as being both profitable and necessary forts profitable First because by them we may make sure our calling and our election as Peter teacheth they being so many testimonies vnto vs thereof True indeed it is that we were elected without respect of workes and we are called by grace not according to workes we are justified by faith without workes and by grace we are saued through faith and not by workes But if a man would know whether he be elected called justified and shall be saued as we are bound to giue diligence that we may haue a firme knowledge of these things we are not to pry into the secret counsell of God but we are to examine our selues by our fruits for both we and others are to be discerned by our fruits As our Sauiour saith by their fruits you shall know them do men gather grapes of thornes or â—igges of thistels a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit By the fruits therefore of righteousnes we may euidently discerne our selues to be sanctified And none are sanctified but such as first are justified and whosoeuer are justified are effectually called and none are effectually called but such as are elected and none are elected but such as shall be saued To this purpose Iames sheweth that the faith whereby we are justified must be demonstrated by good workes And Iohn affirmeth that by the the loue of our brethren which is all one in effect with righteousnesse we know that we are translated from death vnto life Againe good workes are profitable because they haue the promises both of this life and of that which is to come They are also necessary not as the causes of our justification and saluation as though we were either justified by them or saued for them but as necessary fruits of faith and testimonies of our justification according whereunto the sentence of saluation shall be pronounced for although vnto the act of justification good workes do not concurre as any causes thereof yet in the subject that is the partie justified they concurre as fruits of our faith and consequents of our justification For as breathing is such a fruit or consequent of life as where that is we judge the body to liue where that is not we judge it to be dead so is the exercise of righteousnesse and performance of good workes such a consequent of faith as that where good workes are the faith is liuely where they are not at all the faith is dead They are necessary also in respect of saluation not as the causes thereof but partly as the way for we are his vvorkmanship created vnto good workes which he hath prepared for vs to walke in them and therefore they are fitly sayd to be Vni regum non causa regnandi The way to the kingdome not the cause of reigning and partly as the euidence according vnto which the Lord proceedeth in judgement to the sentence of saluation Come you blessed of my father sayth Christ the judge inherit you the kingdome prepared for you from the foundations of the world For I was an hungrie and you gaue me meat I thirsted and you gaue me drinke c. It is most certaine that Christ our Sauiour by his obedience hath merited and purchased eternall life for all those that beleeue in him according to the maine promise of the Gospell that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall be saued By that righteousnes and obedience of Christ apprehended by faith not by or for any righteousnes inherent in vs or obedience performed by vs are we made sonnes heires of God entituled vnto the kingdome of heauen acquitted from our sinnes and accepted vnto eternall life Notwithstanding seeing all that be in the Church professe themselues to beleeue whereof many deceiue either themselues with an opinion or others with a profession of faith therefore the Lord proceedeth vnto judgement according to the fruits either of faith or infidelity taking for granted that in those who are members of the true visible Church where good workes are there is faith and where are no good workes there is no faith And therefore it behoueth vs as we desire either to haue assurance of our saluation whiles we liue here or to heare the comfortable sentence of saluation pronounced to vs in the day of judgement so to be carefull to demonstrat our faith by good workes And hereby it appeareth against the malicious slaunder of the Papists that although we deny good workes to be meritorious of euerlasting life yet we do not teach men to cast off all care and well doing Now for the auoiding of errour Whereas the workes of righteousnesse are made a proper note of the sons and heires of God we are first to restraine this part of the Lords answer to that subject whereof Dauids question is propounded namely to those who liue in the true visible Church and professe the name and religion of God Of these because there be many hypocrites and vnsound professors among them Dauid desireth to be informed who are the true professors The Lord answereth He that worketh righteousnesse and so by his good workes doth demonstrat his faith There are many workes materially good to be found not onely among heretickes and idolatours as the Papists but also among Turkes and Pagans But we speake not of those that are without for they are not within the compasse either of Dauids question or Gods answer And secondly we are to know that all works in respect of the matter or the thing done seeme to be good workes are not straightwayes the workes of righteousnesse neither doth he which performeth them alwayes worke righteousnesse For it is not a good and a true worke of righteousnesse indeed vnlesse it proceed from the right fountaine vnlesse it be done in a right maner and to a right end As touching the fountaine it is a good rule of Gregory That the streames of righteousnes towards our brother must be deriued from the fountaine of pietie towards God For we loue not our brother aright vnlesse we loue him in and for the Lord and we cannot loue him in and for the Lord vnlesse we loue the Lord much more and we loue the Lord because we are by faith persuaded that he loueth vs first his loue being shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost and we cannot beleeue in God and Christ our Sauiour vnlesse we know God aright and vnderstand the mysterie of our saluation by Christ. If therefore we be ignorant persons we haue no faith if we be vnfaithfull persons we haue no true loue or feare of God nor any other sanctifying grace If we haue no true loue of God we haue no true loue of our brother For euen as the loue of God seuered from the loue of our neighbour is hypocrisie so is the loue of our neighbor seuered from the loue of God counterfeit The good workes therefore that are done either by an ignorant
vnfaithfull shall be excluded but so many as beleeue shall enter into that rest And as Iosua who also is called Iesus brought the Israelites into that rest so Christ the true Iesus and Sauiour of his people bringeth all those that beleeue in him into this eternall rest For he not onely died that hee might purchase by his bloud this rest for vs and ascended into heauen to prepare eternall mansions for vs but also when wee are to leaue this earthly Tabernacle of our bodies he sendeth his holy Angels to conuey our soules into the bosome of Abraham and to place them in this mountaine of God By that which hath beene said wee see what difference there is betwixt the Church militant on earth and triumphant in heauen For this is a Tabernacle of warre that a mountaine of peace In this we sojourne for a time as pilgrims from God or as the Apostle speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that being remooued from the bodie we dwell with God or as the same Apostle speaketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here is trouble there is ease here is the valley of teares there is the kingdom of happines glory here is the combat and fight there is quiet perpetual rest here we are in our way there in our countrey Hitherto we haue spoken of the parts of this questiō seuerally now we are in a word to intreat of thē ioyntly together For both parts are to be vnderstood of one the same party or subiect out of which cōiunctiō we gather two things the first that those which shall dwell in the holy mountain do first sojourne in Gods Tabernacle the second that those which do here sojourne in the Tabernacle of God shal also rest in the mountain of his holines The former serueth for our instruction teaching vs that none shal be mēbers of the Church triumphant but those which haue bin mēbers of the Church militāt none shal be heires of heauē but those that haue bin pilgrims on earth All men desire to rest in the holy mountain of God but how few behaue thēselues as pilgrims in his Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Basil such men are geason all desire with Balaam to die the death of the righteous but few do care to lead the life of the iust all desire glory but few do care for grace al are desirous of the end which is saluatiō but few are careful of the subordinat means The latter serueth for our consolation assuring vs that all the true mēbers of the Church militant shall be members of the Church triumphant that all the children of God as all the faithfull are be also heires of eternall life that those which are obedient subiects in the kingdome of grace shall be inheritors of the kingdome of glory that those who are pilgrimes on earth shall be citisens of heauen For this is the priuiledge of a true Christian noted in the end of the Psalme that being once in the state of grace he shall neuer be vtterly remoued Herein therefore the faithfull may solace themselues that although they are despised and abused in the world yet they are heires of eternall life and citizens of the kingdome of heauen And so much of the parts of the question now we are to consider of the party to whom it is propounded For as touching this most weightie question the Psalmist consulteth with the Lord the collector of his Church and the giuer of eternall life And there may two reasons be giuen why in this question he appealeth vnto the Lord. First because in determining this question we are not to stand to the iudgement of men but of God onely For mens iudgement whether they deliuer their opinion concerning others is very vncertaine or touching themselues it is many times deceitfull For as touching themselues how many are there especially in the Church of Rome who boast of the name of the Church and in comparison of themselues contemne all others as heretiques or schismatiques because they presume that they are in the Catholique Church obseruing the rites of their Church and beleeuing as their Church beleeueth when as in truth they are members of Antichrist and nothing lesse than the true members of the Catholicke and inuisible Church of Christ. And therefore no maruell if many who liue in the face of the true Church do falsly iudge themselues to be sound members of the same Neither are we to stand to mens iudgement concerning others For the iudgement of the vngodly is corrupt and of the godly vncertaine The wicked iudge the true members of the Church indeed to be the scum of the world and off-scouring of all things them they hate contemne persecute excommunicate either as impious or as hereticall euen as our Sauiour Christ hath foretold They shall excommunicate you yea the time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you will thinke that he doth God good seruice The world doth loue her owne but hateth those which are Christs as our Sauiour sayth the world hateth them because they are not of the world euen as I am not of the world And againe if the world hateth you know that it hated me first if you were of the world assuredly the world would loue her owne But now because you are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore the world doth hate you But the iudgement also of the godly concerning others is vncertaine For there is a twofold iudgement the judgement of Charitie Certaintie By the iudgement of Charitie◠the faithfull judge euery professed member of the visible Church when they speake of the particular persons to be a member of the inuisible elected called justified sanctified howbeit they know in generall that many are in the Church which be not of it and that many be called but few are chosen The judgement of Certaintie appertaineth only to God who onely is the searcher of the heart As the Prophet Ieremie sayth The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things who can know it I the Lord search the heart and trie the reines that I may giue to euery man according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his workes Seeing therefore wee are to stand to the judgement of God and not of men let vs labour to approoue our selues not to men but to the Lord who trieth the heart Secondly the Prophet deuolueth this question to Gods judgement that we may vnderstand the answere which ensueth to be without exception as being the aunswere not of man but of God who best knoweth who are his who also in the end of the world shall separate the sheepe from the goates Whe◠〈…〉 let no man deceiue himselfe any longer either 〈…〉 title of the Church or with a faire shew of an outward profession c. but let him know this for a certaine truth as it were from the Oracle
The righteous shall neuer be remoued And so certaine is the saluation of the righteous that the booke of the liuing is the booke of the just eternall glorie is the crowne of righteousnesse the rising againe vnto glory is the resurrection of the just And as justice containeth all those vertues which haue reference to our neighbour so the reward of it is the heape of all rewards namely blessednesse For as the Scriptures testifie blessed are those that worke righteousnesse and not onely they but those also which hunger and thirst after righteousnesse are blessed Wherefore seeing not onely in this place but elsewhere also in the Scriptures eternall life is promised to those that worke righteousnesse the consideration of this reward ought to be a motiue to prouoke and stirre vs vp to the exercise of justice Which I do not speake to this end as though the workes of justice were to be performed with that mind as that we should hope thereby to be justiâ—ied before God or by them to merit eternall life for that is an opinion sacrilegious and blasphemous against Christ whose justice alone apprehended by faith justifieth vs before God and maketh vs accepted vnto eternall life In respect of which justice we are to esteeme all our owne merits if we had any as dung that we may gaine Christ and may be found in him not hauing our owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is by the Faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God through faith And therefore if we desire that the workes of righteousnesse which we do performe should be acceptable vnto God they are not to be performed to that end that we might by them attaine to justification or saluation for good works performed to that end are glorious sins but in doing the workes of righteousnes these ends are to be propounded First in respect of God that we may glorifie him for which end we were elected created redeemed regenerated For by the workes of righteousnesse God is glorified Herâ—in saith our Sauiour Christ is my father glorified that ye beare much fruit For which cause Paul prayeth for the Philippians that they might be filled with the fruit of righteousnesse which are by Iesus Christ vnto the glorie and praise of God Neither is God glorified in vs alone but in others also which are the witâ—esses of our good deeds Therefore Christ exhorteth vs so to let our light shine before men that they seeing our good workes may glorifie our father which is in heauen And Peter likewise counselleth vs so to haue our conuersation honest among the Gentiles that by our good workes which they shall see they may glorifie God in the day of the visitation Secondly that we may testifie our thankfulnesse vnto God for all his benefits bestowed vpon vs and may auoid the punishment which is due to vnthankfulnes For whereas the Lord in lieu of all his benefits both temporal and spirituall as election vocation redemption regeneration expecteth at our hands these fruits alone of holines and righteousnes assuredly it were vnthankfulnes vntollerable if either we should be barren of good fruits or bring forth euill fruit For wherefore hath the Lord elected vs that we might be saued howsoeuer we should liue No but he hath elected vs that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue Why hath Christ redeemed vs from the hand of our spirituall enemies that being freed from them we might sinne the more freely No but that being deliuered from the hand of our spirituall enemies we might worship him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him all the dayes of our life Wherefore hath he freed vs from the seruitude of sinne that we might haue freedome to sin No he hath freed vs from sinne that we might be the seruants of righteousnesse and being now freed from sinne and made seruants vnto God we haue our fruit in holinesse and the end euerlasting life Why did he beare our sinnes in his body vpon the crosse that we liuing in sin should not die for them No he bare our sinnes in his body on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne might liue in righteousnesse Wherefore doth he regenerate vs by his spirit and as it were create vs anew that we should doe nothing our selues NO Wee are the workmanship of God created in Christ Ksus to good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke in them Why doth hee bestow his temporall benefits vpon vs that like well pampered horses we should kicke against our Lord and Maister No he crowneth vs with his manifold blessing to this end that we might keepe his statutes and obserue his lawes For what else doth the Lord require of thee which art the people of God in lieu of all his mercies but to feare the Lord thy God to walke in all his wayes and to loue him and to serue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule that thoukeepe the Commandements of the Lord and his ordinances which he commaundeth thee for thy wealth Let vs remember that we are trees of righteousnesse which the Lord hath planted in his garden that is his Church that we may bring forth the fruit of righteousnesse But if he shall come to seeke fruit as euery yeare he commeth and shall find none howsoeuer he may forbeare for a time yet at the length he shall cut downe the vnfruitfull trees for he cannot abide that they should cumber the ground and make it also barren Let vs remember that we are the branches of the vine which if we be vnfruitfull the Lord wil cut off Let vs consider that the axe is layd to the root of euery tree that euery one which bringeth not forth fruit may be cut off and cast into the fire Againe in respect of our neighbour we are to worke righteousnesse that we may helpe him either with the benefit or the example of our good worke For the benefit of justice belongeth to others For whereas other vertues are referred to the good of him that hath them justice onely seemeth to be the good of another man for justice attendeth the duty of one man to another but in other vertues is attended the duty of the inferiour faculties vnto reason as one saith But thou mayst helpe thy neighbour also by the example of thy good worke For when thou goest before thy brother with the light of thy good example thou shalt gaine him vnto Christ if he be not already wonne vnto him that he also may glorifie God in the day of the visitation Or if he be already ingrafted into Christ by thy good example thou shalt edifie him and as the Apostle testifieth of the Corinthians thou shalt prouoke him to good workes Lastly we are to performe the workes of righteousnesse in respect of our selues
vpon the world halting betwixt God and Mammon and esteeming gaine to be godlinesse we may be theeues yea diuels as he was And not to insist any longer in the seuerall parts of Gods worship this may be said of all externall worship in generall that so oft as it is seuered from the inward spirituall worship of God it is hypocritical and detestable in the sight of God To which purpose the Lord professeth by his Prophet That he which killeth a bullocke is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a sheep as if he cut off a dogs necke he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines bloud he that remembreth incense as if he blessed an idole Wee must therefore beware least we rest in the performance of outward seruice or coÌ„tent our selues with opere operato the deed done which is the rotten pillar of popish superstition For it is not sufficient to doe that which is right vnlesse we do it with an vpright heart If with Amaziah wee doe that which is right but not with an vpright heart we may fall away as he did Wherefore that exhortation which the Apostle maketh to mens seruants much more belongeth to vs who are the seruants of God namely That we shold performe our duties towards him from our heart not in eye-seruices as men-pleasers but with simplicitie of heart fearing God and from our hearts obeying the holy will and commaundements of God Out of all which it appeareth euidently that without vprightnesse of heart neither the graces of the spirit which wee may seeme to haue are of any worth or our worship of any account with God But howsoeuer the most excellent graces without it be glorious sinnes and the most glorious worship counterfeit yet on the other side where vprightnesse is the graces which we haue though as small as a graine of mustard seed and our worship though performed in much weakenesse is acceptable vnto God The second argument is taken from the authoritie of God himselfe auowing the necessitie of vprightnesse And hereunto appertaineth first the testimonie both of the holy ghost in this place affirming That those who are to dwell in Gods holy mountaine are such as walke vprightly as also of our Sauiour Christ Matth. 5. denying that we shall euer enter into the kingdome of heauen vnlesse our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies The righteousnesse which the Pharisies obserued themselues and taught others to obserue was altogether outward whereby they abstained from outward and more grosse offences neglecting inward and sâ—cret corruptions Secondly the commaundement of God enjoyning vprightnesse For this is the especiall dutie which we are to performe towards God viz. that wee bumble our selues to walke with our God For when the Lord was to establish his couenant with Abraham and his seed this condition he requireth to be performed on their part to walke before him and to be vpright This is that which Dauid commendeth to Salomon as his last will and testament Know thou the God of thy father and serue him with an vpright heart and a willing mind which Iosua in his last speech commendeth to the people of Israel that they should worship the Lord in spirit and truth As Moses also before had charged them Deut. 18. Thou shalt be vpright therefore before the Lord thy God For seeing the Lord is a spirit he will therefore be worshipped in spirit and in truth And as himselfe is a spirit so is his law spirituall restraining not onely the hand and tongue but also the heart Now the commaundement of God imposeth a necessitie not absolute indeed but with this condition If we will auoid his curse Thirdly the same is prooued by the oath of God which he sware vnto our father Abraham that he would giue vs who are the sonnes of Abraham and heires of promise that being deliuered out of the hands of our enemies we should worship him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse before him For as the commaundement of God imposeth the necessitie of dutie so the oath of the Lord imposeth a necessitie of certainetie or as the schoolemen speake of infallibilitie And therefore if we doe not walke vprightly worshipping the Lord as before him it is as certaine as the oath of the Lord is true that we can haue no assurance that wee are redeemed by Christ out of the world to raigne with him in his holy mountaine The third and last argument enforcing the necessitie of vprightnesse may be this For either wee must be vpright or hypocrits There is no third for not to bee vpright is to be an hypocrite and not to be an hypocrite is to be vpright But we may in no case be hypocrites For hypocrisie is a sinne most odious vnto God most foolish in it selfe most pernicious to them that are infected therewith It is most odious vnto God for as the vpright are the Lords delight so the hypocrit is an abhomination vnto him For that which is highly esteemed among men is abhomination in the sight of God And not without cause For all hypocrisie and doubling is a double if not a triple sinne for counterfeit pietie is double impietie both because it is impietie and because it is counterfeit And as hypocrisie is a counterfeiting it containeth also two sinnes opposed to simplicitie and truth both which are comprised in integritie viz. falshood opposed vnto truth as it is mendacium facti and deceit or guile opposed vnto simplicitie as duplicitie or doubling The hypocrite in respect of his falsehood and disguising in the Greeke tongue is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a stage-player who although perhaps he be little better than a rogue representeth sometimes the person of a prince or monarch Those therefore are hypocrits who lead their life as it were vpon a stage cloaking sinne vnder the shew of vertue hauing some â—orme or vizard of pietie but denying the power of it Qui in superficie boni sunt sed in alto mali as Augustine speaketh who seeme to honour God with their lips but remooue their heart farre from him who desiring to seeme good but not to be so and not to seeme euill but to be so make cleane the outside of the cup and of the platter but within they are full of briberie and excesse and are therefore compared by our Sauiour Christ to painted sepulchres which appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones and all filthinesse And as the fruit which groweth neere to Mare mortuum when it is ripe maketh a faire shew but within is full of cinders or ashes as some write so these men outwardly appeare righteous vnto men but within they are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie But as in the disguising of hypocrits there is falshood so in their doubling there is guile wherby they indeuouring to deceiue
both God and man do in the end beguile themselues And therefore not vnworthily is hypocrisie in the Scriptures tearmed guile And first they foolishly goe about to deceiue God the searcher of the heart when they hope by a counterfeit semblance of religion to blear his eyes and by vaine shewes to please him whiles they securely abound with more hidden and secret sins which seemeth to haue been the hypocrisie of the Israelits reprooued by the Prophet Esay chap. 58. After this maner doe they offend first when they pray with fained lips pretending such things in their prayer as they do not intend asking such things with their lips as they do not desire with their heart promising such things as they mean not to performe and bearing the Lord in hand with the Pharisie Luke 18. that they be such persons as indeed they are not for these men after the example of the Israelits whose heart was not right within them goe about to deceiue the Lord with their mouth and with their tongue they lie vnto him Secondly when as they either commit secret sinnes that God may not see them or hauing sinned doe seeke to conceale their sinnes from God that he may not know them for such is the folly of hypocrits that because they wheÌ„ they hide themselues see not God they imagine that God seeth not them like to the silly woodcocke which when she hath so hid her head that she seeth no body she imagineth that no body seeth her Thirdly whereas the whole course of their life is leaud and dissolute they will seeke to pacifie God with some outward obseruations and those perhaps deuised by themselues And this is the ordinarie practise of Papists who when they haue fearefully sinned against God they will make him a plaster of their owne satisfactions But the most vsuall practise of hypocrits is to deceiue men to whom they desire especially by outward shewes to approoue themselues pretending a profession of religion both to their worldly and their wicked respects To their worldly respects when as vnder the profession of religion they seeke the world and the things which are in the world subordinating religion to their worldly desires and professing Christianitie in a secondarie respect so farre foorth as it standeth with the obtaining or retaining of their worldly desires c. To their wicked respects when they make religion a cloke for their wickednesse Thus heretiques to countenance their errours prepretend holinesse Thus the Pharisies vnder a pretence of long prayers deuoured widdowes houses Thus Iudas couered his couetousnesse vnder a pretended care for the poore Thus Iesabell when she intended the murder of Naboth proclaimeth a fast Absolon when he intended treason against his father pretended the keeping of a vow Hâ—rod professed to the wise men that he would goe and worship Christ when he meant to kill him Againe the hypocrite seemeth to sinne with an high hand against the light of his conscience detaining the truth in vnrighteousnesse seeing the better things and following the worse And therefore Hierome sayth That in comparison of two euils it is lesse to sinne openly than to faine holinesse But hypocrisie as it is double iniquitie and therefore most odious vnto God so is it extreame folly for the hypocrite whiles he seeketh to deceiue not onely man but God also who cannot be deceiued he beguileth himselfe For he that would seeme religious and hath not learned to refraine his tongue but letteth loose the reines to his vnbrideled tongue as hypocrites vse to doe in censuring backbiting and slaundering their brethren such an one deceiueth his owne heart his religion is vaine Likewise he that is an hearer of the word but no doer of it that is to say an hypocrite such a one deceiueth himselfe and is indeed that foolish man who as our Sauiour sayth doth build vpon the sand Those that content themselues with the shining lampe of an outward profession wanting the oyle of grace in their hearts are by our Sauiour Christ compared to the foolish virgins For seeing it is better to be good than to seeme so and worse to be euill than to seeme so is it not extreame folly in hypocrites to chuse to be euill rather than to seeme euill and to seeme good rather than to be good The folly of these men therfore is worthily noted by Chrisostome Hypocrit saith he if it bee good to be good why wilt thou seeme to be that which thou wilt not be If it be euill to be euill why wilt thou be that which thou wilt not seeme to be If it be good to seeme good it is better to be so if it be euill to seeme euill it is worse to be so Wherfore either seem to be that which thou art or be that which thou seemest to be Againe is it not extream folly for a man that he may haue with theÌ„ of Sardis the name that he liueth to be content to be dead that he may seem to be in the number of theÌ„ that shal be saued willingly to be in the number of theÌ„ that shall be coÌ„demned Lastly hypocrisie is pernicious to him that is infected therewith because it is a sinne which the Lord doth grieuousâ—y punish both in this life in the world to come in this life first by defection consequently by detection For those which be in the Church but not of it they are subiect to defection or falling away theÌ„ the Lord suffereth to fall away that their hypocrisie may be detected as the apostle Iohn sheweth For the hypocrit is he which hath receiued the seed into stony ground therfore wanting moisture root is not able to indure the Sun of teÌ„ptation but is like the rush without water or like the grasse on the house top which withereth before it be plucked vp Vpon triall therefore the hypocrite faileth and by his failing his vnsoundnesse is detected And this is the reason wherby the sonne of Syrach dissuadeth from hypocrisie for God saith he will discouer thy secrets cast thee down in the middest of the congregation because thou camest not in truth vnto the feare of God but thine heart is full of guile And likewise our Sauiour Beware saith he of the leauen of the Pharisies which is hypocrisie For there is nothing couered that shal not be reuealed neither hid that shall not be knowne And as touching the life to come there is such assurance of the hypocrites damnation that our Sauiour Christ when hee would signifie that the wicked seruant Math. 24 should certainely be condemned he saith He shal haue his portion with hypocrits where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth For as the vpright or pure in heart are blessed because they shall see God so are the hypocrites accursed for they shall not see him Againe so pernicious is hypocrisie to the double minded
in the day of judgement shall say Lord Lord haue not we prophecied in thy name and cast our diuels in thy name and done many great workes in thy name to whom the Lord shall answere I neuer knew you depart from mee you workers of iniquitie Call to mind the fiue foolish virgins who hauing lampes but no oyle were excluded If therefore we would not depart ashamed from our Sauiour Christ at his comming wishing the mountaines to fall vpon vs and to couer vs from his sight but would stand before the sonne of man with comfort let vs endeuour to approoue our selues in the meane time to Christ our judge walking before him in vprightnesse of heart and so demeaning our selues as those who thinke that of their most secret thoughts words and deeds there must an account be giuen to God who searcheth the heart and trieth the reines that he may giue euery man according to his waies and according to the fruit of his workes Fourthly and lastly let vs follow the aduise of Salomon Prou. 4. Aboue all obseruation to keepe our heart For the heart as it is the fountaine of life so of liuing well or ill from whence all our speeches and actions as it were streames doe flow and proceed Those things which come out of the mouth sayth our Sauiour Christ come from the heart For out of the heart come euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefâ—s false testimonies slaunders And againe The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth â—oorth good things and the euill man out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill things for out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and also the hand worketh If therefore we desire that our actions and speeches may bee good and pure wee must first haue our hearts purified by a true faith that so our loue and obedience may flow from a pure heart and good conscience and faith vnfained For it cannot be that the streames of our actions should be good and sincere if the fountaine of our heart be corrupt Wherefore in reforming our liues our first and chiefe care must be for the purging of our hearts as our Sauior Christ admonisheth Mat. 23. Cleanse first saith he the inside of the cup and platter that the outside of them may be cleane also And Iames Purge your heart you double minded saith he and not your hands onely For what will it auaile vs to drie vp the streames whiles the fountaine springeth or to lop off the boughs whiles the body and root doe remaine vntouched Surely if with Amaziah we shall doe those things which be right but not with an vpright heart we shall fall away as he did If with Simon Magus we professe our selues to beleeue and joyne our selues to the Saints of God notwithstanding we may be as he was in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquitie if our heart be not vpright within vs. This neglect of the heart is the cause of all hypocrisie making men double minded bearing as wee say two faces vnder a hood Wherby it commeth to passe that the most glorious professours sometimes become like to Summer fruit which many times being faire and mellow on the outside is rotten at the core Now that we may the rather be stirred vp to a diligent obseruation of our heart we are briefely to consider these two things First that the heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things and therefore cannot sufficiently be watched And secondly that such as is the qualitie of the heart such is the qualitie of the man in the estimation of God Hetherto we haue spoken of integritie as it is referred vnto God it followeth now that wee should intreat thereof as it hath reference vnto men For as wee must walke before God in truth and sinceritie without hypocrisie so must we haue our conuersation among men in simplicitie and singlenesse of heart without dissembling or guile For euen in our conuersation among men wee are to haue God alwayes before our eyes that as in his presence and sight wee may in singlenesse of heart performe such duties as we owe vnto men For howsoeuer simplicitie is accounted folly in the world and worldly wisedome consisting of dissimulation and deceit be euery where extolled yet if we would be esteemed citisens of heauen and pilgrims on earth it behooueth vs to bee fooles in the world that we may become truly wise as the Apostle exhorteth 1. Cor. 3. Let no man deceiue himselfe If any man among you seeme to be wise in this world let him be a foole that he may be wise for the wisdome of this world is foolishnesse with God Not that I would haue simple men to be fooles but that wise men ought to be simple For true wisdome is tempered with the simplicitie of doues And that wisedome which is from aboue is pure and without hypocrisie Whereas on the other side the wisedome of the world consisting of dissimulation and deceit is by the censure of S. Iames earthly carnall and diuellisâ— It is true indeed that in the world simplicitie is deemed folly and simple men are accounted as idiots and innocent men esteemed fools For such a generall wickednesse hath possessed the minds of most men that now adayes no man is called innocent but such as want wit to doe euill And contrariwise that mixed prudence is commended in the world which is â—oyned with hâ—pocrisie and deceit Which notwithstanding it were easie for any man to attain vnto who makes no conscience of dissembling lying facing sweaâ—ing forswearing But in the Scriptures simplicitie is both commended and commaunded as a note of the citisen of heauen without which there is no entrance for a man into the kingdome of God Christ commaundeth his followers to be wise indeed as serpents but withall to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is simple or sincere without any mixture of guile as doues are without gall And likewise Paule would haue vs wise vnto that which is good but simple vnto euill In regard hereof the primitiue Church Act. 2. is highly commended that they conuersed together in singlenesse of heart and herein especially the Apostle glorieth 2. Cor. 1. That in simplicitie and godly purenesse and not in flesâ—ly wisedome he had had his conuersation in the world And no maruell for it is the note of a true Israelite to be without guile and such the holy ghost pronounceth blessed Christ our Sauiour in respect of this simplicitie is called a lambe and those that will be his followers must not be foxes or wolues but as they are called in the Scriptures sheepe following the steps of our Sauiour Christ who did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth And hereunto let vs adde the testimonie of the holy ghost in this place affirming That those which shall
calleth it Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Wherein all the precepts of righteousnes that is to say of the second Table are summarily contained And the rule of exercising this righteousnesse is that law of nature commended vnto vs by our Sauiour Christ Mâ—t. 7 Whatsoeuer you would that men should do to you euen so do you to them for this is the law and the prophets Which sentence is sayd so to haue pleased the Emperour Alexander Sâ—uerus that in his pallaces and publicke buildings he caused it to be written and engrauen and when he punished any man he caused this saying to be proclaimed by the crier Quod tibi non-vis alteri ne â—eceris Do not to another what thou wouldest not haue done to thy selfe Now the exercise or working of this righteousnesse is here made a note of the child of God For he doth not say he that can talke of righteousnesse nor he that delighteth to heare anoter man speake thereof nor he which professeth righteousnesse or maketh a pretence thereof but he that worketh righteousnesse shall dwell in the holy mountaine of God For there are some which can notably discourse of righteousnesse than whose life nothing is more vnjust And there are others who with Ezeâ—â—iels auditors delight to heare the Minister preaching of righteousnesse as if he were some skilfull Mulitian that hath a pleasant voyce but it is to heare onely and not to practise There be many also who with the Pharisies say and do not which professe righteousnesse but do not practise it Qui Curios simulant Bacchanalia vivunt But with the folly of these men the holy Ghost meeteth in diuerse places of the Scripture Mat. 7 Not euerie one that sayth Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Rom. 2 Not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Iam. 1 Be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your selues c. Mat 5 Vnlesse your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies who sayd and did not you shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen Wherefore brethren let no man deceiue you not he that heareth nor he that speaketh not he that professeth or prâ—tendeth but he that worketh righteousnesse he is righteous Neither is that to be omitted that the holy Ghost speaketh in the present tence thereby signifying a continuall act as Basill hath obserued Marke saith he the accuratnesse of the speech he doth not say who hath wrought but he which worketh For it is not one action that maketh a vertuous man but it behooueth a man in his whole life to keepe a constant course of well doing For Iustice is an habit induing a man with a perpetuall and constant will to do euery man right But here some will object The Scriptures testifie that there is not a righteous man vpon the earth Rom. 3. There is not a iust man no not one If therefore the righteous onely shall be saued and scarcely they as Peter saith How can any man liuing hope to be saued seeing there is not a just man vpon earth that doeth good and sinneth not as Salomon professeth I answer If we should be summoned before the Iudgement feate of Gods justice and the Lord should deale with vs summo iure according to extremitie exacting at our hands that full and perfect righteousnesse which is required in his law assuredly the Lord entring into judgement with vs no man liuing could be iustified But we must appeale from the judgement seat of Gods justice to the throne of his mercy and from the sentence of the Law concluding all vnder sinne to the sentence of the Gospell pronouncing all those that truly beleeue in Christ not just onely but also blessed that so being clothed with the righteousnesse of Christ by faith we may in him be justified though vnjust in our selues in respect of legall righteousnesse Now those which truly beleeue in Christ are sayed to be righteous two wayes before God by Faith that is by the righteousnesse of Christ apprehended by Faith before men by the fruits of Faith that is by righteousnesse inherent in vs and performed by vs. For those which beleeue in Christ their Faith is imputed vnto them for righteousnesse because they apprehending Christ who is our righteousnesse and by the same Faith being vnited vnto him his righteousnesse and obedience is imputed vnto them and accepted of God for them as if they had performed the same in their owne persons But they who are justified by the righteousnesse of Christ are also sanctified by his spirit regenerated and as it were created a new to good workes which God hath prepared for vs that we should walke in them For so soone as we are deliuered by Christ out of the bondage of sinne we become the seruants of righteousnesse That as in former times we gaue our members as seruants of sinne vnto vnrighteousnesse we should from henceforth giue them as seruants of righteousnesse vnto holinesse And howsoeuer the best obedience of the faithfull is but an imperfect obedience ioyned with manifold infirmities and wants and stained with diuerse corruptions wherewith they are infected and sinnes whereinto they fall in so much that Esay compareth the righteous works of the faithfull to menstruous clouts notwithstanding the Lord beholding them in Christ and accepting their will for the deed and sincere indeuour for the performance not onely themselues are termed righteous but are also said to worke righteousnesse And this working of righteousnesse the perfection whereof is not to be measured by the perfectnesse of the worke but by the vprightnesse of the will and sinceritie of the indeuour aspiring towards perfection is an vndoubted note of a true citisen of heauen who in this Psalme is described And that the Lord accepteth those for true members of the inuâ—sible Church who worke righteousnesse the Scriptures testifie In euery nation saith Peter he that seareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him And this is so vniuersall a note of the children of God and so proper vnto them that whosoeuer worketh righteousnesse he is truly said to be borne of God and he that worketh not righteousnes is not of God but of the diuell But as they that worke righteousnes are the seruants of God in the kingdom of grace so shall they raigne with him in the kingdome of glory For that which is said in the beginning of this Psalme That he which worketh righteousnesse shall rest in the mountaine of God and in the end That he shall neuer be remoued the same is coÌ„firmed by the holy ghost in other places of Scripture Esay 33 He that walkâ—th in righteousnes c. he shall dwell on high And Prou. 10
as Christ himselfe saith Mat. 6 If you do not forgiue men their trespasses neither will your heauenly father forgiue you your trespasses Now if this be the propertie of Gods children not to requite euill for euill we may easily conceiue in what number those Caualliers and fool-hardie fellowes are to be reckoned all whose courage and manhood consisteth in offering and reuenging injuries who also vpon euerie occasion are readie to quarrell and fight But let these men know First that all priuat reuenge is vnlawfull and that if euerie priuat man might be his owne caruer the magistrat should carrie the sword in vaine Secondly that all fighting vnlesse it be in lawfull battell is murther in the sight of God Thirdly that he which taketh the sword viz. not deliuered vnto him by warrant from God as it is to the magistrat to the souldier in lawfull battell to the priuat man in case of present necessitie shall perish with the sword Fourthly that it is a most fearfull thing either to kill or to be killed as oft it happeneth in priuat fight for he that killeth is a murtherer who so polluteth the land with bloud as that it cannot be purged but by his owne bloud Not to speake of that which euerie man knoweth that manslayers haue none inheritance in heauen but shall be excluded out of the heauenly Ierusalem and shall haue their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death in the meane time who is able to vtter what horror of conscience vsually accompanieth those who are guiltie of murther Neither is their case better who are slaine in fighting a priuat quarrell For if as the tree falleth so it lieth how fearfull may we thinke their estate to be after death who in thirsting after another mans bloud do shed their owne bloud and in a desire to murther another are murthered themselues Wherfore whē we are stirred vp to fighting or reuenge let vs remember the Apostles aduice Ephes. 4 Not to giue place to the diuell for vndoubtedly they are inspired with a fatanicall spirit who breath out reuenge Wherefore Dauid when Abishai stirred him vp to reuenge Shemai answered What haue I to do with you ye sonnes of Zeruiah that this day you should be vnto me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in stead of Satan But to returne to my purpose This is a common thing to all them that are not citisens of heauen that so oft as either they can or dare they are readie to requite euill for euill and verie manie proceed further who not only do euill to them that haue deserued ill but manie times also either through hatred or hope of gaine doe ill to those who are innocent neither haue deserued euill at their hands Yea manie there are who render euill for good and seeke to harme them of whom they haue receiued good Seeing then all other men who be not the sonnes and heires of God are so accustomed to euill doing it cannot be hoped that they should vse to practise the affirmatiue in doing good For may we thinke that those who vse to do euill not onely to them that deserue ill but also to the innocent and those that deserue well that they will be readie to do good offices to them that deserue not and to requite euill with good Or is it credible that those who are carelesse of their owne saluation should be carefull for others to winne them to Christ Nay the greatest number are affected as Cain was who being demaunded by the Lord concerning his brother asked if he were his brothers keeper Yes verily we are all appointed keepers of God to obserue one another To stirre vy one another to loue and to good workes for loue seeketh not her owne things but is also carefull for others And those which be the children of God are also members of one and the same bodie among whom is the communion of Saints But others are so farre from promoting the saluation of their brethren that by all meanes they seeke to hinder the same whiles either by prouocation counsell or example they bring them into sinne which is the cut-throat of the soule so become murtherers not of mens bodies but which is more grieuous of mens soules Wherefore seeing this Innocencie agreeth to all the sons and heires of God and onely to them it is of good right reckoned among their proper notes not onely in this place but elsewhere also in the scriptures as Ps. 24 Where to the like question Who shal ascend into the mountaine of the Lord c. the like answer is shaped He that hath Innocent hands and a pure heart c. And as the Psalmist in this place affirmeth that he which doth none euill to his neighbour shall neuer be remoued but shall rest in the holy mountaine of God so the Prophet Esay pronounceth that man blessed who keepeth his hand from doing any euill It remaineth therefore that euerie one should apply this note to himselfe for howsoeuer all men almost will affirme that they neuer did harme to their neighbor yet it is to be feared lest this Innocencie can be found but in a few especially of those who would seeme more wise and politicke than others for such is the generall wickednesse of these times that none but fooles are counted Innocent And therefore those which would be citisens of heauen they must be content to be esteemed fooles in the world that they may be wise to God Now followeth the sixt note in these words And receiueth not an euill report against his neighbour The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth an opprobrious speech or as the Septuaginta translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reuiling and slanderous speech a sinister or euill report tending to the infamy of our neighbour The verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admitteth diuerse significations The first and principall is to take vp and so a slaunder may be taken vp either in the mind to thinke or deuise it or in the tongue to vtter it or in the eare to harken or to giue eare to it all which Gods children are to auoid For as touching the first howsoeuer many men thinke their wicked thoughts to be free yet notwithstanding the Scriptures teach vs that they are repugnant to charitie for as the Apostle saith Charitie thinketh none euell that they are sinnes for the wicked thought of a foole is sinne that they are not onely forbidden for so the Prophet Zacharie saith Let none of you imagine euill in your heart against his neighbour but also punished for the holy Ghost doth note that the Lord destroyed the world by the vniuersall deluge Because the thoughts of mens hearts were continually euill that they are an abhomination to the Lord and consequently that we are to bewaile them and craue pardon for them and also to repent vs of them Let the
a one eate not that is haue no priuat familiaritie with him for although we are not to forsake their company in respect of publicke communion either in the Church for then should we also forsake the assemblies of the Saints as the maner of some is or in the common-wealth for then should we be wanting in our dutie towards our countrie and leaue the managing of matters to the wicked onely yet are we not priuatly to accompanie with them for the reasons aforesaid Againe if it be the propertie of the godly to contemne the wicked then doth he not in any wise flatter the wicked in his sinne For flatterie whether it be for the flatterers profit it is a base sinne or whether it be for the harme of him that is flattered it is a most odious sinne The former kind which more properly are called parasits like dogges doe fawne vpon a man for his meat howsoeuer in the end like Acteons dogs they deuour their maister the latter are like Scorpions which when they fawne vpon a man will sting him with their taile the former are fitly resembled by the Iuie which embraceth the oke to sucke out his moisture the latter like to conycatchers when they flatter their neighbour they spread a net for his steps wherefore the Cinicke Philosopher being demanded of all beasts which was most noysome he answered of wild sauage beasts a tyrant of tame beasts a flatterer Neither was it vnfitly said of another That it is better for a man to fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for crowes do prey vpon the dead but flatterers on the liuing Those then that are giuen to flatterie may easily discerne how farre they are from the behauiour of the godly For as Salomon saith They that forsake the law praise the wicked but they that keepe the law set themselues against them And againe He that sayth to the wicked as flatterers vse to doe thou art righteous him shall the people cursse and the multitude shall abhorre him but to them that in steed of flattering rebuke him shall be pleasure and vpon them shall come the blessing of goodnesse Now followeth the other part of the opposition concerning those that honour God But he honoreth those which feare the Lord. The godly by a Synechdoche he calleth such as feare God For the sanctifying graces which are the seuerall branches of godlinesse as faith loue feare c. they are so linked together as it were in a golden chaine that where any one of them is in truth there the rest be in some measure and for that cause some one of them is sometimes put for all Seeing therefore the feare of God is a principall part of pietie in which sence Psal. 111 it is called caput sapientiae the head or chiefe point of wisdome that is true godlinesse it is no maruel though many times it be put for all religion as Deu. 6. 10. be said Eccles. 12 to be the whole dutie of man which must teach vs that those which haue no feare of God haue no religion in them Now he is said to feare God who being truly persuaded both of the infinit power of God as also of his fatherly loue towards him in Christ aboue all things feareth to offend God that is he is afraid of nothing so much as to displease God whom he acknowâ—â—dgeth to be a gracious and mercifull father to him in Christ. And whereas by sinne God is displeased therefore he feareth more to sinne by sinne to offend God than to displease all men than to be depriued of all his goods friends and commodities of this life yea of life it selfe Wherefore he that feareth God departeth from euill yea the feare of the Lord is to hate euill and is therefore said to be a wel-spring of life to auoid the snares of death Those therefore that feare the Lord the Scripture doubteth not to call blessed as Prou. 28 Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes And Psal. 112. 128 Blessed is the man yea blessed is euerie one that feareth the Lord. Now the child of God being rightly informed out of the Scriptures concerning the estate and condition of the godly he reuerenceth and honoureth those that feare the Lord. And why First because he knoweth that howsoeuer they are contemned and dispised in the world as the scum of the world and ofscouring of all things notwithstanding they are happie and blessed and that they are in the world as gold among the durt Secondly he loueth and reuerenceth the godly because he knoweth that God honoreth those that honor him and that according to the Latine phrase he doth beare them in his eyes insomuch that whosoeuer hurteth them they seeme to hurt as it were the apple of his eye Thirdly because he vnderstandeth that those which feare God are the sonnes and heires of God the brethren and fellow heires with Christ the temples of the holy Ghost yea fellow members with themselues of that bodie whereof Christ Iesus is the head and therefore whosoeuer loueth and honoreth them in them loueth and honoreth Christ. Hereby it appeareth that vertue and true godlinesse make men true noble and honorable as contrariwise sin and vngodlinesse make men base and contemptible and therfore all that are louers of vertue and pietie they cannot but honor those who are vertuous and godly And as this agreeth to all the godly to loue reuerence and honour those that feare God and to performe all good offices of brotherly loue towards them so it agreeth to them alone For the world that is the vniuersall companie of those who are not citisens of heauen loueth only those who are of the world As for the rest who are not of the world but are chosen out of the world for that verie cause the world doth hate them as our Sauiour Christ doth testifie Seeing therefore this dutie of honoring the godly is proper and peculiar to the children of God it is not vnworthily made a note of the citizens of heauen For Iohn also in his Epistle wherein he setteth downe diuerse notes whereby men may discerne themselues to be the children of God he reckoneth this as one of the principall We know saith he that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren And so Obadiah that he might approue himselfe to Elias as one that feared God he alleadgeth that fauour and honour which he had vouchsafed to the Prophets and seruants of God in the time of Iezabels persecution Neither is there any more certaine way to testifie our loue towards God than by louing and honoring the children of God For our goodnesse cannot reach vnto God and therefore is to bee extended towards his Saints vpon earth Neither can it be that we should loue our brother aright vnlesse we loue God much more And therefore if we loue our brethren as we
either of the poore as though it were committed against them alone or of the detaining of a pledge as though vsurie were to be matched therewith for it is matched with murther idolatrie incest and other such abhominations neither that it is in this place so subjected to oppression as a species thereof but generally and simply it is condemned as a grieuous abhomination whereby the vsurer prouoketh the vengeance of God not onely against himselfe but also against the societie wherein he doth liue And thus we see all vsurie or lending for gaine by diuerse testimonies of Scripture to be plainely and manifestly condemned Of which doctrine the couetous worldlings are apt to make this vse If it be so that we may not by the word of God lend vpon vsurie then surely we will not lend at all Answer it is a greater sinne not to lend at all to a man who is in great need than to lend vnto him vpon vsurie Euen as it were a greater offence altogether to denie food to him that is almost famished than to sell it vnto him at an vnreasonable rate And therefore manie commonweales do tollerate such vsurie as is not immoderat for the good both of the borrower and also of the lender Of the borrower because his necessitie manie times is such that it is farre better for him to borrow vpon vsurie than not to borrow at all Of the lender because to lend vpon moderat vsurie to them that must needs borrow is a lesse sinne than not to lend at all But as the afore cited places condemne the negatiue and forbid lending for gain so there are diuerse manifest testimonies of Scripture injoyning the affirmatiue and commaunding vs to lend freely And therefore as we are to abstaine from vsurie because God forbiddeth it so must we practise free loane because God commaundeth it These places because they are so manie euidences against vsurie I will the rather recite And first that in Deut. 15 where the Lord hauing prouided by law that in the seuenth yeare no debt should be demaunded and foreseeing that hereby the couetous would take occasion when the seuenth yeare should draw neere to refuse to lend to them that were in need therefore vers 7. and 8. the Lord straitly chargeth them not only at other times to lend freely to their needie brother but euen then also when the seuenth yeare was at hand His words are these If any one of thy brethren with thee be poore and needie within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giueth thee thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother but thou shalt liberally open thine hand vnto him and thou shalt in lending lend that is freely lend him sufficient for his need which he hath Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thine heart to say the seuenth yeare the yeare of freedome wherein debts were not to be required is at hand nor that thine eie be euill towards thy needie brother so that thou wilt not giue vnto him and so he crie vnto the Lord against thee and it be sinne vnto thee Thou shalt freely giue vnto him and let not thine heart be euill when thou giuest vnto him for because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes and in all that thou puttest thine hand to In which words the Lord not onely commandeth them straightly to lend freely to their brethren being in need not onely at other times but euen immediatly before the yeare of remission wherein no debts were to be demaunded but also vseth two effectuall reasons to persuade them to the voluntary and cheerefull performance of this dutie The former because if they should refuse to lend to their brother in his need it should be a sinne vnto them and good reason for we are not absolut Lords of that which we haue but onely the Lords stewards who must one day giue an account of our stewardship and therefore we are bound in conscience so to imploy those goods which hee hath committed to our trust as he appointeth And therfore seeing the Lord commaundeth those which be of ability as his stewards to lend to them that are in need it is a sinne vnto them if they shall refuse to lend freely vnto them The second reason to persuade men cheerfully to lend to them which are in need is the gracious promise of God For because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy workes c. Now if this promise with some others in the word of God doe not preuaile with vs in this behalfe we shall bewray notable infidelitie If a poore man bring vnto thee a rich man to be his suretie thou wilt not feare to lend vnto him but when the Lord becommeth a poore mans suretie nay promiseth himselfe to be thy paymaister and to make thee full recompence thou wilt not take his word no not his written word Prou. 19. 17 He that dealeth graciously with the poore whether it bee by free giuing or free lending lendeth vnto the Lord and the Lord will recompence him that which he hath giuen But lest any should alledge though falsly that this is a judiciall law and therfore bindeth not them I will therfore produce two testimonies out of the Gospell of our Sauiour Christ. The former Mat. 5. 42 Giue to him that asketh and from him that would borrow of thee turne not away What then will you say is euerie one bound to lend to euerie one that asketh I answer respect is to be had of thine abilitie and of his necessitie and also if it be not a case of vrgent and present necessitie of his honestie If his necessitie vrge him to borrow and thine estate enable thee to lend thou art bound to lend vnto him especially if his honestie deserue to be respected The other testimonie is Luke 6. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lend looking for nothing thence which words though they be diuersly read and expounded yet in euerie sence they commaund the dutie of free lending The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admitteth diuerse significations as first to bring into despaire according to which sence thus much is insinuated that those which refuse to lend vnto men in their need cause them to despaire But this sence is not incident vnto this place vnlesse we read as indeed the Syriacke interpreter doth insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lend causing no man to despaire For they that go on borrowing they go on sorrowing and when others will not lend when they must needs borrow they are out of heart and do as it were sinke vnder the burden of their want When as therfore thy brother commeth to borrow of thee for the supply of his want turne not thy face from him neither harden thy hart towards him nor shut thine hand from him but when his hand doth shake stay him and hold him
hath turned it into an act of inhumanitie and crueltie For as Basil well sayth In very deed it is an excesse of inhumanitie when the borrower wanting necessaries and seeking to borrow for the comfort of his life the lender should not content himselfe with the principall but should out of the want and necessitie of his needie brother seeke gaine and aduantage vnto himselfe And therefore as it is said of the good man that he is mercifull and lendeth so may it be said of the vsurer that he is cruell and lendeth For that which is said of wicked men in generall may principally be applied to the vsurer That his very mercies are cruell For when he would seeme to support a man he doth supplant him when he seemeth to cure he inflicteth a deeper wound and when he seemeth to haue relieued a man he casteth him into greater want And therefore Luther doubted not to call the vsurer a blood sucker of the people And in the judgement of the wise Cato it is no more lawfull to be an vsurer than to be a murtherer Thus you see how vsury hath peruerted lending conuerting it from a work of charitie liberalitie and mercie into an act of selfeloue couetousnesse and crueltie And for this cause the vsurer is not vnfitly compared by some to the Magicians of Egypt for whereas the Lord hath ordained the contract of lending to be as a staffe which the wealthier man is to put into the hands of his neighbour to stay and support him when his hands doe shake and himselfe doth shrinke vnder the burthen of his want the vsurer hath turned this staffe into a serpent But vsurie doth not only corrupt and depraue the dutie of lending but also extinguish all free loane where it taketh place drying vp the fountaine of loue whose streames were wont to run foorth to the refreshing of others And it doth not onely harden the heart and shut vp the hands and close the bowels of compassion in the vsurers themselues as wofull experience sheweth but in others also it hath made the dutie of free lending to seeme so great a benefit and of so high a price that as Bucer truly sayth A man may seeme now adayes to be very impudent that shall desire to borrow freely For he that lendeth freely doth for the most part make this estimation of his benefit that besides the forbearance of his money wherewith he doth pleasure the borrower he doth as much for him besides as if he gaue him the tenth part of the principall out of his purse And thus by meanes of vsurie charitie is frozen among men and the bowels of compassion shut vp needie men are driuen vnto extremities and the wealthier sort depriued of that great reward which is promised to those that lend freely But I will shew more particularly how vsurie offendeth both against priuat and publicke charitie as being euer hurtfull and pernicious either to the particular men that doe borrow or else to the body of the common-wealth whose common profit is in all contracts especially to be regarded The partie that taketh vp mony vpon vsurie doth either borrow for the supply of his necessitie and want or else to raise a gaine by the employment of the money to his best aduantage Hee that imposeth vsurie vpon him that borroweth for meere necessitie in stead of helping him increaseth his need vnder a shew of relieuing him he seeketh his vndoing for such a one commonly the more and the longer he borroweth the more vnable he is to pay and so at length is brought vnto extreame penurie vsurie hauing turned all his substance into debt and eaten him out of house and home And therefore though the vsurers sometimes doe vaunt how kindly they deale with their debtours in forbearing them from yeare to yeare yet the truth is the longer they forbeare the greater is their gaine and though they deferre the borrowers misery yet in deferring it they do increase it and therefore by some are not vnfitly compared to the greedy cat which though for a while she plaieth with the silly mouse yet in the end she will be sure to deuour it And here I cannot omit that notable speech of the authour of the worke vnfinished vpon Matthew though it be commonly cited by those which write of this argument Christ therefore sayth he commaundeth vs to lend but not vpon vsurie For he that lendeth vpon vsurie at the first sight seemeth to giue his owne but indeed he is so farre from giuing his owne that he taketh that which is another mans for he seemeth to relieue a mans necessitie but indeed casteth him into a greater necessitie He looseth him of one bond and binds him with more neither doth he lend for the righteousnesse of God but for his owne gaine For the vsurers money is like the biting of the Aspe for euen as he which is bitten of the Aspe goeth to sleepe as if he were delighted and through the pleasantnesse of his sleepe dieth so he which borroweth vpon vsurie is delighted for a time as one that had receiued a good turne and so through the pleasure of the imagined benefit be doth not perceiue how he is taken captiue For euen as the poyson of the Aspe secretly conveying it selfe into all the members corrupteth the whole bodie so vsurie dispersing it selfe through all the borrowers goods conuerteth them into debt And euen as leauen which is put into meale infecteth the whole lumpe drawing it to it selfe turneth it into the nature of leauen so when vsurie entreth into any mans house it draweth all his substance vnto it and turneth it into debt But the patrones of vsurie themselues confesse that vsurie imposed vpon a man that borroweth for need is euer a biting and damnifying of him and that men ought by the commaundement of God to lend to such freely and therefore I shall not need to prooue such vsurie to be vncharitable If therefore the borrower taketh vp mony to imploy it to his gaine it may be that hauing vsed all his skill and employed all his industrie in the occupying of it he shall not be able to gaine so much clearely as will pay the vsurer but allowing more than all his gaine to the vsurer and getting nothing but his labour for his pains and gaining nothing towards his liuing but losse at length becommeth a bankrupt And that this also is vncharitable I shall not need to prooue seeing the patrones of vsurie themselues allow no vsurie but that which is part of the borrowers gaine But suppose the borrower doe gaine yet notwithstanding the contract of vsurie is neuerthelesse vnequall and vncharitable because the vsurer couenanteth for certaine gaine out of the borrowers vncertaine traffique and whether he gaine or loose whether he sinke or swim or whatsoeuer become of the principall whether it be lost by fire or be taken away by theeues or miscarrie by any other
euen the secrets of mens hearts are naked and open Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the sonnes of men But as I said vprightnesse also is required in the life of him that prayeth To which purpose we haue a notable testimony of Dauid Psal. 66. If I regard wickednesse in mine hart sayth he the Lord will not heare me For the Lord heareth not hypocrites and such as turne away their eare from hearing that is obeying his law their prayer is abhominable Let vs now come to the ministerie of the word to the preaching and hearing whereof righteousnesse is necessarily required To the preaching of the word that we may be able to say with the Apostle that we are not as many which make merchandise of the word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God we speake in Christ. And againe so we speake not as they that please men but God which trieth our hearts For if we should seeke to please men we were not the seruants of Christ. Now he doth behaue himselfe vprightly in the ministerie of the word who as the Apostle admonisheth Timothie doth studie and indeuour to shew himselfe approued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed diuiding the word of truth aright Who hath the testimony of his owne conscience that he setting aside all sinister respects doth sincerely and from his hart seeke the glory of God in the saluation of the people and not himselfe or his owne either profit or praise Of which Integritie they come very short who seeking not to profit their hearers but to please them endeuour not to approoue themselues to God but to carnall men neither seeke the glory of God but their owne praise nor the saluation of the people but their own profit and preferment in the world But as in the minister that preacheth so also in the people that heareth the word of God Vprightnesse is required To which purpose before they come to the house of God they ought to looke to their feet that is their affections and to put off the shoes of their feet that is their corrupt affections and with sincere affections they are to desire the sincere milke of the word that they may grow thereby The purpose and desire of him who commeth to the hearing of Gods word must be to performe therein an holy and vpright worship vnto God and with all good conscience and sinceritie to vse the ministerie of the word as the power of God to our saluation c. But they that come to heare the word either for fashion sake because we haue such a custome as carnall professors vse to doe or because the lawes of men require it as those which among vs are popishly affected or because they would seeme to some that they are religious or at the least not irreligious as dissemblers doe or because they would see and be seene as many proud and vaine persons do or because they would take a nap as some secure and sâ—outhfull persons doe or because they would carpe and snatch at the preachers words as malitious persons doe or because they would heare and judge of the gifts of the preacher and so giue their censure of his sermon as diuerse glorious professours vse to doe or if they come with the same affection to a sermon as they goe to a stage-play that is to be delighted as those which haue itching eares vse to doe or if they come into the assembly as Cato was wont to come to the stage namely that in shew of his dislike he might goeout againe as some conceited and humorous persons vse to doe or to passe the time because they haue nothing else to doe as some that liue inordinatly either wholly neglecting their calling or hauing no honest calling to walke in all which are practised by hypocrits of diuerse sorts assuredly they are farre from that integritie which is required in those that come to heare Gods word When we are come to the ministerie of the word our dutie is to take heed how we heare as our Sauiour Christ admonisheth For our bodily presence wil not suffice vnlesse we behaue our selues vprightly in the hearing of the word Our first dutie therefore is when we are come into the assembly to set our selues in Gods presence that we may say with vpright Cornelius we are here present before God to heare all things that the minister hath in commission to deliuer vnto vs from God and when the minister speaketh we are to look higher than to him remembring that hee is an embassadour of God in Christs stead by whom the Lord speaketh vnto vs and therefore as hee which speaketh must speake as the Oracles of God so he which heareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word preached must heare it not as the word of man but as it is indeed the word of God Our next dutie is to heare the word with an vpright desire to profit by it and an vnfained purpose to practise it In regard of the former we are diligently to attend to the word and as it were to hang on the preachers mouth as being loath to let any thing sâ—ip from vs but carefully to lay it vp in our hearts for our future vse and in a word so to heare as wee desire to be heard For want of this vprightnesse they offend who being present in body are absent in mind their eares going on pilgrimage their minds going a whoring after the vanities of this life and their heart as Ezekiel speaketh going after their couetousnesse but especially they offend who when they should listen to the word of God doe giue themselues ouer to sleepe In regard of the latter our dutie is to heare the word of God with an honest and good heart and therein to retaine it or as Salomon saith to keepe it in the mids of our heart that there it taking root may bring forth fruit with patience As for them who with Ezechiels auditours come to heare the word without any true purpose to performe it as they shew themselues to be hypocrits in deceiuing others so they play the sophisters in beguiling themselues The like may bee said of receiuing the Sacraments For what would it auaile vs if with Simon Magus wee bee baptized and beleeue with a generall faith For vnlesse our hearts be vpright within vs before God we may remaine as he did in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquitie Or what would it profit vs if after the example of Iudas Iscariot we be admitted to the Lords table and could so cunningly carry our selues as euery one of the Apostles should be more ready to suspect the mselues than vs for if our heart be not vpright within vs but that we giue the outward face and shew to God and set our hearts
first yeare why is not that vsurie of the vsurie being lent to the same man the second yeare as lawfull as if it were lent to another man But whatsoeuer other lawgiuers haue judged of vsurie it is plaine that the Lord who is the supreme and in respect of the conscience the onely lawgiuer condemneth all vsurie by his law morall neither by his judiciall law permitted the same to be exercised by the subjects of that commonwealth which he ordained among themselues And therfore it cannot without contumelie against the wisedome of God be affirmed that a commonwealth cannot well stand without vsurie especially considering that the holy ghost hath made the vsuall practise of vsurie countenanced by the state a note of a corrupt state For so the seuentie interpreters Psa. 55. 11 for the Hebrew Toc read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as some thinke is deriued thence and the auncient writers doe read the place thus Vsurie and deceit depart not from her streets And the Prophet Ezechiel chap. 22. 12 among other enormities or as he calleth them abhominations of the citie Ierusalem he reckoneth this for one Thou hast taken vsurie and increase And contrariwise among the notes of a good gouernour this is mentioned Psal. 72. 14 That he should free his subjects from vsurie for so againe the auncient interpreters doe read and violence a notable example whereof we haue in Nehemias that godly magistrat chap. 5. And hereunto we may adde the judgement of that notable Historiographer and wise Polititian Cornelius Tacitus who as he judgeth vsurie to be a mischiefe to the commonwealth so he noteth that it was repressed in the auncient common-wealth of the Romanes when their manners were farthest from corruption And to conclude Caluin himselfe is of this judgement that an vsurer ought not to be suffered in a well ordered commonwealth And thus you haue heard how vsurie offendeth against our neighbour as being both vnjust and vncharitable Now let vs briefely consider how the vsurer sinneth against God not only mediatly by vnjustice and vncharitablenesse but also immediatly by impietie and vngodlinesse For first seeing the practise of vsurie cannot stand with the true feare of God as may be gathered out of that opposition Leuit. 25. 36 Thou shalt take no vsurie of thy needy brother nor increase but thou shalt feare thy God it is euident therefore that they which take vsurie of them which borrow for need do not walke in the feare of God as Nehemias telleth the vsurers of his time Secondly the vsurer sinneth against God by disobedience and contempt for he disobeyeth the commaundements of God straightly commaunding free loane and sharply forbidding vsurie and contemneth the threatenings of God denounced against the same Thirdly by infidelitie in not belieuing the gracious promises of God made to those who lend freely For as Chrysostome hath well said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vsurie is the off-spring of infidelitie And therefore whereas the Lord hath promised to such that they shall be the children of the most high that they shall be blessed and receiue great reward at his hands those that will not beleeue these promises are to feare that they are not the children of God and that in stead of that blessing and reward promised there remaineth to them the fearfull curse of God and condemnation Fourthly by diffidence ending commonly in prophanenesse For the Lord would haue our faith concerning spirituall blessings in heauenly things to be exercised and confirmed by our affiance reposed in his goodnesse for temporall blessings in earthly things as may be gathered by the order of the fourth and fifth petitions of the Lords prayer For if we cannot find in our hearts to depend vpon the goodnesse of God for these vile and transitorie things how can we persuade our selues that we truly beleeue in him concerning the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and eternall life The Lord therefore would haue vs whether we want meanes or whether we haue them as well in the vse of meanes as in the want of them to depend vpon his prouidence and to cast our care vpon him If he lay a crosse vpon vs or seeme to depriue vs of our goods it is his good pleasure that we should flie vnto him by prayer if he vouchsafe to blesse vs thankes are to be giuen vnto him as to the authour of all good things In a word in all estates it behooueth a true Christian to walke with God and to haue dayly recourse to him But the vsurers whole endeauour is to settle himselfe and his estate as it were out of the gunshot of Gods prouidence he will not deale by husbandrie or traffique because of the hazards whereunto either of both is subject that is to say because of his diffidence in God to whose prouidence he dare not trust his goods and therefore he will make sure worke for himselfe that he shall not need to stand to Gods courtesie The practise of vsurie shall be as a tower of Babel vnto him that whether God doe blesse the traffique of men or not or whether it goe well or ill with husbandrie he will be sure both of his principall and of his gaine All is one to him whether the marchants gaine or loose sinke or swim whether there be famine or plentie faire weather or foule he feareth no flouds He looketh not vp to heauen with the good husbandman or godly marchant either to craue the blessing of God vpon his labours or to returne thankes for the same but is so wholly addicted to the earth and to his vsurious cogitations that he is seldome seen to looke vp insomuch that many times by his very looke and gate an vsurer may be discerned In a word his chiefe indeauour is that in respect of worldly things he may haue nothing to doe with God and so at length of a faithlesse man he becommeth also prophane hauing forgotten God as for this sinne the Lord chargeth Ierusalem Ezech. 22. 12 neither is God I meane the true God in all his thoughts For his God Mammon doth wholly possesse his heart and therefore hee sinneth also by idolatrie For seeing the root of vsurie is couetousnesse which is the root of all euill it cannot be denied but that euery vsurer is couetous And euery couetous man is an idolater Eph. 5. 5. and a seruitour of Mammon Mat. 6. 24 and therefore no true seruant of the Lord. Now you must remember that for couetous persons and idolaters there is no inheritance in heauen And therefore the vsurer as he sinneth against God by manifold impietie so also against himselfe by desperat folly For as euery notorious malefactor may truly be said to cast away himselfe and is guiltie of selfe-murther as it is said of Korah and his complices Num. 16. 38 so the vsurer likewise pulleth vpon himselfe the fearfull judgements of God and is guiltie of his owne ouerthrow For the Lord hath threatened
not onely the translation of their goods from them in this world Prou. 28. 8 but also as touching the world to come that they shall not dwell in the mountaine of Gods holinesse as may be gathered out of this Psalme but that they shall die the death meaning thereby the death of the soule and that you may know to whom the cause of the vsurers damnation is to be imputed it is added and his bloud shall be vpon him And that is it which Leo sayth Foenus pecuniae funus est animae The gaine of vsurie is the graue of the soule Wherefore what extreame folly and desperat madnesse is this for the vsurie that is as it were the tenths of thine owne money to cast away thy soule which thou oughtest not to hazard for the gaine of the whole world For as our Sauior sayth What will it profit a man though he should gaine the whole world if he loose his owne soule Mar. 8. 36. To these arguments I might adde if it were needfull the testimonies of all wise and learned men who haue liued vntill our age for first the Philosophers though heathens haue written and spoken against it the fathers of the church haue with one consent condemned it euen to the pit of hell the Christian councels haue seuerely censured it the schoolemen though corrupt in many other things yet herein they retaine the doctrine of the primitiue Church the godly learned diuines of this age and namely of this our Church doe for the most part inueigh against it those few among vs that seeme to defend â—surie doe in substance differ little from the rest erring especially in this that vnder the odious name of vsurie they defend and maintaine a lawfull contract of partnership as I haue shewed before And because the judgements of those learned men who seeme not to condemne all vsurie are of such force with vsurers that they seeme to build their practise vpon their authoritie I will also take this hold from them and out of their writings manifestly demonstrate before their eies that the vsurie which is practised in the world is not allowed of any godly diuine For first though they thinke a man may now and then lend vpon vsurie such cautions obserued as they prescribe yet they hold it to be vtterly vnlawfull for a man to be an vsurer or to make a trade of it Now whereas they doe not denie but that a man may make a trade of gaining by any honest or lawfull contract this euidently sheweth that euen out of their assertions it may be prooued that vsurie is not a lawfull contract Quisquis ex professo foeneratur sayth Caluin ille omnino debet ab hominum consortio reijci Whosoeuer is a professed vsurer he ought to be excluded out of all humane societie And againe an vsurer ought not to be suffered in the Church of God Secondly they absolutly condemne vsurie of vsurie which in it selfe is no more vnlawfull than vsurie of the principall Vsura vsurarum iudicio bonorum omnium etiam apud infideles damnata semper infamis fuit Iun. in Leuit. The conditions whereby they circumscribe vsurie are these and such like As first That it be not required of them who being in want doe borrow for the supply of their necessitie but onely of those who borrow mony to make a gaine thereof And that their lending to such doe not hinder them from free lending to those which would borrow for need 2. That they require not gaine of him which borroweth for gaine vnlesse he be a gainer And therefore they define that vsurie which they allow to be part of the borrowers gaine and but such a part as the borrower may liue of the rest 3. That he which lendeth for gaine must not onely require no gaine but also must be content to beare part of the borrowers losse if without his owne default he prooue a looser 4. That the end of this lending must bee charitie wherby the lender is bound to seeke the borrowers good rather than his owne 5. That in this contract he respect the good not only of the borrower but also of the commonwealth and therefore that he require not so much gaine as the partie cannot raise by lawfull meanes 6. That this lending be agreeable to naturall equity which is to be judged of not by mens practise but by the word of God 7. That it be contained within those limits which the laws of euery countrey concerning vsurie do appoint These cautions men must obserue or else they may not build their practise vpon the authoritie of godly learned men who haue by these and such like conditions so qualified vsurie as that where they be obserued there is no vsurie or at least no actuall vsurie committed And because the authoritie of that excellent instrument of God I. Caluin is much pretended for the defence of vsurie I will therefore shew you briefely how little encouragement vsurers can truly receiue from him He sayth it is more than a rare thing that the same man shold be an vsurer and an honest man Nay he sayth That an vsurer is euer a theefe and a robber and although hee sayth it may happen sometimes that a man may in some case take vsurie and cannot precisely bee condemned therefore yet he setteth downe this assertion But we must alwayes hold it to be a thing scarcely possible that he which taketh vsurie should not wrong his brother And therefore it were to be wished that the very name of vsurie were buried and vtterly blotted out of the memorie of men And in another place It were to be wished sayth he that all vsurie yea and the name of it were banished out of the world Hauing thus by testimonies of scripture and by other arguments and testimonies prooued vsurie to be vnlawfull it now remaineth that for the better satisfying of the reader I should answere such arguments as are made in defence of vsurie But that you may not thinke that the patrons of vsurie doe promiscuously defend all vsurie therefore they circumscribe that vsurie which they allow with these conditions first That it be moderat secondly That it be not required of the poore and needie thirdly That it be not hurtfull to the borrower Where by the way we are to obserue that no man of vnderstanding goeth about to justifie that vsurie which is commonly practised in the world in which being immoderat for the most part though it be but after ten in the hundred there is seldome or neuer any thing else looked after but the lenders securitie without respect whether the borrower be wealthie or needie or whether he shall gaine or loose thereby But let vs examine these three conditions seuerally for as touching the first whereas I haue prooued before that euery ouerplus or gaine required for loane is that vsurie which is condemned in the Scriptures and that it is a thing in it selfe simply euill