22. the Duty of Man to Man And those two Tables were at first delivered both together that the Duties of both Tables might never goe asunder And it is rightly to be observed that hee who is a good First-table-Man is ever a good Second-table-Man too But he who is an ill Second-table-Man is ever an ill First-table-Man also That crafty Questionest in the Gospell that asked our Saviour which was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The great Commandement Mat. 22. 36. in the Law Would faine have seemed a very good First-table-Man by the Question which hee asked But he shewed himselfe a very bad Second-table-Man and so by consequence no good First-table-Man by his designe in asking of the Question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 22. 35. for hee asked the Question but onely to tempt our Saviour And so hee sinned against the Second table in seeming zealous for the First In his greatest seemes of love to God hee wanted love to Man yea to that good Man to that God-Man Christ Jesus Our Saviour was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith holy Athanasius God-Man Symbol sanct Athan. Mat. 22. 39. Charity is as it were a summary of all the law and especially of the second Table Diodâ—â— Annot. Rom. 3. 1 John 4. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perfect God and perfect Man to make a perfect reconciliation betweenâ— God and Man And as such a Christ hee checkt those seemes of love unto his Godhead which were without true love unto his Manhood Indeed hee could not love the one without the other Hee that sayes hee loveth God and hateth his Brother sayes that which is not true yea in plainâ— tearmes saith S. John 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee is a Lyer For how can hee love God whom hee hath not seene when hee cannot love the likenesse of God in his Brother whom he hath seene And this Commandement wee have from him that hee 21. who loveth God should love his Brother also 1 John 4. 20 21. Where love to God does goe before there love to Man as saith S. Austine does ever follow after But where this does not follow after there that does not goe before We must love both or we can love neither First wee must love God for his owne sake And then wee Pe. Lomb. l. 3. d. 27. must love Man for Gods sake as the Master of the Sentences very well We must love God above our selves And we must love our Levit. 19. 18. Neighbour as our selves The sum of all our Duty is but love And the best of all our Luke 10. 27. love is our love unto the best of all Deus optimus maximus God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pittic the best and biggest of all and we must love him with the biggest and best of all our love 1. We must love God above all because God is good above all the greatest good of all 2. Wee must love God above all because God does good unto all and the good hee does is the greatest good of all 3. Wee must love God above all because it is above all the good that we can doe unto him so to love him God is love And God is infinite And we must love him as he 1 John 4. 8. Ezech. 10. 5. Psal 147. 5. Revel 16. 17. S. Bern. In tract de diligend Deum is His love to us is like himselfe And our love to him must be like his to us The Measure of our love to him as saith S. Bernard must be without all measure for so is his to us And in loving of him so there can be no love lost between us Never did any Man lose by loving him Nor was ever any Jude 21. Man lost that hee did love If wee make sure to keepe his love unto us wee may bee sure that his Love to us will keepe us Great is Gods Love in caring for us And great should our care 1 Peter 5. 7. be to keepe his Love unto us If God be for us who can bee against us for what cannot he do where hee will And where he loves Rom. 8. 31. what will he not do Gods Love to us is not the love of formality And our love to God must never bee the formality of love It is Amat Deus ut ametur S. Aug. Manuel for our good more then his owne that hee loves us And it should be more for his sake then our owne that wee love Him Whom hee loveth hee loveth to the end Yet there is noe John 13. 1. end of his loving of them His end in loving us is our Glory Jerem. 31. 3. with him without all end And our end in loving him should be 1 Cor. 10. 31. the endlesse Glory of that his love to us There is no sinister end in sincere love such is Gods Love to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysost Hom. 3. us And such should ours be to him If ours be sincere unto him it will surely make us ready to serve him yet not so to serve him as to serve our own turnes of him and to turne him off so soon as they be served by him Indeed there are some kindes of Men that are very kinde to others when they expect some kindnesse from them They will have their hands at the Ground in their Saluting of them when the Ground of their Saluting of them is to have a hand at them in some benefit be them But no sooner are all their ends obtained from them then all their seemes of love are ended towards them And strange it may seeme to others to see how strange they presently seeme to these But thus wee must not deale with God We must not Court him with meere seemes of love We must love God sincerely i. e. with our hearts and we must love him intirely i. e. with all our hearts The love of Man to God must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 12. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With all the Heart With all the Soule With all the Minde And it must also bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all the strength But how can this be If we love God thus with all our hearts with all our soules with all our mindes and with all our mights how can wee love our selves as we ought Or our Neighbour as our selves This quere at the first proposing seemes a Riddle but may be Minus Domine te amat qui aliquid tecum amat quod propter tâ— non amat S. August Confess Lombar l. 3. d. 27. thus unriddled with ease Minus amat hee loves the Lord the lesse that loves any thing with the Lord which hee loves not for the Lord so S. Augustine But he that loves his Neighbour in the Lord what loves he but the Lord in his Neighbour so Peter Lombard Now hee that loves the Lord in his Neighbour and his Neighbour in the Lord loves
neither of both the lesse but both the more for loving of both Hee does not forsake the God of love to love his Neighbour that loves his Neighbour but only for 2 Cor. 13. 11. Gods sake All is but love to God and so hee takes it Although Mat. 25. 40. this last bee a bearing of love unto him the furthest way about This Duty of Man to Man is a Duty of Man to God By this hee affirmes his love to God and firmes Gods love to himselfe Now these two the love of Man to God and the love of God to Man are points of Catholick concernment That is the Point of greatest concernment in all the Law This is the Point of greatest concernment in all the Gospell It is the greatest Commandement in the Law that is that wee love God And it is the greatest Article in the Gospell that is that God loves us On these two hang all the Law and the Gospell The whole Law is fullfill'd in that The whole Gospell in this And these two mutually depend upon each other to be fulfill'd Sine fide non diligitur sine dilectione noÌ„ creditur Leo. Serm 7. de Quadr. 1 John 4. 10. He that does not love God truely cannot truely believe that God loves him But hee that truly believes that God loves him cannot but love God truely againe for loving of him Wee love God saith S. John because hee loved us first Our love towards him is but the Reflection of his love towards us We believe in him because we love him And we love him as wee believe in him By believing in him wee increase our love unto him And by greatning of our love unto him our beliefe is greatned in him Galat. 5. 6. Jam. 2. 22. Faith worketh by love so S. Paul And by workes it is made perfect saith S. James It is by love to God that Faith does worke assurance in us Fides esse potest prodesse non potest S. Augu. de Trin. l. 15. c. 18. Jam. 2. 14. of Gods love unto us But fine amore saith S. Austinâ— without this love of God be in us that faith in God which is professed by us can bring no profit to us for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith S. James what does it profit my Brethren though a Man sayes he hath faith and hath not works can faith save him By saying can it save him he sayes as much as it cannot save him Works of love are fruits of faith but faith is fruitlesse where love works not The love of works with the works of love is the surest attestation of true faith Works without faith are no good works and faith without works is no good faith They then are both good when they are both together Faith never worketh any good for him that has it but when it worketh by love No more does love but when it worketh by faith It is by love that we fulfill the law of faith and it is by faith Rom. 3. 27. that we fulfill the law of love We must love as well as beleeve indeed we cannot beleeve unlesse we love The Old Commandement of the Law and the New Commandement of the Gospel are both for love and by true love they are both fulfilled for love is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 10. and by love is the law fulfilled divers wayes First Love fulfils the Law as the Efficient Cause by moving of Effective us Physically to the Observance of it Secondly Love fulfils the Law as the Finall Cause by moving Reductivâ— of us Morally to a willing Obedience to it Thirdly Love fulfils the Law as the Formall Cause by making Formaliter Finis in moralibus habet rationem formae Quodlibet agens propter amorem agit quodeâ—nque agit Aquin. â— 2. q. 28. ar 6. our willing Obedience to it to be accepted as the full performance of it For love it is that we observe it and by love it is that we fulfill it There is no keeping of it by us without the love of God be in us and there is no love of God within us without the keeping of it by us If ye love me keep my Commandements saith our Saviour John 14. 15. Love is the end of the Law It was Gods end in giving it and it is our end in keeping it It is finis Moralis the end of Intention 1 Tim. 1. 5. and it is finis perficienâ— too the end of Perfection or the perfecting End of our Obedience to it and is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The bond of Perfectnesse Colos 3 14. It gives the forme of Perfection and the perfection of Forme to our Obedience It perfects all our doing according to the Law and it perfects all our Beleeving according to the Gospel But without this love our faith is said to be informis a meere uncouth deformity in some sense It is onely then formata a perfect Gal. 5. 6. faith or perfectly formed when it worketh by love For it is by works of love that it is made perfect Jam. 2. 22. It is very true that Charitas non est forma fidei Charity is not P. Mart. in 1 Cor. 13. 3. Charitas non est forma fidei intrinsâ—ca dâ—citur forma quatenus per illam actus sidei formatur persicitur Aquin. 2. 2. q. 4. ar 3. the forme of faith That is it is not forma fidei constitutiva but fidei forma consecutiva it is It is not that Intrinsecall forme of faith that gives the very esse or being of faith unto it but that extrinsecall forme that adds the bene-esse or well-being to it For faith may be without it but not well Some kinds of faith may be without true Charity but not a justifying not a saving faith There may be an Historicall faith without it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith S. James The Devils beleeve They have an Historicall Jam. 2. 19. Mat. 4. 7. 8. 19. Mar. 1. 7. Act. 16. 7. 17. 19. 14. Ansel in Gal. c. 5. S. Bern. Serm. ad Synod faith but they have no Charity They are Beleevers by such a faith and yet are Devils for all they beleeve by such a faith Still Devils and still Beleevers And they that have no better faith then this of Devils as our Anselmus calls it with S. Bernard may perish with unbeleevers and be punished in Hell with Devills for all their faith And a Miraculous faith may be without it too for so the Apostle speaketh of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Though I have all faith so that I could remove mountaines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and have no charity 1 Cor. 13. 2. He supposeth here that the one Totam fidem Beza TotaÌ„ illaÌ„ fidem Piscator might be without the other that he might have had the whole of that faith of Miracles that faith to remove Mountaines without
11. which was an upper roome in the holy City that he might eat his last supper with them all But it is a farre greater favour which he shewed to them all with many others in going himselfe in person to prepare a place an upper roome in the holy City of John 14. 2 3. Heaven for them A Guest Chamber furnished well indeed where they and we may Eate our last and everlasting supper with him A supper it may right well be call indeed for after that we shall need no following Meale but may lay us downe in peace and take our rest for ever and for ever Or doe you delight in the presence of great personages There is the Mighty and Allmighty Monarch of Heaven and Earth the King of Kings and Lord of Lords And there is his Second selfe his onely begotten sonne the sonne of his love in whome he is well pleased his Right-hand favourite his Christ our Lord and Iesus in the hight of his Honour invested with power to unlock the Eschequer of his fathers richest favours with the key of his Eternall merits and to deale them forth at his owne good pleasurer amongst his servants and such as have beene followers of his Grace It was a great Honour which that Lord of all men paramount did freely bestow upon S. Paul in creating of him Doctour of the Gentiles and in appointing of him to be as his Attorney Generall to follow his businesse for him and to defend the right of his Cause in all the Courts of the Gentiles even to the utmost parts of the Earth Yet this Great Deputy this Chieftaine of Trustees accounted all the Honour of his Trust but a cypher or a shadow in comparing it with that of the Saints in the presence of God When he had once but seene the glory of his Master Christ at the right hand of God and the felicity of his fellow Servants in that Glorious presence he sighed out the residue of his dayes with panting desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ deeming it to be best of all to be with him who is all in all for Christ is the Salvation of all Soules there and the very soule of all their Salvations The Happinesse of all their lives and the very life of all their Happinesse The Crowne of all their Glory and the Glory of all their Crownes Their Every-thing their All in all And what can men wish for more then all Can there be any desirable above this All in all And if to all this to this all this All in all you wish for Courteous fellow servants in your following Intuere coetum non solum ex hominibus sed ex Angelis atque Arch-Angelis Thronis Dominationibus principibus ac potestatibus convocatum De Rege aâ—tem qui borum medius residet dicere vox nulla sufficiet Effuget omnem Sermonem atque omnem sensum humanae mentis excedit decus illud illa pulchritudo illa virtus illa gloria illa magnisicentia S. Chrysoft de repara lapsi of that Court you may be sure to have your wishes for there are none but such none that are not truely courteous There are none so ill as the best of us There are no meaner fellow-waiters then Cherubs and Seraphs then Principalities and Powers then Arch Angels and Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect But doe wee all intend that Court indeed Doe wee seeke for places of preferment there Then let us learne and understand the fashions of that Court let us observe the Manners and Demeaners of all sorts of Courtiers there before wee presume to thrust into that Presence-Chamber lest wee be thrust back when wee presume to enter for want of Courtship and good manners There every one loves all very truely and all as truely every one They know one an other perfectly and therefore love one an other so For quanto notiores tanto cariores saith S. Augustine By how much the clearer light they have into each others breasts by so much the dearer love they have unto each other in their owne When the Lady Italica vailed her saddest selfe in Cypresse for the losse of her second selfe S. S. Aug. Epist 6 Augustine told her in Consolatory Letters to her that shee should enjoy the sight of him againe in the fullnesse of joy and then should love him better then shee did or could doe here because shee should know him better Here Mens heads are not filled with certainties and therefore Cum â—nim ad illam lucem Patris luminum veniemus nihil in creaturis erit quod nesciamus Erit perfecta invicem agnitio Zegedin de aeternâ beatitud their Hearts are often filled with Jelousies And Jelousies are wont to nullifie Affections and multiply Dissentions But in the Court and Kingdome of Heaven there is not any one but hath a certainty of every ones sincerity and therefore no affections there are lessened by suspitions There every one does unfeignedly love every one for that hee does infallibly know himselfe to be unfeignedly beloved of every one There are no false Hearts no false Faces no dissemblers in that Court or Kingdome They are all reall there in all their tendryes of Courtesies O the happinesse of all in that society Which of us would not willingly bee there amongst so many thousands that would sincerely love us and should be as sincerely beloved of us Not one can there be found to hate us or to be hated by us The Favorites in that Court are never divided into factions Nor are there any factious Subjects in that whole Kingdome There are no Envyings no Emulations they that are best beloved by the King of Glory are beloved best by all the Court and all the Kingdome too The greater love and favour that any one receiveth from that King the greater is the outward joy and inward gladnesse of all the fellow Courtiers and fellow-Subjects The Joy and Happinesse of any one in that presence is a Joy and Happinesse to every one There every one does cordially rejoyce with every one that does rejoyce And that with so much the greater joy by how much the greater cause any other has for to rejoyce How exceeding great then must the rejoycing bee of each Saint triumphant when as the number of triumphing Saints is so exceedingly great and the joy of any one does adde unto the joy of every one They all there love themselves as they ought to doe And they love each other as themselves And therefore doe they all triumph at an others honour as at their owne They beare true loyalty to the Giver of Honours there and they beare true Charity to all Receivers And therefore doe they mutually congratulate one an other in their Honours without any secret repining or any close combining to undoe or undermine any speciall Favorite When but one penitent Sinner enters the Externall Court of Heaven the Church Militant the glorious Saints
Charity I am nothing 3. And though I bestow all my goods to feede the poore and though I give my body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing As if hee should have said that all that can be said with all that can be known with all that can be done with all that can be undergone can doe a man no good at all without true Charity for the obtaining of the chiefest good of all In that foregoing Chapter this learned Doctour of the Gentiles prelates the Grace of Charity unto all other Gifts in three Respects 1. In respect of the Necessity of it 2. Vtility 3. Stability First hee gives the Prelation to it for the Necessity of it in the three first or first three verses Secondly he gives the Prelation to it for the Utility of it in the foure next verses Thirdly he gives the Prelation to it for the Stability of it in the six last verses And so that Chapter begins and ends with the Commendation of it But the Commendation of it ends not with that Chapter for this Chapter also eccho's with the Praises of it and is fronted with an Exhortation to it In that Chapter St. Paul commendeth Charity to us In this hee commandeth us to Charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Follow after Charity The Subject of the Text is Charity And the Charity in the Text is quite against divisions The Nature of it is conjunctive rather then divisive It useth to make up divisions rather then to make them And should I offer to make many and many divisions and subdivisions of this little Text of Charity I should offer more then a little wrong unto the Charity of the Text. The Text doth offer it selfe entirely to us all as an Exhortation usefull for us and so ought we all to take it and to take it all without any curious mincing of it Yet for Order sake which is a thing that Charity allowes of though it likes not of Divisions I must needs Methodize the chiefe considerables of the Text into this connaturall disposition The Text for forme is mandatory or at least commendatory And so commendatory it is that it is even mandatory for that which is commended in it is little lesse then commanded by it And from this Text as the Substance of it I must recommend these two Observables to you Namely 1. The Duty commended in it to be done 2. The Persons commanded by it to doe the Duty The Duty is expressed to the Persons in the Text that they may know it And the Persons are implyed in the Duty of the Text that they may know themselves and doe it The following after Charity is the Duty And Ye the Persons that are to follow after Charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow ye even all ye follow after Charity The Command is indefinitely given and therefore universally to be taken according to S. Chrysostome and to the learned Schoole-men I shall beginne with the Duty charged upon the Persons and end with the Persons to discharge the Duty In the Duty there are two Remarkables The 1. is the Act. The 2. is the Object The Act follow after The Object Charity They that follow they know not what may lose themselves they know not where Many have lost themselves allready they know not where yet still are ready to follow they know not What. It is wisdome for men to know whither they be going before they be gone they know not whither Let us be so wise as to follow the Apostles Direction in the Text for in the Text the Apostle directs us what to follow It is Charity that we are all directed in the Text to follow after And we even all we are directed by the Text to follow after Charity Here therefore let us put Charity before and follow after it follow after Charity Surely that must needs be first that we are all to follow after and we are all to follow after Charity Charity then must leade the way both in the shorter Life of my Discourse about it and in the longer Course of each mans life that is to follow after it And who can chuse but love to follow such a Leader The Leader chosen for us all to follow after is love it selfe The Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A theme very pregnant in it selfe and very significant in its severall uses Thucydides Thucyd. de Bello Pelopon l. 6. Theophr de caus Plant. lib 3. Lâ—cian in Timone and Theophrastes with diverse others have applyed it to diverse uses yet never did they use it in a larger or a better sense then the Inspired Pen Man of this sacred Letter There are diverse Words for Love but none like this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to love but not like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to love like a friend but this like a Christian That is for love to one or two but this for love to all That is but for a time but this for ever For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle This 1 Cor. 13. 8. love which is Charity never failes It is for every Man And it is for ever in a Man It lookes at foes as well as friends and it looketh like it selfe on both It carryes the kindnesse of true Affections towards both And it is carryed in the expressions of true kindnesse unto both It shewes it selfe in expressions verball And it shewes it selfe in expressions reall too It is alwayes cordiall rather then complementall It is in corde in ore in opere In the Heart in the Tongue in the Hands In thoughts in Words in Deeds It is in the Inward Man and in the Outward too It is in both towards God and it is in both towards Man The whole Duty of Man both unto God and unto Man requires no more for both but true and perfect love to both He that loves one perfectly loves both truely And he that loves not both truely loves neither of both perfectly Neâ— Dâ—us fine proximo nec proximâ—s sinâ— Deo diligâ— potest Saith Peter Loâ—bard Neither God without Man nor Man without God can Pet. Lomb. l. 3. Dis 27. be truly loved When the Morall Law was first promulgâ—d upon Mount Sinai it was given to Moses in ten Commandements and those ten were so compendious that Mâ—sâ—s in Holy Language called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Decem verba S. Hieron them ten words Yet lest these ten might seeme too many our Saviour did coâ—pondiate all in two upon Mount Siâ—n And that these two might never be sundred this Inspired Apostle hath spoken both in One Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In one word Galatians 5. 14. This Text containes that One of Paul That One of Paul containes those two of Christ Those two of Christ containe those ten of Moses Those ten of Moses were all delivered in two Tables to distinguish the Duty of Man to God from Deut. 5.
true charity Indeed he speaketh onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of supposition yet it is asserted generally that what he did but Chrysost Basil Ambrose Austine Oecumenius Leo c. Fulk Downam c. S. Chrys de fide lege 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alex. l. 5. strom suppose may be indeed So S. Jerome and so Gennadius and divers others amongst the Antients So Pet. Mart. with Piscator also and Diodate with others amongst the Moderns But it were a Miracle beyond beleefe for a man to have a justifying faith without Charity for it is the nature of such a faith to be full of the works of Charity Such a faith saith S. Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even of it selfe is full of good works It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Clemens Alexandrinus a doer of that which is good It is but fides ficta say the learned of the Schooles a meere counterfeit of faith But umbra fidei the shadow of faith saith Master Calvin But the dead corps of faith saith Peter Martyr Mortua fides cadaver est fidei Pet. Mart. 1 Cor. 13. Rom 1. 17. Jam. 2. 17. It is very true that the just shall live by faith for so saith Saint Paul but then it is as true also that the just mans faith must live by works of love for faith without works is dead so saith S. James Mortua est per se it is dead when it is by it self alone And what can a dead faith doe Quod eâ—â—icit tale illud magis est tale It must be a living faith in Man by which a Man must live He that would live by his owne Faith must give others leave to live by his Charity A living faith is ever a loving faith and a loving faith is ever Charitas nunquaÌ„ oâ—iosa est semper in alterum porrigit vel in proximum vel in DeuÌ„ S. August Jam. 2. 18. a doing faith He therefore that sayes he does beleeve and does not shew it by his doings doe not beleeve him Shew me thy faith by thy works and shew me thy works with thy faith He that shews nothing but a faith alone had as good shew nothing for he sheweth nothing that is good Such a faith does make him nothing in Gods account He that hath no Charity in his Cribbage must needs be bilkt at his last account for all that faith which he turneth up in his outward Profession of Christianity Some well-skill'd in Heraldrie and in Blazoning of Coat-Armory Such bearing is to be accounted false Arms not worthy to be received except in some speciall cases Sir John Ferne. White Shields were accustomed to be bestowed upon Novices in Martiall affaires such as we call Fresh-water Souldiers to the end they might in future time merit to have them garnished with the titles and testimonies of their valorous deserts till such time they were accounted of as inglorious Guillims Display of Heraldâ—y Section 2. have deemed it a dishonour for a man to give a Field without a Charge The Romans ever deemed it a disgrace for a man to beare an empty Shield i. e. a Shield without any Pourtraicture on it And can it be any other then a disgrace in Christian Heraldry for a great Professour to beare the empty Shield of Faith without any charge of Works or any Pourtraicture of the Grace of Charity on it It is a shame for Faith to Schismatize from Love True Faith was never yet a Separatist from Christian Charity The language of Faith to Charity is like that of Ruth to Naomi Ruth 1. 16. Where thou livest I will live and where thou dyest I will dye and thy God shall be my God Faith lives but where it loves and onely whilst it loves Now abide Faith Hope Charity these three but the greatest of these is Charity saith the Apostle Now that is in 1 Cor 13. 13. this life saith Diodate and so Primasins with diverse of our Fulke upon the Rhemish Testa Downhame of Justification own Now in this life they abide together and cannot abide to to be asunder Hee that hath one hath all and he wanteth all that wanteth any one So S. Ambrose and so S. Chrysostome And according to the measure of the one such is the measure of both the other Quantum credimus tantum amamus saith S. Gregory By how Et tantuâ— speramus S Gegor super Ezech. Hom. 22. much wee believe by so much wee love vice versa by how much wee love by so much wee believe Where there is a great deale of faith there is a great deale of love But where there is but a little love there is ever but a little faith And where there is no love there is no faith It is our love to God for his own sake that makes us to believe that God loves us and it is our love to others for Gods sake that maketh others to believe that wee love God It is that beliefe that justifyes us in our selves and this beliefe that justifyes us amongst others It is Faith that justifies a Man in foro Conscientia In the judgement of his own Conscience And it is Charity that testifies the the truth of that justifying Faith unto others and so justifiies him in foro Mundi in the judgement of the Word But it is neither faith nor Charity nor faith and Charity not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not any gift or gifts of grace in Man that justifies Gratiam justificantem quae est Dei in Christo misericordia non in nobis sed in Dco solo collocamus Whitaker Tom. pri lib. 8. Pag. 177. him in foro Caeli in the Court of Heaven in the sight of God But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That free grace of God in himselfe towards Man that first moves him not to impute Mans owne unrighteousnesse but to impute the Righteousnesse of Christ unto him It is the meere Mercy of God that perswades him to justify a sinner It is Faith that perswades that sinner in his very soule that hee is justified with God and of him And it is the Charity of his Workes by the Workes of his Charity that testifies the Truth of that his Faith and proves it to himselfe and others and perswades them to be confident that hee is so justified Now this Charity it is that wee are here exhorted to follow after And this Charity wee must follow after totis viribus with all our mights The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which sayes as much as follow it hard Phil. 3. 12 13 14. and follow it home follow after it untill ye overtake it With Xenophon it signifies to prosecute With Lucian to persecute It is taken both wayes in the Text by severall Expositors It is S. Chrysost Theophyl P. Mart. Wilson Christian Dictionary Rom. 12. 14. well observed by some to referre two wayes in holy Writ Sometimes to a
Bee not yee that are rich too hard for the Times Bee not Getters from the Poore when yee should be givers to them Such Gettings may be great but they cannot be good Yet the best and biggest gaines are such as are gotten by the Poore in such hard Times as these I say such as are gotten by them not such as are gotten from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phoâ—ylid Phocylides thought it unlawfull for the Rich to be Usurers towards the Poore And yet there can be no Usury more gainefull or more lawfull then that which the Rich may practice towards the Poore But the way is not by getting from them but by giving to them for hee that giveth to the Poore lendeth Prover 19. 17. to the Lord and hee that lendeth to him shall againe receive his owne with usury The Lord himselfe is the poore Mans surety and hee that hath his suretyship is sure Give then and it shall be given to Luke 6. 38. you He that hath given you a Precept for the one hath given you also a promise of the other The Poor follow after you for Charity do ye follow after Charity towards the Poore And yee Poore follow after Charity towards the Rich for yee may give to them also Yee may give good words yeâ— may speake charitably of them yee may pray in Charity for them yee may bestow the teares of sorrow on them for the hardnesse of their Hearts in that they will bestow nothing of Charity on you And Teares as saith S. Chrysostome are the best Almes-deedes that can be done yet such they are as yee may doe Charity is of that which a man hath and not of that which a Acts 3. 6. man hath not S. Peter was poore yet charitable Hee had neither Gold nor Silver to give but such as hee had hee gave He give a blessing in the Name of Christ unto the Cripple And 1 Tim. 2. 1. such as are as poore as that cripple may bestow the Charity of their Prayers for a blessing upon the Rich. In some Parishes all must be either Givers or Receivers In Christs Church all may be both All Receivers All Givers and all Forgivers too Yee then even all yee follow after Charity in forgiving others and in forgiving all even all offenders and all offences For if yee forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you But if yee forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses saith our Saviour Mat. 6. 14 15. Hee freely forgave his mortall enemies and Luke 23. 34. Acts 7. 60. prayed for their forgivenesse So did the Protâ— Martyr S. Steven And so did our famous Cranmer But most men are Dr. Fox Act Mon. defective in this kinde of Charity in these Times The very Heathen will rise up in judgement with the men of this Generation and condemne them for many of them were very ready to forgive offences The Time would faile mee to tell you the stories of Antisthenes and Plato and Aristotle and Aristippus of Phocion and of Socrates famed by Apollos Oracle for the wisest man in the World and of many others that were easily intreated yea without any intreaties that were ready to passe by indignities When Calvus the Orator and Catullus the Poet had inveighed bitterly against Julius Caesar hee freely forgave them once and againe Antigonus and Alexander and Augustus Caesar are all renouned to Posterity for their forwardnesse to forgive offences Great Tamberlaine was wont to call himselfe the wrath of God But good Titus the Sonne of Vespasian was wont to be called by others the love of men Amor et deliciae humani generiâ— It is better to be a Titus then a Tamberlaine more honourable to be kinde then cruell And many Pagans were more worthy of honour for it then many Christians But shall the Law of Nature doe more with Heathens then the Law of Grace can with Christians Let us also practice this forgiving Charity Forgiving Charity is most suitable to this Assembly It maketh most for making Peace and that 's the end of this assembly as I conjecture Give me leave to repeat this Exhortation unto those that are especially concerned in the Occasion of this Assembly and I shall conclude In the first place Ye Right Reverend that are Commissioned for the Seat of Judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow after charity Ye are now in this Court of the Lords house to heare of Charity and of Mercy But ye are presently to remove unto that other house of the Lords Court to doe justice and to denounce judgement Let this Christian Charity follow your Honours from this Court of the Lords house unto that house of the Lords Court that your Honours may follow after Charity there remembring Mercy in the midst of Judgment And Ye that are in Commission for this County 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow after Charity Follow after it in the County and follow after it towards the County Be Plato's Common-wealths men for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Common-wealth Follow after Charity towards the Publick remember as concerning the Private of any that Charity does no wrong It oppresses none It packs not the heaviest burthens upon the weakest backs It does not as Authority does sometimes Now whether it were Authority rather then Charity thus to charge this publike office of Preaching upon the weakest abilities to discharge it ye may be Judges For my part I will not may not judge what it was that did first charge that Publick Authority where it is so full of other Charges But for this which concernes my charge I may say that it was for a man to Mat. 7. 12. Luke 6. 31. doe as he was done to not as a man would have been done to But now this Charge is even done and that with Charity There are but some few others to whom I must leave this Exhortation and so discharge my selfe Amongst those others Ye Jurors follow after Charity And first Ye Jurors of the Great Inquests 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow after Charity Let no private interest be indulged to the prejudice of the Publick as the Trustees of the County follow after Charity towards it and shew your love unto it And in private concernments also follow after Charity Consider well amongst your selves whether Charity in an Ignoramus grounded upon this Exhortation be not better then Extremity in Billa vera grounded upon bare presumptions And Ye Jurors of Life and Death follow after Charity I speak not this in favour of the Tacian Heresie or the Manichean but in love to true Christianity which proves its selfe by all 1 Cor 7. 15. 1 Pet. 3. 11. the parts of Charity and that tells us that it is better to save life then to destroy it when it may be done without injustice And then Yee Jurors of Nisi Prius follow after Charity Your calling to Christianity and
juranti Deo credimus O happy we for whose sake the living God doth swear by his life that he would not our death O most wretched we saith Tertullian if we Tertull. de Paeniten will not believe him when he swears He swears he would not our death but have us live he would and therefore would have us use the means Now turning is the means of living Wherefore turn your selves and live ye Turn your selves These words are altogether Mandatory And the Precept in them hath these two Considerables 1. Who are commanded 2. What is commanded First Who. The word is Plural in the Text And the Mandate in it is indefinite and so must reach unto us all Turn ye even all ye Turn your selves ye that are sinners Ye that Deus definitionem non facit qui misericordiam suam omnibus promisit S. Ambros de Paenit dist 1. must otherwise suffer eternally for your sinnes Turn your selves We are all concerned in the duty here commanded And in that we may consider three particulars 1. The Act. 2. The Object 3. The Time The Act Turne The Object Your selves The Time Presently For the word is in the Imperative Mood and that admits of none but the Present Tense And thus from these words we may inferre these three Conclusions 1. That we must all Turn 2. That we must all Turn our selves 3. That we must all Turn our selves without delay Wherefore turn your selves First of the first we must all turn But what is it to turn By Turning here is meant Repenting In Sinning there is a turning from the Creator and a turning to the Creature And therefore in Repenting there must be a turning from the Creature a returning to the Creator And this Turning is commonly called the Conversion of a Sinner And in this Conversion there are many Turnings The first is the Sinners turning of alâ— sinnes out of himself by a full and clear Confession of them The second is the Agite paenitentram detâ—stando peccatum Nic. de Lyra in locum S. Aug. Ser. 3. de Nat. Dom. Sinners turning from all sinnes so turned out with an utter detestation of them And the third is the Sinners turning or returning unto God with true compunction and contrition for his former turning from him For Paenitentiam certam non facit nisi odium peccati amor Dei saith S. Austine A sinner can never be said to be a true Convert untill he turns his loving of sinne into a loathing of it and his hating of God into a loving of him God hates an obstinate Sinner God accounteth those to be haters of him which continue sinners against him Ex. 20. 5. but loves an humble Penitent And we cannot but love him when we are Penitents though we were haters of him whilest we were Sinners When our repenting of our sinnes hath procured his love to pardon them and his pardoning of our sinnes hath perswaded us to love him then our love unto him must needs provoke us to abhorre even all our sinnes which provoked him to abhorre us and to set our hatred most against those Delilahs or delightful sinnes on which we once most set our hearts Our Hearts are most of Prov. 23. 26. all desired of God And God who is a jealous God in this particular is most jealous of those sins which have been our Darlings for those are most likely to steale away our hearts and turn away our loves from him He loves nothing like our Hearts and wooes us for nothing more then for our loves and therefore hates nothing so much as those insinuating sinnes which will needs be his Corrivals and Competitors in Courting of our Hearts And therefore we to attest the truth of our love to him must from our very Hearts detest those sinnes and scorn to entertain them as beloved Suiters Yea we must even hate them with a perfect batred or we cannot love God with entire love And unless we love him we cannot hope for his love towards us And without his love we cannot live or not so as we would not well not in peace either with him or others or with our selves Sinne is a very Make-bate a common Barattor the grand Boutefeu of Great-Britain and of all the World It is the partition-wall betwixt God and man and betwixt man and man too It is Sinne that hath parted the Church and the Isa 59. 2. Jer. 5. 25. State it is Sinne that hath parted the Soveraign and the Subject the Prince and the People It is Sinne that hath been the Impulsive cause of all our hurtful Combustions Lam. 5. 16. and Sinne it is that is the Impedimental cause of all our hopeful Accommodations Oh Sinne 's the Remora of Reconcilement What evil of Suffering is there now amongst us which the evil of Sinne hath not pulled down upon us Isa 48. 22. 57. 21. It is Sinne that hath been the Traitor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both to the King and to the Kingdome the Troubler of this our Israel Sinne is the grand Malignant the great Delinquent It is Sinne that hurts and hinders the Great and Gravest Councel of the Kingdome What evil hath been acted but Sinne hath had a finger in it Sinne is the all in all for mischiefe It hath been thought by some Polititians that malus Vir may be bonus Cives An evil Man and a good Common-wealths man But believe it upon a plain demonstration A great Sinner can never be a good Subject His sinnes are ever doing of more evil in a Kingdom then he himself is able to do good Whilest the Sinner himself may be fighting for it his sinnes are fighting against him and that When a Kingdome quarrels with it self it is a signe that God hath a quarrel with it When the people of any Country doe sinne against God they do but pick quarrels betwixt God and their Country and God he fights them all by making them to fight each other whilest the sinnes of the divided Parties do ever fight against their own Parties How many on both Parties swear to fight for their own Parties to the best of their powers and policies and drink deep Healths to the greatest Leaders of their Parties with intentions and protestations to be faithful to them whilest their Drinkings and Swearings and other sinnes are very treacherous to themselves and make them as ill as Traitors to their Causes and to their Companions The sinnes of each Party do take part with the other Party against the Sinners and their Parties Yea indeed there would be no such Parties nor any need of such parts-taking but for the sinnes of both Parties O that every Party and every person would look upon their own sinnes as the most malignant party and as the worst of enemies O that every man would take some speedy course to secure himself and all Parties by seeking out of those most dangerous Malignants that are in his own bosome and