are the diuels harbingers for hee lodges not but where they haue taken vp his lodging for him There are some vse to minish their sinnes either they are not great or they are not many Sure it is that the smallest sinne that can bee beeing the offence of the greatest Maiesty deserueth death and therefore is great enough to destroy the soule and though there were but one yet that were one too many For one foote of a bird taken or one wing belimmed may cost her her life One hole in a Ship may sinke her One bullet may kill as well as twenty The smallest sin is in it nature mortall yea the omission of the smallest duety which the Law of GOD requireth deserueth eternall death For cursed is euery one which continueth not in All Things which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them If the smallest curse of GOD bee too great to suffer then the smallest sinne against GOD is too great to doe As I therefore desire to escape all curses so will I by the grace of GOD bee carefull to auoide all causes and will neuer count that little which might make mee sustaine so great a losse as is the forfeite of my soule Of the Gospell THE Gospell is good newes from heauen of remission of sins reconciliation to GOD redemption from hell death and condemnation and of resurrection to life and glory by the merites of our LORD and SAVIOVR IESVS CHRIST O happy newes O ioyfull tydings What newes more welcome to prisoners then of a Goale-deliuery What more pleasing to malefactours then to heare of their Princes pardon What would a blind man more willingly heare of then that his eie-sight shall bee restored to him Or what better tydings can bee brought to a man sea-beaten and spent with labour then that hee shall most certainely obtaine an hauen where hee shall most safely rest free from the malice of Pirates and fury of all foule weather Yet for all this the Gospell with many findes but poore acceptance It is because men haue no thorough feeling of their miseries they feele no misery and therefore affect no change What cares a clunch for learning or good manners that blesseth himselfe in his rudenesse and inciuility What cares a man for meate that feeles no hunger What doe you talke to him of cloathes that feeles no cold nor nakednesse The lacke of things causeth estimation the sense of lacke When men haue beene worne with warres how pleasing is the newes of a true and constant peace When a man feeles his disease and sees death staring in his eyes O how welcome is the Physition How welcome should hee bee that would bring him newes of a medicine which hee might easily haue that would cure him and set him vp againe When Sea-men haue beene long at Sea and spent their victuals and water euen a pound of bread would bee worth a pound in siluer and a little fresh water how welcome would it bee vnto them And if men would but duely consider of their captiuity slauery miseries and necessities into which they are driuen by sinne and wherein they are inwrapped they would bee glad to heare of deliuerance And beautifull should be the feete of those which shall bring vnto them glad tydings of peace I will therefore examine my selfe by the Law that I may bee brought to esteeme of the Gospell I will mediate of my slauery which I am brought to by transgressing the Law that I may duely respect the liberty which is Preached in the Gospell Mine owne bitternesse shall make mee delight in this Sweetnesse and mine owne vngraciousnesse in this so great a Grace Of the Law and the Gospell THE Law saith doe this and thou shalt liue The Gospell saith Beleeue in the Lord IESVS and thou shalt be saued In the Law there is seuerity but in the Gospell mercy In the Law there is reserued no repentance but by the sentence thereof hee that sins must die But the Gospell admits repentance and promiseth life to him that turneth vnto GOD. The Law terrifies but the Gospell pacifies The Law discouers sin but the Gospell couers it The Law requires a mans owne iustice but the Gospell Preacheth pardon in the iustice of another to wit of CHRIST The Law is written after a sort in the hearts of all men Pagans and Christians but the Gospell is not so generally knowne to all And the Gospell was not first and then the Law But the Law was first and then the Gospell To finde out my sinnes I will veiw the Law but to reade my saluation I will looke into the Gospell To despaire of my selfe I will weigh the Law but to hope in CHRIST I will receiue the Gospell If I were disposed to stand vpon my good deeds I would sticke to the Law but being desirous of mercy I will flye to the Gospell If I would stand vpon my iustice I wold plead the Law but crauing Grace I go to the Gospell Yet this will I doe because the Law is the rule of good workes I will endeuour to keepe it with care and conscience Yet euery day will I pray and say GOD bee mercifull to mee a sinner Of Good and Euill GOOD is more ancient then euill Sanctity is elder then sinne vice is yonger then Vertue There was first an Angell then a diuell First a Man then a sinner First a True-man then a thiefe In good no man can bee too much in euill no man can bee too little Hee that would encrease in good let him thinke hee hath yet too little Hee that would decrease in euill let him remember still hee hath too much The way to learne vertue is to vnlearne vice Hee taketh the ready course to become good which repenteth of his euils And Hee onely will proue a Saint which feelingly confesses himselfe to bee a sinner Of the Church Vniuersall THE Holy Catholique Church is the Corporation or Communion of Saints Triumphant in Heauen and Militant on earth This is the Mysticall Body of CHRIST who is the onely Head thereof by whose SPIRIT euery Member thereof is animated as euery part of the naturall body is animated of the soule And from which Head euery true mysticall Member deriueth all Spirituall life sense and motion And as the Moone receiueth her light from the Sunne so doth the Church receiue all her brightnesse both of grace and glory from IESVS CHRIST This Church is the Vine of GODS delight the Spouse of CHRIST His Faire One His Wel-Beloued GODS House and Citty the LORD and Keeper whereof is GOD the Wall His omnipotent Grace and gracious Omnipotency the Watch-towers are His Prouidence and Omniscience Her Ensignes or Armes are Faith Righteousnesse Peace Charity and ioy in the Holy GHOST Her foundation is the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles Her Gate is CHRIST Her Religion is the seruice of the blessed TRINITY Her Citizens are all poenitent and true Beleeuers and all the Saints of GOD. This is the
from Him and though shee brought Him into the world yet Hee redeemed her out of the world Some out of vanity will call her the Queene of heauen shee is in truth a Saint in heauen shining in heauenly glory more then any Queene or Empresse in earthly here below yet shee is not the Queene of heauen For her Son receiued not his Royalty of her neither hath Hee inuested her with any other Royalty then such as Hee hath bestowed on all whom Hee hath loued and washed from their sinnes whom Hee hath made Kings and Priests to GOD. It is the pleasure of some to call her our Lady a Title which shee knowes belongs not to her though perhaps endowed with greater grace and glory then any other Saint besides For CHRIST IESVS is our onely LORD and hers as well as ours and as Hee receiued not His Lordship from her so Hee hath not bestowed it on her Hee is the onely Head and Husband of the Catholique Church Militant and Triumphant whereof His mother is not a Mistresse but a Member and which hath indeed a LORD but not a Lady This onely will I adde he that speakes or onely thinkes a thought dishonourable of the Mother it is pitty hee should receiue any honour by her SON Of the Incarnation of Christ THE WORD was made Flesh Hee that was true GOD became also true Man without diuision of Person or confusion of Natures assuming that Hee had not and continuing what Hee was Being Creator Hee became a creature that wee creatures might be brought into fauour with our great Creator Being GOD Hee was made Man that what wee had lost by man wee might recouer by Him that was GOD and Man Being GOD Hee tooke the nature of man vpon Him and marryed our flesh vnto His Deity that man which was for his adultery separated frō his GOD might by Him who was truely Flesh be marryed and ioyned anew vnto his GOD. It was miraculous that a Virgin chast shold bring forth a Sonne but not to be doubted of considering Gods Omnipotēce For He that could make the world of nothing Hee that was able to take Adā out of the earth He that could giue Sarah a child in her old age He that made Aarons rod bud He was as able doubtlesse to make the wombe of a virgin fruitfull For with him nothing is impossible if he doe but speake the word it is done It is strange that God should bee man that a virgine should be a mother that the mother should bee daughter to her owne sonne and that a mortall and weake woman should conceiue bring forth the immortall and Almighty God But let vs turne vp our eyes to God and grant that he is able to doe that which wee are not able fully to comprehend In things of wonder we must ascribe the reason of worke to the power of the worker In a word our Sauiour by his Incarnation hath honoured both sexes Mans in taking of his shape and Womans by being conceiued borne brought vp by a Woman And so amends hath beene made in that Sexe For as a Woman brought sinne into to the world so a Woman also brought forth and brought vp that SAVIOVR by whom alone wee are deliuered from our sinnes As by a Woman came Sinne Sicknesse Sorrow Bondage Errour Death So in a Woman came a Sauiour for Sinners a Physitian for the Sicke a Comforter of the Heauy-hearted a Redeemer for Captiues a Guide for Straglers and euen Light and Life it selfe for them that sit in darknesse and in the shadowe of Death Of Miracles A Miracle is some extraordinary thing done by the power of God aboue the course of nature such as was the creatio of the world of nothing the diuiding of the red sea the standing of the Sunne in the dayes of Iosua the Mother-hood of that vntouched Maiden the turning of Water into Wine and such like Some things may bee aboue nature as the conuersion of a sinner or true saith in Christ which is aboue created and corrupted nature and yet no miracle being common ordinary and vsuall in the Church Some things are strange and wonderfull yet no miracles because there are naturall causes of them though perhappes not certainly discerned alwayes nor of all as Comets Earth quakes Eclipses excepting that Eclipse of the Sunne at the Crucifixion of Christ which to see it was ashamed and amazed so it is maruailous but not miraculous that the Crocodile should eate and not moue his neatheriaw that the Salamander should indure the fire vnburnt that Pismires shold prouide for Winter that the King amongst the Bees should onely want a sting that a Worme should worke out Silke and that a Spider should draw a Webbe out of his owne bowels to intangle the Flies with Furthermore some things are strange and beyond nature yet not miraculous not truely miracles because they are done by the power and assistance of the Diuell as are many things said and done by such are possessed of Diuels Miracles were wrought in the Primitiue Church very often till the Christian Faith was sufficiently confirmed but now hauing beene so aboundantly confirmed so generally beleeued hee were himself a very wonderment that will not now beleeue it without a wonder And because that Antichrist shall come with his lying wonders that is either not true but appearing to bee true or truely tending to maintaine his lies and errors therefore we must take heed of wonders that we be not by new wonders misled and drawne away from the old way For his wonders serue not to confirme the faith but to try the faithfull This is a Lesson neuer to be forgotten No signe no wonder no miracle must withdraw vs from Christ and his faith but and if any Man or Angell should preach otherwise then we finde written in the holy Scriptures or shall presume to adde to substract from or to change the faith receiued wee are to hold him as accursed If there arise among you a Prophet or a dreamer of dreames saith Moses and giue thee a signe or a wonder and the signe wonder which he hath told thee come to passe saying Let vs goe after other Gods which thou hast not knowne and let vs serue them What then Thou shalt not quoth he giue eare to the words of the Prophet or dreamer of dreames Why so For the LORD your GOD proueth you to know whether you loue the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soules Of Marriage MArriage is the Coniunction of but one man and but one woman for if it were lawfull to haue two wiues at once our Sauiour would not haue said that hee that puts away his wife except for adultery and marries another commits adultery The Man and his Wife are a matrimoniall Creature the Man is as the soule and the Woman is as the body The Man as Soule is to animate and rule the Woman as body is to be animated and ruled
Mother of vs all hee that hath not Her for his Mother hath not GOD for his FATHER This is GODS Family hee that serues not Him in it serueth the diuell out of it This is the Court of the great King Hee that is not New-borne in it is some base-borne caitiffe and not counted among the Sons of the King Of the Militant Church CHRIST hath a part of His Mysticall Body triumphing with Him in the heauens and He a part warring vnder Him heere on earth This is a Spirituall Building made of liuing Stones hewen out of the Rocke CHRIST IESVS This is Noahs Arke out of which there is no meanes to scape the flouds of vengeance This like a Ship is weather-beaten with the raging winds and waues of worldly troubles yet is not swallowed vp This Church though farre and wide dispearsed is yet but One as many Members make but one Body many Branches make but one Tree many Riuers make but one Sea many People make but one Kingdom And One shee is because shee acknowledgeth but one GOD confesseth one Faith is ruled by one Head animated of one SPIRIT participateth of one Baptisme and is gouerned by one Law This Church Militant is the Sub-vrbes of the Church Triumphant None must enter into This but hee that hath first passed That None shall triumph like a Victor but hee that hath fought like a Souldier And hee that would weare a Crowne in This must first take vp His Crosse in That The proper and essentiall Members of this Church are all of them holy by the imputation of the Merites of CHRIST their Head and by the powerfull operation of the Spirit of CHRIST which is within them And all these are infallibly knowne onely vnto GOD who seeth the secrets of the heart and can certainely iudge of inward vertues As for the iudgement of men which may bee deceiued with shewes as the Birds were with those artificial grapes of Zeuxis it is vncertaine if of others except there bee some singular reuelation and rather an opinion of charity then a conclusion of certainety This Church Militant is in the world but not of the world All her Members are strangers in the earth but descended from heauen generated not of man but regenerated by the Holy Ghost not begotten of mortall bloud by the appetite of the flesh or will of man but of Immortall Seed by the Word of GOD according to His Will The onely Husband of this Church is CHRIST IESVS For Hee onely hath her holds her leads her To Him alone shee owes her loue her loyalty and fidelity The Friends not the Husbands for shee hath but One of this Bride and Bridegroome are all true Christians specially Pastors which heare the Voice of the Bridegroome and take great delight therein eschewing the voice of strangers The common condition of this Church and all her Members is affliction and persecution But shee counteth nothing more glorious then to beare the reproach of her Husband who is troubled in all troubles remembers all her sighes and enbottles all her teares And shee hath this property that like a Garden shee is greenest after a shower like Camomill shee is most odoriferous being troden on like Spices Shee is most fragrant being rubbed or bruised Whiles shee is persecuted shee flourisheth whiles shee is pressed shee spreadeth whilst shee is iniured shee vanquisheth whilst shee is corrected shee learneth and then gets vp when shee seemeth to bee beaten downe Then is shee most valiant in the Truth when shee is most oppugned for the Truth Being laden with tribulations she gathers strength being watered with the bloud of Martyrs shee taketh Spirit in sorrow shee reapeth solace being straited she is enlarged her very teares doe feed her her fastings do refresh her and those things doe make her floate aloft like corke which make worldlings like lead sinke downe vnto the bottome This Church is the pillar and ground of the Truth so termed of her seruice because shee doth by her Ministery Keepe Confirme and Preach the Truth not that shee hath authority ouer the Truth for the Truth is the ground and pillar of the Church But shee hath authority ouer her children and against all Heretiques from the Truth with which shee is betrusted to preserue and Preach I will therefore enquire for the Scriptures in the Church and for the Church in the Scriptures For the Church sheweth the Scriptures by her Ministery and the Scriptures demonstrate the Church by their Authority Of particular Churches THE Sea is one yet by reason that it washeth on many Countries it obtaineth many names as Brittish Spanish Adriaticall Mediterranean So all true Particular Churches in the world make but one Catholique Congregation though by reason of the Countries States or Nations in which they are dispearsed or else because of diuerse outward formes of gouernment they are called by sundry names These Churches by reason of their open profession of the Gospell and by reason of their outward formes are called visible and may bee seene though which of the Professours in them be truely Saints and appertaine to GODS Election and which are onely guilded pot-sheards and not truely sanctified no man can define precisely These Churches are like the Arke in which were all kind of beasts cleane and vncleane like a Barne where there is wheate and chaffe like a Garden where is flowers and weedes an Army where are men and milk-sops a Net wherein are good fish and bad a Kingdome or Citty wherein are good Subiects and false or vnworthy varlets Now these Churches are then reputed true and counted the daughters of the Catholicke when they professe the true faith of CHRIST and maintaine the true worship of GOD For there is the Church where there is true Faith saith Hierome where GOD is feared and praysed saith Austen where the Sacraments of CHRIST are rightly celebrated and His Word heard and conserued saith Beda Where there is consent in the Faith and consanguinity of the Apostles Doctrine saith Tertullian Where GOD appeareth and speaketh with his seruants saith Ambrose Into what Church therefore soeuer I shall come and shall perceiue the soundnesse of worship and the Faith of CHRIST Preached and maintained in the same I will liue peaceably and submit my selfe to the ordinances of GOD therein most willingly Of Christians CHRIST is the King of Kings and LORD of Lords and Christians of all men are onely of His Royall Bloud bone of His Bone flesh of His Flesh animated with His SPIRIT sprung from His Loynes swayed by His Scepter and partakers of His Glory Christians are not vnder the Law but delight in the Law For he that delights in the Law studies to deale according to the Law but hee which is vnder the Law is dealt with according to the law Euery Christian as hee is a Christian must say with Christ My Kingdome is not of this world And though it bee his destiny for a time to liue in this world
at some-body Infinite are the quarrels that people picke with their Preacher On the contrary I haue heard some highly commend the Sermon Oh it was a rare Sermon hee is an excellent man it was the best Sermon that I euer heard hee is an admirable Preacher It is well but I will aske thee What rare effects did it worke within What wonders wrought it in thee what excellency what goodnesse hast thou receiued or gained by it Blesse not thy selfe in commending the Preacher rest not in the naked commendations of his Sermon Account that an excellent a rare and a good Sermon which produceth rare effects in thee makes thee better then thou wast before and stirres thee vp to excell in vertue Account him admirable and wonder then when hee worketh wonders in thy soule Thy Preacher cares not so much for thy verball commendations as thy reall Good conuersation is his best commendation his commending stands in thine amending and thy godly practise is his best praise The Sheepe that saith nothing commends his Sheepeheard when her skin is whole her fleece faire and her selfe wel-liking He heares well that doth well he learnes well that liues well and thy knowledge is praise-worthy according to thy practise And he onely doth proue a good Hearer which heares the truth in humility beleeues it in simplicity and obeyes it with alacrity The Word of GOD is our foode our eares are our mouth but this meate is not like bodily food turned into vs but we by beleeuing and obeying it are turned into it Now hee is the onely happy hearer that is translated into the Word so as that he may be able to say I liue but yet not I but the Word of GOD doth liue within me And this is when a mans reason will affections are brought vnder the Word and when his conuersation being transformed is now conformed to the Word Of the Sacraments THE oath of Souldiers to their Generall was called Sacramentum by which name also water in Baptisme and Bread and Wine in the LORDS Supper are vsually called Because as Souldiers when they receiued the presse-mony did solemnely sweare to their Captaine or Generall that they would bee faithfull and loyall to him So we whiles we partake of these holy Mysteries instituted of GOD in His Church doe binde our selues with the like Vow that we will liue and die in his cause and seruice And as they at the taking of that Oath gaue their names to their Emperour or Commander and were receiued into his protection So wee when wee receiue these Sacraments doe likewise giue our names vnto CHRIST and are receiued into his tuition that vnder his banner wee might fight a good battell keeping faith and a good conscience And as there wee doe yeeld ouer our selues vnto GOD so GOD doth binde Himselfe to vs by Pacts and Promises after a manner sealed vp Sacraments are signes of things being one thing and signifying another Euery Sacrament is a Mysterie but euery Mysterie is not a Sacrament Sacraments are not Nata but Data Not Naturall but by Diuine appointment And their dignity depends vpon their Authour They are not the better because the Minister is good that doth deliuer them nor the worse because hee is euill They are such as hee is in whose authority they are giuen not as hee is by whose Ministery they are dispensed And though they bee hurtfull to them that deliuer them being wicked yet they are profitable to them that receiue them being Prepared And though the Receiuer haue a peruerse faith or come vnprepared and in sin yet hee may pertake of a true and entire Sacrament if wee respect the signes and not the things represented by the signes In Sacraments there is a change not of Substance but of vse not of Nature but of condition For by these elements consecrated there is a signification obsignation exhibition of CHRIST and His benefits Sacraments are necessary in respect of GODS Commandement and as they bee meanes of receiuing CHRIST yet simply not the defect of Sacraments but the contempt of them doth damne a man If a man would haue them but cannot and dies in the desire of them no doubt he may be saued But indeed he that may but cares not for them and so departs questionlesse as he scorned the signes so he shall be depriued of the grace It is iust that he should misse of the Kernell that cared not for the Shell that he should loose the Land that contemned the Lease or Deed that hee should be depriued of CHRIST the Bread and Water of Life that regarded not the Water and Bread of CHRIST There are two Sacraments Baptisme and the LORDS Supper By Baptisme wee are admitted into the Church receiued into the seruice of the blessed TRINITY and haue our sinne remitted though not at first extirped A man is borne a sinner but by Baptisme hee is made a Saint A man is by birth a limme of the diuell but by Baptisme hee is made the member of CHRIST A man may bee new borne and not Baptized but hee is not so if hee skorne to bee Baptized There are some that make small account of Baptisme but for my selfe I make more reckoning of my Baptisme then of all the riches in the world as knowing that these can neither helpe nor hurt so much as the other and that the comtempt of these may stand with a mans saluation whereas the contempt of Baptisme is punished with damnation By the LORDS Supper wee are nourished and preserued in the Church In those hallowed signes of Bread and Wine CHRIST IESVS and all his Merites are signified sealed vp and exhibited vnto euery worthy Receiuer For as there is in an Obligation or Legall Instrument an assurance and conueyance made of mony goods or lands from one to another So in the Sacrament vnder these elements there is a most sure conueyance and exhibition of CHRIST IESVS vnto euery prepared Communicant And although wee take the Bread by it selfe and the Wine by it selfe yet wee must not imagine that CHRIST is giuen by peece-meale but two signes were ordained to shew that wee haue perfect food in CHRIST For it is but an hungry dinner where there is no meate and a dry feast where there is no drink Now to signifie that CHRIST is Meate and Drinke vnto vs and that in Him wee shall haue a full refection therefore two signes one of Bread which strengthens the heart another of Wine which allaies the thirst and make it merry were by CHRIST ordained Of Communicants I Do much wonder at the foolish auersnesse and peruerse folly of many men that make so small account of this Blessed Sacrament that they must by feare of Lawes be driuen to it They are out of charity they want good cloathes they are not yet at leasure they alledge I wot not what their very excuses doe accuse them Who bids thee be out of charity Why art thou not reconciled Who
themselues and thinke nothing well done but what they do themselues This is a pernicious and fearefull sinne the madnesse of the minde the impediment of all vertues the shame of Religion and the cause of all enormites He that loues himselfe aright loues himselfe Holily that is in GOD for GOD and vnder GOD and Iustly that hee may bee righteous and that by selfe-loue hee proues not himselfe injust And Discreetely not ouerweening himselfe but with wisedome be hauing himselfe towards all as is requisite for him The good man that loues himselfe as hee should wisheth well vnto himselfe doth good vnto himselfe agreeth with himselfe dwelleth with himselfe with willingnesse reioyceth with himselfe where there is cause of ioy and sorroweth with himselfe when there is matter of sorrow and in briefe doth earnestly couet and labour his owne peace inward outward and eternall On the contrary a wicked and profane Athiest Epicure and Worldling doe not truely loue themselues but rather hate and hurt themselues with intemperance worldly cares and other vices they study not to garnish their soules with spirituall vertues but follow riches pleasures and preferments which to wicked men are neuer good but euer hurtfull Neither do they agree well together within themselues because their appetite and sensuall part doth striue against their reasons and either they euer labour of a stupifyed or with a vexed and vnquiet spirit And hence it is also that sensuall and euill liuers as drunkards whoore-mongers spend-thriftes and such like persons loue not to be alone and like not priuacie and retired thoughts but frequent Ale-houses Tauernes Plaies and seeke out voluptuous and boon companions such as themselues because they loue not themselues delight not in themselues agree not with their consciences but are vexed with the remembrance of their vices and iniquities disquieted with the feare of punishment and pinched with the gripes of an accusing and tumultuous conscience Briefly men truely good do onely truely loue themselues but euill men do not loue themselues at all but either hate or loue amisse Of loue to our Neighbour A GOOD Christian hath two things in him to be beloued Grace and Nature As hee is a man we ought to loue him but as hee is a good man wee ought to loue him the more Hee that hates a man loues not his Maker he that hates a Christian loues not his Maister He that hates either Man or Christian is neither Christian nor Man but a diuell incarnate Some boast of their loue to GOD which shew no loue to man for GOD This boasting is vaine and false for he that loues GOD will loue His Image And certes he that loues not the childe cares as little for the father But our neighbour is vngodly gracelesse roytous and voruly Yet must we loue him if not because he is good yet that hee may be good if not the man yet the man-head if not the manners yet the man Gold is good though drosse bee naught Wheate may not be throwne away because of chaffe neither will we hate our bodies because there are deformities or diseases in them Neither will all loue serue the turne but we ought to loue our neighbour in truth not falsely in deed not verbally in the faith not against it in that that is iust and not vnrighteously in iudgement and not vndiscreetely in measure vnder GOD and not aboue Him and constantly not for a start as if some ague-fit were on vs. There is very much loue in the world such as it is but very little Christian Charity For this seekes the good of her neighbour and not his goods This loues to giue and not to pull away This beareth much for beareth much and reioyceth in the truth This loues a man not for his greatnesse but for his Graces not for his birth but for his New-birth not for his honour but for his Holinesse not for his wealth but for his Wisedome and finally for CHRIST and in CHRIST for CHRIST because CHRIST doth loue him and bids vs loue Him and in CHRIST either because he is CHRISTS or that he may become CHRISTS But this is the condemnation of men that the Church and Her Children are come amongst them but men loue the world more then the Church and sinners more then Saints Of louing and of being loued IT is better to loue then to be loued for Action is more excellent then Passion and the praise of vertue consists in action To giue is more gracious then to take Now in louing there is a gift in being loued there is a taking Honesty is better then Commodity Now to loue is a point of Honesty to be beloued is a matter of Commodity GOD delights more in the loue wherewith he doth loue then in the loue wherewith he is loued And mothers naturally reioyce more to loue their children then to be loued of their children and like better to do good to them then to receiue good from them Besides a man may bee loued of a man with Christian loue and yet be but an hypocrite but a man cannot loue with Christian loue but he must needes be a Christian A man may be loued of his neighbour for GOD and yet neither loue GOD nor be loued of GOD but a man cannot loue his neighbour for GOD but hee doth much more loue GOD and is most certainely beloued of GOD. And finally it is no paine but rather pleasure a gaine but no grace to be beloued but to loue a good thing well is grace yea oftentimes a man must sweate and striue with great contention so auerse and tortuous are our hearts by sinne before he can fasten his affections and fixe his loue on spirituall things which are most worthy of his loue and remoue it from those things that are rather to be loathed and forsaken as noysome and pernicious to him True friendship stands in true mutuall loue where loue failes there friendship fals But that a man may proue a friend vnto another it is necessary that he be a friend vnto himselfe For how shall he will well do well agree well or dwell well with another that failes in these things towrds himselfe But this as touching loue is worthy obseruation that those that do good turnes vnto others do more loue them to whom they do them then these that do receiue them do loue those that do them Prouided that they do their good turnes out of sincerity not for by-respects CHRIST loues vs better then we loue him Parents loue their children more then their children loue them Tutors loue their Pupils more then they their Tutors Hee that receiues a benefite is as it were the worke and creature of his Benefactour Now the worke-man loues the worke more then the worke doth loue the workeman The creature is deerer to the Creator then Hee to it and the cause loues the effect more then it the cause The Vsurer is vnworthy the name of Benefactour because he loues his Debtor for gaine