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
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 abūdant fruite which is produced in the Gentiles and the most pretious gifts which God cōmunicated 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 ointmēt which was of so great value that it might haue beē 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 coūtry as it was to anoint the feet of their guests with pretious ointmēts 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 actiō 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 mēt 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 frō 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 ointmēt for three hūdred 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 tēporary 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
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 reprehēding 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 thē nor yet the seauē 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 chastisemēt 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 thē 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 ô 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 sōne 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 ô 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 euē 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 mēs 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
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 thē 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 mē 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 thē 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 thē 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 thē that the day of iudgment
towards such as came to him full of imperfection weaknes and ignorance and wee must receiue after a sweet manner our neighbours when they come to vs full of necessity ignorance enduring with a serene countenance their importunity rudnes and giuing eare and satisfaction to their questions and benignely instructing them in those thinges which are fit for them to be knowne by them according to the capacity of euery one and remouing the ignorance wherin they are comforting theÌ„ with the knowledge of truth and the hope of saluation and appeasing their conscience deliuering theÌ„ from vaine scruples and feares To this doth the Apostle Saint Paule Gal. 6. aduise in these words My brethren if any of you be surprised by any sinne as it happens to them who sinne out of Passion or weaknes orignoraÌ„ce and not out of meer malice and who are as it were preuented and surprised by that sinne into which they fal because they haue not well considered the ill they doe in respect whereof they are the more worthy of mercy and more easy to be reformed If any such I say haue fallen you who are spiritual men and liue according to spirit that is according to the true and spirituall vnderstanding of the Lawe of God instruct and informe well such a kinde of sinner as this and doe it not with sharpenes rigour but with sweetnes and gentlenes both of words and deedes wherin true Benignity consists And for this purpose let euery one consider himselfe and reflect well vpon his owne weaknes and danger and how subiect he is to fall as the other did and peraduenture worse And from hence he will grow to instruct and correct others with the sweetnes of mercy and Benignity and not with too much rigour and seuerity least himselfe also growe both to be tempted and conquered This in substance is deliuered by the Apostle and with great reason he wisheth him who treateth such as haue fallen into sinne without mercy and Benignity that he looke well to himselfe least he be teÌ„pted and ouercome For in very truth it is the punishment which he deserues and which ordinarily almighty God inflicts vpon such as rashly iudge and condemne their neighbour for committing any fault and as despise him for it to let them fall into the same sinne As on the other side our most piteous Lord is wont to vse supreme Benignâ—ty and mercy towards such others as vse Benignity mercy towards their weak and imperfect brethren This did that great and admirable woman Christina with great ponderation and feeling affirme when shee said There is no thing in the whole world which doth more moue Christ our Lord to vse Benignity and mercy towards men then to see that themselues are benigne and mercifull towards others and such Benignity and mercy cannot but leade them on to a happy death which will deliuer them vp to eternall life THE III. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards the Apostles enduring and curing their defects THis very manner of Benignity did Christ our Lord vse towardes his blessed Apostles whilst he conuersed with them in mortall flesh For during all that time which was the space of three yeares they were very imperfect and liued in great ignorance and by reason of their much rudnes made litle profit of the great light of doctrine which was propounded to them and of that so admirable example of the life of Christ our Lord which they had before their eyes Let vs produce some examples to proue this truth Our Lord had already wrought that illustrious miracle in the sight of his disciples Matt 15 of feeding fiue thousand men with fiue loaues of bread and shortly after another necessity offering it self wherin our Lord was pleased to feed foure thousand men with seauen loaues and hauing already tould his disciples that he would not permit those troupes of men woemen to returne home to their houses till he had fed them they conceiued it to be a matter of so much difficulty that as if it had indeed been impossible for our Lord to doe they said where can wee be able to procure in this desert such a quantity of bread as would be necessary for the feeding of such a multitude What a great imperfectioÌ„ was this in them and what a strange rudenes and blindenes of heart that hauing seen with their owne eyes that our Lord had wrought so many like and greater miracles then that they did not yet beleeue and confide so much in him as that with so few loaues he was able to feed so much people and especially considering that he had declared himselfe to haue a will to doe it and that he had wrought the like in the selfe same case some few dayes before And yet these disciples making him answere with so little faith and indeed with so little good manners our most blessed Lord did yet treate them with so great tendernes and sweetnes that he blamed or reproued them not nor shewed himselfe a whit disgusted or offended for the little account and estimation which they shewed themselues to haue of his power But passing by all this he asked them how many loaues they had and they saying that they had seauen he coÌ„manded the troupes to sit downe and he gaue them all to eate of those seauen loaues and he made the Apostles gather vp seaueÌ„ baskets full of the ouerplus and in this sorte he did by that action of his let them see their rudenes and he remoued their ignorance setled them faster in their faith And this was so great a fault in the Apostles that the confessing and publishing of it themselues after the coming of the Holy Ghost was an act of great humility in them and the suffering and curing it by our Lord with so great pitty and mercy was admirable Benignity in him So saith Saint Chrysostome It is worthy of great admiration to see the Apostles so great friends to the truth as that themselues who wrote the Euangelicall history would not couer those so great faults of their owne For it was no little one that they could so soon forget that miracle which our Lord had wrought so lately before in the multiplication of the fiue loaues of bread And Theophylact addeth thus It was not reason that they should so soon haue forgotten that miracle whereby our Lord had giuen food in the wildernes to more persons with fewer loaues of bread But the disciples were men very grosse and of meane vnderstanding which our Lord permitted to be so to the end that when afterward wee should finde them so full of discretion and wisedome we might know that it was the gift of diuine grace which caused it But their ignorance and vntowardnes being so great as wee see it was our Lord did not yet rebuke or reproach them for this fault but cured it with great Benignity and instructed vs thereby not to put our selues in choler with
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
immense a reward in the kingdome of heauen THE VIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse to diuers blinde men hearkning to them expecting them and illuminating them and how wee are to imitate him in this Benignity IT doth also belong to this vertue of Benignity to giue that to ones neighbour which he desireth with facility and sweetnes yea and more then that which he desireth and not to reflect vpon the indignity of him who asketh nor vpon the authority greatnes of that Lord who may need the like but to consider what is agreable to charity which whensoeuer it is great it communicateth it selfe to all and doth good to all and taketh order that in many things the high and lowe the great and little men of the world be made equall to one another Christ our Lord left vs many examples of this truth Saint Luke chap. 18. relateth how once coming to the Citty of Iericho a blinde man neer the way was asking almes and when he heard the noise of the people in company of our Lord and vnderstood that it was Iesus of Nazareth who passed by he began to cry out and say Iesus thou sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me And although the people bad him hould his peace yet still he continued in crying out and beseeching our Lord that he would free him from the misery wherin he was Our Lord heard his cry and deteined himselfe in the high way and made all that people which was in his company stay with him and commaunded that they should bring the blind begger to him and he stayed expecting till he came being come he asked him this question What wouldest thou haue mee doe for thee What doest thou desire at my hands The blinde man answered the thing which I desire and beg of thee is that thou wilt giue mee my sight and instantly our Lord without the least delay gaue him that which he desired and said Receiue thy sight And he receiued the sight of his corporall eyes the sight also of his soule for being full of faith and deuotion he followed Christ our Lord both with body and soule and did not cease from glorifying Almighty God This passed at the entry which Christ our Lord made into Iericho for Saint Luke relates that he entred into Iericho after he had wrought this miracle Saint Matthew also chap. 20. shewes that Christ our Lord going forth of the same Citty of Iericho and being accompanied with much people there stood two blinde men close vpon the way demaunding almes when they knew that Iesus passed by they began to cry out and say Iesus the sonne of Dauid take pitty on vs. Christ our Lord did instantly make a stand in the way and caused them to be called to him and being arriued he asked thē thus what do you aske at my hands They answered Lord that thou open these eyes of ours and take this blindenes from vs and at the instant our Lord extended his hand to their eyes and they obtained sight both of body and soule and they followed our Lord being full of gratitude for so great a benefit and of faith and desire to doe him seruice Much is here to be considered in the admirable Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse towards these blind men in that he would hearken to their cries and they being so base persons and our Lord so soueraignely high that he would yet pawse in the way stay for them and make all them also stay who went with him and condescend thereby to the necessity of those blinde men and accōmodate himself to their weaknes For if our Lord had gone walking on they not seeing the way could not haue followed him or at least not fast enough to ouertake him he must haue giuen them much trouble in putting them to it That way of Iericho was also full of impediments and dangerous precipices as Saint Hierome notes and so if they had been put to goe a pace in such a way they had been in danger to receiue much hurt For these reasons did our Lord make a stand as also because he would vouchsaffe to doe them honour making so much accoūt of them as for their respect to stay in that high way and to make so much people stay with him And besides it was a great testimony of his Benignity towardes them to graunt them at the instant of their asking it and that with so much comfort to them so great a benefit as it was to receiue their sight both in body and soule and such deuotion as carryed thē on to glorify Almighty God A great wonder it was that Iosue should cause the Sunne to stand still and make a pawse in the heauen to illuminate the earth till such time as he had obtained victory ouer his enemies and that the Sunne and all the Orbes which moued with it should stand still obeying the voice of Iosue the seruant of God But a much greater wonder it is that our Lord who created both the Sunne and the whole machine of the world should make a stand in the way obeying the voice of a blinde begger that he might illuminate him both in body and soule as the true Sunne of Iustice A great Benignity it is that a Kinge of any earthly kingdome passing on his way through a street should stay and make all the Grādes of his Court stay with him vpon the cry of a begger who asketh almes and that he should expect that begger till he could arriue and should giue audience to his petion and then instātly open a purse with his owne hands and giue the begger whatsoeuer almes he had desired But a farre greater Benignity it is that the King of heauen and earth should deteine himselfe in a high way and stand expecting a poore begger till he could arriue to him and then should aske him what he would desi◅ to the end that his owne mouth might be the measure of that which our Lord would giue him and that instantly he should open the treasures both of his mercy power and bestow all that almes vpon him which he could aske or desire yea and much more then he knew how to aske Now our Lord by shewing this mercy to those blinde men hath shewed also a very great mercy to all faithfull Christians instructing vs and perswading vs by his example to vse Benignity towards our neighbours giuing eare to the cry of the poore and bestowing with liberality what they aske according to the ability wee haue and that when they are not able to come to vs to aske remedy as being hindred either by infirmity or ignorance or any other weakenes wee goe to seeke them out or make thē be sought to the end that wee may helpe them accommodating our selues to their impotēcy and necessity And teaching vs also by this example that wee must expect and stay for our neighbours when there is occasiō to do
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 ◅ 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 i◠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 childrē 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 thē to him that he might touch them and giue them his benediction and they had confidence that by this meanes such of thē 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 parēts who brought their children that our Lord would be troubled and vexed thereby did vse seuerely to reprehēd 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 reasō 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 beē 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 whō they brought Now our Lord perceiuing how the Apostles hindred litle children frō 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 recommēded 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 ēployed 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 ēploy 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
times is lost by the ill gouernement of our tongues and finally wee shall edify our neighbours by the exāple 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 thrōugh the much gaine and merit which they get in the sight of Almighty God And in thē 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 thē with the same discourtesy and disgrace wherewith they are treated and they vse the same ill termes which are vsed to thē This is no good but an ill spirit For that I should be well cōditioned 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 cōdition 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 patiēce 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 inuētion associating Benignity and Patience in suffering iniuries with Charity in pardoning thē 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 cōtrary 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
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 thē 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 ēdeauour he may vse he can take no part of my life frō 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 moderatiō 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 generatiō 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 mē 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 thē 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 exāple 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
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