Works, Part 1 · Spiritual counsels 1 · Counsel 66 – Counsel 73
Rebuking or reprouing of sinne.
1 BEing asked how a man might reprehend, he answered: First, looke that you hauehaveRules for admonition. a ground out of the Worde for reprouing: then looke if it stand with your calling to reproue: Afterward, consider if some other man might doe it more profitably1 than you: then looke before whome you reproue, least you hinder the credite of2 the partie with his friends, and increase his discredite with his foes. And againe, if by all3 occasions of calling, person, time, and place, the Lord hath put you in this place to rebuke4 sinne; Consider, you must put on you the person of the offender, that as you spare not his5 sinne, because of the zeale of Gods glorie, so you presse it not too farre, because of compassion6 to a brother; then looke that with these your heart be right in zeale and louelove, and7 so call for Gods assistance, before you speake, his grace in speaking, and for his blessing after your speaking: If anie thing bee left out that might hauehave bene profitable, please not8 your selfe in it, but be humbled for it; though some infirmities bee in you, yet shall they not doe so much hurt, as Gods ordinance shall doe good.9
2 We must rather winne men with a louing admonition, then gore them with a sharpe reprehension, that we may more easily worke vponupon them afterward.A louing admonition.
3 If we thinke we may speake, wee will speake too soone: if we thinke we may keepe silence, we will holde our peace too long: when wee much louelove the persons to whome we speake, we slacke our zeale in rebuking of sinne: if we be zealous against sinne, we slacke our louelove to the person.
4 Wee may rebuke publikely, a publike offence of a priuate man on this manner: My brethren, such a sinne hath passed from this place, the guiltlesse neede not to be offended, the person guiltie is to repent of it.
5 His manner was both in espying and reprouing of sinne, he would not alwayes more sharply reproue the greater sinne, nor more earnestly reprehend the lesser sinne: but measuring the accidents and the circumstances of the sinne, with the qualitie and degree of the sinne it selfe, hee did see that some appurtenances with the sinne, did aggrauate or extenuate it: So as a greater sinne with some circumstances, he thought lesse to be reproueable,What to consider in reprouing both little and great sinnes. and some lesser sinne with some accidents, to be more condemnable: euen as we see that the Lord did strike with death the man that with a high hand, did but gather stickes on the Sabbath, and yet not punished others so grieuouslie, who of infirmitie did more deepely prophane the Sabbath.
6 By admonition wee may winne and saue soules, and for want of due admonition, we loose and destroy soules. When we are admonished, we either denie the thing, or else we quarrell with the affection of the speaker, and finde many faults. Wee had much rather hauehave our consciences priuily touched, then our names openly dishonoured: yet when we hauehave chafed with our owne shadowe, and disputed with our owne reason, it will come toHow vnwilling wee be to accept an admonition. passe, that we shall speake reuerently of him behinde his backe, whom we much gainsaide in words before his face. Neither for all this vnpatient bearing of an admonition, must we leaue off, or maruell too much at the little successe of this dutie: for either we sinned in the manner of doing, or in the want of wisedome: or we would too much hauehave gloried in our selues, if wee had done good, or too much grieued with our selues, if we had not doneMotiues to practise admonition. good; or we did conuince iudgement generally, or not obserue the applying of things to their circumstances particularly; or wee doe all without louelove, or without prayer, and so though wee plant and sow, God denieth the first and the latter raine to blesse our labours. Againe, we are to comfort our selues vnderunder hope of time to come: for experience proueth, that some at the first receiuing of an admonition most hardly, hauehave after most profited by it: and others receiuing an admonition very gently, hauehave lost the fruits of it afterward very negligently. For many curteous natures are as soft as waxe, sooner able to receiue theSimile. impression of an admonition, but lesse able to retaine it. Again, a more heroicall nature, is as the harder wax not so soon admitting the print, as surely keeping the print being made. Many notwithstanding had rather sleepe in the whole skinne of their senslesnes of sinne, and therfore giuegive entertainment vntounto flatterers, whom for a while they louelove, but afterward most grieuously hate: for when a flatterer comming to hauehave some bootie is denied, he will reason on this maner: Sir, I did you this good, and therefore I deserue this pleasure. Nay rather he should say; I hauehave not done good but euil: and therefore it is the merciemercy of God, that I lose the wages of my sinne. For let vsus learne this as a rule of our liefe, neuer to trust him Neuer trust him that will conceale a sin in vsus.that will promise to conceale a sinne in vsus; nor againe to mistrust him too much that will not willingly be admonished at the first. For as a furious or a phreneticall braine, can by no meanes away with him that shall lay any hands vponupon him, though it were for his profit: so, so long as we be in impatiencie, we shall suffer no man to speake vntounto vsus, though it be forSimile. our good: but the l…thargie of our minde being cured, we marueile at our former impatiencie, and are ready to shew our selues thankful vntounto him that would hauehave a care to draw vsus out of such a sinne.
Regeneration.
1 AS good natures doe not helpe of necessitie to regeneration: so euill natures cannotGood & euil natures. hinder Gods purpose in calling, if the meanes with his merciemercy and blessing be purely and painfully vsed.
Repentance.
1 SAthan vnderunder the colour of repentance, bringeth many into an extreame sadnes, andExtreame sadnes. strictnesse in vsing the creatures of God. Again vnderunder pretence of Christian libertie, and deliuering of men from extreame griefes, he allureth them to an immoderate and an vnsanctified mirth, and intemperate vse of the creatures of God: so blinding iudgement, he afterward corrupteth affection.
2 One complaining vntounto him for the not feeling of his corruption, which did sometime enbolden him to sinne, and to adde one sinne to another, as to shuffle a little sinneTo deferre sorrowing for some one sinne vntounto the more generall accounting time, who dangerous. vnderunder the pretence of a great sinne, and to deferre the sorrowing of one sinne, vntill the more generall accounting time, when we should sorrow for more and many sinnes, his temptation touching him on this manner: Why fearest thou to commit this one sin and this little sinne, which is as pardonable by repētance as the former sinnes, which are more in number and greater than this, seeing thou maist repent for this sinne when thou repent…st for them all? He made this answere: In such a temptation, because Sathan is very neere, we are to tremble vnderunder the hand of God, to feare our selues, to striue in prayer, and to mourne for the temptation, whereby Satan would cause vsus after not to dispute with it: and we be to suspect our selues to be rather readie to adde sinne to sinne, than to repent of any sinne, howsoeuer Sathan would blind vsus with a kind of repenting: and we must stay vponupon the power and helpe of God in Iesus Christ.
Reproches.
1 HE said, although he was subiect to many and grieuous reproches, yet two thingsTriall of our hearts in reproches. did euer comfort him: the one, that his heart was well, and not euill affected to any man: secondly, that going alone, he could humble himselfe and pray to God, that the authors of such reproches might be pardoned.
Riches.
1 SOmetimes good outward gifts hurt the beholders, when they hurt not the possessors,A mediocritie. as we may see in the beautie of Sara and Ioseph: which thing ought to humble vsus in the desire of outward things, and to make vsus thankfull for a mediocritie.
2 It is a iust iudgement that earthly riches doe deceiue our hearts, when heauenly richesA triall of the rich mans faith. doe not delight vsus; that the outward things should carrie vsus away, when heauenly things cannot so much preuaile with vsus. Well, howsoeuer gold or siluer goe here on earth for the greatest riches before men: godlines is the greatest riches before God and Angels in heauen.
Sacraments.
1 AS Isaaks intent being to blesse Esau, hindered not the will of God in blessing of Iacob: so the corrupt intent of the Minister doth not hinder the blessing of God in the Sacraments, it being Gods owne ordinance.
2 After one had asked his aduice for sitting, or kneeling at the Lords table, he said: As for such things, let vsus labour what we may, to doe as much as we can for the peaceof the Church.
Securitie.
1 SEcuritie is a forerunner of some grosse sinne, or of some great crosse.
2 We must ouercome our vnwillingnes & sluggishnes betimes in good things:Delayes. Triall of our dulnes. and preuent delayes at the first; because it is certaine, the longer we delay, the worse.
3 There is a great corruption in our natures, which makes vsus most dull when we hauehave most meanes. This ariseth either because when we hauehave the publike meanes more plentifully,1 we vse the priuate more sparingly: or because we doe not so much esteeme of the2 meanes, ordinarily administred, as we doe when they are lesse familiar vntounto vsus: or if the3 Lord seeing vsus too immoderatly desire the place where we are, denieth vsus the benefits and4 fruites of the place to correct our desire: or for that we promised to our selues too large a hope of freedome from many euils, by the meanes of the word; therefore it pleaseth the Lord to proue vntounto vsus, that they are nothing vntounto vsus without the blessing of his holy spirit.5 Or this may arise from the temptation of Sathan, who because he would make vsus discontentChange of place and calling. with our present estate and calling, and to hunt after new; therefore he sheweth vsus all the inconueniences of the place present, and hides all the profits; and shewes vsus all the profits of the place where we hauehave beene, or shall be, and hides all the inconueniences. Or because when we were the best in a whole towne, and saw nothing in others but corruption,6 we pleased our selues, and prouoked our selues more to good things; and being among many good men, we make not so much of our goodnes, and grow something secure,7 and trust too much in the goodnesse of the place & persons. Or in that we like of our selues well, when we are teaching and instructing others, and are more impatient of silence8 in our selues, and to be instructed of others. Or because we would still be getting praise by bringing out, but we are loth to store vp treasures both new and old for time to9 come, when as yet there is a time of both. Or we more see this, because the last complaint seemeth the greatest, though indeed we hauehave suffered as euill; euen as a man thinketh his sicknes present to be sorer than any sicknes past. The onelyonly remedie against this dulnes is, continually by prayer, and by vsing the meanes to striue against it.
Singing.
1 HE wished all men that would sing, that in singing they euer sing with affection andAffection and feeling in singing Psalmes. feeling, or else hauehave a mourning in their hart that they cannot doe so. Coloss. 3. 17. Ephes▪ 5.