bour.

and feet, with our eyes and ears, our mouths and tongues, and with all our parts and powers both of body and foul, we fhould be given to the keeping and fulfilling of his commandments. This is the first and principal part of charity; but it is not the whole : for charity is alfo to love The love of every man, good and evil, friend and foe; and whatfoever thy neighcaufe be given to the contrary, yet nevertheless to bear good will and heart unto every man, to ufe ourselves well unto them, as well in words and countenances, as in all our outward acts and deeds; for fo Chrift himself taught, and fo alfo he performed indeed. Of the love of God he taught on this wife unto a doctor of the law, that asked him, which was the great and chief commandment in the Law: Love thy Lord God, faid Chrift, with all thy heart, Matt. xxii, with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. And of the love that we ought to have among ourselves each to other, he teacheth us thus: You have heard it taught in times past, Thou Jbalt love thy friend, and bate thy foe: but I tell you, Matt. v. love your enemies, fpeak well of them that defame and speak evil of you, do well to them that hate you, pray for them that vex and perfecute you, that you may be the children of your Father that is in heaven: for he maketh his fun to rife both upon the evil and good, and sendeth rain to the just and unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward fhall you base? Do not the publicans likewife? And if you speak well only of them that be your brethren and dearly beloved friends, what great matter is that? Do not the heathen the fame alfo? Thefe be the very words of our Saviour Chrift himfelf, touching the love of our neighbour. And forafmuch as the Pharifees (with their most peftilent traditions, and falfe interpretations and gloffes) had corrupted and almoft clearly topped up this pure well of God's lively word, teaching that this love and charity pertained only to a man's friends, and that it was fufficient for a man to love them which do love him, and hate his foes; therefore Chrift opened this well again, purged it and fcoured it by giving unto his godly law of charity a true and clear interpretation, which is this; That we ought to love every man, both friend and foe, adding thereto what commodity we fhall have thereby, and what incommodity by doing the contrary. What thing can we with fo good for us, as the eternal heavenly Father to reckon and take us for his children? And this we fhall be fure of, faith Chrift, if we love every man without exception. And if we do otherwife, faith he, we be no better than the Pharifees, Publicans, and Heathen, and fhall have our reward with them,

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that

John vi.

that is, to be fhut out from the number of God's chofen children, and from his everlasting inheritance in heaven.

Thus of true charity, Chrift taught that every man is bound to love God above all things, and to love every man, friend and foe; and this likewife he did ufe himself, exhorting his adverfaries, rebuking the faults of his adverfaries; and when he could not amend them, yet he prayed for them. Firft, he loved God his Father above all things; fo much, that he fought not his own glory and will, but the glory and will of his Father. I feek not, said he, mine own will, but the will of him that fent me. Nor reMatt. xxvi. fufed he to die, to fatisfy his Father's will, faying, If it may be, let this cup of death pass from me; if not, thy will be done, and not mine. He loved not only his friends, but alfo his enemies, which (in their hearts) bore exceeding great hatred against him, and with their tongues fpake all evil of him, and in their acts and deeds pursued him with all their might and power, even unto death: yet all this notwithstanding, he withdrew not his favour from them, but ftill loved them, preached unto them of love, rebuked their falfe doctrine, their wicked living, and did good unto them, patiently taking whatsoever they fpake or did against him. When they gave him evil words, he gave none evil again; when they did ftrike him, he did not fmite them. again; and when he fuffered death, he did not flay them, nor threaten them, but prayed for them, and did put all things to his Father's will. And as a fheep that is led unto the fhambles to be flain, and as a lamb that is fhorn of his fleece, maketh no noife nor refiftance; even fo he went to his death without any repugnance, or opening of his mouth to fay any evil. Thus have I fet forth unto you what charity is, as well by the doctrine as by the example of Chrift himself, whereby alfo every man may without error know himself, what state and condition he standeth in, whether he be in charity (and fo the child of the Father in heaven) or not. For although almoft every man perfuadeth himself to be in charity, yet let him examine none other man but his own heart, his life and converfation, and he fhall not be deceived, but truly difcern and judge whether he be in perfect charity or not. For he that followeth not his own appetite and will, but giveth himfelf earnestly to God, to do all his will and commandments, he may be fure that he loveth God above all things; and elfe, furely he loveth him not, whatsoever he pretend as Chrift faid, If ye love me, keep my commandments. For be that knoweth my commandments, and keepeth

them,

term, be it is, faith Chrift, that loveth me. And again he faith, He that loveth me, will keep my words, and my Father John xiv. will love bim, and we will both come to him, and dwell with bin: and he that loveth me not, will not keep my words. And likewife, he that beareth a good heart and mind, and ufeth well his tongue and deeds unto every man, friend and foe, he may know thereby that he hath charity. And then he is fure that Almighty God taketh him for his dearly beloved Son, as St. John faith, Hereby manifeftly are known 1 John iii. the children of God from the children of the Devil; for whofoever doth not love his brother, belongeth not unto God.

The Second Part of the Sermon of Charity.

YOU

that will

YOU have heard a plain and fruitful fetting forth of charity, and how profitable and neceffary a thing charity is; how charity ftretcheth itself both to God and man, friend and foe, and that by the doctrine and example of Chrift; and alfo who may certify himself whether he be in perfect charity or not. Now, as concerning the fame matter, it followeth. The perverfe nature of man, Againft corrupt with fin, and deftitute of God's word and grace, carnal men, thinketh it against all reafon, that a man fhould love his not forgive enemy, and hath many perfuafions which bring him to their enethe contrary. Against all which reafons, we ought as mies. well to fet the teaching as the living of our Saviour Chrift, who loving us (when we were his enemies) doth teach us to love our enemics: he did patiently take for us many reproaches, fuffered beating and moft cruel death: therefore we be no members of him, if we will not follow him. Cbrift, faith St. Peter, fuffered for us, leaving an example ↳ Pet. ii. that we bould follow him."

Furthermore, we must confider, that to love our friends, is no more but that which thieves, adulterers, homicides, and all wicked perfons do; infomuch that Jews, Turks, Infidels, and all brute beafts, do love them that be their friends, of whom they have their living, or any other benefits. But to love enemies, is the proper condition of them that be the children of God, the difciples and followers of Chrift. Notwithstanding man's froward and corrupt nature weigheth over deeply many times the offence and difpleafure done unto him by enemies, and thinketh it a burden intolerable, to be bound to love them that hate him. But the burden fhould be eafy enough,

if (on the other fide) every man would confider, what dif pleasure he hath done to his enemy again, and what plea-. fure he hath received of his enemy; and if we find no equal or even recompence, neither in receiving pleafures of our enemy, nor in requiting difpleafures unto him again; then let us ponder the difpleafures which we have done unto Almighty God, how often and how grievously we have offended him, whereof if we will have of God forgiveness, there is none other remedy but to forgive the offences done unto us, which be very small in comparison of our offences done against God. And if we confider that he which hath offended us deferveth not to be forgiven of us, let us confider again, that we much less deserve to be forgiven of God. And although our enemy deferve not to be forgiven for his own fake, yet we ought to forgive him for God's love, confidering how great and many benefits we have received of him without our deferts, and that Chrift hath deserved of us, that for his fake we should forgive them their trefpaffes committed against us. But A queftion. here may rife a neceffary queftion to be diffolved. If charity require to think, fpeak, and do well unto every man, both good and evil; how can magiftrates execute juftice upon malefactors or evil-doers with charity? How can they caft evil men in prifon, take away their goods, and fometimes their lives, according to laws, if charity will not fuffer them fo to do? Hereunto is a plain and a brief Anfwer. anfwer, That plagues and punishments be not evil of themfelves, if they be well taken of the harmless: and to an evil man they are both good and neceffary, and may be executed according to charity, and with charity fhould be executed. For declaration whereof, you fhall understand that charity hath two offices; the one contrary to the hath two other, and yet both neceffary to be ufed upon men of contrary fort and difpofition. The one office of charity is, to cherish good and harmless men, not to opprefs them with falfe accufations, but to encourage them with rewards to do well, and to continue in well doing, defending them with the fword from their adverfaries; as the office of bifhops and paftors is, to praife good men for well doing, that they may continue therein, and to rebuke and correct by the word of God the offences and crimes of all evildifpofed perfons. The other office of charity is, to rebuke, correct, and punifh vice, without regard of perfons, and is to be used against them only that be evil men, and malefactors or evil-doers. And that it is as well the office of charity to rebuke, punifh, and correct them that be evil,

Charity

offices.

as

it is to cherish and reward them that be good and harmlefs, St. Paul declareth, writing to the Romans, faying, That the high powers are ordained of God, not to be dreadful Rom. xiii. to them that do well, but unto malefactors, to draw the fword to take vengeance of bim that committeth the fin. And St. Paul biddeth Timothy floutly and earnestly to rebuke fin by the 1 Tim. i. word of God. So that both offices fhould be diligently executed, to fight against the kingdom of the devil, the preacher with the word, and the governors with the fword: elfe they neither love God, nor them whom they govern, if, for lack of correction, they wilfully fuffer God to be offended, and them whom they govern to perish. For as every loving father correcteth his natural fon when he doth amifs, or elfe he loveth him not; fo all governors of realms, countries, towns, and houfes, fhould lovingly correct them which be offenders under their governance, and cherish them which live innocently, if they have any respect either unto God and their office, or love unto them of whom they have governance. And fuch rebukes and punishments of them that offend must be done in due time, left by delay the offenders fall headlong into all manner of mifchief, and not only be evil themselves, but alfo do hurt unto many men, drawing others, by their evilexample, to fin and outrage after them: as one thief may both rob many men, and alfo make many thieves; and one feditious perfon may allure many, and annoy a whole town or country. And fuch evil perfons that be fo great offenders to God and the commonweal, charity requireth to be cut from the body of the commonweal, left they corrupt other good and honeft perfons; like as a good furgeon cutteth away a rotten and feftered member, for love he hath to the whole body, left it infect other members adjoining unto it. Thus it is declared unto you what true charity or Chriftian love is, fo plainly, that no man need to be deceived; which love whofoever keepeth, not only towards God (whom he is bound to love above all things) but also toward his neighbour, as well friend as foe, it thall furely keep him from all offence of God, and just offence of man. Therefore bear well away this one fhort leffon, That by true Chriftian charity, God ought to be loved, good and evil, friend and foe, and to all fuch we ought, as we may, to do good; thofe that be good, of love to encourage and cherifh, because they be good; and those that be evil, of love to procure and feek their correction and due punishment, that they may thereby either be brought to goodness, or at the leaft that God and the commonwealth

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