Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI. Of the gouernment of the Eyes.
GReat complaint is made of the wickednesse of these dayes, and all the blame is laide vponupon the heart. I thinke indeed it deserueth a great part of it, but the sight of the eye is not to be excused: for the hart is a spring, and hath spouts to send out as a conduit, and pipes wherewithall it is fedde, which may be gathered out of the nature of the holie tongue, where one word*Gnain Oculum & fontem significat. signifieth both an eye and a spring, and it is as commonly taken for the one as for the other: and therfore Hierome calleth the eyes the streames or springs of lust. Though the heart had no pipes to conuey in, yet it would ouerflow, such is the measure and abundance of corruption which lieth in it, breakingThe eyes springs of lust As of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, so of the abundance of the senses the heart thinketh. forth continually. It is not onelyonly true, that from the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh, the hand worketh, &c. but also from the abundance of the senses, the heart thinketh. Therefore as the tongue must be blamed and that iustly, so the eyes ought to weepe, because of the euil which they conuey vntounto the heart; and so much the rather, for that the tongue doth disclose what euil proceedeth into it, but the eye keepeth it close, which is a thing more perillous. Againe, the sight of the eye stirreth vp the thoughts of the heart, though they be a sleepe, when as good things should rather be conueyed by the eye into the heart, seeing no goodnes groweth there naturally.
2 The eye is such a thing, that the Scriptures speaking of it, by a synecdoche (as we say) vnderunder this one sense, it comprehendeth all other things of the same kinde: as vnderunder one principall thing bidden or forbidden in the Decalogue, many other inferior things of the same kinde, be either commanded or inhibited. I will neuer beleeue, when Dauid praied that his eyes might be turned from beholding of vanitie, that hee was negligent touching his eares, and regarded not that they should be open to heare what they would. And there is no sense to thinke, that when Iob made a couenant with his eyes, he had no care of his eares. But both of these were holy men, and were acquainted with the di…lect of the holy Ghost. It is a rule in policie: To watch on all sides, where assault is made on all sides. AndNote. for as much as we stand in the midst to be assaulted with principalities, and not only with spirituall wickednesses, but also with worldly wickednes in eueryevery sense, and power of the minde, we ought to defend all ports, and make all the commandements as*Ampliare praecepta. large as wee can: for we know that in a citie if one gate be open, it is as good that all be open. For at one gate it may be taken. So that all the senses ought to be kept, but especially the eye,Simile. which order is in the commandements. For though in eueryevery commandement God doth but name one sinne, yet it is captaine sinne, and a generall sinne. And surely from the senses corruptions are drawne indifferently, yet from the eye most of all. Take an example, let a man see a strange punishment of God for any sinne, and he is moued: but let relation of it bee made vntounto him, and halfe the efficacie thereof is lost. But indeed the example of all examples to make short is this: The ioyes of heauen, which are to be reuealed to the children of God, let them bee tolde and preached, as they are preached andVna gutta, limbus tantum. Matth. 17. taught, it is a maruaile to see howe soone wee are a sleepe, yet the least sight of it seene of the Apostles, did driue them into an extasie. Besides, this sense moueth so much the more, in that it goeth to worke immediately, but the eare goeth to worke by meanes, and standeth vponupon credit, or else it will not beleeue, and this credit standeth to be examined, and it may light vponupon such an examiner as Thomas was. Secondly it is soone gone, though we heare it neuer so well, yet we desire to see it. The eye pierceth most of all, as we may see in Iacob, for although he had heard of the estate of Ioseph, yet his heart wauered: but when he saw the chariots it wrought something, and his conclusion was, I will go downe and see Ioseph. This is the end of all the senses, to end in this sense.
3 This is generall, that the eye is most forcible to sinne, now let vsus shew that it is mostMore dangerous to see than to heare euil. forcible to moue to sinne. It is dangerous to heare, but tenne times more dangerous to see, for then the meanes be strengthened: and though the meanes be but small, yet there is such a tinder in our nature that it will soone take fire, and if the eye be darke, a generall darknesse commeth ouer the whole bodie. The beginning of this is to be seene, Genes. 3.Simile. in the talke betweene the Serpent and the woman. She seeth the tree to be faire and beautifull,Tinder. the eye had offended, before the apple went downe her throat Therfore one of the Fathers saith, Pluck out that eye: and they note further, that because by the eye came the greatest hurt, therefore God hath placed in the eye the greatest token of sorrow, for from them come teares. This may be seene in couetousnes, as in Achab, who looking throughThe couetous eye. the window saw the vineyard of Naboth, and straight he would hauehave had it, and if he could hauehave had it by lawe, hee would hauehave bought it. But, because Naboth would not sell it him, Iezabel would giuegive it him. For adulterie is too plaine: for the eye is alwaies the broker,The adulterous eye. as wee see both in Sichem and Dauid. This word, they sawe, came alwaies betweene this sinne and the heart. For idlenes and negligence, Ecces. 11. it is said, he that obserueth theThe eye of idlenes. winde, hee shall neuer be good sower, nor good haruest man. For apparell, Ezech. 23. 16. the Israelites sawe an Assyrian in his painted apparell, and would needs hauehave the like: soThe eye of pride. that the eye is that which maketh the bargaine. Wee say commonly, let vsus goe see it, the sight of it will doe vsus no harme. This is the diuels policie to perswade vsus, that there is no danger in that which may most intangle vsus: we see how it preuailed in Adam, when hee was content to see, and that was Sathans meanes, when he tempted Christ to shew him all the kingdoms of the world. Well, we see what danger there is in the senses, and specially in the eye.
4 There is in eueryevery man since Adams fall the diuels promise fulfilled, that their eyes should be opened: and this as it was the first punishment, so it was not the least: and besides this, it is an argument of follie: for Salomon saith, A fooles eyes are in all the corners of the world, and a wise mans eyes are in his head. I looked into the streetes, Prouerb. 7. and sawe a young man, &c. Looke what obiects our eyes doe see, such are our actions, as it is saide of Iacobs sheepe looking on the rods, they brought sorth young coloured like the rods, notSimile. like themselues: so our actions are like the obiects of our eyes. The eye goeth before, and bringeth the hart after: and as Salomon saith, he knoweth not that there is a snare. And what followeth? euen that which Gregorie saith, that the innocent beholding, becomesInnocens intuitu…, aspectu fit nocens, quicquid placet sensui non potest non placere. nocent or hurtfull by sight: and his reason is, for what he beheld vnaduisedly, he cannot forsake willingly: and hee addeth yet another reason of this, for that which pleaseth the sense, best liketh vsus. Here is a sensuall appetite: for as where the paine is, there is the hand: so where our louelove is fastened, there our eye is fixed. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, what then? Surely as this was the first degree of walking, the heart followed the eye: so isVbi dolor, ibi manus. it the second degree, as saith Gregorie. He that vseth the outward eye negligently, hath a blind eye within: and it is a *or sound.second consequent, the heart being corrupted, it doth corruptVbi amor ibi oculus. the eye: for the heart will leade the eye to seeke all manner of euill sights for it. So we become such as are mentioned, Numb. 7. As goe after their owne eyes.
3 Againe, Gregorie here saith: Consider what a shame it is for men to sin in that fromOf apparell. which women are commanded to abstaine. The Apostle vseth a word, strange and seldomeBernard, omnia pulcherima ipsi cum sint turpissimi. vsed in those that writ since the Apostles time, it is to note the strangenes of apparell. The law of nature condemneth it. Augustine saith, He that exceedeth the boundes of custome in outward things, is a very wicked man. Ezech. 23. we see the iudgement of God vponupon them, for looking on strange apparel. Zephan. 2. 1. God, saith he, will sit in iudgement Himatismòs.vponupon the Kings sonnes, and then what shall become of the base people? And thus much for the fashion, now for the cost: for the Apostle forbiddeth also costly or pretious apparell. He that breaketh into these expences of apparell, more than is beseeming *Poluteles.his state, he isCostly apparell. a theefe. There is yet a third thing foreign we must thinke that he meant by this *Oi…on… m….the putting on of apparell. It is that whereof a Father speaketh, They pray for one minute, and be an whole houre in attyring themselues. And yet we hauehave renounced this in our Baptisme with all the vanities of the world, which the sonnes of Beliall must inuent, and we must practise. To conclude, note one thing in Saint Barnards sermon which he made vponupon the celebration of S. Iohn Baptists day, where he speaketh to his auditorie on this wise: Whose memorie doe ye celebrate this day? Is this …one in vaine delight, or shew of gay attire? what is t… to Iohn? what, Prayer.you would hauehave vsus goe in Iohn Baptists coate? I wish not that thou beest like him i… attire, but yet Imo non cupio …ffe idem, cupio n… iis contrarius.I would not you should be flat contrarie. Finally, this is the accusation of Corah and his companie, Numb. 16. What will yee pull Gods Prophets eyes out of their heads? …o, but we would hauehave them vsed to the glorie of God, as all the members ought to be.
6 The Seraphins were full of eyes, betokening they see eueryevery way some thing to glorifie God. Though other men hauehave indulgencie for their sight, yet the sonnes of the Prophets are called seers for the vse of their eyes, they must needs vse them. The high places were frequented of the Prophets and Patriarches that from them they might see medowes full of grasse, fields full of corne, riuers, townes, and many things, to consider the greatnes andProphets. goodnes of God, that beholding these they might be drawne as Dauid was, into that meditation, What is man? and as Christ in beholding the lillies, are ye not much better than they? Matth. 6. 20.These hils had this good vse at the first, but afterwards they were vsed to il practises. There was not one of the Prophets that vsed not this helpe. Things past and present (saith one)Praeterita & praesentia sunt vmbrae futurorum. are shadowes of things to come. And no doubt though they had speciall reuelation, yet they vsed the view of their present estates, and did in wisedome foresee many things, and we, if we laid wel our estates with them, might be more wise to foresee things to come. TheProphets. Prophets had their notes wherein they did insert those actions which they sawe in their times, and so they made vse of that they saw; besides the reading of histories, which is also lawfull and commended in Assuerus, and Daniel 11. Augustine maketh two questions: What went yee out into the wildernesse to see? water changed into wine? this yee may see and not goe thither. Or went yee not to see the bush burne and not consume? as you may see theThe ordinari… workes of Gods prouidence most admirable, if we would cōsider them daily. Psalm. Malach. 3. 16. water turned into wine without the desert, in that the Lord bringeth it through the vine tree: so this also ye may see daily great fires made to consume the Church, and it perisheth not. What went yee into the histories to see? There are as great things (saith he) in our daies done for the Church by Constantine, as hath been before time; there are now as great abominations, as strange iudgements, and so sufficient in eueryevery age to proue the Lords arme is not shortened, and to confirme vsus in Gods promises, if al the histories in the world were burnt. If we did (as God keepes a bottell for our teares, and a booke of remembrance for our good workes) keepe an Ephemerides of the actions of our time: we might say with Dauid, I neuer saw the godly begging their bread: I hauehave seene the wicked flourish, and I beheld againe, &c. Thus we might come by good experience. It is said for her commendation, that she is the mistris of fooles, for that she teacheth very plainly. Againe, howsoeuer Aristotle saith, Hearing is the sense of learning, and of wisedome; yet the eye is the sense of certeaintie:The eye the sense of certaintie. God said therefore, I will go downe and see. God saw, saith the Scripture. The wise men say in the Gospell, Let vsus goe to Bethlehem to see. The Apostle Thomas is discommended for not beleeuing, till he saw and felt; and Mary is commended for her quicke beleeuing: ButPlus mihi profuit dubitatio Thomae, quàm credulitas Mariae. a man compassed with infirmitie, may say with Gregorius Magnus. Thomas doubting hath more profited me, than Maries beleeuing. If we could well see we should eschue that foolish question, How commeth it to passe, that these daies are worse than the former times? which Salomon saith, is follie to aske. The sight of some present iudgements are an amazing without knowledge of some of the former times, & they of the former times doubtfull without these. So there are two vses of this, prudence, and certaintie: The third vse is,Prudentia & certitudo. that the workers of vanitie may know that they are seene, which thinking they are not, say in their secret hearts, who seeth? they thinke they walke in a clowde, but this would restraine them from much wickednesse. But there are two sorts of the contrarie, the one of them that will not set themselues to inquire, what is amisse, as those that follow Absalom and Ishmael. There be others that see and will not, as the souldiers: the other are blinde, these blinde themselues and the people. There must be one Elias to see, and that to keepe the wicked in awe. To conclude this with Augustine, graunt me this one simple request, which is, that you would come and see, and yet after ye shall examine it, ye shall finde that there is not any one greater thing to be respected.