing that which he ought in his office and complying with them whom he hath vnder his charge he doth also negotiate his owne profit dispatcheth his owne businesse best since he purchaseth spirituall and eternall benedictions thereby All Superiours must also exercise this Benignity by imposing the burdens of their imploymeÌ„ts and commaundements in such sorte as that the inferiours may be able to carry them on with comfort Let them measure out the labours the businesse and the offices wherewith they will charge their subiects by the strength and talents of euery one of them to the end that they may not carry them with deepe sighes nor be forced to faint vnder theÌ„ but that they may be able to discharge them with a cheerfull and contented heart And let them moderate their directions and coÌ„maundments whereby they rule and gouerne according to the capacity and talent of the inferiours that so they disposing theÌ„selues to obey and to doe their duties may performe them with facility and profit of their soules So faith Saint Chrysostome If thou wilt proceed

like a man who indeed is holy be austere and rigorous towards thy selfe and benigne and pitteous towards others and let men see and heare it said of thee that thou commaundest others to doe thinges which are light and easy to be performed and that thy selfe vndergoest heauy and performest hard thinges As for that which concerneth the chastisement and correction of inferiours the vertue of Benignity doth not teach that they should not be corrected for this vertue is not contrary either to that of Iustice or to that of Charity both which oblige Princes that they should correct chastise their vassailes Lords and Masters their seruants slaues parents their children For the Apostle faith of that Superiour who gouerneth the coÌ„moÌ„wealth It is not in vaine that he hath power and authority to punish as we see by the sword he carrieth but it is giuen him vpon great cause and reason and for a great good vse for he is the Minister of God for the punishment of such as doe ill and for the execution of iustice vpoÌ„ their persons That which Benignity doth teach and exact is this that since correctioÌ„ and punishment is necessary and most important for the generall good of the commonwealth and for the particular members therof which is to the end that they who are faulty may amend and the rest may feare punishment and take warning by others it must be executed with that moderation sweetnes which may carry most proportioÌ„ to this end as Christ our Lord hath taught vs by his example This moderation sweetnes consisteth in that when the inferiours commit small faultes the Superiours doe not exaggerate and enforce them too much nor correct them with too grieuous punishments but that they moderate their wordes and deedes according to the fault So faith Saint Dorotheus Be not to great nor too seuere a punisher of faultes and defects which are not great And so also when faultes are coÌ„mitted through ignoraÌ„ce or through great weakenes or vpon some vehement temptatioÌ„ and not with malice obserue that moderation in making the reprehension and inflicting the punishment as that you affront not the offender with ill wordes but that the paine he is to suffer may lessen according to the ignoraÌ„ce and weaknes wherewith the fault was made And sometimes when the person who sinned through ignorance or passion is such as that of himselfe he growes to know his fault and hath much compunction for it and doth cordially put himselfe vpon amendment and that noe hurt or ill example of others groweth by it the vertue of Benignity doth require that the punishment be remitted or moderated at least very much So saith Saint Gregory Some faultes are to be punished very gently for when men sinne not by malice but by ignorance or weakenes it is necessary that the correction and punishmeÌ„t be tempered with great moderation And in another place as the fault of them who sinne by ignorance may be tolerated in some sorte so they who commit it wittingly and wilfully must be seuerely punished And that it is more conuenient to pardon a fault sometimes then to inflict punishment the Venerable Bede doth affirme saying Not allwaies are they to be punished who offend for sometimes clemency doth more good both to the Superiour for the exercise of his patience and to the inferiour for his amendment When faultes are great vnexcusable by any ignorance and that it be necessary to inflict due punishment that which Benignity requires is that the Superiour who correcteth and punisheth be not moued to it by anger and passion but that in his heart he haue pitty of the delinquent and that he commit no excesse in punishing but that he temper and moderate it in such sorte as that it may not seeme cruelty or too much rigour for els he who correcteth and punisheth will receiue more hurt by his owne passion and the excesse which he vseth then he who is punished will receiue good So doth Saint Gregory aduise speaking to a Superiour Let such as are good finde by experience that thou art sweet towards them and let such as are euill finde by experience that thou hast zeale in correcting and punishing their faults In which punishment thou art to obserue this order that thou loue the person and that thou abhorre and persecute the vice procuring that the vice may be destroyed that the person may be amended and preserued and according to this let the punishment be moderated in such sorte that it reach not soe farre as to proue cruelty so thou happen to hurt and to loose him whom thou desirest to amend keepe And to the end that the correction punishment may be imposed with that moderatioÌ„ which Benignity requires let the Superiout procure that he do it not whilest he findes himselfe angry and altered or enflamed with choler but let him stay till his heart be calme and quiet And before he punish or reproue let him lift vp his heart to God and desire fauour and grace from heauen to the end that he may do it with such moderation as is fit and to such end as he ought which is that the delinqueÌ„t may amend and so others may take warning by his example that the diuine Maiesty may be serued and glorified by all This doth S. Dorotheus declare to vs by these wordes Our Predecessors forefathers the holy men did teach vs that if any Superiour being in anger did reprehend his subiect chollerickely in such sorte as reprehending the other he satisfied his owne passion anger it did amount to be a kinde of reuenge and he discouered the vitiousnes of his owne heart wherby he disedified them whom he was to reforme And for this reason it is fit that first he bridle his owne choler and be wholly in the hands of reason before he punish other folkes All this moderation which is necessary to the end that correction and punishment be imposed with Benignity the Apostle teacheth vs speaking thus to his disciple Saint Timothy Argue that is to say conuince such as erre with reasons and authorities and entreate theÌ„ also Which is as much as to say admonish the good by way of request and in sweet manner to the end that they may profit such others as are weake and pusillanimous to the end that they may get vp into heart and reprehend and correct the wicked with feruour zeale but yet this you must doe with much patieÌ„ce In a word you must correct such as are faulty without shewing your selfe angry or in passion but let them see that you haue a calme and quiet heart THE VI. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse in touching sicke and leprous persons with his owne sacred hands IT beloÌ„geth to Benignity to shew the sweetnes of loue in life and conuersation with men And a great sweetnes of loue it is that a man placed in dignity should drawe neere to

vncleanes the horrour of their diseases and without any feare also of contagion would go to the sicke and would be seruing them vpon his knees and regaling them with extreame Benignity And this he performed with so great cheerfullnes and estimation of this office as if visibly he had beheld the person of Christ our Lord in euery one of those poor people And finding on day a leaper whose nose whose very eyes were eaten out with the leprousy who was become euen abhominable to all that saw him to this man he vsed extraordinary tendernes and gaue particular regaloes and serued him vpon his knees putting the meat into his mouth with his owne hands and giuing him the wine water which he was to drinke The Count Elzearus of Ariano had euery day in his house twelue Leapers he washed their feet and gaue them meate and not content with what he did in his owne house he went to the hospitalls where they liued and there putting himselfe vpon his knees before them he would wash their feet and kisse and clense and tie vp their soares One day in the hospital he found six leapers and some of them had their lips and mouthes so eateÌ„ that they could not be looked vpon without horrour and the holy Count went to them and comforted them by word of mouth and afterward kissed the soares of euery one of them and this charity was so acceptable to God that instantly they were all cured and the house was filled with a most fragrant odour Not onely did Christ our Lord approue this worke by curing those leapers who had been touched by his â—eruaÌ„t but himself also was pleased to appeare to him in forme of a leper that so he might receiue the same seruice and regalo which was affoarded to the rest Surius relateth in the life of Saint Ethbinus the Abbot whose feast is celebrated vpon the 19. of October that another holy Priest going with him by the fieldes to his Monastery they encountred in the way a poore leper all full of soares and deepely groaning vpon the ground where he was laid They came to him comforted him and hauing much coÌ„passion of his misery they asked him what he would haue and offered him all the seruice they could performe although it were to giue him of their very flesh The leper said the thinge which I desire of you is that because my nose is so ful of corruption and filth you would asswage my grief by making it cleane They doe soe and Ethbinus takes him in his armes and raiseth him vp from the ground and the Priest comes clenseth the corruption of his sore with his to uÌ„g In that very instant wherin they beganne this worke of so great Charity and Benignity there appeered Angels from heauen close by the leaper and there appeared also a Crosse which was placed ouer his head and the leaper rose vp whole all full of splendor and beauty and they saw cleerly that it was Christ our Lord. And when he was a little mounted vp he said Yea were not ashamed of mee in my afflictions neither will I be ashamed to confesse you and to admit you as my seruants in my kingdome and when this was spoken he vanished and ascended vp to heauen The two Saints were amased and full of mighty ioy and could not satisfie themselues with praising God for the great fauor he had shewed them by appearing in the forme of an poore sicke man and for vouchsafing to receaue that poor seruice at their hand and to reward that with so great bounty as to giue them an assured hope that they should enioy him in his kingdome There haue also been many Queenes and great Ladies in the Church of Christ our Lord who haue imitated his Benignity towards sicke persons Fortunatus the Bishop relates of Radegundis the holy Queene of FraÌ„ce whose feast is celebrated in August that shee made an Infirmarie into which she gathered and wherein shee cured a great multitude of sicke persons and shee her selfe would serue them and licke the corruption of their soares euen the wormes which grew therein and she would clense their heads cut their haire And especially she did this to leprous woemen whom she would embrace and kisse and anoint and cure and serue at table with great sweetnes of loue The Queen Donna Isabel daughter to Don Petro King of Arragon and neece of S. Isabell daughter of the King of Hungary who was married to Don Dionysio King of Portugall and who for her sanctity is publikely reputed and serued in Portugall as a Saint by leaue of Pope Leo did not content herselfe to giue all the goods she had to poore people who were sicke but shee herselfe would be seruing and curing them in her owne person And for this purpose she would cause both men and woemen who were sicke of loathsome infirmities as soares and leprosies and cankers to be sought forth secretly brought into her Palace and there shee cleansed and cured and serued and regaled them with all the expressions of pietie that she could make she would kisse the feet the soares of the leprous woemen One day washing the feet of a woman who was leprous the woman hid one of them because it had been much eaten with the canker and there distilled forth corrupt matter which gaue a most loathsom sauour The QueeÌ„ made one of her woemen draw forth the leprous foote put it in a basen that she might wash it When this was done there came such a pestiferous sauour from that foote that the Queenes woemen not being able to endure it went all out of the roome The Queene remaining alone with the leaper did gently touch the foote with her hand for feare of hurting it and she cleaÌ„sed it and stooping kist it with that horrible sore which it had And Christ our Lord being pleased to discouer how much gust be taketh in such workes of piety did entirely cure the leaper at the instant when the Queene kist her foote Now wee also are to imitate Christ our Lord and his Saints in this sweet and benigne kind of charity towards poore sicke persons and wee must visit them in their houses and hospitalls and infirmaries and wee must serue and cleanse and cure and coÌ„fort them and prouide them the best wee may of all things necessary And howsoeuer wee may be placed in great height of nobility and dignity yet must we not disdaine to affoard such seruices regaloes to poore sicke people since this was done by Christ our Lord who is the King of glory and many Christian Kings and Queenes haue done the same for loue of him And it is a great honour and glory for vs to be able to do a worke so acceptable and pleasing to Christ our Lord and so profitable to our owne soules and of so great edification and good example to our neighbours and which hath the assurance of so

them good and to giue them comfort and that although wee may be placed in high estate and they in lowe wee must not yet disdaine to vse this charity and sweetnes towards them And that when our neighbours make vs expect â—â€¦ while and come not so soone as wee desire wee must not yet be angry with them nor loose the peace of our heart but wee must endure with patience and expect and speake to them with Benignity iâ— imitation of this example of Christ our Lord. THE IX CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed to little children and what he taught vs thereby THe parents of little childreÌ„ Matth. 19. Marc. 10. Luc. 18. seeing the power which Christ our Lord had to cure all diseases by touching sicke persons brought those little children to him and not onely them who were able to goe vpon their owne feet but also their sucking babes who could not speake nor goe but in the armes of others and they offered theÌ„ to him that he might touch them and giue them his benediction and they had confidence that by this meanes such of theÌ„ as were sicke would recouer their health and they who were not not sicke would continue whole Their parents vsed this very often and with much importunity for they who had children were many and did so much esteeme this good of their children that no man would want it by his will and euery one desired to preuent his neighbour and be the first to get a blessing for his sonne The Apostles seeing this and conceiuing that it was a thing vnworthy of the authority and grauity of our Lord to employ himselfe vpon such a light and meane thing as this and thereby to hinder greater matters thinking also that because the exercise was so frequent and vsed with so great importunity and ill manners by those pareÌ„ts who brought their children that our Lord would be troubled and vexed thereby did vse seuerely to repreheÌ„d such as brought the children and would shake them off as threatening them that so they might not come to our Lord. So saith Saint Chrysostome giuing a reasoÌ„ therof The disciples droue away the little children and forbad them to come to our Lord in respect of his dignity and the authority of his person And S. Hierome declaring another reason saith The disciples thought that as other men are wont to be disquieted and displeased by such importunities so also would our Lord be by the frequency and importunity wherby they offred their children And Saint Ambrose addeth another cause to this and faith The disciples also did thus least otherwise our Lord might haue beeÌ„ oppressed that is much straigthened and tired by the multitude of people which came to him some thrustling and iustling others by occasion of the children whoÌ„ they brought Now our Lord perceiuing how the Apostles hindred litle children froÌ„ approaching to him though he knew their zeale and the intention wherewith they did it which was not ill yet he liked it not because it was not so agreable to the diuine spirit of the same Lord but to the humane spirit of the disciples And shewing both by his countenance and his wordes that he liked it not he called reprehended them saying Suffer little children to come to mee and doe not hinder them for of such is the kingdome of heauen I meane that heauen doth belong not onely to those little children for the purity innocency and grace they haue but that the same kidgdom of heauen shall be also giuen to men who in their practise of humility simplicity and purity of life will become like little children And so for that which little children are in their owne persons by diuine grace which is to be acceptable to God worthy of heauen and for that also which they represent in others namely to be men who are humble innocent and pure whom I loue and esteem much and embrace with my very bowells and blesse with my gifts therfore will I suffer them to approache to me and I will admit them to my embracements and blessings and therefore see you giue them noe impediment in comming Our Lord hauing thus reprehended his disciples he called them who brought the children and making those children come neer him he put his hands vpon their heads and embraced them and gaue them his holy blessing with his hands with his words he recommeÌ„ded them to his heauenly Father and he made them partakers of his diuine grace by the efficacy of his benediction By this act Christ our Lord discouered to vs his Benignity and most sweet condition in that a Lord of so great Maiesty and who was euer eÌ„ployed in so great and high workes should descend to a thing which in all apparance was so poore and meane and belonging wholly to men who had no waighty businesse in hand and that he should doe it with so cheerfull a countenance and with so much gust and sweetnes that their parents others of kinne who brought the children should presume to bring them so often and so importunately and to interrupt the continuance of his discourses and the working of his miracles and to eÌ„ploy so large spaces of time in this so meane exercise And not onely did Christ our Lord discouer his Benignity to vs by this proceeding but he manifested it to be so great and so admirable that it doth incomparably exceed all that which men can conceiue and beleiue therof For although it were much which the Apostles knew of the Benignity and piety and meeknes of our Lord yet they could not beleiue or vnderstand how it could possibly arriue so farre as this but did rather thinke that our Lord was to disdaine such a poore imployment and that he would be troubled and offended by the disquiet and importunity which they gaue him in this kinde But indeed it was farre otherwise with him for the meannes of the action pleased him much and the time it cost was held by him to be well employed and the labour trouble which they put him to was sweetly and gladly endured by him Let vs imitate this Benignity of our Lord in descending to doe such thinges as are poore and meane in the account of men when charity requires it at our hands and to treate and conuerse with poore and meane people though wee may seeme perhaps to loose somewhat of our right and dignity thereby if yet it doe import for the assisting and comforting them in their necessities for gaining them to Christ our Lord doing that which the Apostle did in imitation of Christ when he said I haue made my selfe all thinges to all men I haue accommodated my selfe to the inclination and gusts of all men in all lawfull thinges thereby loosing somewhat of mine owne right liberty that I might saue as many as I could THE X. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed towards wicked persons who came to him with a

silent and he discouered the Benignity and sweetnes of his immeÌ„se charity towards his enemies since he obeyed them who had noe right of commaundmeÌ„t ouer him and satisfied their demandes who were so vnworthy of all answere Let vs follow the example of Benignity which here our most blessed Lord and Sauiour giues vs and not onely let vs loue our enemies as wee haue already shewed but let vs also be benigne towards them and let vs grant them what they desire when it may lawfully be done condescending to their disposition and inclination in lawfull thinges and speaking to them humbly and modesty and shewing them the loue of our hearts and the desire wee haue to giue them gust and contentment in such things as are agreable to the wil of God This doth our Lord himselfe expect and aduise vs to by Saint Luke saying Loue your enemies and do good to them and if they desire to borrow money of you or any other thing affoard it without hoping after any interest And when there is need giue with a free hand without expecting any other reward then of Almighty God and so the reward which God wil giue you for such workes will be very abundant and great For you shall be the sonnes of the most high God who is benigne euen to men who are vngratefull and wicked and though they be vnworthy of his benefits and breakers of his coÌ„maundments worthy of eternall torments yet he ceaseth not to doe them good THE XI CHAPTER Of the Benignity which wee are to vse towards our neighbours doing them honour by good wordes and of the examples which Christ our Lord gaue vs herein THe vertue of Benignity requires that a man should be courteous and well mannered in the wordes he speaketh of his neighbour and that both in presence and absence he doe him honour by his manner of speech For Benignity maketh a man sweet and ciuill in his discourse and coÌ„uersation sticking close to the end of charity which is a spirituall and eternall good And a principall part of this sweet conuersation doth consist in that the wordes be ciuill and curteous whereby wee may honour our neighbour according to the quality of his person and state and for this reason a man who vseth curtesy is called benigne and gentle and he adorneth his neighbour with good wordes There are men who being gouerned by a spirit of this world or els by their naturall condition not corrected by reason vse to speake of their neighbours with little estimation of them when there is a latitude of giuing theÌ„ a title more honourable they giue him the least they can so it be without offence to the quality of his person And whereas they might treate them in better termes they proceed in such sorte as to shew little estimation of them and so they trouble and greiue them And especially they speake of their neighbours when they are absent in wordes which shew they make little account of them and thereby they thinke to exalt themselues to make theÌ„selues more esteemed by others but they are deceiued For in that they do not the thing which is required by charity which is benigne and sweet they obtaine not that which they pretend which is to be esteemed and honoured but they are despised and dispraised for it For estimation springeth from loue and if you loue a man you esteeme him and so on the other side contempt springeth from hate and to abhorre a man is to despise him And so when a man is wel conditioned and curteous in his wordes towards his neighbours he is generally beloued and for the same reason all men respect esteeme and honour him for they loue a man who loueth them and they esteem honour such as esteem and honour them But when a man is discourteous in his wordes and appeareth to make small account of his neighbours he is abhorred by all men or if they doe not abhorre his person yet they abhorre his condition discourteous language and for the same reason he is little accounted of and despised by all This is taught vs by holy scripture saying A sweet and gentle word doth reconcile and winne the hearts of men and makes theÌ„ their friends and multiplieth others and doth sweeten appease enemies and a benigne and gratious toÌ„gue doth abound in a good man The meaning is it produceth an abuÌ„dant fruite in the heart of others mouing them also to be benigne and to speake gently sweetly to such as speake gently sweetly to them The holy Ghost saith of the seruant of God that he is well mannered and curteous in his wordes and this is that diuine fruite which he produceth in his neighbours to make them meek and Benigne as himselfe is And of him on the other side who is rude discurteous in his words the Holy Ghost also saith The stroke of a whippe maketh the flesh blacke and blew but the blow of an ill tongue breakes the bones that is to say it doth many times hurt and wound the soule in such sort as to cause is to fall into sorrow and impatience hatred wherby the strength and vigour of that grace and vertue which it had is lost This hurt doth a discurteous vnmannerly word which wanteth Benignity produce in the soule of man Of this kinde of Benignity in speech Christ our Lord did leaue vs most excellent examples in his holy Ghospell They brought him one day a man in his bed who was a paralitike breaking through the roofe of the house they placed him before him Mat. 9. and our Lord behoulding the faith of them who brought him did him so particular a fauour that he efficaciously moued him to a great sorrow for his sinnes and to haue faith in our Lord confidence that he should be forgiuen And being then in so good a disposition he pardoned them and so he declared himselfe to doe by saying Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee This man being so miserable in his corporal state and being so base of condition as that he might without shame carry his couch vpon his backe and being a sinfull man besides for as Saint Hierome notes he had contracted his disease by his sinnes and coming to the presence of our Lord with the vncleannes of those sinnes by the waight whereof he was oppressed for there they appeared to haue been takeÌ„ from him by our Lord the same Lord being the creator of all things did yet call him Sonne which is a title of great sweetnes of loue and sheweth such equality in condition as runnes between fathers sonnes So high a Lord doth honour and exalt so base a man so farre that in some sort he maketh him equall to his Angells and Saints by giuing him the name and title of his Sonne For this is the great dignity honour which Saints and Angels haue to be the sonnes of the most high God So doth S. Hierome note

saying O admirable humility of Christ our Lord that to a contemptible and defeated man without strength or health in any part of his body whom the Priests of the lawe would haue despised and disdained euen so much as to touch our most Bâ—nigne Lord was content to giue the name of Sonne There came to Christ our Lord Marc. 5. Luc. 8. a woman who had a fluxe of blood she touched the skirt of his garment and remained whole and our Lord hauing brought her forth to light and she hauing confessed the benefit which she had receiued our Lord said publickly to her daughter thy faith hath made thee whole go in peace He honoured her by calling her daughter and by attributing her cure to her owne faith making her rich with Peace and ioy of heart which was an effect of the pardon of her sinnes and of the grace he gaue her And thus by honouring the paraliticke with the name of Sonne and this womaÌ„ by the name of daughter we see it was no particular priuiledge which he gaue to this or that person onely but that it was the coÌ„moÌ„ stile which our most benigne Lord vsed honouring with this name such meane and poore meÌ„ and woemen as came to him for any helpe His disciples being poore and meane and very full of defects at such time as he conuersed with them in mortall flesh sometimes he called Sonnes yea and at some other times he would call them by that diminitiue whereby fathers call their sonnes little children to vnfould so much the more that sweetnes of loue wherwith he called them Sonnes At other times he would call them Friends and after the ResurrectioÌ„ when the glory of his sacred Humanity and the Maiesty of his Diuinity was more discouered he called them his Brothers when he spake of them to others in their absence For once he said to S. Mary Magdalene Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and to your Father And againe he said to the Maries Goe tell my brethren that they are to goe into Galilea and that they shall see mee there All these are titles of great honour and glory and that our Lord should vse them towards men who were so meane and poore and at a time when still they were so imperfect and especially that he did it after they had quite forsaken him in his Passion was an effect of extreme Benignity in him THE XII CHAPTER Of other examples which Christ out Lord gaue vs of his Benignity in the same kinde CHrist our Lord preaching in a Sinagogue Luc. 13. they placed a woman who was deformedly bent downe to the grouÌ„d by that diuell wherewith she was possessed Now he hauing cured her they calumniated him in respect that he had done it vpon the Sabboth and he defending his miracle from that slander said Which of you will not vpon a Sabboth day let your oxe or asse be vntyed and carryed to the waters If this may well be done how much more is it conuenient to vntie the bond of sickenes wherby Satan had bound vp this daughter of Abraham although it were vpon the Sabboth day That title of the whole world which was most honourable amongst the Iewes and whereby they prised themselues and wherin they gloried most was to be called the sonnes of Abraham and so vpon a certaine occasion when they were disposed to magnify this honour they said to Christ Wee are the sonnes of Abraham And whereas it had beene curtesy enough towards that woman if Christ our Lord had said It had been conuenient to free this afflicted Woman from that misery or to deliuer this miserable creature from that infirmity he could not content himselfe therwith but was resolued to honour her with the most glorious name which could be vsed amoÌ„gst the Iewes by saying This daughter of Abraham this woman who according to the extraction of flesh and blood is desceÌ„ded of Abraham yea and in the way of spirit also for she is an imitatour of his faith When Christ our Lord receiued that message Ioh. 11. concerning the sicknes of Lazarus and being resolued vpon his death which succeeded within few daies after to raise him vp againe to life he said to his disciples Our friend Lazarus sleepes and I will goe waken him It had been enough and more then enough for a Lord of so great Maiesty to haue said Lazarus sleepeth or since he would needes doe him honour to say Lazarus my seruant or Lazarus whose guest I haue been sleepeth and with this he had done him much honour Yet his enamoured heart could not content it selfe with this but he would needes passe on and say our friend Lazarus which is a word of the greatest curtesy and honour For if it goe for a point of high honour to be accounted the friend of an earthly Kinge and for a great fauour and regalo to any vassaile that a King should call him by that name what honour must it be for a mortall man to be accounted a friend by Christ our Lord the Kinge of heauen and what kinde of felicity and comfort must it be to be called so by Christ our Lord himselfe and that not in complement but from the very rootes of his heart And so Christ our Lord honouring Lazarus with this word of friend did also honour his disciples equalling them with himselfe and making them his companions in the friendship of Lazarus and declaring that they were all his friends This Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse both in word and deed whilest yet he liued in mortall flesh hath been also vsed by him since he ascended vp to heauen towards many seruants of his to whom he hath seuerally appeared And leauing many examples of Saints to whom he hath done it sometimes in the forme of a childe and sometimes of a most beautifull young man sometimes of a most glorious person and hath honoured and comforted them both with words and deedes of must sweet loue Wee will speake here of one admirable apparition and that of great authority whereof we haue made some mention elswhere to another purpose and in respect it was vouchsaffed to a person of very meane quality it doth so much the more disclose the Benignity of Christ our Lord and makes vs the more confident of his goodnes Saint Paulinus Bishop of Nola relateth how certaine ships going from Sardinia towards Italy grew into a great tempest close by the Iland and the rest of them breaking and sinking there one of them which was fraught with corne did not split but yet was extremely ill treated by the storme The marriners did all leaue her and left also in her an old poore man of Sardinia who was yet no Christian but had begun to be catechised in that faith and it was his office to clense and pumpe the ship When the maÌ„ obserued him selfe to be alone and in a ship which had neither anker nor sterne for she had lost all in

the tempest he began with teares to recommend himself to Christ our Lord and to beg remedy at his hands He passed in this anguish six whole daies without eating any thing and still continuing in this affliction Christ our Lord appeared to him in great brightnes and beauty and comforted him and fed him and commaunded him to cut the mast which was the ordinary remedy wherof the ship seemed capable in that extremity For though our Lord was resolued to deliuer the poore man yet he was pleased withall that he should also do his part He put himselfe therfore to cut the mast and because he alone was not able to doe it the Angells of heauen helped him in it When this visit was at an end and the man had disposed himselfe to sleepe our Lord came againe and appeared to him and gently touching his eare with his hand and gently pulling it he waked him and required him to goe about the doing of those things which were necessary for his nauigatioÌ„ and in that which himselfe could not doe he had the assistance of the Angells Another time he appeared to him sitting in the pupp of the ship where the sterne is wont to be letting him see that it was he who gouerned her The good man came to the feet of our Lord and perceiuing that he vouchsaffed to be so familiar and Benigne towards him that he did so cherish and inuite him to himselfe he tooke great courage and confidence and bent his head downe sometime towards his sacred feet and sometimes reposed it in his bosome Our Lord departed then hauing both by word and deed affoarded those great fauours and regaloes of so great Benignity to this old Catechumenus And the ship being directed and conducted by the fauour of heauen sailed three and twenty daies by sea and and passing by Africke and Sicily and by the Faro of that Iland he came at last to the coast of Lucana which is the lower part of Calabria There the inhabitants did receiue him and were all eye witnesses of the miracle seeing him come safe in a ship which was all defeated without sterne or men to gouerne her From thence they conducted the old man to Saint Paulinus who receiued him with great loue and baptised him and whereas first his name was Valgius he called him now by the name of Victor And the Saint affirmes that this was a very well conditioned and a sincere innocent kinde of man and that he would recount this benefit and apparition of Christ our Lord with so great teÌ„dernes and deuotion that whosoeuer heard him could not choose but weepe from the heart By this example and many others ouer which I passe for breuities sake Christ our Lord hath discouered that the Benignity and and sweetnes of his condition which he vsed towards miserable meÌ„ whilest he liued in this world in mortall flesh is still conserued by him and still he vseth it towards such as will profit by it THE XIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity of speaking in sweet ciuill words which was vsed by Christ our Lord towards men he commaunded his disciples in the Ghospell that they should also vse towards their neighbours And so when he sent them to preach to the people of Israell he commaunded that as soon as they were entring into any house they should instantly salute them who were in it saying peace be to this house desiring and begging of God the most holy gift of peace for them all And this was to teach them that they were to be curteous and affable and benigne to all them with whom they conuersed The Apostles obserued this order very exactly S. Peter the Prince of the Church called the wicked Iewes his Brethren who had crucified our Lord saying Act. 23. Brethren I confesse that you did it by ignorance doe penance and you shall be forgiuen And such as were conuerted he called his fellowes and equalls 2. Pet. 1. in the faith and grace of Christ our Lord. And the great EuaÌ„gelist Saint Iohn called the faithfull his much beloued children And writing to a Christian woman called Electa he saith in the letter to the Lady Electa and her children whom I truly loue And writing to another Christian called Caius he saith to my much beloued Caius whome I doe very truly loue But what then shall wee say of Saint Paule With what Benignity with what curtesy and good maÌ„ners and with what regalo did he speake to all men For speaking to the Iewes who still continued in their infidelity he saith Act. 13. Men and Brethren and the sonnes of Abraham to you was that word sent from heauen which giueth saluation And speaking to the Christians who had been conuerted from gentility he saith Philip. 4. My brethren much beloued and much desired who are my ioy and my crowne And in another place he saith 1. Tim. 2. You are my hope my ioy and my glory And speaking to Kinge Agrippa who was a wicked Prince by nation a Gentile and by sect a Iew he made him an exordium full of estimation curtesy and good fashion saying I bold my self happy Ã´ Kinge Agrippa in that I am to defend my selfe before thee concerning those thinges whereof I am accused by the Iewes especially since thou knowest the customes and questions which are amongst them and therefore I beg thy patience in hearing mee By these few wordes so full of diuine sweetnes and eloquence he made him so propitious and gained so farre vpon his good will as to make him gladly and with great attention giue eare to a discourse and sermon full of diuine mysteries And speaking to Festus the Iudge a Gentile and an Idolater hauing heard this word of iniury from his mouth Paule thou speakest like a madd man too much learning hath put thee out of thy wits for him selfe being blind vnderstood nothing but earthly thinges and so the mysteries of heauen which S. Paule expressed seemed madnes to him he answered thus Most excellent Festus I am not madd the wordes which I haue spoken to thee are full of sobriety and truth What admirable Benignity was this not to be offended or disgusted nor a whit altered by such a great affront as it was to be called mad man and to answer with so great serenity of minde and so great sweetnes of wordes so full of curtesy and good manners as to call him good or ExcelleÌ„t who was an impious Idolater and he might say so too with truth for although he were not Good or excellent in his Religion nor in that kinde of vertue which maketh a man iust in the sight of almighty God yet he was very vertuous in conuersation and morally vertuous and so vsing a word of a double signification in a true sence he honoured him as much as he could yet still speaking truth The Apostle did much declare his Benignity

suauity by these examples wherby he honoured his neighbours both in speaking to them and speaking of theÌ„ but much more he discouered it in this instance which followeth Onesimus an Infidell a slaue fled from Phâ—â€¦emon his Master and came to S. Paule being at Rome The Apostle receiued him with much loue and instructed him in the faith and conuerted him by the grace of Christ our Lord and baptised him and returned him to his Master and recommended him by his owne letter wherin he wrote to this effect I beseech thee for my some Onesimus whom I haue engendred for as much as concernes the spirituall life of grace whilest I was in prison at Rome and I embraced him as I would doe mine owne bowells Which signifieth to this sence I receiued him with much tendernes of affectioÌ„ as a sonne whom I loue with my whole heart with all the affections thereof If thou houldest mee for thy friend and if thou louest and respectest mee as such an one receiue him euen as thou wouldest doe mee with the same affection of loue and with the same estimation and good vsage wherwith thou wouldest receiue mee And if he owe thee any thing either for hauing runne away or for taking any thing from thee put it vpon my account demaund satisfaction and paiment thereof at my haÌ„ds for I offer to pay and satisfy it all for him Grant my suite as I desire it and I will reioyce with thee in our Lord for this good worke of thine Make my heart glad by doing as much as I haue asked which is to say giue mee this comfort and this regalo that thou receiue and treate Onesimus as I haue begged at thy hands Who would not be amazed to read and heare these wordes of Saint Paule That an Apostle of Christ our Lord a Prince and Instructor of the world hauing been personally visited before by Christ our Lord himselfe and raised by him vp euen to the third heauen and chosen out to iudge all the Nations of the Gentiles yea and the very Angells with them in company of Christ our Lord and being so employed both day and night in preaching the Ghospell and gouernment of the Church as that in his brest he carryed the sollicitude and care of all the particular Churches thereof that such a man I say as this so venerable to the Inhabitants of heauen and so reuerenced here on earth should take so much to heart and negotiate at so great leasure the busines of a fugitiue slaue but newly conuerted to the faith as that he should write a letter froÌ„ Rome to Phrygia which was in Asia minor where his Master was dwelling in Colossus and recommend him to be receiued to be pardoned and to be treated well And not being contented to performe this office of charity in ordinary wordes which yet had been sufficient that he should honour Onesimus with termes of so great estimatioÌ„ loue and sweetnes and should recommend him to his Master in termes and with reasons of so great exaggeration as a Father would do recommeÌ„ding his only sonne whom he did extreamely loue to some great friend of his This was the Benignity and curtesy and suauity of speech which the Apostles learned of Christ our Lord and this must all faithfull Christians imitate treating our neighbours with termes of curtesy and good manners and giuing theÌ„ the most honourable titles and names we can according to the estate of euery one and according to the custome of that people amongst whom wee liue in speaking honorably of them both in presence and absence In this sorte wee shall preuent many sinnes which we vse to coÌ„mit for want of obseruing the rule of charity We shall free our selues from detraction and murmuring which is a vice through which a man contemnes and affronts his neighbour speaking ill of him and recording his defects and faults whether it be with truth or with falshood But howsoeuer this is a vice much abhorred by Almighty God and very abhominable to them who feare him which made Saint Paule say detracters who are abhorred by Almighty God And the wise man in the Prouerbes saith The murmurer who speaketh ill of his neighbour and maketh a scorne of him is abhominable to men And because when God hath abhomination towards a sinner it is to wish him the euill of eternall paine from hence it is that the murmurer is subiect to eternall malediction and condemnation as Ecclesiasticus chap. 28. signifieth saying The murmurer who secretly speaketh ill of his neighbour and who hath two tongues because in the presence of his neighbour he speaketh well of him and in his absence he infameth him by ill report is accursed both of God and man because he hath giuen trouble to many depriuing priuing them of the peace and quiet of their hearts and filling them with grief and anger and destroying that agreement and good correspondence which they had with their neighbours Wee shall also deliuer our selues by this meanes froÌ„ the sinne of contumely and reproach into which they fall who face to face giue ill wordes to their neighbours whereby they vnderualue and affront them and this is the vice of them who want iudgmeÌ„t as the wise man affirmeth saying He who speaketh contumelious words to his neighbours is a foole And in another place all fooles are apt to thrust themselues into suites and strifes and such other businesses as tend towards the affronting of others or els to the being affronted by others with iniutious wordes And this is so grieuous a sinne and so worthy of punishment as that Christ our Lord said He who shal cal his neighbour foole with a minde to affront him is worthy of eternall fier Wee shall also thus excuse our selues from cursing others wherby men offer their neighbours to the diuell that they may be damned or els whereby they desire them any other euil Which sinne is so grieuous as that it excludes men from that glory to which they were created as the Apostle signified 1. Cor. 6. when he said They who curse men desiring the accomplishment of that with their heart which they say with their tongue shall not possesse the kingdome of God We shall defeÌ„d our selues from these sinnes so pernitious to the soule which are committed by the tongue if we be well conditioned and benigne in our words whereby wee honour our neighbours in their presence speake not ill of them in their absence And together with this wee shall by the good vse of our benigne speech giue great gust to Almighty God and shall deserue much in his sight and wee shall winne the loue of our neighbour making them friendly and kinde to vs to the end that they may willingly receiue any good aduice and counsell from vs which wee shall thinke fit to giue And wee shall conserue the peace and strength of our owne soules yea and of our estates also for the susteining of our liues which many

times is lost by the ill gouernement of our tongues and finally wee shall edify our neighbours by the exaÌ„ple of our good words All this was signified by the wise man when he said The peaceable and quiet tongue is a sweet tree of life Which signifieth that it recreateth and comforteth the hearts of men and giues them spirituall life and strength and frees them from the mortall distempers of anger and hatred and other passions And this is wrought by that man who giueth good language throÌ„ugh the much gaine and merit which they get in the sight of Almighty God And in theÌ„ also who heare the good speech which is vsed by any man of his neighbours worketh the like effect for thereby they are edified and induced towards a loue of vertue THE XIV CHAPTER How wee are to exercise this Benignity and to vse this good manners towards them who vse vs ill SOme Christians there be who are very courteous and well conditioned towards their neighbours as long as those neighbours treate them with the same curtesy and ciuility but if their neighbours faile towards them they also faile and then they treate theÌ„ with the same discourtesy and disgrace wherewith they are treated and they vse the same ill termes which are vsed to theÌ„ This is no good but an ill spirit For that I should be well coÌ„ditioned towards my neighbour because he also is so to mee is no loue of charity but a loue of interest and concupiscence and that I should faile in curtesy and good coÌ„dition towards another because he falles short therin towards me is not the vertue of Benignity but it is the vice of reuenge That which charity and Benignity requires and which God exacteth at our hands is that although another man do not what he ought yet I doe and that although another man should faile of vsing me with due curtesy yet that I faile not thereof towards him For by this meanes it wil appeare that in the ciuility which I vse towards my neighbours I am not moued by humane respects but for the loue of Almighty God and that I pretend not proper honour or interest but the glory of Almighty God and the profit of my soule and the edification of my neighbour And in this sorte I being of good condition and shewing curtesy towards him who doth not so to me I shal please almighty God much the more for I shall moue more purely for the loue of him and shall exercise more vertue and encrease merit and gaine more reward in the sight of God For together with the Benignity which I shall exercise by carrying my selfe sweetly towards my neighbour I shall also exercise patieÌ„ce and humility in bearing with his ill condition and I shall exercise more charity by pardoning the iniury which he doth me in treating mee ill This was taught vs by the Apostle Saint Paule with a kinde of heauenly inueÌ„tion associating Benignity and Patience in suffering iniuries with Charity in pardoning theÌ„ for thus he saith Colos 3. Cloathe your selues spiritually as it becometh iust men and the elect of God with the bowells of mercy and Benignity that so you may be affable and sweetly conditioned towards your neighbours and with humility modesty and patience also enduring for the loue of God the ill treating and peruerse condition of one another and pardoning also the iniuries of one another And so also if it happen that any one be offended and affronted by any other and that he haue reason to complaine yet let him pardon it in imitation of Iesus Christ our Lord who when wee were wicked and as enemies of his had done him wrong did forgiue our sinnes and the offences which we committed against him and did free vs from them by meanes of Baptisme and Penance without taking that vengeance of vs which we deserued This is the substance of S. Paules discourse these are those rules of Charity and Benignity which we are to keep that so we may comply entirely with the will of Almighty God in this behalfe THE XV. CHAPTER That it is not contrary to Benignity to reprehend wicked and obstinate persons in their wickednes seuerely as Christ our Lord did IT is much to be noted concerning this vertue of Benignity which Christ our Lord taught vs both by his word and by his example that there are some both sayings and deedes of Christ our Lord in the Ghospell which to ignorant persons might seem coÌ„trary to this Benignity but which yet are not contrary but very agreable thereunto For Charity which teacheth vs that for the glory of God and good of soules we must vse this Benignity towards our neighbors of speaking to them in kinde gentle words the same teacheth vs also that when wee haue authority in our hands wee may vse words so seuere and pricking in some cases towards publicke and obstinate sinners and who by their ill example are pernitious to others as may discouer the grieuousnes of their sinnes and may disgrace and condemne them as they deserue that so if it be possible they may be reformed or at least that others may feare to follow their ill example And now wee will goe declaring some instances which Christ our Lord left vs of this truth in the holy Ghospell Saint Luke chap. 13. relateth that our Lord being then as it seemed in Galile which was the iurisdiction of Herod some of the Pharisees came and said to him Auoid this country for Herod hath a minde to kill thee Our Lord made them this answere Go tel that foxe that he may see I cast diuells both out of bodies and soules to day and to morrow and that the third day I shall dy and by ending my life giue end and perfection to these workes of mine By these three dayes our Lord vnderstood the time of his whole life and sometimes he called that one day and some other times three daies to signify the shortnes of this life and to signify also as wee said before that as no humane inuention or meanes was able to make the natural day one minute shorter then it is so neither was there any meanes to shorten his life by one minute And therefore the substance of what he said was this During all that time of my life which is giuen mee by the determination of my eternall Father I shall conuerse in this world and doe those workes for which he sent mee which is to teach truth to cast diuells both out of bodies and soules and to bestow both corporall and spirituall health vpon men and as long as this time shal last neither Herod nor any other power vnder heauen shall be able to take my life from mee But when the houre shall be come which is determined by my Father I wil offer my selfe to death to giue perfect life and health to the world Yet this I will not doe in Galile but in Ierusalem For as it is not fit that any

necessity which they had of making recourse to strong remedies for they were sinnes which were inherited from their predecessors who had been wicked and they were deeply rooted in their hearts Christ our Lord did especially make such seuere and sharpe reprehensions when they did falsly sooth and flatter him For many times when they darted out iniurious words against him he reprehended theÌ„ not but answered them with all sweetnes shewing his humility and meekenes and teaching vs to suffer wrongs with patience But when they flattered him he repreheÌ„ded them indeed as when with counterfeit hearts they said Master wee desire a signe of thee from heauen for then he answered them thus Matth. 12. You wicked and adulterous generatioÌ„ And when they said Master wee know that thou art true and teachest the way of God according to truth For then he said why doe you tempt mee you hipocrites discouring therby that he vnderstood their hearts and that he would not pay himselfe with their flatteries conterfeit praises and teaching all the world that wee were not to take gust in being soothed nor to desire to be praised by men So did S. Chrysostome obserue vpon these wordes Master wee desire that thou giue vs a signe froÌ„ heauen Where he saith that first they iniured him saying he had a diuell and that then they flattered him calling him Master And therefore it is that he reprehendeth them with vehemency saying that they were a wicked generation So that when they affront him with ill words he answereth them with meekenes and when they flatter him with a false heart he giues them sharpe wordes Our most blessed Lord discouering to vs thereby that he was free from all passion and that neither he was put to impatience by affroÌ„ts nor that he was inueigled by flatteries THE XVI CHAPTER That is was conuenient that Christ our Lord should vse these seuere reprehensions to teach the Prelates of his Church how they should proceed against sinners and how the Saints haue been euer wont to proceed BEsides these reasons why Christ our Lord did so sharply reprehend the sinnes of the Scribes and Pharises there is yet another and it is for the instructing of the Prelates of the Church after what manner they are to reproue the sinnes of publickeÌ„ obstinate and rebellious sinners which are of the more grieuous sorte and more preiudiciall to others and that they are to doe it publickly with great weight and force of words to the end that obstinate sinners may finde how wicked they are and that they may reforme themselues and that others may feare and take warning by their ill example and that all sinnes and sinners are not to bee reproued after the same manner but some gently and sweetly and others with seuerity and rigour according to the quality of the sinne and the obstinacy of the sinner the hurt which he doth thereby to others And that these seuere reprehensions which are made in punishment of delinquents must not be vsed by all but by Superiours who haue authority for the same and that the end which such meÌ„ haue must not be the affront nor the trouble of the sinner but the reformation both of him others And therfore Charity which teacheth vs to be sweet and benigne towards some kinde of sinners because that course is fit for the good of their soules the selfe same Charity teacheth vs to be seuere and strict towardes others because that also is conuenient to the and that others may be warned and they reformed Saint Gregory noteth this in these words Some offences are to be reprehended with vehemency to the end that the delinquent who of himselfe perhaps vnderstaÌ„ds not the grieuousnes of his sinne may come to finde it by the wordes of him who reprehends and that he may growe to feare the committing of that sinne which he thought to be but light by the very seuerity wherwith it is corrected And it is the duty of the Superiour to correct with great seuerity those offences of their subiects which are not gently to be endured but he must not doe it out of anger but out of a holy zeale for feare least if he correct not faults as he ought himself grow to be faulty and that the punishment which was due to the offences of his subiects doe fall vpon himselfe through his negligence And the same Saint saith in another place that their sinnes who haue not lost shame are to be reprehended after another sorte then theirs who haue lost all shame For seuere repreheÌ„sion is necessary for the reformation of them who are growne impudent but such as are still ashamed of their sinnes are vsually better reformed by some milde exhortation This stile of seuerely reprehending the more griouous and pernitious sorte of sinnes which haue been coÌ„mitted by the powerfull men of this world and by the false guide of soules hath been obserued by the auncient Saints who were mooued to it by the Holy Ghost and the Saints also of the Euangelicall Lawe haue vsed the like being instructed by the example of Christ our Lord though it be true that these later haue obserued it with greater moderation and more mixture of suauity then the former for so the Lawe of grace requires The Prophet Nathan 2. Kings 12. chap. reproued Kinge Dauid and hauing first propounded him a parable he concluded saying Thou art that man who hath coÌ„mitted so great wickednes as to take the wife of another and for this sinne the sword shall neuer faile to hang ouer thy house as a punishment both of thee and thy descendents The Prophet Elias 2. Kings 18. chap. hauing heard that imputation which King Achab layed vpoÌ„ him in these wordes Art thou that man who troublest Israel did reproue him for that wickednes which he had committed against God and his Prophets and made answere to him after this manner I am not the man who trouble Israell but thou and the house of thy Father are they who trouble it because thou hast forsaken the lawe of our Lord. The Prophet Elizeus 4. Kings 3. chap. reprehending the sinnes of King Ioram who was in company with Kinge Iosaphat when he desired the Prophet to obtaine of God that he would send downe water to the army for that it was ready to dy of thirst made him this answere What hast thou to doe with me goe to the Prophetâ— of thy Father and of the mother and if it were not for the respect of Kinge Iosaphat who is present for my part I would not so much as looke vpon thee The man of God who was sent by him to Samaria 4. Kings 13. chap. and found King Ieroboam who was in Bethelle offering sacrifice vpon an Altar like a Priest did addresse his speech as to the Altar and thereby reprehended him after this manner A sonne shall be borne of the house of Dauid called Iosias and he shall kill those Priests vpon thee who are now offering incense

by this true explication which wee haue made it remaineth very cleare that the serious and seuere reprehensions wherwith Christ our Lord his Saints haue corrected the great crimes of sinners are not coÌ„trary to that Benignity which he taught vs but are full of the dearnes sweetnes of true Charity THE XVII CHAPTER Of the Benignity wherewith a Christian is to be glad of the good of his neighbour and to approue and praise the same and of the example which Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof ONe of the principall things besides those whereof wee haue spoken which belong to the vertue of Benignity and the sweet manner of conuersing with our neighbours is to be glad of their good and to praise them yet with that moderatioÌ„ which prudence requireth and to that end which Charity seeketh For this maketh a seruant of God to be amiable and sweet and thus he augmenteth Charity towards his neighbours he groweth more able to be of vse to soules For by this meanes his instruction and admonition will be the better receiued and the example of his good life better allowed and he will haue more efficacy to moue others So saith the worthy Doctor and Bishop Guiltelmus Parisiensis Benignity is the loue of anothers good and wee call those men Benigne who as soon as they discouer a good thing in their neighbours doe instantly loue it and loue him for it and from hence it growes that they praise and set him forth in wordes For the exercise of this vertue there is need of great consideration and much discretion and light from heauen For as by the vse therof with moderatioÌ„ being directed to the right end it is of great profit and edification towards the encrease of vertue so vsing it without moderation and without rectitude of intention it is both very hurtfull to his soule who praiseth and to his also who is praised For this reason Saint Bonauenture approueth this saying of Seneca praise that with moderation which is praise worthy dispraise that which is blamable with more moderation For superfluity of praise is liable to reproof as well as teÌ„perate dispraise Well then let vs goe on declaring the errour which is committed and the hurt which groweth by inordinate praise and the manner intention which praise must haue to the eÌ„d that it may be truly giuen according to vertue For a man to praise his neighbour for that which is naught is a great sinne and not onely doe they fal into it who praise a man for some reuenge which he may haue taken of an enemy or for hauing affroÌ„ted that person who did him iniury by some word or for hauing vttered some carnall speech performing some actioÌ„ of that kind but they also who praise suÌ„ptuous buildings superfluous humours gifts curious rich cloathes delicious costly dyet and all that which hath any tincture of vanity and pride and the regalo of this flesh blood and the loue of the world For all these thinges are ill and hurtfull to the soule of a Christian who to the end that he may get to heauen must deny himselfe and imbrace the Crosse of Christ our Lord. To all these flatterers who praise that which they should repreheÌ„d Esay chap. 5. saith Woe be to them who praise wicked thinges as if they were good and who hould the darknes of errour for the light of truth and true light for darkenes and who esteem the bitter life of sinners to be sweet and the sweet life of vertue to be bitter In like manner it is vitious for a man to praise temporall naturall thinges as if they were the greatest principall gifts of God as riches nobility strength and beauty of the body For these are blessings of little value and they make not a man to be better in himselfe or more estimable in the sight of God such praise breeds much hurt to the soule for it makes a man greatly loue and praise those thinges which he should despise from which he should estrange his heart The holy scripture condemneth this vice saying doe not praise men for the corporall beauty which they haue nor despise them for their poore meane apparance Consider that the Bee being but a very little creature giueth so excellent a fruite as that it is the most sweet of all sweet thinges for there is nothing more sweet then hony The meaning is that as the little Bee hath efficacy to produce such a fruite so may a little body a meane presence haue much vertue And that which the Holy Ghost saith of the beauty of the body he will haue vs vnderstand of all other naturall and temporall gifts which are of so little value that a man is noe further worthy of estimation or praise for them theÌ„ if he had them not but onely so farre forth as there may result some profit to the soule thereby This was taught vs both by the example and diuine wordes of Christ our Lord For a certaine deuoute womaÌ„ hauing seen his miracles and hauing heard his doctrine was not able to conteine herselfe but that she must needes praise that Mother aloud who had brought forth such a Sonne saying Blessed is the wombe which have thee and the brests which gaue thee sucke But Christ our Lord gaue her this answere Nay rather blessed are they who heare the word of God and keepe it By which wordes he discouered to vs how that free gratuite blessing whereby the most sacred Virgin was made Mother of the naturall Sonne of God did not alone and of it selfe make her happy or blessed nor worthy of the reward of heauen nor more great in the sight of God but the vnspeakeable vertue and suauity and grace wherby Almighty God did exalt and dignify her for such an office that which afterward he gaue her in regard of so high a dignity was the thing which made her so truly happy If then so admirable a gift as that was did not deserue great praise for it selfe alone but for that vertue and sanctity which went in company thereof how much more must all temporall blessings and gifts of nature which in themselues are so poore and perishing be vnworthy of praise but onely so farre forth as they may be found to assist and concurre towards the good of the soule So saith Saint Chrysostome declaring these wordes of Christ our Lord. By this sentence Christ our Lord did make vs know that it would not haue profited the Virgin to haue brought forth the Sonne of God if shee had not withall been endowed with that faith and incomparable sanctity which shee had And therefore as I said if so great a dignity would not haue profited the blessed Virgin without the vertue and sanctity of her soule how much more clear is it that it will serue vs to little purpose before Almighty God to haue Saints to our Fathers or sonnes or kinred or such other

externall gifts if withall wee haue not goodnes and vertue and doe not lead a spirituall life For this is that which maketh men to be of value worthy of praise in the sight of God It is also an errour and fault of flattery to praise our neighbour for any vertue which he may haue and thereby to delight and comfort him principally for the temporall gaine and profit which he hopeth to receiue of him For the praise of true vertue which principally is to be ordeined to some spirituall good and to the seruice of God is ordeined by him to his owne priuate interest which is a sinnefull thing so much the more grieuous it will be as there is more inordinatenes in the thing And when it is very great that will be fulfilled in their persons which is spoken of by the Psalmist Psal 2. God will defeare and destroy the strength and authority of them who desire and procure to please and giue gust to men and haue that for their end not looking vp towards God but downe vpon their owne priuate interest and humour Especially they who procure to please worldly men forbearing to doe those thinges which they owe to God in respect of them these indeed shall be confounded and put to shame by Almighty God For both in this life euen all their temporall hopes shall prooue vaine and besides in the other life they shall be fulfilled with shame and deliuered ouer to eternall torments Besides it is a defect and the fault of soothing to praise a man either for his wit or learning or for the talents and parts which he hath yea or euen for his true vertue when it is likely that through his weakenes or vnmortified ill inclination he may fall into pride and vaine complaceÌ„ce in himself or into any other preiudice of his soule Saint Augustine obserued this in these wordes A hard thing it is that some little impurity of errour doe not stick to the hart of a man eueÌ„ though it be cleane vpon the praises of another vnles indeed he should haue it so very cleane as that be should take no gust in them nor be touched by any vapour of theÌ„ and vnles the praise which they giue him should more content him for the good of them who praise him then for the comfort or honour or estimation which may growe thereby to himselfe And theÌ„ he may know that their praise of him is profitable to theÌ„ if in their life they honour not him but God not fastning their mindes vpon him by the praise honour which they giue him but rising vp by him towards Almighty God whose most sacred temple euery man is who liueth well So that it may be fulfilled in him which is spoken of by the Psalmist My soule shall be praised by such as are good not in it selfe but in our Lord that is to say for the gifts which it hath of our Lord and for the glory of the same Lord. This is the danger to which they are ordinarily subiect who are much praised by men vnles they be possessors of true and solid vertue whereby they may resist vaine complacence and refer the praise to the Author of all good thinges which is God For so saith the holy Scripture Better is it to be corrected by a discreet and wise man then to be praised by an imprudent man who with his smooth kinde of praising leaues vs in errour And declaring the danger wherin man is when he who praiseth doth not obserue the moderatioÌ„ and end which ought to be kept Saint Hierome said There is nothing which doth so easily infect and corrupt the hearts of men as flattery and the tongue of a flatterer doth more hurt then the sword of a persecutour Another fault is also committed in praising some when it is for the dispraise of others A man will not dare expressely to speake ill of his neighbour especially to one who hath auersion from hearing it and therefore to doe it the more couertly he doth it by meanes of praising another man for the same vertues and gifts of his and then the detracter would haue it thought that the man whom he meaneth to dispraise doth want those vertues or else is subiect to the contrary defects Saint Chrysostome noteth this vice in these wordes We doe many good thinges but not allwaies with a good minde Wee praise many but not to the end that we may speake well of them but to detract and speake ill of others Now that which wee say is good because we praise vertue in another but the minde wherwith with wee say it is infected with sinne and set on worke by Satan for wee pretend not to doe him good whom wee praise but hurt to him whom wee dispraise These are the defects and vices which growe by praisinge others when it is done without discretion and moderation and without that end to which it ought to be addressed and so it leaueth to be vertue as is turned into the vice of flattery And now wee will declare how praise is to be vsed to the end that it may be a fruite of the vertue of Charity Benignity And wee will produce some examples which Christ our Lord shewed vs concerning the manner and intention which we were to hould in praisinge our neighbours THE XVIII CHAPTER Of the intention and moderatioÌ„ wherwith we are to praise vertue in our neighbours and of the examples which Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof IT is a thing both lawfull and very pleasing to Almighty God for a man to praise his neighbours for the good he hath done to the end that being praised they may loue vertue so much the more and be animated to the exercise thereof and not be dismaied by the troubles and difficulties to which a vertuous life is subiect And this is principally to be done towards men who are but beginners in the way of vertue and who are weake and of little heart for such persons haue the greater need of helpe Yet euen this praise must be giuen with the moderation aforesaid in such sort as that it may profit and not hurt the party praised but may edify and induce him to a loue and estimation of vertue and not to a presumption in himselfe and a loue of vanity For the obtaining of this end the praise must be giuen in words which may not greatly exaggerate or amplify the vertue but plainly declare the truth and his approbation thereof Let vs see some exaÌ„ples which Christ our Lord gaue of this Nathaniell came to Christ our Lord Iohn 1. being brought to him by Saint Philip. This Nathaniell was a man full of vertue very obseruant of the lawe and came in doubt whether or no Christ our Lord were the true Mestias as S. Philip had said he was And drawing neer our Lord looked vpon his disciples and said in the hearing of Nathaniell Behould here a true Israelite in whom there is no guile As

was then to come very suddenly whereby they were put into much disorder and trouble before he reprehended this lightnes of theirs he praised them saying 2. Thess 1. Wee must giue many thanks to God for the great encrease of yours faith which is growing euery day and for the encrease also of your fraternall charity which aboundeth its euery one of you and encreaseth daily both by your louing and doing good to one another But when he had praised them in these other words he benignely reprehendeth them saying chap. 2. Wee beseech you brethren by the coming of Christ our Lord to iudgment and by the glorious and blessed vnion which wee are all to haue together at that day that you depart not so easily from giuing credit to vs and from hauing the true sence of those thinges which you haue learned of vs and that you be not troubled or frighted by what others tell you and in a word that none may haue power to deceiue you By this diuine artifice the sacred Doctour of the nations did reprehend them when first he had comforted and encouraged theÌ„ by recording that vertue which he knew to be in them and the good opinion which he had of them to the end that hauing coÌ„punction to see that they had failed of the good which they had begunne they might the better accept of the reproofe he gaue them and so might reforme themselues thereby THE XIX CHAPTER How wee must praise vertue for the making it be more esteemed and of the examples which Christ our Lord gaue vs to this purpose WEe must also praise the vertue of good men to declare how great a good that is and how that which seemeth little and of meane value in the sight of meÌ„ is indeed very great and hath a most high reward in the sight of God to the end that other men may esteem greatly of it and carry much affection to it labour hard to acquire it Let vs deliuer some examples hereof Saint Peter Matt. 16. confessed to Christ our Lord that he was the true Sonne of God saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God It seemed a small matter and of no merit that Saint Peter hauing conuersed so long with Christ our Lord seen with his owne eyes so great and so euident miracles and heard such doctrine contemplated such an exaÌ„ple of life that he should piously incline his heart to belieue that he was the true Messias the naturall Sonne of God For this did not cost him the shedding of his blood nor the tormenting of his body with affliction and penance but only to produce a pious affect of the will and to performe an act of obedience in the vnderstanding But Christ our Lord praised him and gaue testimony that this inward act of his was of supreme value and estimation in the sight of Almighty God and that on earth he should receiue admirable fauouurs from God for the same that in heauen he should enioy an immeÌ„se reward of glory And that froÌ„ that instaÌ„t he might begin to be happy by that certen hope and pawne which was giuen him of that infinite good which he was afterward to possesse and enioy during all eternity All this he declared by saying Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for men who are made of flesh and blood were not able with al the humane wisdome they haue to teach thee this truth My celestiall Father it is who hath reueiled it to thee vpon thee will I build my Church and to thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen By these words Christ our Lord praised by faith and deuotion of Saint Peter and declared to the world of how soueraigne value before Almighty God and how richly to be rewarded with celestiall and eternall blessings one single act of vertue may be which is performed by a iust maÌ„ though it be easily produced and in a short time and how little soeuer it may cost and especially an interiour act of liuely faith which a iust man hath no difficulty at all to performe Christ our Lord being in the Atrium of the Temple Marc. 12. Luc. 21. behoulding theÌ„ who were easting almes into the chest which was to serue for the reparation of the Temple for the maintenance of the Priests and for the relief of the poore amoÌ„gst the rest of them who cast in their almes which without doubt was then done both by many and in plentifull manner for it was neer Easter at which time there came much people to Ierusalem from all parts there cometh a very poore widow and casteth into the chest two of the least little peeces of money or mites Our Lord seeing her and being pleased to praise her much for the act which shee had done and the almes which shee had giuen called his disciples and pointing out the woman said thus to them This widow hath cast a greater almes into the chest and made a greater present to the Temple then all the rest who haue giuen almes this day And our Lord shewed diuers reasons why shee had giuen more then any of them First because in proportion of her poore condition it was more for her to giue a mite then for others to giue store of crownes And because the rest gaue the almes out of that which did aduance beyond their necessary maintenance and that they gaue not all but a part therof but this widow gaue that which was necessary to her selfe and shee gaue it all But the principall reason which he was pleased to signify vnder this was for that shee gaue her almes with a greater affection and desire to giue and with more ardour of charity then al they which he declared by her hauing giuen all that she had being in precise necessity thereof for her owne reliefe In this sorte did Christ our Lord praise the almes of this poore widow and by praising her he manifested to all the children of his Church how highly the good worke of a iust person is valued in the sight of Almighty God the great account he makes therof and how he will reward it in heauen and how he meanes not to giue the reward according to the quantity of the worke but according to the good will and loue of God and our neighbour wherewith it is performed He will also haue vs learne froÌ„ hence first to esteem greatly of the good works which our neighbours do how litle soeuer they may be and and approue them and praise theÌ„ before men for their edification and much to value those good men who doe them though they be poore of meane condition and estate since God who sees their hearts doth prize them much And secondly he will haue vs learne by this to be animated towards the doing of good works and to exercise the acts of Religion and charity with much affection and desire to please God and to doe more then wee doe although

by reason of our weaknes and our little talent either of vertue or goods or power any other way our workes be very small since God hath regard to the good will wherewith they are done to the pious heart from whence they proceed The Apostle Saint Paule followed this example of Christ our Lord. Who to animate the Corinthians to giue almes to the Christians who were in want at Ierusalem and that none of theÌ„ should omit to giue according to his power how little soeuer that might be did praise the vertue and charity which they of Macedonia had shewed to the same Christians assisting them liberally with almes according to the power of euery one And he praiseth them in these wordes 2. Cor. 8. Wee giue you brethren to vnderstand the gratious and liberall gift which God communicated by his goodnes to the Churches of Macedonia who receauing many grieouous persecurions from the Gentiles who afflicted and affronted and robbed them of the goods they had did yet abound with ioy in their very tribulations and they did not onely accept of them with patience but with interiour ioy yea and that a very great ioy for the loue of Christ our Lord for whom they suffered and through the hope of celestiall blessings which God promiseth to them who suffer for the loue of him And being poore they were all according to their weake power and strength so liberall in giuing that they did very abundaÌ„tly discouer the pure intention which they had therin and their great promptitude and euen hunger and thirst to giue to please God by doing all the good that possibly they could to their neighbours And I giue testimony to this truth that not only they gaue willingly all they could but more then they could for not onely gaue they of the superfluity and that which they could conuenieÌ„tly spare but they gaue part of those very thinges which were euen necessary for the very support of their liues The Apostle hauing praised in these wordes the Charity and mercy of the Macedonians inuiteth the Corinthians by the inducement of this example to doe the like and he saith that considering what the Christians of Macedonia haue done I haue perswaded my self to seÌ„d Titus to you that this grace which he begun in you may be finished and perfected by his exhorting moâ—uing you to giue almes to the Christians who suffer in Ierusalem and by procuring that all men may giue what they can that it may be put all together and sent to Ierusalem as was done by theÌ„ of Macedonia And he wisheth them moreouer that euen they who haue but little to giue should yet giue some what euen of that little with a ready minde and a desirous good will to giue more if they could And he affirmeth and testifieth on the part of God that the litle which they should giue with such affection good will would greatly please God and be much esteemed by him and be also rewarded according to the good will where with they gaue For he saith if the will be ready and efficaciously prepared to doe good it is very acceptable and pleasing to God if they worke giue according to what they haue or can performe and God doth not require for the making men acceptable to him that they should giue or do what they cannot giue or do THE XX. CHAPTER How it is fit to praise the vertue of some thereby to correct the vice of others ANother way which makes our praising others to be very profitable for vs and pleasing to almighty God is to praise the vertue and good workes of them from whom no such thing had been expected and thereby to conuince and confound those others who were not so vertuous and did not worke so well notwithstanding that they had greater helpes and were in greater obligations then the former Let vs declare this by an example There was a Centurion that is to say a Captaine of a hundred souldiers in Capharnaum Matt. 8. Luc. 7. placed there by the Romans and a Gentile he was who descended not from Patriarches Prophets but from Gentiles Idolaters and from people who had noe knowledge of the true God This man by meanes of conuersation which he had with the Iewes came to know this truth that there was one God and he had taken an affection to his holy Lawe and to his people of Israell and he loued cherished them and built a Sinagogue for them vpon the vnderstanding which he had that of all the men in the world these were the professors of true Religion This Centurion had a seruant whom he greatly loued who fell sicke of a pleurisy was growne to the very point of death And the seruant being in those termes and the Master hauing heard of the miracles which had been wrought by Christ our Lord he conceiued a great confidence and faith that if he desired remedy for that seruant he should obtaine it and he belieued with great assurednes that Christ was a Lord so powerfull that euen in absence he could giue him the life and health of his seruant by the onely commauÌ„dment of his word Not presuming therfore to appeare in the presence of Christ our Lord as holding himselfe vnworthy therof he interposed the auncient and prime men of the Iewes for intercessours These men therfore in the name of the Centurion desired that he would goe to his house and cure his seruant instantly our Lord put himselfe vpon the way to doe as much as they desired As soon as the Centurion knew that Christ our Lord was comminge to his house he tould him by meanes of the same intercessours that in no case he was to doe it for that himselfe was vnworthy of so great honour but he onely prayed that from thence he would commauÌ„d by some one word of his that his seruant might be cured and that that would serue for his recouery And this he confirmed by the example of his owne person for if he being a weake man and subiect to the commauÌ„d of another who was the Generall of the Army could yet commaund his soldiers to dispose themselues here or there and that accordingly and instantly the thing was done how much more could Christ our Lord being so absolute and of so great power commaund from wheresoeuer he were that sicknes and death should be gone and that health and life should come and that they would not faile to obey him This man discouered great humility in not presuming once to to appeare in the presence of Christ our Lord but to negotiate by meanes of the Iewes whom he held for better then himselfe and by those wordes he also shewed a great faith And so Christ our Lord hauing heard this message shewed to be in admiration to see so great faith in a Pagan souldier And turning his countenaÌ„ce to the troupe of Iewes who followed him he said Verily I say to you I haue not found so great

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