how wicked soeuer sith he is the King of kings his sonne by creation Esa 64. but as the Apostle spake of the Iewes though apostates he is to be beloued for the fathers sake Rom. 11. 28. Howbeit if neither the view of thy face in a glasse can make thy wrath blush as a man nor thy looke in the perfect law of libertie as in a c 2. Cor. 3. 28. myrror can change thee into the same image from malice to mildnesse from enmitie to amitie from furie to friendship from glorie of nature to glorie of grace as by the spirit of the Lord but with bloudy d Gen. 4. 23. Lamech still in thy rage thou doest outrage I wold slay a man in my wound and a yong man in mine hurt If Cain be auenged seuen fold surely Lamech seuenty times seuen-fold yet when thus thou hearest thy self out of tune out of concord and harmony of loue I wish before thou go foorth to reuenge with Clinias the e AElian lib. 14 var hist cap. 23. Pythagorean or with Achilles in the Iliad thou woldst pulsare citharam like f Psal 81. 2. the Psalmist call for the merry harpe with the lute that the concord of it may drowne that discord with thy brother and the harmony of its strings tune the affections of thy mind and heart-strings which now iarre with thy neighbor For as g 1. Sam. 16. 23. Dauid by playing vpon his harp draue the euill spirit of frenzie from Saul that was vpon him so an instrument of musicke or if thou canst not play singing of a Psalme of Dauid will expell the euill spirit of furie that rageth in thy mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a Psalme of Dauid saith S. h Homil. in Psa 2. in Prefat Basil is mirth of the mind tranquilitie of the soule a white wand or the embassador of peace a ruler of the affections a procurer of charitie and reconciler of loue a composer of strifes and bridler of rage neither is there any so troubled in mind and disturbed in thought which if he take the Psalmes may not straight be appeased For hereby all perturbations and impetuous affections of the mind which ouer-rule men many wayes in this life are quite rooted out And herein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a common Apothecaries shoppe may the furious man find oyntment of loue more sweet and precious then the oyntment of Aaron which the dead flies of malice hatred and enuie cannot cause to stinke nor putrifie the oyntment of this Apothecarie so plentifull is this shoppe of loue and boxe of Spikenard that as it is the store-house of the lawe so it is annointed with the oyle of gladnesse aboue his fellowes And when thou art wrathfull and raging toward thy enemie i Opuscu in Psâ—â— Athanasius aduiseth to reade often the seuentie first Psalme as a medicine for thy disease Now if nothing I haue said can mitigate thy rage but to the field thou wilt go and like that brauing chalenger of Gath thou desirest a combat and defiest thy foe why boastest thou in thy wickednesse O man of power What wilt thou do O mightie man saith k Comen in ps 51 Austine what wilt thou do thou keepest a great bragging thou wilt yea that thou wilt kill a man Hoc Scorpius hoc vna febris hoc fung us malus potest Alas poore brags a Scorpion can do this this one feuer or the snuffe of a candle could effect One l Plin nat hist lt 7. a. 7. Vaâ— Ma. lib 9. cap. 12. kernell of a grape could choke Anacreon the m Fulg l 9. c. 12. yolke of an egge could stifle Saufeius a n Gâ—â—do fish-bone Tarquinius Priscus a o Fulg ibid. peare Drusus Pompeius an p Punabid haire in his milke Fabius the Senator a q Plin. lib. 17. Florus lib 3 c. 23. smoke Catulus the Orator the r Palla Suâ—â— hot sun Chrysostome and a Å¿ Polid 〈◊〉 hist Angl. crumme of bread Goodwin Earle of Kent Huccine redacta est omnis potentia tua vt vno malo fungo coequetur Is all thy bragging power come to this saith Austin that it s but equall with the smell of a snuffe with the sting of a Scorpion with the fit of a feuer with the stone of a grape with the yolk of an egge with the bone of a fish with a peece of a peare with an haire of the head with the smoake of a fire with the heate of the Sunne and with a crumme of bread Heare therefore thou man of blood who like those blood-thirstie votaries in the Actes swearest thou wilt neither eate nor drinke till thou hast killed till thou hast eaten vp thy brother as it were bread and quenched thy thirst with his blood Harken O man of reuenge who proclaimest with that voice of vengeance I will do to him as he hath done to me I will recompence euery man according to his workes and wresting that legem talionis Exod. 21. 24. threatnest before heauen and earth that thou wilt haue life for life eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foote for foote burning for burning wound for wound and stripe for stripe though it was but giuen by a foole like t Plut. dial deirâ— cohib Ctesipho the wrastler who would not put vp a blow at the heeles of an asse but like an asse kickt her again with his heeles Know thou assuredly that as Lamech slue a man in his wound or as the Hebrew reades it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the wounding of himselfe that is the wounding of his owne conscience saith Ferus and hurt of his soule Gen. 4. 23 so thou art a man-slayer both of him and thy self seeing after it thou abidest in death 1. Ioh. 3. 14. Thus reuengefull wrath dat poenas dum exigit with her owne staffe is she beaten saith v Li 3 de Ira. c. 5 Seneca while she beateth x Cap. 3. Ea deprimens quae mergi nisi cum mergente non possunt striuing like a milstone about his necke to drowne him which cannot be drowned without the drowner also For as we reade in Aristophanes of the earthen pot which by dashing against another pot burst it selfe in peeces so we y Idem cap. 42. forgetfull of our weaknesse ad frangendum fragiles consurgimus while we dash our brittle bodies one against another both these z Ieremy 18. 6. earthen pots are shiuered to scraps and therefore woe to the pot sheard that striueth with the pot sheards of the earth Esai 45. 9. Thus as strongest poison first breaketh the vessell which holds it before it hurt another so anger saith Eliphas doubtlesse anger killeth the foolish and enuie slayeth the ideot Iob 5. 2. And therefore Dauid saith a a Iâ— Huâ— in hunc locum writer compareth his enemies to bees Psal 118. which as b Lib. 9 de hist animal cap 40.
but spectare stand looking on this bright glorie and do as himselfe did we should be like our heauenly Father and children of the most highest Otherwise if without waterie eyes we cannot behold him to do as he did then are we bastards and not sonnes for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by this are Gods children knowne and the children of the diuell 1. Ioh. 3. 10. Noble mens sons saith q Chrysostome are not so well known by their chaine of gold as Gods children by this golden chaine of charitie Let all signe themselues with the signe of the crosse saith r Tract â— in Epist Ioan Austine let them answer Amen at thy giuing of thankes let all sing Alleluia let all be baptised let all go to church and heare Sermons yea let them build Cathedrall churches yet for all this the children of God are not discerned from the children of the diuell nisi sola charitate but onely by this reall charitie They which haue it are borne of God they which haue it not are not borne of God Magnum iudicium magna discretio so great a distinction it maketh betweene the children of God and the children of the diuell This marke saith Å¿ Comment â—â— Psal 103. lib. 15. de T 〈…〉 cap. 18. he the wicked cannot participate with vs they may be partakers of our baptisme they may communicate with vs at the supper of the Lord they may ioyne with vs in prayer they may be mixt with vs in the Church but this foe-feeding charitie they cannot participate with vs. For in this saith Christ Ioh. 13. and in this t August tract cit alone shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye haue this loue one towards another As if he had said it is S. u Tract 〈◊〉 â—uang Ioan. Austines paraphrase Other my gifts haue other with you which are not my children not onely nature life sense and reason but also the gift of tongues mysteries prophesie knowledge miraculous faith and such like but because they haue not this loue they shall profite them nothing And indeed deare Christian though thou speake with the tongue of men and Angels nay if like Herod thou haue the voice of God and not of man if thou had Prophesie with Saul if thou know all secrets with Iudas if thou had all knowledge with Scribes and Pharisees if thou had perfect faith with those diuel-driuers in the 7. of Mathew if thou gaue thy bodie to be burned with Arius these iffes and ands shall profite thee nothing if thou hast not this loue No no thy bloudie mind of Herod shall make thy tongue of Angels but sounding brasse and like a tinkling cymball it shall not profite thee thy persecuting mind of Saul shall turne thy spirit of prophesie into an euill spirit of frenzie it shall not profite thee thy trecherous mind of Iudas shall make thy knowledge of all secrets like Vrias letters which secretly he caried against himselfe it shall not profite thee thy enuious mind of Scribes and Pharisies shall make thy all knowledge a rod to beate thee with many moe stripes it shall not profite thee thy iniquitie-working of those miracle-mougers shall but cast a diuell out of others into thy selfe it shall not profite thee and thy scismatical spirit of Arius shall make the burning of thy body but the kindling of that fire which neuer shall be quenched it shall not profite thee Without this thou art not a sonne of Seth but of Caine not of Abraham but of Abadon not of grace but of wrath not of pitie but perdition not of Gods church but of the synagogue of Sathan not of the x Mat. 8. 12. vide Bez. annot maior king though outwardly of the kingdome not a sonne of God but of Sathan for in this and in this alone shall all men know that thou art his disciple if thou hast this loue to thine enemie But if thou be his child be like thy father who seeing he maketh not the sunne but his sunne to rise on thee and his raine to descend on thee it may teach thee saith y Lib. 1. de Sâ—r. dom in mont cap. 46. Saint Austine how bountifull to thy foes thou shouldst be of his basket whereof thou art but almner and an eleemosinarie thy selfe And seeing he maketh the one to arise on both good and euill and the other to descend on the iust and vniust it may lesson thee saith that x Tom. 4. lib. de salut dec cap. 46. Father to communicate thine almes thy beneficence thy good turnes thy charitie and all thy good to all both good and bad friends and foes Then which nothing will more make vs like our heauenly Father and therefore whereas Christ doth in many places warne vs of many things yet in no place saith a Tom. 5. Serm. viâ—tut progen vt confid Chrysostome he inferreth we shal be like our heauenly Father but where he speakes of doing good to our enemies And he puts vs in mind of our b Chrysost hom 20. in Mâ—t. 6. heauenly Father by this to shame vs if being borne of God and so royally descended we degenerate from our Fathers nature from the godly nature c 2. Pet. 1. 4. whereof we are partakers into brutish crueltie and by that to confound vs if being called to an heauenly conuersation we become vile with earthly affections Wherefore seeing this foe-feeding loue and reall reconcilement maketh vs children most like our heauenly Father let vs heare his voice who saith to his children as d 1. Cor. 4. Paul to his Corinthians I write not these things to shame you but as my beloued children I admonish you for though ye haue ten thousand instructors in Christ yet haue ye not many fathers and though ye call men on earth your fathers yet none but I am your heauenly Father for in Christ Iesus my sonne I haue begotten you through the Gospell Wherefore I pray you be ye followers of me e Eph. 5. â— be ye followers of God as deare children and walke in this loue As Christ hath loued vs. For if we cannot like Henock walke 2. Our elder brothers example with God nor treade in the steppes of our heauenly Father for who can take such a steppe of loue as did God from heauen his throne to earth his footstoole yet as that boy Ascanius followed his father non passibus aequis let vs follow him though with vnequall paces let vs walke with Christ our elder brother who in this path went before vs and left vs an example that we should follow his steppes 1. Pet. 2. 21. For as the oyle of loue wherewith he was annointed aboue his fellowes descended from this our head to all his members and went downe to his enemies as to the skirts of his clothing so in the sauour of that good oyntment should we runne euen with the oyle of gladnes to our foes and therefore shapeth
it and therefore might truly say with x Psalme 69. Dauid The rebukes of them that rebuked thee are fallen vpon me I payed them the things that I neuer tooke This he performed for vs sinners and said indeed for his enemies as Nisus for his friend Whom seeke ye Coram quem quaeritis adsum I am he whom ye seeke to be crucified Adsum qui feci in me conuertite ferrum O Rutuli I make my selfe sin for them y Esai 53. wound me for their transgressions breake me for their iniquities and lay the chastisement of their peace on me that by my stripes they may be healed Here for them z Esai 50. I giue my backe to the smiters my cheekes to the nippers and wil not hide my face from shame and spitting When sinfull man that like a wandring sheepe was caught in the briars and with the Ramme might haue truly bin sacrificed for this Isaac might truly haue replied Mea fraus omnis nihil iste nec fecit nec pâ—tuit he did no sinne neither was there guile found in his mouth Quid meruisset ouis This sheepe and lambe of God what hath he done Let thine hand I pray thee be against me and my fathers house Thus the partition wall of ordinances betweene Iew and Gentile was broken downe by him who made of two people one man Ephes 2. Thus the partition wall of our a Esai 5â— sinnes which separated betweene vs both and our God was taken away by him who reconciled both to one God and preached peace to vs farre off and to them that were neare Thus our b Ios 17. 1â— Iosua made sinne or in-bred Cananite which c Rom 7. 18. 20 dwelleth in our mortall bodie and cannot quite be cast out d Rom. 6. tributary vnto vs that we may raigne ouer it and bring it into subiection This is the manifold loue of Christ to vs his enemies his reall loue his loue indeed with a witnesse and to witnesse it the more stileth he vs with al names of loue as seruants Iohn 15. 15. if that be too litle his friends if that be not enough his e Marke 3. 11 kinsmen if that be too little his f Math. 25. 40. brethren if that be not enough his g Math 12. 50. sisters if that be too farre off his h Marke 10. 15 children if that be not â—nough his i Luke 8. 21. mother if that be not enough his k Cant. 5. spouse which is the greatest and passing loue of women and all this to shew he loued vs with all kind of loues possible the seruants loue a friends loue kinsmens loue brethrens loue sisters loue childrens loue mothers loue and spouse-loue which is as strong as death and cannot be quenched with floods of water Cant. 8. 7. This was Christs loue to vs his enemies as high as heauen as deepe as the earth and hell it selfe as broade as the world and as long as life eternall Wherefore as him selfe spake of washing his Disciples feet Iohn 13. 14. Siego If I saith he I your Lord and Maister haue stouped to wash your feet ye ought also to wash one anothers feet for I haue giuen you an example that ye should do as I haue done to you so may I reason strongly with his Apostle Beloued if God if Christ so loued vs we ought also to loue one another 1. Iohn 4. 11. And indeed beloued Christian thou canst neuer loue truly and do good to thy foe vntil thou remembrest what Christ hath done for thee while thou wert his enemie Let this loue of Christ constraine thee then who commaunded it for thy practise and practised it for thine example If considering thine owne weaknesse and infirmitie Deficis sub praecepto comfortare in exemplo saith l Mâ—dit in Psal 56. Austine if thou thinkest the precept an hard saying to flesh and blood who can beare it be comforted in the example of him who performed it Christ did it as man in thine owne nature to teach thee he commaunds no impossibilities and he is present with thee vt praebeat auxilium qui praebuit exemplum saith that Father to m Cant 1. 3. Iohn 6. 6. draw thee after him who bids thee n 1. Pet. 2. Come follow his steppes Let vs runne when he draweth and let vs loue really our foes as he loued vs while we were not his friends If we cannot sic sicut so infinitely as he did vs for consider behold and see if euer there was loue sicut amor eius like his loue if we cannot go with him in his sicut and quantitie yet let vs runne after him in the sic and qualitie of his loue as o Tâ—m 1. Ser. 13 in cana Dom. Dilâ—â—te â—nuicem fieâ—t ego dâ—lexâ— vos â—â—c aduerbium sicut non quaâ—â—tatâ—s sed qualitatâ—s similâ—â—udâ—em notaâ— Idem ser 5. in caen Dâ—m Bernard doth distinguish Howbeit if we cannot walke with God nor follow our elder brother in his great steppes of loue yet let vs ambulare cum Dauide go cheeke by cheeke with Dauid our fellow-seruant who rendring good for euill to his arch-enemie Saul made him ashamed of his enmitie and heaped such coales of fire on his head that he kindled his affection to cry out in admiration Is this thy voice my sonne Dauid and weeping he lift vp his voice 3. Our fellow-seruants example and said to Dauid Thou art more righteous then I for thou hast rendred me good and I haue rendred thee euill and now thou hast shewed this day that thou hast dealt well with me for as much as when the Lord had enclosed me in thy hands thou killedst me not for who shall find his enemie at such aduantage and let him go free with a good turne Wherefore the Lord render thee good for that thou hast done to me this day 1. Sam. 24. Yea when afterward he repented of this repentance and with the dogge returned to his vomite yet Dauid againe ouercame his euill with goodnesse that he cryed out with a peccaui in his mouth I haue sinned come againe my sonne Dauid for I will do thee no more harme because my soule was precious in thine eyes this day behold I haue done foolishly and erred exceedingly 1. Sam. 26. 21. With such loue was Dauid annointed when he was annointed with the horne of oyle to be king this was the strength of his loue when he had the oyle but not the horn when he was elected and not yet inducted into the kingdome and yet behold when after Sauls death he had gotten sceptrum pro pedo a scepter for a sheep-hooke and was taken from the sheepe-folds to feed Iaakob his people and Israel his inheritance when the Lord had now exalted his horne whereby he might extirpate Sauls house and roote out all his enemies yet asked he Zyba after Sauls death p 2 Sam â— â— saying Remaineth there yet none
according to the multitude of his mercies deliuered them againe Wherefore as when 2. Reg. 5. 13. Naaman the Syrian thought much to wash so oft as seuen times in Iordan that his leprosie might be cleansed Father said his seruants if the Prophet had commaunded thee a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it how much rather then sith he saith Wash seuen times and be cleansed So seeing not a Prophet but that Prophet Christ Iesus hath commaunded vs no great thing but onely seuen or seuentie times seuen times to forgiue that our sinnes may be forgiuen and cleansed Mat. 6. vers 14. who is he that will not take the paines to forgiue each one from his heart all trespasses seuenty times seuen times â— Person whoÌ„ Our Brother To his brother who is not a straunger from God or an alient from the commonwealth of Israel but of the houshold of faith and of that family so neare as our brother He might haue said Forgiue thy fellow seruant but becauâ—e the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 95. â— Mat â— title moued not the mercilesse debter he calleth him our brother to put vs in mind that as we are Gods seruants by condition of life so brethren among our selues by vnitie of affection For as that p Bern â—â—r 2. â—â— resâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Father before mentioned considering himselfe that he might be tempted compassionately said of the fall of his brother Ille hodie ego â—ras he hath offended me to day and I shall offend him it may be to morrow He that shall thus when like the hypocrite Math. 7. he hath seene extra mittendo the mote in his brothers eye shall thus I say reflecting his eyes into himselfe and behold intramittendo the beame in his owne Ne is non magno vitiorum in alys odio indulserit seipsum venia plurima indigere sentiens saith q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutarch he will surely restore his slipping brother with the spirit of meeknesse considering himselfe that he may so be tempted Galat. 6. 1. and will professe like r Horaâ— de arte Poâ—t him mutuall need of forgiuenesse hanc veniam petimusque damusque vicissim I must forgiue my brother his trespasses euen as he must do me when I trespasse against him For peccabis tu illi cras qui tibi hodie peccauit saith Å¿ Chrys sâ—r 13â— one perchance thou shalt offend him to morrow who hath offended thee to day Et erit tibi iudex qui erat ante tibi reus and he shall be then thy iudge who before was guiltie vnto thee and shall restore thee pardon if to him thou gauest it or if thou didst not either denie it thee or by giuing it make thee more guiltie before God And this is indeed the debt which still we must pay Rom. 13. and yet still owe it our brother because though to day we discharge it to morrow comes a fresh charge of loue saith Lyra whose coÌ„mandement is therfore called new Iohn 13. because though to day it be kept yet to morrow is it so new as if before it had not bene heard I alwayes saith t Epi 63. ad Câ—l Austine owe this debt to my brother which only being payd alwayes still keeps vs in debt Neither by paying is it lost but multiplied thereby and like the widowes oile by bestowing more increased Yea v Aug. ser 205. de Temp as the poore widdow hauing nothing to satisfie her creditors but a cruse of oyle was hid by Elisaeus to borrow vessels of her neighbours which she filled with oyle and payed all the debt 2. Kings 4. so the Church or Christian soule saith that Father hauing nothing to pay her debt of offences not shillings but a little oyle of loue is commaunded by our Sauiour to borrow vessels of her neighbours which filling vp with oyle she may satisfie her creditors While her oyle decreased her debt it increased and while the oile was augmented the debt it diminished While she kept it in her cruse it suffiâ—ed not her selfe nor was able to pay the debt till shee borrowed vessels of her neighbours Wherefore seeing euery brother may like that seruant Math. 18. say to his fellow Pay me that thou owest let vs owe nothing to any man but to loue one another Yea if we want vessels for increasing of this oyle let vs borrow them of our neighbours and poure it into them out of the cruse of our heart And if thou art willing and not able to giue it if thy soule like the poore widdow crie The creditor is come and thine hand-maid hath nothing to pay he that made thee willing saith x Eâ—arr in Psal 33. Psal 36. Austine to promise will also make thee able to pay that debt which is loue not in word and tongue onely but in deed and in truth and the act of Christes commission here spoken of so much Be reconciled in word in worke and in will Which triple reconcilement of two seeing it must be by a The 2. part of the commissioÌ„ third as the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est per 3. aâ—queÌ„ mediatorem ad amicitiam v 〈◊〉 duci Budâ—n coment bâ—â—g Grâ—â— Step. Thesau Pha. word importeth which must make them both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one behold here is a brother which is a mediator betweene them to be their peace to make of both one to breake the stop of the partition wal to preach peace to him that is farre off from agreement and to him that is neare that reconciling both to God in one bodie he might make of twaine one new man so making peace and slaying hatred thereby Which dayes man seeing it was the peace-maker betweene Abraham and Lot Gen. 13. and should haue set those two Iewes at one Acts 7. y Guill in Math 5. 24. therefore vseth Christ in this exhortation the name Brother because it is most effectuall to perswade concord or vnitie that it is thy shame if either thou wilt not retaine or canst not obtaine amity with thy brother Wherefore as the interlinearie glosse on that of the Apostle Let brotherly loue continue Heb. 13. 1. doth fitly make this word the motiue of continuance in loue because ye are brethren so doth our Sauiour here make it the reason of reconcilement and by the word brother admonisheth of keeping concord and restoring it as z one obserueth For indeed latet in hoc vno verbo argumentum as another a speaketh in like case the very name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brother saith an b heathen seemes by good reason to put vs in mind of loue and goodwill And c Saâ—el lib 3. exâ—tap cap. â— what affection men should carrie one toward another the very name brother whereby they are called plainely declareth Wherefore as d Lib. 5. 〈◊〉 Tully told his friend Metellus mentioning their agreement Whereas you write of our reconcilement I see not why you should call