the tempest he began with teares to recommend himself to Christ our Lord and to beg remedy at his hands He passed in this anguish six whole daies without eating any thing and still continuing in this affliction Christ our Lord appeared to him in great brightnes and beauty and comforted him and fed him and commaunded him to cut the mast which was the ordinary remedy wherof the ship seemed capable in that extremity For though our Lord was resolued to deliuer the poore man yet he was pleased withall that he should also do his part He put himselfe therfore to cut the mast and because he alone was not able to doe it the Angells of heauen helped him in it When this visit was at an end and the man had disposed himselfe to sleepe our Lord came againe and appeared to him and gently touching his eare with his hand and gently pulling it he waked him and required him to goe about the doing of those things which were necessary for his nauigatiō and in that which himselfe could not doe he had the assistance of the Angells Another time he appeared to him sitting in the pupp of the ship where the sterne is wont to be letting him see that it was he who gouerned her The good man came to the feet of our Lord and perceiuing that he vouchsaffed to be so familiar and Benigne towards him that he did so cherish and inuite him to himselfe he tooke great courage and confidence and bent his head downe sometime towards his sacred feet and sometimes reposed it in his bosome Our Lord departed then hauing both by word and deed affoarded those great fauours and regaloes of so great Benignity to this old Catechumenus And the ship being directed and conducted by the fauour of heauen sailed three and twenty daies by sea and and passing by Africke and Sicily and by the Faro of that Iland he came at last to the coast of Lucana which is the lower part of Calabria There the inhabitants did receiue him and were all eye witnesses of the miracle seeing him come safe in a ship which was all defeated without sterne or men to gouerne her From thence they conducted the old man to Saint Paulinus who receiued him with great loue and baptised him and whereas first his name was Valgius he called him now by the name of Victor And the Saint affirmes that this was a very well conditioned and a sincere innocent kinde of man and that he would recount this benefit and apparition of Christ our Lord with so great tēdernes and deuotion that whosoeuer heard him could not choose but weepe from the heart By this example and many others ouer which I passe for breuities sake Christ our Lord hath discouered that the Benignity and and sweetnes of his condition which he vsed towards miserable mē whilest he liued in this world in mortall flesh is still conserued by him and still he vseth it towards such as will profit by it THE XIII CHAPTER Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. THis Benignity of speaking in sweet ciuill words which was vsed by Christ our Lord towards men he commaunded his disciples in the Ghospell that they should also vse towards their neighbours And so when he sent them to preach to the people of Israell he commaunded that as soon as they were entring into any house they should instantly salute them who were in it saying peace be to this house desiring and begging of God the most holy gift of peace for them all And this was to teach them that they were to be curteous and affable and benigne to all them with whom they conuersed The Apostles obserued this order very exactly S. Peter the Prince of the Church called the wicked Iewes his Brethren who had crucified our Lord saying Act. 23. Brethren I confesse that you did it by ignorance doe penance and you shall be forgiuen And such as were conuerted he called his fellowes and equalls 2. Pet. 1. in the faith and grace of Christ our Lord. And the great Euāgelist Saint Iohn called the faithfull his much beloued children And writing to a Christian woman called Electa he saith in the letter to the Lady Electa and her children whom I truly loue And writing to another Christian called Caius he saith to my much beloued Caius whome I doe very truly loue But what then shall wee say of Saint Paule With what Benignity with what curtesy and good māners and with what regalo did he speake to all men For speaking to the Iewes who still continued in their infidelity he saith Act. 13. Men and Brethren and the sonnes of Abraham to you was that word sent from heauen which giueth saluation And speaking to the Christians who had been conuerted from gentility he saith Philip. 4. My brethren much beloued and much desired who are my ioy and my crowne And in another place he saith 1. Tim. 2. You are my hope my ioy and my glory And speaking to Kinge Agrippa who was a wicked Prince by nation a Gentile and by sect a Iew he made him an exordium full of estimation curtesy and good fashion saying I bold my self happy ô Kinge Agrippa in that I am to defend my selfe before thee concerning those thinges whereof I am accused by the Iewes especially since thou knowest the customes and questions which are amongst them and therefore I beg thy patience in hearing mee By these few wordes so full of diuine sweetnes and eloquence he made him so propitious and gained so farre vpon his good will as to make him gladly and with great attention giue eare to a discourse and sermon full of diuine mysteries And speaking to Festus the Iudge a Gentile and an Idolater hauing heard this word of iniury from his mouth Paule thou speakest like a madd man too much learning hath put thee out of thy wits for him selfe being blind vnderstood nothing but earthly thinges and so the mysteries of heauen which S. Paule expressed seemed madnes to him he answered thus Most excellent Festus I am not madd the wordes which I haue spoken to thee are full of sobriety and truth What admirable Benignity was this not to be offended or disgusted nor a whit altered by such a great affront as it was to be called mad man and to answer with so great serenity of minde and so great sweetnes of wordes so full of curtesy and good manners as to call him good or Excellēt who was an impious Idolater and he might say so too with truth for although he were not Good or excellent in his Religion nor in that kinde of vertue which maketh a man iust in the sight of almighty God yet he was very vertuous in conuersation and morally vertuous and so vsing a word of a double signification in a true sence he honoured him as much as he could yet still speaking truth The Apostle did much declare his Benignity
A TREATISE OF BENIGNITY WRITTEN BY FATHER FRANCIS ARIAS OF THE Society of IESVS in his second parte of the Imitation of Christ our Lord. Translated into English Estote inuicem Benigni misericordes donantes inuicem sicut Deus in Christo donauit vobis Be benigne to one an other mercifull pardoning one an other as God in Christ hath pardoned you With permission of Superiours Anno 1630. TO THE READER GOOD Reader The trāslatour of the treatice of Patience lately printed had also rendred this of Benignity out of the same Autour but it came not in time to be dispatched with it therefore goeth here a parte by it selfe It will serue no lesse then that other of Patience to inamour vs with Christ our Lord if we will consider the vnspeakable sweetnesse of his charity whilest he made the world happy by conuersing in it The particulars whereof thou shalt finde Good Reader admirably expressed in this treatice by this holy Autour which is therefore recommended vnto thee A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS THE 1. CHAPTER IN what the vertue of Benignity consisteth and how Christ our Lord discouered it in the Mysteries of his Incarnation Natiuity and Apparition to the Shepheards and in the vocation of the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. pag. 1 The 2. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards sinners and other very weake and imperfect men supporting and instructing them pag. 17 The 3. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards the Apostles enduring and curing their defects p. 34 The 4. Chap. Of other examples of that Benignity which our Lord vsed towards his disciples enduring their imperfections and sweetly curing their ignorances and other defects p. 40 The 5. Chap. How we are to imitate this Benignity of Christ our Lord. p. 57 Tho 6. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse in touching sicke and leprous persons with his owne sacred hands p. 74 The 7. Chap. How the Saints haue imitated this Benignity of Christ our Lord towards sicke persons pag. 82 The 8. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord did vse to diuers blinde men hearkening to them expecting them and illuminating them and how wee are to imitate him in this Benignity p. 93 The 9. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed to little children and what he taught vs thereby p. 102 The 10. Chap. Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord shewed towards wicked persons vvho came to him with a corrupt intention p. 111 The 11. Chap. Of the Benignity which wee are to vse towards our neighbours doing them honour by good vvordes and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs herein pag. 122 The 12. Chap. Of other examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs of his Benignity in the same kinde p. 132 The 13. Chap. Of the Benignity and curtesy of speech which the holy Apostles vsed in imitation of Christ our Lord. p. 142 The 14. Chap. How vve are to exercise this Benignity and to vse this good manners tovvards them vvho vse vs ill p. 157 The 15. Chap. That it is not contrary to Benignity to reprehend vvicked and obstinate persons in their vvickednes seuerely as Christ our Lord did p. 161 The 16. Chap. That it vvas conuenient that Christ our Lord should vse these seuere reprehensions to teach the Prelates of his Church hovv they should proceed against sinners and hovv the Saints haue been euer vvont to proceed pap 176 The 17. chap. Of the Benignity vvherevvith a Christian it to be glad of the good of his neighbour and to approue and praise the same and of the example vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof p. 192 The 18. chap. Of the intention and moderation vvherwith vvee are to praise vertue in our neighbours and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs thereof p. 207 The 19. chap. Hovv we must praisse vertue for the making it be more esteemed and of the examples vvhich Christ our Lord gaue vs to this purpose pag. 220 The 20. Chap. Hovv it is fit to praise the vertue of some thereby to correct the vice of others p. 231 Tho 21 chap. Hovv vve are to praise the vertue of our neighbours to defend them so from some vniust slaunder p. 245 The 22. chap. How vve ought to praise vvise men vvhen they are vertuous to the end that others may profit by their example and doctrine p. 156 The 23. chap. Of the rule vvhich vvee are to hold when vpon the aforesaid reason vve shal praise the seruants of God p. 266 The 24. chap. Of other rules vvhich vvee must obserue vvhen vvee praise men that is that vve praise some vvithout offence to others and that vvee doe it in moderate vvords pap 276 The 25. chap. Of the rules vvhich they are to keepe vvho are praised that so they may be at no preiudice but receiue profit thereby p. 282 A TREATISE OF THE VERTVE OF BENIGNITY wherein the nature thereof is declared together with the operations and exercises of the same and the examples thereof which Christ our Lord gaue vs. Trāslated out F. Frācis Arias of the Society of Iesus in his 2. part of the imitation of Christ our Lord. THE I. CHAPTER In what the vertue of Benignity consisteth and how Christ our Lord discouered it in the Mysteries of his Incarnation Natiuity and Apparitiō to the Shepheards and in the vocation of the Gentiles in the person of the Magi. THe vertue of Benignity consisteth in that a man desire and dispose himselfe to doe good to his neighbour whosoeuer he be and in that he do it from the hearte yea and with a sweet and tender kinde of will and in that he put this will in execution by doing good indeed to his neighbour and in that he do it abundantly if it be in his power and lastly in that it be with a kinde of contentment and ioy It doth also consist in that a man treate conuerse with his neighbours after a sweet and gentle manner condescending to them and giuing them gust in any thing which is lawfull and agreable to the seruice of God and behoulding them with a clear and discharged countenance and speaking to them in sweet and gentle words There are men who in very truth haue the essentiall part of the vertue of Charity with their neighbours both friends enemies both wishing them good and performing it to them but yet they fall short in remedying their necessities according to their ability and they are austere and sharpe in their conuersation and dry and vntoward in performing the very good which they doe The vertue of Benignity doth cure and heale a man of all these defects making him who is the owner of it to loue his neighbour hartily and sweetly and to doe him good liberally cheerfully and to conuerse with him affably and gently auoyding for as much as the lawe good pleasure of God will permit
all that which may giue him any disgust or paine And so Benignity falls out to be the act and exercise of Charity with that perfection which wee haue declared and interiourly it embraceth the act of beneuolence and loue and exteriourly the exercise of beneficence liberality affability and of all sweetnes in conuersation It is also one of the fruites of the Holy Ghost For an act of vertue in regard that it proceedeth froÌ„ thence and giueth gust to him who performeth it is called a fruite and therefore Benignity being an act of Charity and causing delight in him by whom it is possessed is accounted amongst the fruits of the Holy Ghost All this is confessed by the Saints when they speake of Benignity Saint Isidorus saith That man is said to be Benigne who doth good with a good will and vseth sweetnes in his wordes And Saint Anselmus declaring what Benignity is saith thus Benignity is a good affection of the will a serenity of heart in vertue whereof a man doth for Gods sake giue all he can after a gratious and cheerfull manner and discourseth and conuerseth gently and sweetly with his neighbours And Saint Thomas explicating the nature of Benignity saith that it is the very sweetnes tendernes of Charity which spreads communicates it self exteriourly that as natural fier doth melt mettel make it flow so the fier of loue which is Benignity maketh a maÌ„ scatter what he hath towards the succour of the necessities of his neighbours This is that which the Saints say of Benignity and the summe of it all is this that it is the tendernes of Charity which doth not only communicate a mans exteriour goods to his neighbour but together with them it communicates his owne very bowells which is to discouer both by wordes and workes the dearnes sweetnes of Charity The Apostle declareth this by saying Charity is Benigne Which signifieth that it makes the man who possesseth it not to be straight handed but apt to communicate his goods and not to be harsh or bitter but that he communicate euen his very hart by conuersing with all men after an affable and sweet manner And to giue vs to vnderstand this truth the holy Scripture doth by one the selfe same Hebrew and Greeke word which signifieth Benignity in doing good signify also a softnes and sweetnes in the manner of shewing mercy And so whereas Dauid saith Our Lord is sweet towards all another letter saith Our Lord is benigne towards all And whereas he saith That maÌ„ is gentle sweet who sheweth mercy another translation saith The man who sheweth mercy is Benigne And therfore S. Basil when he would explicat what it was for a man to be Benigne saith that it is he who doth liberally enlarge himselfe to doe good to all such as are in necessity And he confirmeth it by that Psalme which saith Our Lord is benigne towards all and by that other which also saith That a man is Benigne who sheweth mercy and imparteth his goods to such as are in necessity In this Benignity did Christ our Lord instruct vs and perswade vs to it by many examples Mysteries of his holy life which wee wil eÌ„deauour to declare The first and principall Mystery wherein he discouered his Benignity was that of his Incarnation In that the most high sonne of God was pleased to become a naturall man to appeare visibly in the world in mortall flesh obnoxious to the miseries and penalties of other men and in that he did all this to doe good to man and to draw him to his loue and so to saue him not onely did he discouer an immense loue towards vs but a loue which was also most sweet and dear And not onely did he communicate his blessings to vs but he also did it with supreme liberality and gust and ioy of his owne sacred heart And together with his blessings he communicated to vs his very selfe namly his body his blood his blessed soule and his diuinity and all that which he hath yea and euen all that which he is he communicated to vs by many admirable mysterious waies This did the Apostle signify by saying WheÌ„ in the time of grace the Benignity immeÌ„se loue of our God and Sauiour to man did manifest it selfe to the world he saued and freed vs from our sinnes not by the title of Iustice and the merit of our workes which were not of any valew without Christ our Lord for the arriuing to that end but through his owne great mercy and most gratious bouÌ„ty and by meanes of that sacred Lauatory which is holy Baptisme whereby wee are engendred a second time to be the sonnes of God and renewed by a spirituall generation renouation which is wrought by the holy Ghost which Holy Ghost the eternall Father hath by meanes of his gifts and graces infused and coÌ„municated to vs in great abundaÌ„ce through the merits of Christ our Lord to the end that being iustified through the grace of the same Lord wee might from this instant become heires of eternall life which now wee hould by certaine hope and which hereafter wee shall haue in actuall possession This is deliuered by Saint Paule And Saint Bernard vpon these words declaring that Benignity of God which was discouered in this Mystery discourseth thus Before the humanity of Christ our Lord appeared in the word the Benignity of God was hidden from vs. There was already in God this Benignity mercy which in him is eternall but so great Benignity as this was not knowen before nor was there any meanes how to to know it And although it were promised by the Prophets yet men vnderstood it not and felt it not and many did not so much as beleeue it But when that time arriued which had been ordained by the diuine wisedome Almighty God came in mortall flesh and being vested with his sacred Humanity and appearing to the eyes of our flesh blood his Benignity came to be made knowne for by no meanes could he more haue manifested his Benignity then by taking our flesh and by no meanes could he more haue declared his mercy then by vndertaking our misery Let maÌ„ consider and vnderstand from hence how great care God hath of him and how much he esteemeth him and for how mighty an end he made him since he did and suffered so great thinges for him And thus by this Humanity wee may know his Benignity for how much the lesse he became by his Humanity so much the greater doth he shew himselfe to be in bounty and by how much the more he abased himselfe for vs so much the more amiable doth he shew himself to vs. This is said by Saint Bernard and so it is a most clear truth that nothing hath made so great discouery â—o vs of the bounty and Benignity of God nor hath moued obliged vs so to loue and praise him as for that he hath
towards such as came to him full of imperfection weaknes and ignorance and wee must receiue after a sweet manner our neighbours when they come to vs full of necessity ignorance enduring with a serene countenance their importunity rudnes and giuing eare and satisfaction to their questions and benignely instructing them in those thinges which are fit for them to be knowne by them according to the capacity of euery one and remouing the ignorance wherin they are comforting theÌ„ with the knowledge of truth and the hope of saluation and appeasing their conscience deliuering theÌ„ from vaine scruples and feares To this doth the Apostle Saint Paule Gal. 6. aduise in these words My brethren if any of you be surprised by any sinne as it happens to them who sinne out of Passion or weaknes orignoraÌ„ce and not out of meer malice and who are as it were preuented and surprised by that sinne into which they fal because they haue not well considered the ill they doe in respect whereof they are the more worthy of mercy and more easy to be reformed If any such I say haue fallen you who are spiritual men and liue according to spirit that is according to the true and spirituall vnderstanding of the Lawe of God instruct and informe well such a kinde of sinner as this and doe it not with sharpenes rigour but with sweetnes and gentlenes both of words and deedes wherin true Benignity consists And for this purpose let euery one consider himselfe and reflect well vpon his owne weaknes and danger and how subiect he is to fall as the other did and peraduenture worse And from hence he will grow to instruct and correct others with the sweetnes of mercy and Benignity and not with too much rigour and seuerity least himselfe also growe both to be tempted and conquered This in substance is deliuered by the Apostle and with great reason he wisheth him who treateth such as haue fallen into sinne without mercy and Benignity that he looke well to himselfe least he be teÌ„pted and ouercome For in very truth it is the punishment which he deserues and which ordinarily almighty God inflicts vpon such as rashly iudge and condemne their neighbour for committing any fault and as despise him for it to let them fall into the same sinne As on the other side our most piteous Lord is wont to vse supreme Benignâ—ty and mercy towards such others as vse Benignity mercy towards their weak and imperfect brethren This did that great and admirable woman Christina with great ponderation and feeling affirme when shee said There is no thing in the whole world which doth more moue Christ our Lord to vse Benignity and mercy towards men then to see that themselues are benigne and mercifull towards others and such Benignity and mercy cannot but leade them on to a happy death which will deliuer them vp to eternall life THE III. CHAPTER Of the Benignity which Christ our Lord vsed towards the Apostles enduring and curing their defects THis very manner of Benignity did Christ our Lord vse towardes his blessed Apostles whilst he conuersed with them in mortall flesh For during all that time which was the space of three yeares they were very imperfect and liued in great ignorance and by reason of their much rudnes made litle profit of the great light of doctrine which was propounded to them and of that so admirable example of the life of Christ our Lord which they had before their eyes Let vs produce some examples to proue this truth Our Lord had already wrought that illustrious miracle in the sight of his disciples Matt 15 of feeding fiue thousand men with fiue loaues of bread and shortly after another necessity offering it self wherin our Lord was pleased to feed foure thousand men with seauen loaues and hauing already tould his disciples that he would not permit those troupes of men woemen to returne home to their houses till he had fed them they conceiued it to be a matter of so much difficulty that as if it had indeed been impossible for our Lord to doe they said where can wee be able to procure in this desert such a quantity of bread as would be necessary for the feeding of such a multitude What a great imperfectioÌ„ was this in them and what a strange rudenes and blindenes of heart that hauing seen with their owne eyes that our Lord had wrought so many like and greater miracles then that they did not yet beleeue and confide so much in him as that with so few loaues he was able to feed so much people and especially considering that he had declared himselfe to haue a will to doe it and that he had wrought the like in the selfe same case some few dayes before And yet these disciples making him answere with so little faith and indeed with so little good manners our most blessed Lord did yet treate them with so great tendernes and sweetnes that he blamed or reproued them not nor shewed himselfe a whit disgusted or offended for the little account and estimation which they shewed themselues to haue of his power But passing by all this he asked them how many loaues they had and they saying that they had seauen he coÌ„manded the troupes to sit downe and he gaue them all to eate of those seauen loaues and he made the Apostles gather vp seaueÌ„ baskets full of the ouerplus and in this sorte he did by that action of his let them see their rudenes and he remoued their ignorance setled them faster in their faith And this was so great a fault in the Apostles that the confessing and publishing of it themselues after the coming of the Holy Ghost was an act of great humility in them and the suffering and curing it by our Lord with so great pitty and mercy was admirable Benignity in him So saith Saint Chrysostome It is worthy of great admiration to see the Apostles so great friends to the truth as that themselues who wrote the Euangelicall history would not couer those so great faults of their owne For it was no little one that they could so soon forget that miracle which our Lord had wrought so lately before in the multiplication of the fiue loaues of bread And Theophylact addeth thus It was not reason that they should so soon haue forgotten that miracle whereby our Lord had giuen food in the wildernes to more persons with fewer loaues of bread But the disciples were men very grosse and of meane vnderstanding which our Lord permitted to be so to the end that when afterward wee should finde them so full of discretion and wisedome we might know that it was the gift of diuine grace which caused it But their ignorance and vntowardnes being so great as wee see it was our Lord did not yet rebuke or reproach them for this fault but cured it with great Benignity and instructed vs thereby not to put our selues in choler with
corrupt intention OVr Lord shewed great Benignity in yeelding so liberally and sweetly to all that which the persōs who came to him desired of him with good intention and true desire of finding remedy by his meanes but he discouered it much more in yeelding liberally to that which was desired of him with a corrupt minde and with a meaning to calumniate him and to drawe some word out of his mouth or to note some action wherby they might defame him and condemne him to death There came to him a man of the Lawe Luc. 10. after a counterfeit manner to tempt him and he asked him what he was to doe for the obtaining of eternall life but our Lord did not discouer his treachery nor reprehended his wickednes but graunted that which he desired instructing him with wordes full of sweetnes concerning the truth of what he was to know and doe for the obtaining of eternall life There came a Pharisee to him Matth. 22. who was learned in the Lawe to aske him which was the greatest commaundment of the Lawe and he came with a malitious minde and not with a desire to vnderstand the truth but to finde matter whereof to accuse him And yet he without shewing any feeling or disgust either in his countenance or wordes did answere to the questiō with much facility suauity and he taught him the truth The Pharisees did often inuite him to eate with them Luc. 7. 11. Matth. 22. not with charity but with a peruerse and malitious intention which was to see if he did or said any thing which might be taxed and finding nothing whereof they could take hould wherewith to hurt him they procured to serue themselues of his piety and religiousnes towardes the making good their ill purpose and therefore they inuited him vpon their Sabboth daies and would place sicke persons before him to the end that curing them vpon the Sabboth they might accuse him for not obseruing it And our Lord knowing the malice and wicked intention wherewith they inuited him did not yet excuse himselfe from going but with great facility graunted the suite they made accepted their inuitation and he went to their houses and did eate with them and comfort them by his presence illuminate them by his doctrine and edify them by his example And though he vsed most exact temperance in eating and drinking yet to accommodate himselfe to them to shew himselfe affable and benigne towards them he fed vpon those ordinary meats which they vsed And euen this was a proofe of his very vnspeakeable Benignity that coming into the world to suffer for man and carrying such an intense loue towards the Crosse and such a most ardent desire to abstaine from all earthly comfort and regalo and to take all that to himselfe which was most painfull and grieuous that so he might suffer the more for man and satisfy the diuine Iustice more perfectly and discouer and exercise that loue so much the more which he carryed both to the eternall Father and to the whole race of mankinde yet neuertheles he did in many things remit much of this rigour at some times and did both in his feeding and cloathing serue himselfe of ordinary and vsuall things so to shew himselfe more appliable and sweet towards them with whō he conuersed and fed to make himselfe more inuitable by all men and to giue them all the greater hope of their saluation So saith the venerable Abbot Euthymius It was fit that our Lord who came to take away finne should be benigne and sweet and that he should accommodate himselfe to the weakenes of men to gaine them for heauen as he did and for this cause he went to the table of sinners and fed vpon their meates though he did it in a most temperate and religious manner as it becometh holy men to doe And although at times he condescended thus to the vsuall custome of men for the winning of them he did not for all this giue ouer his manner of austere and painfull life which he also exercised at certaine times as namely during those forty daies which he fasted in the desert This was said by Euthymius wherby it is cōfirmed that so to admit of the inuitatiō of sinfull people and especially such as did inuite him with a malitious minde as if it had been but to eate with them was a worke of supreme Benignity whereby he shewed his most sweet loue in the strength whereof he had a meaning to cōfort and saue all the world Especially he shewed this vnspeakeable Benignity in the time of his Passion For being in the house of Caiphas Matth. 23. Luc. 22. before that Councell of vniust Iudges they asking him whether he wore Christ and the Sonne of God or no our Lord seeing that they asked it not with a desire of knowing the truth or for the doing of Iustice but onely from his answere to take occasion of blaspheming him and condemning him to death and accusing him to Pilate to the end that he might execute that vniust sentence which they had giuen against him And obseruing that by reason they were so wicked so vaine and proud they were most vnworthy of any answere yet neuertheles that soueraigne Maiesty of Christ the Kinge of glory refused not to giue them answere and disdained not to speake to them but in very modest wordes was content to declare to them who he was by saying thus Herafter when my Passion is at an end the Sonne of man shall be sitting at the right hand of the power of God which was as much as to say that he was to raigne discouer his power and authority as he was God coequall to the eternall Father And they enducing another question hereupon saying Therefore belike thou art the sonne of God he answered also to that saying your selues say that I am so which was to answere truth but with very modest and humble words whereby though he gaue to vnderstand that in very truth he was the Sonne of God yet he affirmed it not expressely as it was fit not to doe to such as would not profit by it though the answere had been more expresse cleer And by answering them after this manner he also shewed his inclination to answere them more plainely and directly to what they asked if they would haue knowen the truth to haue beleeued it And this he signified by saying If I tell you what you aske you will not beleeue mee and if I aske you any thing to the end that I may teach you truth you will not answere mee Our Lord by answering these questions which were asked by Iudges so wicked so cruell and so vndeseruing of any respect at this hands did shew how free his heart was from all passion and choler since he answered with so great serenity peace of minde and therby he preuented that aspersion which they would haue cast vpon him if he had been wholly
suauity by these examples wherby he honoured his neighbours both in speaking to them and speaking of thē but much more he discouered it in this instance which followeth Onesimus an Infidell a slaue fled from Ph◅emon his Master and came to S. Paule being at Rome The Apostle receiued him with much loue and instructed him in the faith and conuerted him by the grace of Christ our Lord and baptised him and returned him to his Master and recommended him by his owne letter wherin he wrote to this effect I beseech thee for my some Onesimus whom I haue engendred for as much as concernes the spirituall life of grace whilest I was in prison at Rome and I embraced him as I would doe mine owne bowells Which signifieth to this sence I receiued him with much tendernes of affectiō as a sonne whom I loue with my whole heart with all the affections thereof If thou houldest mee for thy friend and if thou louest and respectest mee as such an one receiue him euen as thou wouldest doe mee with the same affection of loue and with the same estimation and good vsage wherwith thou wouldest receiue mee And if he owe thee any thing either for hauing runne away or for taking any thing from thee put it vpon my account demaund satisfaction and paiment thereof at my hāds for I offer to pay and satisfy it all for him Grant my suite as I desire it and I will reioyce with thee in our Lord for this good worke of thine Make my heart glad by doing as much as I haue asked which is to say giue mee this comfort and this regalo that thou receiue and treate Onesimus as I haue begged at thy hands Who would not be amazed to read and heare these wordes of Saint Paule That an Apostle of Christ our Lord a Prince and Instructor of the world hauing been personally visited before by Christ our Lord himselfe and raised by him vp euen to the third heauen and chosen out to iudge all the Nations of the Gentiles yea and the very Angells with them in company of Christ our Lord and being so employed both day and night in preaching the Ghospell and gouernment of the Church as that in his brest he carryed the sollicitude and care of all the particular Churches thereof that such a man I say as this so venerable to the Inhabitants of heauen and so reuerenced here on earth should take so much to heart and negotiate at so great leasure the busines of a fugitiue slaue but newly conuerted to the faith as that he should write a letter frō Rome to Phrygia which was in Asia minor where his Master was dwelling in Colossus and recommend him to be receiued to be pardoned and to be treated well And not being contented to performe this office of charity in ordinary wordes which yet had been sufficient that he should honour Onesimus with termes of so great estimatiō loue and sweetnes and should recommend him to his Master in termes and with reasons of so great exaggeration as a Father would do recommēding his only sonne whom he did extreamely loue to some great friend of his This was the Benignity and curtesy and suauity of speech which the Apostles learned of Christ our Lord and this must all faithfull Christians imitate treating our neighbours with termes of curtesy and good manners and giuing thē the most honourable titles and names we can according to the estate of euery one and according to the custome of that people amongst whom wee liue in speaking honorably of them both in presence and absence In this sorte wee shall preuent many sinnes which we vse to cōmit for want of obseruing the rule of charity We shall free our selues from detraction and murmuring which is a vice through which a man contemnes and affronts his neighbour speaking ill of him and recording his defects and faults whether it be with truth or with falshood But howsoeuer this is a vice much abhorred by Almighty God and very abhominable to them who feare him which made Saint Paule say detracters who are abhorred by Almighty God And the wise man in the Prouerbes saith The murmurer who speaketh ill of his neighbour and maketh a scorne of him is abhominable to men And because when God hath abhomination towards a sinner it is to wish him the euill of eternall paine from hence it is that the murmurer is subiect to eternall malediction and condemnation as Ecclesiasticus chap. 28. signifieth saying The murmurer who secretly speaketh ill of his neighbour and who hath two tongues because in the presence of his neighbour he speaketh well of him and in his absence he infameth him by ill report is accursed both of God and man because he hath giuen trouble to many depriuing priuing them of the peace and quiet of their hearts and filling them with grief and anger and destroying that agreement and good correspondence which they had with their neighbours Wee shall also deliuer our selues by this meanes frō the sinne of contumely and reproach into which they fall who face to face giue ill wordes to their neighbours whereby they vnderualue and affront them and this is the vice of them who want iudgmēt as the wise man affirmeth saying He who speaketh contumelious words to his neighbours is a foole And in another place all fooles are apt to thrust themselues into suites and strifes and such other businesses as tend towards the affronting of others or els to the being affronted by others with iniutious wordes And this is so grieuous a sinne and so worthy of punishment as that Christ our Lord said He who shal cal his neighbour foole with a minde to affront him is worthy of eternall fier Wee shall also thus excuse our selues from cursing others wherby men offer their neighbours to the diuell that they may be damned or els whereby they desire them any other euil Which sinne is so grieuous as that it excludes men from that glory to which they were created as the Apostle signified 1. Cor. 6. when he said They who curse men desiring the accomplishment of that with their heart which they say with their tongue shall not possesse the kingdome of God We shall defēd our selues from these sinnes so pernitious to the soule which are committed by the tongue if we be well conditioned and benigne in our words whereby wee honour our neighbours in their presence speake not ill of them in their absence And together with this wee shall by the good vse of our benigne speech giue great gust to Almighty God and shall deserue much in his sight and wee shall winne the loue of our neighbour making them friendly and kinde to vs to the end that they may willingly receiue any good aduice and counsell from vs which wee shall thinke fit to giue And wee shall conserue the peace and strength of our owne soules yea and of our estates also for the susteining of our liues which many
if he had said Behould here a man truly good not dissembling or counterfeit but that vertue which he sheweth in his exteriour fashion and publicke conuersation which is subiect to the sight of men is possest by him in the secret most interiour part of his heart which is seen by Almighty God This was a true and moderate praise and much good grew to Nathaniell by it for therby he vnstood that Christ our Lord knew the secrets of his heart and he was certified of it so much the more by the further answere of Christ our Lord. For saying to him where knew you mee he answered I sawe thee when thou wert vnder the sigtree It should seem that Nathaniell had retired himselfe vnder that tree to pray or to doe some other good worke and so he inferring thereby as a wise man might well doe that Christ our Lord knew all thinges he beleeued perfectly in him and tooke him for his Master Let vs deliuer another example of the same truth Christ our Lord Luke 19. came into the house of Zaccheus the Publican and he mooued him by his wordes and by his presence to so great pennance and change of life that not onely he resolued to giue ouer all those sinnes into which he had fallen to restore all that to the restitution wherof he was obliged but to render it foure fould thereby giuing satisfaction for the fault he had mitted by voluntarily vndergoing the paine which the lawe imposed vpon such persons as tooke away the goods of others and besides all this he gaue halfe his substance to the poore Christ our Lord perceiuing so good beginnings of a holy life in Zaccheus did praise him by saying of him to the standers by This day is true saluation wrought in this house For the Master and owner of it is already a true sonne of Abraham not only now by the extraction of flesh and blood but by the imitation of his faith and vertue In this sorte therefore did Christ our Lord praise Nathaniell who was a new beginner in his schoole of vertue and good life and so also did he praise Zaccheus And the praise was true and moderate it did no more then declare in plaine wordes that the one of them was a man truly good and the other truly penitent by meanes of these words he strengthned and encouraged them both to perseuer and grow in the good course which they had begunne But not only did Christ our Lord praise them who had good intentions who were truly good and vpright and well meaninge soules as Nathaniell already was before and Zacchaus was growne to be but he approued and praised also that good which was said or done by such as came to him euen with an ill minde There came a man Luc. 10. who was learned in the Lawe to tempt him asking what he was to doe for the obtaining of eternall life Christ our Lord demaunded of him how it was written in the Lawe He answered It is written that thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbour as thy selfe Our Lord thē said to him by way of allowing praising what he had formerly said Thou hast answered well doe as thou hast said and as the Lawe commaundeth and thou shalt obtaine euerlasting life There came another time a Pharisy to our Lord Mat. 22. Marc. 12. in name of all the rest to see if he could draw some such answere from him as whereby he might calumniate him and he asked him which was the greatest commaundment of the law And Christ our Lord hauing answered him that it was to loue God with all the heart the Pharisy approued the answere of our Lord and added thereunto these words that to loue God with all the heart and the neighbour as ones selfe was a better worke and more acceptable to God then all the Holocausts and other Sacrifices of the Lawe Then our Lord liking the speech of this man did praise him saying Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God Which is as much as to say Thou art not farre from beleeuing and obeying the Ghospell and obteining true saluation For the knowing of a diuine truth so important and the approouing it by the supernaturall gift of God was a disposition for the being conuerted to him and to acknowledge Christ himselfe who was sent into the world to saue it Christ our Lord if he would haue encreased his Iustice vpon these two learned mē in the Law might haue seuerely reprooued the ill mind wherewith they were come to him and he might haue discouered the craft and malice which they carryed in their hearts for so also they would haue vnderstood that he knew all things and thereby he might haue put them to confusion and shame Yet this he would not do but he heard them with admirable meekenes and answered their questions with supreme Charity And he approoued that which they had said well though it were very little and very imperfect and he praised it with strange Benignity that so he might remooue that peruersenes of minde from thē which they brought to him and encourage them to encrease in the knowledge and loue of truth till at length they might grow subiect to it And so by this true Benignity he changed their hearts and sent them bettered from him and he taught vs withall that not only we are to praise good men for the true vertue which they haue but that we may also praise with moderation euen in imperfect and wicked men the good they doe or say to the end that they may growe to take affection to vertue and may so detest and driue out of their hearts the wickednes which they haue and goe encreasing in the good way begunne as also to gaine their good will to make them beneuolous and kinde which is a very good disposition towards the inducing them to receiue in good part the doctrine which we shall deliuer and the reprehensions which we may haue cause to vse And therefore Saint Gregory aduiseth that when they who are endowed with authority and wisdome for this purpose reproue sinners who are pusillanimous weak they shal do wel to mingle some sweetnes of praise the sharpenes of correction that so they may the better admit of the doctrine and reproofe which is giuen them The Saint expresseth it in these words Wee shall better drawe such sinners as are not peruerse proud but weake and poore of heart to the way of heauen if whilst we reprehend the euil thinges which they haue done wee ioyntly praise those good thinges which wee know to be in them to the end that by this meanes such praise may confirme and strengthen thē in their weakenes who were humbled by that reproofe Thus did S. Paule proceed with those Christians of Thessalonica For they hauing fallen into the fault of giuing credit to certaine false Prophets who taught thē that the day of iudgment
was then to come very suddenly whereby they were put into much disorder and trouble before he reprehended this lightnes of theirs he praised them saying 2. Thess 1. Wee must giue many thanks to God for the great encrease of yours faith which is growing euery day and for the encrease also of your fraternall charity which aboundeth its euery one of you and encreaseth daily both by your louing and doing good to one another But when he had praised them in these other words he benignely reprehendeth them saying chap. 2. Wee beseech you brethren by the coming of Christ our Lord to iudgment and by the glorious and blessed vnion which wee are all to haue together at that day that you depart not so easily from giuing credit to vs and from hauing the true sence of those thinges which you haue learned of vs and that you be not troubled or frighted by what others tell you and in a word that none may haue power to deceiue you By this diuine artifice the sacred Doctour of the nations did reprehend them when first he had comforted and encouraged thē by recording that vertue which he knew to be in them and the good opinion which he had of them to the end that hauing cōpunction to see that they had failed of the good which they had begunne they might the better accept of the reproofe he gaue them and so might reforme themselues thereby THE XIX CHAPTER How wee must praise vertue for the making it be more esteemed and of the examples which Christ our Lord gaue vs to this purpose WEe must also praise the vertue of good men to declare how great a good that is and how that which seemeth little and of meane value in the sight of mē is indeed very great and hath a most high reward in the sight of God to the end that other men may esteem greatly of it and carry much affection to it labour hard to acquire it Let vs deliuer some examples hereof Saint Peter Matt. 16. confessed to Christ our Lord that he was the true Sonne of God saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God It seemed a small matter and of no merit that Saint Peter hauing conuersed so long with Christ our Lord seen with his owne eyes so great and so euident miracles and heard such doctrine contemplated such an exāple of life that he should piously incline his heart to belieue that he was the true Messias the naturall Sonne of God For this did not cost him the shedding of his blood nor the tormenting of his body with affliction and penance but only to produce a pious affect of the will and to performe an act of obedience in the vnderstanding But Christ our Lord praised him and gaue testimony that this inward act of his was of supreme value and estimation in the sight of Almighty God and that on earth he should receiue admirable fauouurs from God for the same that in heauen he should enioy an immēse reward of glory And that frō that instāt he might begin to be happy by that certen hope and pawne which was giuen him of that infinite good which he was afterward to possesse and enioy during all eternity All this he declared by saying Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for men who are made of flesh and blood were not able with al the humane wisdome they haue to teach thee this truth My celestiall Father it is who hath reueiled it to thee vpon thee will I build my Church and to thee will I giue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen By these words Christ our Lord praised by faith and deuotion of Saint Peter and declared to the world of how soueraigne value before Almighty God and how richly to be rewarded with celestiall and eternall blessings one single act of vertue may be which is performed by a iust mā though it be easily produced and in a short time and how little soeuer it may cost and especially an interiour act of liuely faith which a iust man hath no difficulty at all to performe Christ our Lord being in the Atrium of the Temple Marc. 12. Luc. 21. behoulding thē who were easting almes into the chest which was to serue for the reparation of the Temple for the maintenance of the Priests and for the relief of the poore amōgst the rest of them who cast in their almes which without doubt was then done both by many and in plentifull manner for it was neer Easter at which time there came much people to Ierusalem from all parts there cometh a very poore widow and casteth into the chest two of the least little peeces of money or mites Our Lord seeing her and being pleased to praise her much for the act which shee had done and the almes which shee had giuen called his disciples and pointing out the woman said thus to them This widow hath cast a greater almes into the chest and made a greater present to the Temple then all the rest who haue giuen almes this day And our Lord shewed diuers reasons why shee had giuen more then any of them First because in proportion of her poore condition it was more for her to giue a mite then for others to giue store of crownes And because the rest gaue the almes out of that which did aduance beyond their necessary maintenance and that they gaue not all but a part therof but this widow gaue that which was necessary to her selfe and shee gaue it all But the principall reason which he was pleased to signify vnder this was for that shee gaue her almes with a greater affection and desire to giue and with more ardour of charity then al they which he declared by her hauing giuen all that she had being in precise necessity thereof for her owne reliefe In this sorte did Christ our Lord praise the almes of this poore widow and by praising her he manifested to all the children of his Church how highly the good worke of a iust person is valued in the sight of Almighty God the great account he makes therof and how he will reward it in heauen and how he meanes not to giue the reward according to the quantity of the worke but according to the good will and loue of God and our neighbour wherewith it is performed He will also haue vs learne frō hence first to esteem greatly of the good works which our neighbours do how litle soeuer they may be and and approue them and praise thē before men for their edification and much to value those good men who doe them though they be poore of meane condition and estate since God who sees their hearts doth prize them much And secondly he will haue vs learne by this to be animated towards the doing of good works and to exercise the acts of Religion and charity with much affection and desire to please God and to doe more then wee doe although
faith as this in Israell And many shall come from the East and from the West and from all the parts of the world out of the nations of the Gentiles and by meanes of faith and obedience to my Ghospell shall sit in company of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the rest of the Patriarches and shall raigne with God and on the other side they who be the children of the kingdom which are the Iewes who descēd from the Patriarchs and to whom the promise of the Messias and of his celestiall kingdome was made shall the most part of them be excluded from that Kingdome and shut vp into eternall torment Christ our Lord praised the faith of the Centurion for the reproofe of the infidelity of those Iewes who belieued not in him at all of the weak faith of some others who belieued in him and to confound them by this example and to mooue them to penance for their fault and to perswade with them who belieued not and to encrease their faith who beleeued And so he was pleased to expresse himselfe to this effect This Centurion being a Gentile and not hauing read the Prophets nor hauing been brought vp in the Lawe of God nor in any discipline but of the warre and not hauing seene my workes and miracles but onely heard relation of mee hath beleeued my truth and my power with so great and so firme a faith and on the other side the children of Israell who are descended from the Patriarches who haue read the Scriptures and know the Prophecies which speake of mee and who were looking for mee and haue seen my miracles and heard my doctrine some of these haue not belieued in mee nor will receiue my truth but persecute the same others haue beleeued it so imperfectly that none of them hath arriued to so great a Faith as this man hath and as he confesseth in honour of mee They I say notwithstanding the many causes motiues which they haue had to beleeue my truth with a perfect faith haue not beleeued it as they ought and this man hauing had so few motiues as he had to beleeue in me hath beleeued with so great perfection that he hath farre outstripped all the rest And therefore this man though but a Gentile and all the other Gentiles also who throughout all the parts of the world shall be conuerted to mee and shall be like this man in his faith and obedience to my word shall be admitted into the Kingdom of heauen in company of the holy Patriarches whom they haue imitated and on the other side the children of Israell who according to the extractiō of flesh blood descend from Patriarches if they doe not penance and reforme their infidelity and disobedience by true and constant faith and reall subiection to my commaundments shall be excluded from the Kingdome of heauen and condemned to eternall torments In this sort did Christ our Lord praise the faith of the Centurion and thereby did he correct the infidelity or at least the weake faith of the Iewes And he did it with much reason for the faith of this man was so great that some of the Saints conceiue that he did truly know and beleeue the diuinity of Christ our Lord and that it was couered with the veile of his sacred humanity For thus saith Saint Hierome The wisdome of the Centurion is discouered in that with the eyes of faith he saw the diuinity which lay hid vnder that veile of humanity And the same doth Saint Augustin confesse saying in the person of the same Centurion If I being a man subiect to others haue yet power to commaund how much more hast thou it ô Lord whom all the powers of the earth obey and serue Wee are to profit by this example of Christ our Lord in praising such seruants of God as liue in a more eminent degree of vertue then the state and condition of their life seemeth to exact at their hands for the admonishing and correcting of others who by reason of their vocation and of the parts and gifts which God hath bestowed vpon them were obliged to greater vertue As when for the correcting of some Prelate who may be straight handed in giuing almes and negligent withall in the gouernment of his subiects we may praise some Lord who being a secular man is yet most liberall in giuing almes and most vigilant in procuring that his seruants and vassailes may be vertuous And as if for the reproofe and amendment of a Religious man who were remisse in making Prayer and doing Penance and were full of tepidity in the exercise of vertue and imperfect in the performance of his Obedience we should praise a secular Cauallier for being much giuen to prayer and diligent in the mortification of himselfe and full of feruour in the exercise of vertue and very obedient to his Ghostly Father For we frame the reason after this manner If a Lord or a Cauallier being a secular man be of so great recollection so great vertue such purity of life such diligence in the doing of good workes his vocation not seeming to bind him altogether to it how much more reason is it that a Prelate make himselfe a possessor of these vertues whom his state obligeth to be a perfect man and a Religious person whom his Religion obligeth to procure to be perfectly vertuous And so to reforme some very wise and learned man who wanteth spirit and deuotion we may praise a man who is wholly ignorant but yet full of the spirit of God and of true deuotion saying If this rude creature hauing so little knowledge of God and of his workes and mysteries and being able to vse so little discourse of reason haue yet so great loue of God and so great feeling of his goodnes and of his mysteries and workes so great gust of diuine things and maketh so great estimation of vertue and spirituall blessings how much more is it reason that a wise and learned man to whom God hath giuen so great wit knowledge for the comprehending of truth both diuine and humane and so great light of reasō to discourse and passe by meanes of visible thinges to the knowledge of such as are inuisible and by the creatures to come to the knowledge and loue of the Creatour haue such deuotion as was said before or at least procure to haue it In this sort did the Apostle S. Paule following this example of Christ our Lord cōmend the Gentiles who were conuerted for the most excellēt vertues which they had and the admirable workes they did and for those most high gifts which God had communicated to them by meanes of their faith to the end that so the Iewes who were in their infidelity might know their errour and be in confusion for their wickednes and might be awaked by the vertue of the Gentiles and encouraged to the incitation thereof This did he signify by saying Rom. 11. For as much as I
that light sweet labour in performing that work of piety with her owne hands she pleased Almighty God so much and merited so greatly in his sight obtained so much honour throughout the world that as long as it lasts she shall be praised had in veneration for this worke by all faithfull Christians and for all eternity shall be made happy amongst the Angells in heauen with a most high crown of glory And so will that be fulfilled which was said by the wise man The memory of iust persons wil remaine amōgst men after their death and they shall relate their heroicall deedes and exhibite praise and veneration to them whereas the memory and fame of wicked persons shall be full of reproach and it shall perish Secondly we are to draw from this example of Christ our Lord that when wee see vertuous people suffer hurt in their reputatiō or good name whereby their neighbours were to be edified whereof they are depriued by the slaunders and lies of wicked people wee must defend them by giuing testimony to the truth and by praising their good life And when men murmur against them in our presence wee must excuse their innocency declare their vertue And if it so fall out that we haue any credit with the murmurers we must procure to mend them and stop the discourse and if our aduice by way of speech will not serue we must shew both by our silence and by our countenance that such murmuring is displeasing to vs. This is that which the holy Ghost doth admonish saying that as the sharpe cold winde coming from the North hindreth raine and permits not through the coldnes thereof that the cloudes should easily dissolue thēselues into water so doth the reserued and sad countenāce of him who heareth ty vp the tongue of the murmurer This saith the Wise man in the Prouerbs who was instructed by the Holy Ghost And the reason is because when the murmurer sees that they who heare him looke cheerfully vpon the matter he thinkes he pleaseth them that they giue him a glad eare and he taketh so much the more heart and liberty to murmur but whē he findeth that they shew him an ill countenance he vnderstāds by that that the discourse pleaseth not but that they are vnwilling to heare it this he markes and so he begines to giue ouer murmuring THE XXII CHAPTER How wee ought to praise wise men when they are vertuous to the end that others may profit by their example and doctrine BEsides those reasons before expressed there is yet an other of great force why wee ought to praise the seruants of God and it is to the end that our neighbours hauing notice of their vertue and parts may profit more both by their doctrine and by the example of their life This praise belongeth chiefly to persons who are much knowne and haue authority or publicke office as Prelates Iudges Preachers Cōfessors Religious men Priests and rich and noble persons for vpon the vertue prudence and wisdome of such as these who are as the heads and hearts dependeth the vertue of the people and so the good life and incorrupt doctrine of these seruants of God being generally knowne and commended the rest of men doth profit by it so much the more and are more edified by their good speeches and vertuous examples and therfore to praise such persons with that discretion which is fit is a thing very acceptable to God and very profitable for the gaining of soules Let vs relate an example which Christ our Lord gaue vs hereof The disciples of Saint Iohn Baptist came to Christ our Lord in their Masters name Mat. 11. Luc. 7. to know if he were that Christ who was to come that is to say if he were the Messias who had been promised by Almighty God for the saluation of the world And our Lord hauing answered this question by the workes he did which was by working the miracles which were prophecied of the Messias and by preaching that doctrine which belonged to him to teach and publish he dispatched them away saying Tell Iohn what you haue and heard When the disciples of Saint Iohn were gone our Lord began to celebrate the diuine praises of the same Saint Iohn and to proclame his admirable vertues saying What went you out to see in the desert Went you perhaps to see some reed or cane which is shaken with euery winde or some man set forth in soft and delicate apparell He meāt as followeth you went not out to see a light or vnconstant person who is mooued by euery passion or interest but a most constant man and who perseuereth with admirable resolution in the truth which he preacheth and in that holy life which he began to lead And you shall euidently see that inconstant and light persons who are mooued with passions or by the interests of this world be allwaies in loue with regaloes and delicacies in their food their cloathing and their habitation and are desirous of wealth and haue recourse to the houses of great men where these things are foūd in abundance But in Iohn you shall see nothing of this but a life of great penance and austerity very abstinent estranged from all manner of regalo and wholly depriued destitute of all earthly goods For his habitation is in the dry and horrid desert his bed is the hard ground his garment is a sharpe hairecloth made of camells haire his food is dry locusts his drinke running water and his continuall exercise is to pray and contemplate in that desert and to baptise and preach penance in the riuer of Iordan He saith moreouer of him And what went you out to see in the desert Was it perhaps some Prophet Verely I say to you that he is more then a Prophet For this is he of whom the eternall Father said whilest he was speaking to his sonne as is recorded in Malachias Behould I send my Angell before thy presence to prepare the way for thee I tell you for a most certaine truth that there was not borne of woemen a greater then Iohn the Baptist but yet he who is the least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then hee Which signifieth according to the best exposition He who for his age the office of humility which he exerciseth and in opinion of the people is the poorest member of the Church which was our Lord himselfe the true Messias is both in dignity and sanctity greater then he Saint Iohn had preached penance to the people and exhorted men to the exercise of all vertue and had giuen expresse testimony mony of Christ our Lord affirming that he was the Messias And now to the end that by sending this message whereby they asked of Christ our Lord if he were the Messias the people might not suspect that he made any doubt as some inconstant might doe of that which formerly he had testified and of that which now