to heare the word but to remember and practise what we have heard What good will a mans meate doe him if he casts it up so soon as ever t is sent to his stomack The Mother of our Lord the Virgin Mary is highly commended as for many other vertues so chiefly for this Luk. 2.19 that she kept all the words of the Angell in her heart J have hid thy word within my heart that I might not sin against thee sayes David They are compard in the Gospell to good ground vvho hearing the vvord of God retaine it in a good and Luk 8. honest heart and bring forth fruit with patience for indeed as to read and not understand so to heare and not retaine in memory vvhat vve heare is vaine and fruitlesse and savours of great negligence We ascribe folly and madnesse to that Painter vvho having dravvn vvith great paines and much cost a curious Picture in Colours shall aftervvards dash it and vvipe it out vvith his sponge So unseemly is it for a Christian to heare and bury vvhat he has heard in the grave of Oblivion Therefore let every one of us endeavour so to remember that our memory be not dull and drowsie but Active and strong in its commands to doe that which wee have lok'd up in our memory the treasurie of the head If yee know these things happy shall ye be if ye doe them Ioh. 13. No man went to heaven ever for his knowledg but for practise And he that refuses to know what he ought to doe will never execute or performe his duty The holy Scriptures are the pure and living fountain of saving knowledg And although divers draw Waters out of this fountaine not once or twice but many times without intermission yet it can never be drawn dry there will be Water still even Water of Comfort to refresh every thirsty Soule Such is the quality and condition of this rich Mine that the deeper you dig and dive into it it vvil afford the more profound mysteries concerning God and our salvation The holy Scriptures are a spring of ever-living Water affording to the weary Soule inward refreshings and heavenly consolations Now as the Ant gathers her food in summer to sustain her in the hard Winter so a good Christian whose heart burns with the fire of devotion in the time of peace gets a stock out of Gods Word on which hâ—e feeds in the dayes of Tribulation It is manifest by dayly experience that the contemners of the Word have been and are so punishd by God that they themselves and others seeing and feeling Gods heavy Judgement for this sin have accknovvledged and confessed his Justice It is Gods will and pleasure we should submit our selves so farr as to be willing to be taught one by another King David vvas a most wise Prince in many things the holy Ghost was his instructer he knevv full vvell that Adultery and murder vvere forbidden in the vvord yet he never repented of these sinns until he vvas quickned and stirred up by Nnthans instructions Christ had prcached to Paul out of heaven when he repressed his raging cruelty with this reprehension Saul Saul why persccutest thou mee Notwitstanding this Christ sent Ananias to instruct him in the way to heaven Act 8. The Angell told Cornelius that God had accopted his Prayers and Almes and with all sent Peter from Joppa to informe his understanding when the Eunuch was sitting in his Chariot and reading the Prophet Jsaiah An Angel was not sent from God to be his Master but Philip. Moses whom a man may justly term Gods Secretary who was privy to his secret Councells yet as if he had beene a Child without knowledge he was taught and that with sharp and bitter speeches by his Father in Law a stranger how to Govern the people in peace and without all danger Christ himself vvho is the eternall Wisdome of his Father did sit in the midst of the Doctors Learning and asking them Questions There is no Sex on State no condition or calling exempted by God from hearing of Sermons But thirdly thou maist object and say I am one of the learned I shall heare no new thing I know before hand what the Preacher will deliver in his Sermon Here we may discover the pride of humane nature which is skilfull and witty to deceive it self But let me move to such a man this question who was ever so old and learned who was not ignorant of many things might be further in structed But suppose thy self to be a man furnished with all kind of knowledg and to excell all men so farr in understanding that thou canst not come home more learn'd from a Sermon But what say you to the will and memory may not it bee mov'd this stirred up and quickned Does not that sometimes need to be reformed this to be confirm'd and strengthen'd Nothing so easy as for the memory to be deceav'd and for the will to run into mistakes and errors embracing evill for good and shunning good for evill unlesse both memory and vvill be supported by daily helps vvhereby the former may be made firm and the other freed from erroneous conceits that so vve may serve God sincerely in all holines and righteousnesse Therefore it is not only profitable but also necessary for all men to frequent the Church and to heare Sermons The wicked have need of preaching that they may be corrected and their lives amended The good and Godly that they be not corrupted the Ignorant that they may be taught the learned that they may be admonish'd that they may learne some new thing or recollect in their memories old things which they have formerly learnd A wise man will heare and encrease in Wisedom and the eare of the wise seeketh learning That Herod who was so famous for his wicked impiety yet he was not so barbarous and foolish but that he would heare Iohn Baptist his Court Chaplain joyfully and willingly and when hee had heard him do many things gladly In this Herod there was not only a willingness to heare but also a long and unwearied patience for he could not have done many things according to Saint Johns praescriptions unless he had heard him oftentimes concerning divers and many particulars Neither are we to imagine that John the Baptist did only repeat or set downe in a Catalogue and rebuke the Kings vices but to have dealt with him by Reason and Argumentation that so he might not only point at the Tyrants faults but also disswade him from them The adultery of that King and many other hainous crimes such staines could not be wiped out by one or two Sermons each crime required one or more for its purgation A Soule that is hardned in wickedness such was Herods is to be assaulted and shaken with divers batteries Thus did Iohn the Baptist and notwithstanding all this Herod heard him gladly And although Iohn did publikely cast this in his teeth
place of torment where thou shalt burne in everlasting flames with the Devill and his cursed Angells A patient suffering of Injuries is a Gate through which we enter into the heavenly joyes But he that seeketh vengeance shall find vengeance of the Lord Ecclus 20. 1. Num. 12.19 Deut. 32.35 and he will surely keep his sins Lastly thou maist object and say I can take no rest night nor day my meat and my drink are uncomfortable to mee so long as I see Mordochey my enimy sitting and untouch'd free from all misfortunes and grief and plotting against me this or that mischief O fond man foelish to thine owne destruction Ezekiel reports of certaine valiant men Ez. 32 27. who went downe â—o the grave with their weapons of Warre and laid their Swords under their heads See here a new and unheard kind of pillow a sword On such a pillow do all those that are greedy of revenge lay their heads to sleep who never cease from wickedness and take no rest or quietness in any thing but in calumniating and fighting in brawling with those whom they conceive to be their enemies Thus Cain the first Scholler in the Devils School as Basil calls him he slew Abell with his bloody hand to the intent that his Brothers glory being ecclipsed and darkned his owne might shine the brighter and be more firmely established But he found a quite contrary event Esau Saul and Antiochus implor'd Gods mercy begg'd his pardon for their sins and that not without tears and yet were not heard God rejected their Prayers Esau found no place for repentance Heb. 12. though he sought it with teares In like manner Said and Antiochus though they endeavored to take hold on the hornes of the Altar even that of mercy they were repuls'd and beaten off and not undeservedly for that they refus'd to spare and to be pitifull to those from whom they had receiv'd any the least indignities Eccl. 28. He shall have judgement without mercy who shewed no mercy to others King Davids fall was foule and deadly when he committed 2. sins at once Murder and Adultery but so soone as he had shew'd but the least signe of Repentance and utter'd scarce two words when he said to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord 2 Sam. 12.13 The prophet Immediatly replied The Lord hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die How oft did Antiochus confess that he had sinned and not without bitter lamentation and howling cry to the Lord for mercy and pardon no doubt he made great vowes and offer'd great gifts to God in his Temple and promised if God would pardon to amend his life for the future Notwithstanding al these protestations he suffer'd a repulse God did not encline his eares to this Tyrants prayers no wonder For this tyranical King did differ much from King David They behav'd themselves diversly and in a diffeferent manner towards their enemies David was inferiour to none in Warre and conquest his success and victories were great and many he likewise overcame all in mercy and pity in sparing those who did injure him either by opprobrious words or open hostility He us'd his power in nothing less then in taking revenge against any more gentle and milde was he to his foes then Antiochus was to his owne people and Citizens against whom he breath'd nothing but swords and fire blood and revenge and being thus unmercifull and full of cruelty he found no mercy The Phisitians use not to desert their sick patients untill they plainly perceive that their disease or malady is pass'd all hope of recovery yet there is a certaine kind of disease which when they discover in their patients they presently bid them prepare for death it being impossible for them to be cur'd Even so it is in the soule Although we are to dispaire of no mans salvation be he never so wicked so long as he has life and being yet when his bowells do swim in the gall of bitterness when his soule is inflam'd with masice burnes with hatred and a desire of revenge of this kind of sickness St. John spends his Crisis he tells us it is deadly 1 Io. 5 There is a sin sayes he unto Death I say not that a man should pray for it These men seldome repent that are obstinatly resolv'd and bent to revenge their private quarrells and distasts against their enemies And in whom there is this bitterness of spirit in them there is no sense or feeling of Gods Judgements Ecc. 21. they are by them no whit terrified Although all the learn'd and wise men in the world thunder against this sin with their pens although all Gods Prophets and Ministers pronounce heavy threats against it and withall intreat and perswade the men of the World to cover all their injuries with the mantle of forgetfullness to bury them in the Grave of forgiveness and to embrace one another in the Armes of love and tender affections notwithstanding all these exhortations threats and precepts the ungodly ones who are fitted to destruction shun and decline all the wayes of amity and reconciliation they not fearing the wrath of God not regarding his Ministers go on boldly in their revengfull purposes and labour to repay to their enemies for bad turnes the like requitalls When neither the Prophets wisemen nor any of Gods Messengers could be heard but still men went on in their malice at last the wisest and the fairest among the sons of men the Prophets instructour the King of Angells came with great power and Authority from his heavenly Father not so much to perswade as to command us to this union a peaceable agreement among our selves he came also not to counsaile us but to imprint this law of love in our hearts and yet miserable wretches we are we kick and rebell against our Saviours Doctrine we reject his law He in his Fathers name commands us thus But I say unto you Mat. 5. love your enemies we his rebellious Subjects retort and cry unto him O Christ you speak in vaine to us your commands are to no purpose although we be Christians yet we in this will shew our selves worse then Heathens we will take revenge and not attend to thy words This is the blasphemous answer of proud worldlings to Christ who exhorts us to love our enemies but none will obey his voyce But I say unto yee resist not evill Thus Christ what Resist not evilf Then we shall be branded for Cowards thus we out of an impudent boldness Pray for them that persecute and revile you that ye may be the Sons of your Father which is in Heaven This is Christs advise but we count this a Jejune and frigid Prayer and are loath to purchase that royall Title at so deare a rate as we esteeme it Doe good to those that hate you So Christ enjoyns but we are ready to reply Thou commandest Lord that which is against the very grain
of nature impose upon us a taske which may be done with more facility Forgive ye shal be forgiven Thus Christ againe Our Answer is this we cannot and that you may know we cannot know that we will not bridle our Anger with the curbe of Reason we will not hold in our Teeth nor containe our hand And who can command his thoughts we are therefore resolv'd to meditate and practise revenge If you forgive men their sins your heavenly Father will also forgive you your trespasses This is Christs loving and sweet admonition to us but we ungodly miscreants make ansvver to this vve would vvillingly dye so that vve might first see our enemies perish O my Christian Brethren do you hate Heaven so that you vvill vvith a speedy course post to Hell have you banish'd that Petition in the Lords Prayer out of your thoughts Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us From this you may inferre that either your enemies are to be loved or that you cast a snare upon your selves as oft as you put up this request to God As vve forgive others so Lord do thou forgive us But we forgive nothing out of an implacable hatred to mens persons vve are ever forvvard to punish and revenge the least affront or hurt vve receive from them Therefore O Lord forgive us nothing but punish so oft as vve offend This is the language of our Esawes the Reprobate not of Gods elect ones vvho although they receive never so great hurt and dammage from their enemies yet they are ready to call to God and say vvith their Saviour Father forgive them c. And Lord lay not this sin to their charge I forgive all I remit all and vvill revenge none This is the voyce of Iacob of one ordain'd to life and salvation But before I put a period to this discourse I must entreat all those who shall peruse this and not love their enemies to tell me ingeniously whether they beseeve these things to be true Certainly they vvill ansvver affirmatively unless they can imagine that Christ vvill deceive us or that Truth it selfe can lye If then these things be true nay most true what wicked contumacy then are they guilty of vvho out of an obstinate spirit make a mock at Gods word and contemne his commands Christ calls and commands Love not only your friends but also your very enemies if they have vvrong'd you pardon and remit al their injuries Christ may command yet you are stifly resolv'd to hate and persecute not to pardon your enemies and detractors What is God and Christ is Heaven and happines of so little vvorth in your esteeme that the promise of so great a revvard cannot vvrest and extort from your tongues and hearts this one vvord I forgive I remit and the Lord pardon that man his sin whosoever he be that has done me any wrong What for all this which has bin delivered do ye stand yet as stocks without sense and voice without any motion or inclination to forgive and pardon Does your Iron brest yet breath Reveng Doe ye yet cry the Devill or the Gallowes take him that has wrong'd mee Doe ye still wish mischief to him do you still hate your enemy And will not ye hearken to Christ listen to what he commands If you are fully minded not to cast out this poyson enjoy your malice but let me tell you for a certaine doe what you will take what course you please you are in the road vvay to hell and out of that vvhich leads to Heaven Faith and loye lead to this malice and hatred to that For most true is that saying of a learned and devout Author He that ceases not to hate his enemy cannot love God SYMBOLVM IX Dilectio inimicorum Noli vinci a malo sed vince in bono malum ad Rom. 12. Embleme X. Detestation of Sins past I will come vnto thee quickly remoue thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent Rou 2. v. 5 The tenth signe IS A detestation and loathing of our former sins The emblem of which he makes Whips and scourges to shew that vvhen vve truly hate our sins vve subdue them and our lust by chastising our selves Ps 69.10 as David did with fasting and religious duties Vnder that Emblem vve have these vvords APOC. 2. I Will come quickly and unless thou repentest I will remove thy Candlestick from thee ST Augustine covnts it an abominable vvickednes for a man to record his former sins and to glory in them with a certaine joy and delight when as he should rather greive for them and use the best meanes to release his soule from their power and his conscience from the guilt of them Lib. 5. de lib. arb For as the same St. Aug. truly affirmes He that beates his breast out of a seeming sorrow for his offence and does not correct his ill life and manners that man rather hardens his heart then removes his sins David mourning for his transgressions sayes thus of himself Psalm 51. My sins is ever before mee and therefore he entreats God so earnestly to create in him a cleane heart and to renew a right spirit within him Happy and blessed are those men who so lament and with a generous hatred so detest their sins that they grieve for this because they can grieve no more nor so much as they should and are therefore sorrovvfull for that they sorrovv less then they ought or vvould And truly this sorrow which is according to God 2 Cor. 7. or Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of i. e. stable and firme which is to be noted with an attentive consideration For many recover and obtaine salvation by their Repentance but not a firme and stable salvation They relapss into sin againe and so lose their former joy and comfort Therefore Christ expresly commands us in St. Luke Lu. 13 not to let our Repentance slip when we have attain'd to it but to keep and preserve it unless ye have repentance ye shall all likewise perish For we must not do with our repentance as we do with money which is borrowed for a sett and certaine time this we must returne but that we must not part with when once we have gotten it into our possession Not unfitly said Aquinas True and serious repentance Part. 3. c. Que. 48. Art 8. does not only expiate and blot out our sins past but also preserves us from sin to come That man hath not repentance who hath not a firme purpose never to commit his former impieties Christ when he had cured the man sick of a Palsy comanded him to take up his Bed walke Io 5. Mar. 2 which the poore man did Thus ought we to do we must take up our Beds remove out of our soules all vitious habits so shall we walke more nimbly and with freer spirits in the path of Gods commandements