Gods Three Arrows, Section 50
§. 50. Of ſupporting others weakeneſse.
II. *See §. 48.ALL good meanes must be uſed to ſupport our brothers weakeneſſe. To this tend ſuch admonitions as theſe. aIſa. 35. 3. 1 Theſ. 5. 14.Strengthen ye the weake hands, and comfort the feeble knees. Comfort the feeble minded, ſupport the weake. bAct. 20. 35. foreign, &c.Hereunto the Apoſtle puts a muſt, which imports a neceſſity, ye ought (or ye muſt) ſupport the weake. The Greeke word tranſlated, ſupport, is oft uſed for cforeign. Plut. in Fab.under-propping a thing ready to fall: and dLuk. 1. 54. Vide Bezoe annot. majores in hunc loc & in Act. 20. 35.for taking one that is weake by the hand to raiſe him up. A fit Metaphor for the point in hand. That which is noted of Chriſts taking by the hand ſuch as were eMar. 1. 31.weake, fMat. 14. 31.ready to ſinke, yea, and gMar. 5. 41.dead, when he meant to raiſe them, giveth evidence of the equity of the fore-mentioned duty. God himſelfe doth hereby teſtifie that goodneſſe which is in him, and that care which he taketh of men in their weakneſſe: for, ſaith he, hEzek. 34 16.I will bind up that which was broken, and wil ſtrengthen ohat which was ſick. Hereupon his people are incouraged in their weakneſſe to ſeeke ſuccour of him: iHoſ. 6. 1, 2.Come, ſay they, Let us returne unto the Lord: for he will heale us, He will bind us up, he will revive us, He will raiſe us up. In this reſpect the Spirit of God hath this title kIoh. 14. 26.Comforter, by a kind of property given him. For our better ſtability, lPſal 91. 11.God hath given his Angels charge over us to keepe us, &c. If thus the Father, Sonne, Holy Ghoſt, and holy Angels be ſo tender over us, as in our weakneſſe to ſupport us, ſhould not we uſe all the good meanes we can to ſuccour and ſupport one another in our weakeneſſes?
Many motives there be to preſſe this point. As,Motives to ſuccour one another.
1. That propinquity which is betwixt children of men, who are all one fleſh. Hide not therefore thy ſelfe from thine owne fleſh, Iſa. 58. 7.
2. That Condition wherein all are, and whereby they are Conſiderare debemus, quod aegritudinem ſive animae, ſive corporis, quam in homine alio videmus, etiam nos habere poſſumus. Hoc ergo exhibe amus, &c. Aug. deverb. Apoſt. Serm. 21.ſubject to ſuch neceſſities, as may need others ſuccour. The Apoſtle therefore, where he preſſeth this duty of reſtoring others, inferreth this motive, Conſidering thy ſelfe, leaſt thou alſo be tempted, Gal. 6. 1.
3. That humanity which becomes our nature, whereby we give evidence that there are ſuch bowels in us as are moved at others neceſſities. Chriſt therefore tooke unto himſelfe our nature, that he might give evidence thereby that he was mercifull, Heb. 2. 17. It is inhumanity not to be touched with others needs.
4. That mercy which is required to be ſhewed to aſſes and oxen, which, lying under their burdens are to be helped up. And are not men more worthy then aſſes or oxen? Exo. 23. 5. Deu. 22. 4.
5. That Sympathy which is in other creatures. Even unreaſonable creatures are ready to run at the cry of ſuch as are of their owne kind. Should reaſonable men have leſſe ſympathy then unreaſonable beaſts? Lam. 4. 3.
6. That efficacy of regeneration, which of Wolves, Leopards, Lyons Beares, Aſpes and Cockatrices, maketh Calves, Lambs, Kids, and Children, Iſa. 11. 6, &c.
7. That pity and compaſſion, that readineſſe and forwardneſſe that is in God to ſuccour and ſupport us in all our weakneſſes, (whereof before.) Be ye therefore followers of God. Be ye mercifull as your father is mercifull, Eph. 5. 1. Luke 6. 36.
By our willingneſſe and readineſſe to ſuccour ſuch as need our ſuccour, we gaine aſſurance and give evidence that our corrupt nature is altered.
Do they well conſider the foreſaid Propinquity or Neceſſity Reproofe of ſuch as neglect the weake and ueedy.whereunto themſelves are ſubject, or common Humanity, or that Mercy which ſhould be ſhewed to beaſts, or have they any naturall Sympathy, or good evidence of their Regeneration, or can they be thought to be children of God like to him, who ſee their brother fall or faint, or thorow infirmity need ſuccour and ſupportance, and yet be no whit moved thereat, nor uſe any means, nor afford any helpe to ſuſtaine and ſupport him? Let ſuch conſider the end of mLuk. 16. 21, &c.Dives, and the nMat. 25. 41, &c.doome denounced againſt thoſe that omitted duties of curteſie, humanity, and charity. oIam. 2. 13. Deriſion and oppreſſion of the weake.For he ſhall have judgement without mercy that hath ſhewed no mercy.
What then may be thought of them that put a ſtumbling block before the weake to make them fall: or being fallen, deride and ſcorne them? The law implieth that there is no fear of God in ſuch: for, where it expreſly ſaith, Thou ſhalt not curſe the deafe, nor put a ſtumbling blocke before the blind, Lev. 19. 14.it addeth, but ſhalt feare thy God, and thereby implieth, that a true feare of God will keepe men from ſuch inhumanity. This is noted to be the cauſe of the fearfull judgements that fell upon qObad 10, &c.Edom, and rIcr. 48. 27.Moab; their deriding of Iſrael in her affiction, and oppreſſing her when ſhe was preſſed downe. sGen. 9. 22, &cRemember Cham. *Vrgere jacentes, aut praecipitantes impellere certè eſt inhumanum. Cic. pro. C Rab. Poſt.The very Heathen counted it an inhumane thing to trample upon thoſe that were throwne down: and to thruſt on thoſe that were tumbling downe headlong.
Exhortation to ſuccour the weake. Col. 3. 12.Put on therefore (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) bowels of mercies, kindneſſe, &c. As you ſee the weakneſſe of a brother, do what you can to ſupport him. If he be weary, and cannot ſtand ſo long as he ſhould, let him have ſomthing to ſit thereon, as Aaron and Hur here did to Moſes. And in other caſes, (as Iob was to the unſpeakable comfort of his ſoule when Satan by himſelfe and others did what he could to ſhake his faith, and to deprive him of all comfort in his God) be Iob 29. 15, 16.eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, a father to the poore, &c. Thus, as ye do that which is acceptable to God, and profitable to your brother, ſo alſo that which may be very available to your ſelves. Mat. 7. 2.For, with what meaſure ye mete, it ſhalbe meaſured to you againe. On theſe and ſuch like grounds ſaith the Lord, Mat. 5. 7.Bleſſed are the mercifull, for they ſhall obtaine mercy. Men will be ready on all occaſions to ſhew mercy to ſuch. Thus Ruth who was as a ſtaffe to her old mother in law, found Boaz to be as a ſtaffe to her: and he renders this reaſon of the kindneſſe he ſhewed to her, Rut. 2. 11.It hath fully beene ſhewed me all that thou haſt done to thy mother in law ſince the death of thine husband. But, if men ſhould forget, or not reſpect the kindneſſe and goodneſſe that is ſhewed to ſuch as are in need, God will aſſuredly recompence it: as he recompenced the kindneſſe which Ioſeph ſhewed to Pharoahs Butler, Gen. 40. 23.and which David ſhewed to Nabal, 1 Sam. 25. 10.though the one was forgotten, and the other not reſpected. With the mercifull God will ſhew himſelfe mercifull.Psal. 18. 25.