most barberous slavery These thoughts should season all our mirth and when we are most free out selves we should feele our selves burthened with their bonds We should say in our hearts concerning them as that blessed Martyr did sometimes write to the captived christians in his daies I my selfe am in some sort preseent with you in the prison The spirit will not suffer love to be separated You are laid up for your confession I am shut up with you in affection Who cannot grieve in such grievances of his fellow members Who will not account their sufferings his smarting Especially if he consider the preciousnesse of this compassion in the sight of God Compassion is sometimes accepted and rewarded without contribution but never contribution without compassion The almes of the minde is sometimes treasured up in Gods bag without the almes of the hand but the almes of the hand is not esteemed by him without the almes of the minde If thou relievest with thy money but bemoanest not with thine heart thou-maist profit the receiver but there accrueth neither profit nor comfort to thy selfe If I give all my goods to the poore and have not charity it profiteth me nothing It may profit them but it profiteth not me Compassion is the purse out of which thine almes must be drawne if this be wantiâ—g thou puttest the wages of thy work into an empty bag Many will rather give to the needy then grieve for their need Some will seeme to grieve but will not give Both must concurre where ability is not wanting But if disability doe deny giving charity must supply it by grieving Then doth God looke cheerfully on thine almes when thou lookest wofully on thy brothers want Wealth and vain-glory doe sometimes make men to give not compassion and mercy But He giveth royally who with that which he reacheth out to an another receiveth into himselfe the need and want of the receiver and so makes a royall exchange taking part of the others sorrowes and making the other partaker of his substance It is more saith a devout Authour to pity with the heart then to give with the band for he who perfectly pittieth little regardeth how much he giveth Besides he that giveth with hand giveth that which is without him but he that extendeth to his brother the bowels of compassion bestowes on him that which is within him his gifts no smale part of himselfe Many times he giveth who doth not grieve but he who truly grieveth never with-holds if he have wherewith to give For certaine it is that True affection where meanes doe concurre with the minde will not be without action If we inwardly suffer with them we will straine our selves to succour our suffering brethren either in their owne persons or mitigating what we may their bondage by relieving theirs who though at liberty doe suffer by their bondage It is a cold compassion that is not warmed with some contribution a sorry Sympathy that restrains the bowels of charity If the mouth only doe bemone them and the hand endevour not to releive them what is this but that painted compassion which S. Iames cals unprofitable If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them Depart in peace be warmed and filled not withstanding you give them not those things that are needfull to the body what doth it profit them It profiteth neither them nor you Not them for your warme words cannot cloath them nor your fat words fill them Not your selves for you kill your good workes in that you doe not quicken them with answerable actions Many there are who at tables and other meetings when speech is made of their brethrens grievous bondage in Barbary will presently flash out Alas poore men they are in miserable case t were better they were out of their lives God helpe them God comfort them No doubt but God doth inwardly helpe and comfort them otherwise they could not possible endure But they who rather command God so to doe then truly pray to him that he will doe so doing nothing themselves they thinke they have done enough in turning the worke over unto God And by such verball pittying without reall releiving they bewray that there is no true love in them either of God to whome they so pray or to their brother whom they seeme to pitty For x whosoever hath this worlds good and seeth his brother to have neede and shutteh up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in that man And if no love of God then neither of his brother for no man loveth and so leaveth God helpe them God comfort them 16 Good words indeed but only words whereas men in misery need not words but deeds of charity To wish well only is but a livelesse carcasse The fig-tree which our Saviour cursed for having leaves only and not fruit is an Embleme of those who have charitable words without answerable actions More pleasing unto God is the forward fig-tree to which fruit is insteed of leaves It is not yet apparalled with leaves when it is adorned with fruit The fig-tree saith the spouse in the Canticles putteth forth her greene figs not her greene leaves and the vines with the tender grapes doe give a good smell That tree is most acceptable unto God which hath not only the leaves and flowers of good words but the fruits of good workes As every tree is knowne by his owne fruit not by his leaves or blouth so is every Christian knowne by his good workes not by his good words Of the two Sonnes he is commended who first told his father flatly that he would not doe what was commanded but upon better advisement went did it before him who smoothly said he would doe it but departed and did it not Of the two rather give me him who first denieth but afterwards doth that which is good and helpfull to his brother then one who speakes him faire but doth nothing for him Let therefore some contribution with the hand speake feelingly the inward compassion of the heart This will speake us to God Angels and men to be true Christians For So inseparably cleaveth this Sympathy with our brethren in their sufferings unto true Christianity that we no sooner finde Christians to be named in Scripture but we finde in them this active compassion In the first and truest Ecclesiasticall history we read that The Antiochians were the first that were called Christians Immediately after this their profession is recorded the ever deeming thereof by their charitable providing for their distressed brethren For when Aggabus prophecied of a great dearth shortly to ensue these Proto-Christians resolved to send reliefe to their brethren in Iudaea which they did by the hands of Barnabas and Saul Where you may observe five things concurring in their contribution They did it 1 Generally 2 Bountifully 3 Cheerefully
4 Timely 5 Trustily 1 They did it Generally for all the Christians in generall and every one in particular concurred in this contribution 2 Bountifully for every one contributed according to his ability 3 Cheerefully They never pinched at it nor demurred on it but at first hearing resolved to doe it 4 Timely for they did wait till the brethren in Iudaea sought or besought them but as soone as they heard of a Dearth presently they sent reliefe yea by a forward supply prevented the famine 5 They did it Trustily for what was contributed they sent by trusty messengers Barnabas and Saul Let us deare Christians as neare as we may follow the precedent of these prime Christians First what is to be done in this kinde let it be done generally His Majesties letters patent in our captived brethrens behalfe were larger then any granted heretofore for other collections Others limited to certaine Counties Shires Cities This extended over the whole land that every one according to his ability should advance such a pious worke As the Apostle admonisheth the Corinthians concerning the relieving of the brethren at Hierusalem Let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him And againe Every one as he purposeth in his heart so let him give Every one For some must not be burthened that others may be eased save that some who abound ought to burthen themselves that others who are not so able may be eased They who have a litle let them impart a litle out of their litle Scarce any widow but hath a mite to spare A litle is much to him who hath not so much as a litle Any thing is welcome to him who hath nothing and a litle from many will be much to a few Doe it bountifully They who are rich in wordly goods must be rich in good works that they may be double rich They who abound in ability let them also abound in charity As God hath prospered him so let him give said the Apostle Hath God given bountifully unto you will you give niggardly unto them that is unto him Doth he say by his Apostle He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly and he that soweth bountifully shall reape bountifully And shall he reape sparingly from you who hath sowed so bountifully on you Doe you not read that To whome much is given of him much shall be required And can you thinke that no more is required of you then of those to whom so litle so nothing is given in comparison of you Shame you not that all things should abound unto you save the best of all your charity With what face can you pray unto God with David Have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy great mercy when you extend so litle mercy to him in his members out of your great ability Doe it cheerefully as the Apostle adviseth Not grudgingly or of necessity but of a willing minde For God loveth a cheerefull giver He looseth his good work who doth it not with a good will he doubles it that doth it with alacrity This seed must be sowne as with a full hand so with a free heart and a cheerefull countenance It is thine affection that doth Christen and give the name to thine action As it proceedeth from thee so is it esteemed by God God who in some cases accepts the will for the deed in this respecteth the will more then the deed For without this willingnesse in giving the gift though never so great is not accepted It is otherwise here then in the Psalme They who sow in teares shall reape in joy But here they who sow in teares as if they wept for every penny that departeth from them must not looke for a joyfull reaping Doe it timely least the triviall Proverb overtake your lazy charity While the grasse growes the horse starves Herein follow the Antiochians example whose reliefe prevented their brethrens want Aggabus did not say that there was a dearth already but only foretold of a dearth that should be and immediatly they sent away that their speedy charity might anticipate their brethrens indigency Doe as the Apostle willeth the Corinthians Make up before hand your bounty that the same may be ready Let us boast of you brethren as he doth of them I know the forwardnesse of your minde for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia Achaia was ready a yeare agoe and your zeale hath provoked many Let Solomons counsell cause you to give a quick loose to your liberality Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to doe it Observe from them to whom it is due that is from the owner from the master of it as the Originall will well beare Know that in this case thou art not owner of thine owne not master of thine owne money It is not his who hath it but his who wanteth it He hath more right to it then thy selfe who hath more need of it then thy selfe delaying to give unto him thou deniest him his owne His necessity maketh him the master of it God thee the Steward only Say not to thy neighbour goe and come againe and to morrow I will give thee when thou hast it by thee Adjourne not thy benevolence give not thy gift a nights lodging let not him who needeth it lie one night without it Why shouldst thou turne him off till to morrow who needeth it to day who needed it yesterday yea many daies since Mercy is a thing that brookes no delay misery of all things cannot endure demurrers If Christ said unto him who should betray him That thou doest doe it quickly Much more saith he to them who should relieve him That which you meane to doe doe it timely Twice your gift by timely giving it One thing remaines They did it trustily They sent their benevolence by the hands of trusty men Barnabas and Saul It was a principall care of the Apostles to entrust men of experienced faithfullnesse with the conveying of their contributions that what was charitably conferred might be safely conveyed Therefore commonly they employed not one single person but two at least and both these singular for their integrity Here they employ both Barnabas and Saul men of whose faithfullnesse there could be no suspition One of them Barnabas Sold his land and laid it at the Apostles feet And was it likely that he who gave away his owne would defraud the faithfull of the bounty of others The other Saul was now become Paul of a persecutor an Apostle so industrious and zealous in his function that he used not his lawfull power of living by the Gospell which he preached but laboured with his hands because he would not be burthensome And was it probable that with the same hands he would intervert the charity of others to his
the palme in charitable contribution Our covetous Nabals have their Topicks common places whence they fetch arguments against giving relieveing They offer to defend their Baal by Gods book which doth utterly overthrow it Busbequius a grave Authour sometimes Embassadour to the great Turke from the German Emperour reports how forward the Christian Marchants were in Pera a place adjoyning to Constantinople for the redeeming of certaine Christians there held captives Onely there was one out of whose fingers could not be wrung one farthing towards the advancement of this charitable designe His reasons were more unreasonable then his refusall What these men are said he I know not this I know that their affliction is from God Let them continue in that case into which God hath cast them untill it please him to free them seeing it pleased God thus to punish them who am I that should release theÌ„ unles I would be found to fight against God O cunning Sophister Satan who by arguments from the will of God can impugne the will of God from his providence maintaines covetousnesse the maine opposite unto Gods providence Mine Authour gives not the name of this monster Only he saith that he was an Italogrecian a mungrel between a Greeke an Italian Such as his lineage was such was his language God forbid that there should be among us such mungrels to barke out such dogged speeches This is certaine Compassion can have no admittaâ—â—e into the heart where the evill spirit covetousnesse 〈…〉 possession A fift impediment is pretended want I am poore my selfe I have a great charge of mine owne I am in the Vsurers bands as hard a thraldome as some of them doe endure in Sally or Algier What of all this Thou shouldest remember them the sooner and by thine owne affliction conceive more feelingly of theirs But I have not wherewith to supply them But thou hast wherewith to pity them wherewith to pray for them All charity is not drawne out of the bag Insteed of a great gift give griefe give teares give compassion Condolement is no small comfort to him that suffereth A pitifull a pitying heart is many times no small almes He doth not shut up his bowels from his afflicted brother who affords him compassion whereby he shewes that he would relieve him if he were able God who requires a good work of such as are able accepts the good will of such as are unable If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that which a man hath and not according to that which he hath not If thou wilt not afford thy distressed brother a place in thy memory thou wilt hardly afford him any part of thy money If thou wilt not allow him the affection of compassion which the more it is extended the more it is augmented how wouldst thou extend to him thy earthly substance which the more it is distributed the more it is diminished But they are strangers unto me neither kiffe nor kin I never saw their faces nor heard of their names They have friends acquaintance kindred of their owne let them relieve them But they are of thine owne religion thine own nation thine owne nature And is not the least of these sufficient acquaintance when they are in misery Is it not both thine and their Makers charge When thou seest the naked thou shalt cover him any naked whether neighbour or stranger knowne or unknowne that 's all one Thou seest his nakednesse thou knowest his need that 's sufficient for acquaintance Marke the motive annexed Thou shalt not hide thy selfe from thine owne flesh Is there any better knowne or nearer kin to thee then thine owne flesh If thou hidest thy face from him in his need thou hidest thy selfe from one who is nearer kin to thee then thy nearest cosen by blood even from thine owne flesh Holy Iob professeth that while he was in his prosperity he saw not any perish for want of cloathing nor any poore without covering He saith not any of my kindred or any of my acquaintance but not any poore Vnto pious mindes Nature is a better Oratour then notion No man who is in need even in this regard that he is a man should be a stranger unto us Our Redeemer did not stand upon these nice points of kindred and acquaintance when he freed us from our most miserable bondage But though We were Gentiles in the flesh Aliens from the common wealth of Israel strangers from the covenant of promise yet all this could not estrange his compassion from us but he did and suffered more for us then it is possible any man can doe for his brother his father or best benefactour Can then any Christian be unknown to him to whom Christ is known Doe we say that we are united to the Head and can wee bee unacquainted with any member of the body Their hunger their bonds their burthens their blowes are not these sufficient for commiseration though we never saw their persons But the more to move us to compassionate these our barbarously oppressed brethren let us in the last place lay to your hearts these few among many forcible incentives First Nature it selfe incites us to this Sympathy This naturall instinct we finde in our owne bodies Whence is it that one in a company yawning or gaping the rest doe so likewise unlesse they prevent it That one eating bitter or tart meates others teeth doe water and are set on edge Is there such a Sympathy in our bodies Why not much more in our mindes From our selves desend we to bruite beasts Wee finde in them a kinde of compassion towards their kinde The wild buls doe bellow in the fields or woods if they finde one of their fellowes slaine and by kinde obsequies doe celebrate their brothers funerals What bruite beast more bruitish more beastly then the swine Whose life saith one is given them only to keepe their flesh from purrifying Yet if one of them be tangled in some gate or hedge you may observe how his crie calls the whole heard that is within hearing to come to him if they cannot yet they fall a crying with him as if they craved helpe for their fellow Come we unto senseles Creatures As in some things there is an Antipathy so there is a Sympathy in others Touch but one string in a lute and another soundeth though not neare unto it I omit the Sympathy betweene the load-stone and the iron betweene Amber and straw jet and an hayre rare secrets in nature common in triall Out of the premises I argue thus If our owne naturall bodies if brute creatures which are led only by sence yea if senselesse creatures by an occult quality be thus affected one towards another then what ought Christians to doe who are endued with reason enlightned with religion and led or rather drawne with naturall affection Now if nature doe teach us this
too neare thee Did not others watch for us while we sleep and did not he watch over us who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth we might have beene surprised by them while we are sleeping on our beds See we not how audacious they are growne How their shalops brave us at our harbours mouthes What threates have they sent us of late that ere long they will make some of us see Algier And who were these but some of our owne nation turned Turkes threatning to bring us unto their owne condition because wee would not free them in season Can we forget that Tragicall transportation of our brethren from Baltamore into that Babilon Barbary All of them English most of them Cornish suddenly surprized in the silence of the night They dreaded no disaster they supposed themselves safe they went to bed and laied themselves downe as they hoped to sleepe in safty When suddenly their houses were broken up they haled out of their beds the husband wife and children every one fast bound carried away in three or fowre howres and afterward so seperated as not suffered to meet againe but every one left to lament others misery as well as his owne It was not with them in that night as the Iudge saith it shall be at his comming Two in one bed the one taken and the other left But two or three in one bed Father Mother Child seaven or more in an house all taken and not one left What heart at this houre bleedes not at the remembrance of that nights Tragedy The wife calls on her husband to helpe her How can he help his Other selfe who cannot help his owne selfe The poore child cries O Mother keepe me O Father keepe me when Father and Mother are kept fast enough themselves from keeping and helping theirs Oft had the poore litle ones when they were pettish being terrified with The bug-beare comes to carry thee away Now not bug-beares but Barbary beares are come to carry away Child Mother Father and all they can finde in the family Some lost their lives fighting but in vaine to save their wives and children herein happy that death prevented in them those miseries which theirs surviving to greater sorrowes doe endure For of the two better it is to fall by the hands then into the hands of those Tyranous Turkes whose saving is worse then slaying who if they grant life it is but to prolong griefe May not the same or the like betide us if God shall so appoint it And are our merits better then theirs that God should not so appoint it But what speake I of might have beene or may be Are we not already in a farre worse bondage then they if we have no feeling no remorse of theirs They are in corporall bonds we without this compassion are in spirituall They under Turkes we under the Devill They bought and sold by men we sold under sinne They under the tyranny of others we under our owne tyrannous lusts and affections Our barbarous inhumanity is a worse bondage then theirs in Barbary In such a captive condition are they who have not this compassion towards their captived brethren But had I words to expresse though but in part the excellency of the worke it would be most powerfull to incite us to the performance of it Every worke is the more excellent by how much the obiect thereof more excelleth The worke is Redeeming for therefore we are to remember them that we doe our best to redeeme them And who are those who are to be redeemed They are not only the Temples of the Lord as hath beene shewed but the Lord of the Temple himselfe is held captive in them It is not only our brethrens case it might have beene ours it is ours already by the Vnion of charity or if not then are wee our selves in a worse slavery but that which should more nearely touch us then if it were our owne case it is his who should be nearer to us then our selves it is our Lord and Masters our Saviour and Redeemers case For doth not he himselfe complaine that they who neglected his in this very case neglected him I was in prison and you visited me not The head and members cannot bee separated I was in prison because mine were I because they were in whom I am and they in me As there is no good which any of mine doe but I doe it in them so there is no evill which they suffer for my sake but I suffer it with them Otherwise I would not have cried out from heaven to Saul persecuting my Church upon earth Saul Saul why persecutest thou me If then we will not redeem our brethren let us redeem our Father if not our fellow-members yet our head if not men yet God if not Christians yet Christ. Let us redeeme him from bonds who redeemed us from Death Him from corporall servitude who redeemed us from the slavery of sinne Let us redeeme him with a small portion of our perishable substance which this way imployed shall not perish who redeemed us not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with his precious blood more worth then a million of worlds Should we leave our native country and sayle into Barbary and there offer our selves to bondage for our brethren saying unto their Pateroones Free these men and take us we will be your slaves in their steeds we could doe no more nay God knowes nothing neare so much for them as he who is captive in them hath done for us If therefore we will not remember them for their sakes let us remember them for his sake let us remember them for our own sakes that the great redeemer who is also the great rewarder to every good worke especially of this may one day in mercy remember us which shall be the last but should not be the least incitement unto us Certaine it is that the more excellent the worke is the more excellent shall be the reward This then being so excellent a worke as the redeeming of our redeemer himselfe in his captiv'd members shall not want a most excellent recompence And were there no other recompence then the acknowledgement of this kindenesse regarding the disparity betweene the persons yet this were neede enough to any noble minde If it be an honour to a subiect for the King to acknowledge with his own mouth in the presence of all his nobles that sometimes he was beholding to him what will it be when the King of Kings shall one day acknowledge and publish that he was in a manner beholding unto man O how comfortable will it bee in that great day of Iudgement and of Mercy of Iudgement to Turks and Tyrants of Mercy to charitable Christians when the Iudge himselfe shall say I was in prison 〈◊〉 you came to me Yea more you by freeing me procured tha◠I might come to you might come unto mine owne family to the Temple
you freed mee In breife we give you great thanks that you would make us partakers of your carefulnesse and interest us with you in so good and necessary an imploiment as to present unto us fruitfull fields in which wee may sow the seedes of our hope expecting the harvest of those ample fruits which doe grow and proceed from such an heavenly and helpfull harvest Now we have sent one hundred thousand Sesterces that is 781 l 5 s sterling which summe hath beene raised by the contribution of the Clergie and Laytie in the Church over which by the providence of God we are made overseers which you shall distribute there and dispose of according to your diligence And wee desire indeed that there may not be the like occasion hereafter but that our bretheren being protected by Gods providence may be preserved safe from such dangers But if it shall please God for the triall of our charitable minde and faithfull heart that the like shall come to passe hereafter delay yee not to acquaint us therewith by your letters assuring your selves that the Church and whole society here as they doe earnestly pray that such things may not be againe so if they should bee they will willingly and largely send supplies againe And that you may remember in your prayers our brethren and sisters who have so readily and willingly contributed to this so necessary a worke that they may worke so alwaies and in your devotions for them returne unto them a requitall of this good worke I have subscribed the names of every one of them as also of our Colleagues and fellow-priests who themselves likewise being present have contributed both in their own and in the behalfe of their people according to their abilities And besides mine owne portion I have signified and sent the summe of theirs Of all whom as faith and charity requires you ought to bee mindefull in your prayers Most deare brethren we wish you alwayes well to fare A PASSAGE CONCERNING THE GOOD AND BENEFIT OF COMPASSION Extracted out of S. AMBROSE his second Booke of Offices CAP. 28. THE greatest incitement unto Mercy is that wee have a fellow-suffering with others in their calamities that we succour others in their necessities as much as we are able and sometimes more then we are able For it is better to suffer envie for shewing mercie then to pretend excuse for inclemencie As we our selves once incurred envy because wee did breake up the holy vessels for the redeeming of captives which deed displeased the Arians not so much because it was done as that they might have something for which they might carp at us For who is so cruel so yron-hearted as to be displeased that a man is to be redeemed from Death a woman from the pollutions of Barbarians which are more grieveous then Death young maidens children Infants from the contagion of Idols wherewith for feare of death they are in danger to be defiled Which action though we performed not without sufficient reason yet we so defended it before the people that we maintained it to be much more convenient for us to preserve for God soules rather then gold For he who sent his Apostles without gold did also without gold gather the Churches unto himselfe The Church hath gold not that it should keepe it but to disburse it and imploy it for necessarie releifes What need is there to keepe that which doth not helpe when wee have need Know you not how much gold and silver the Assyrians carried away from the Temple of the Lord Is it not better that the Priest should melt up these vessels if other supplies be wanting for the releefe of the poore then that the Sacrilegious enemie should carrie them away and defile them Will not the Lord say why didst thou suffer so many poore men to perish through hunger Surely seeing thou hadst gold thou shouldest have offered them nourishment Why are there so many captives carried away to be bought and sould and are not redeemed Why are there so many slaine by the Enemy Better it were that thou preservedst these living vessells then dead metalls No answere can be returned to those obiections For what wouldst thou say I feared lest the Temple of God should want ornaments He will answere thee the Sacraments seeke not gold neither doe they please the more for gold which are not purchased with gold The adorning of the sacraments is the Redemption of captives And verily those vessells are pretious which doe redeeme soules from death The true treasure of God is that which worketh the same which his blood wrought I then acknowledg it to be the vessell of the Lords blood when I finde Redemption in both that the Chalice redeemeth from the enemies those whom the bloud redeemed from sinne What an excellent thing is it when multitudes of captives are redeemed by the Church that it may be said Those are they whom Christ hath redeemed Behold the gold that is tried the profitable gold the gold of Christ which freeth from death Behold the gold whereby Purity is redeemed Chastity is preserved I had rather present these freed unto you then preserve gold for you This number this order of captives is a faâ—re more acceptable sight then the shew of golden goblets Thus was the Redeemers gold to be imploied that it should redeeme those who were endangered I acknowledge the bloud of Christ powred into gold not only to have shined but to have imprinted the power of divine operation by the gift of redemption Such Gold did the holy Martyr Laurentius reserve for the Lord who when the treasures of the Church were required of him promised that he would produce them Next day he presented the poore saying These are the treasures of the Church And these truly are treasures in whom is Christ in whom is the faith of Christ. What better treasures hath Christ then those in whom he saith that he himselfe is For it iâ— written I was hungry and you fed me I was thirsty and you gave me drinke I was a stranger and you tooke me in And afterward That which you have done to one of those you have done it to me What better treasures hath Iesus then those in whom he loveth to bee seene These treasures Laurentius shewâ—d and prevailed because the Persecutor himselfe could not take them from him Therefore Iehoiachin who in the seige kept the gold and imploied it not to provide reliefe saw the gold to bee violently carried away and himselfe to be led into captivity But Laurentius who had rather bestowe the Churches gold on the poore then keepe it for the Persecutor according to the singular efficacie of the interpretation of his name received the sacred Crowne of Martyrdome Was it said to holy Laurentius thou oughtest not to have disbursed the treasures of the Church nor to have sold the sacred vessells Necessary it is that a man doe discharge that office with sincere faithfulnesse and discerning