Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 1
CHAP. 1. Of Christian Admonition.
WOrldly wise men cal admonition medling, & that they that look not to other mens matters are thought to be peaceable, and learned sober wise men, & they that practise admonitiō are thought to be vnsociable. Caine himselfe was of this iudgement, hee was one that looked not after his brothers life, but soberly (as hee thought) respected his owne: by this one example wee may see what spirit they hauehave, who say, I hauehave nothing to doe with him. Wee, hauing learned not the practise of the world, but the practise of the word, looke for another iudgement, and breaking through all such shadowes, we dare and must be busie with our brother, Leuit, 19. 17, And if neede be, we wil sharply deale with him, as plucking him out of the fire, Iude vers. 23, Wee may not vnderunder the colour of peaceablenes, muzzle our mouthes: if I hauehave an eye in the Church, I must point at sinne; if I bee an hand in the Church▪ I must plucke it out: for eueryevery sinne not admonished, when, and where wee may, is inrolled among our sinnes, because how many sinnes wee hauehave willingly seene or heard, and not rebuked nor lamented, we hauehave committed them. They obiect, our corrupt nature is disposed to winke at the offences of our brethren. I answere, howsoeuer corruption may be intermingled, yet the first motion of rebuking sinne is of God. A good Father said, I was neuer acquainted well with any, but first I displeased him by admonishing him of some sinne. And like as the children of Israel were going but eleuen dayes iourney in thirtie yeeres: so we might goe by admonition as farre in eleuen dayes, as some without it can doe in many yeeres▪ And as in a lethargie we hauehave neede of a purgation: so when the grace of God freezeth in vsus, we hauehave neede of admonition.
2 As hee that admonisheth another of sinne, and is not grieued, profiteth another, but not himselfe: so he that seemes grieued, not admonishing his brother when time serues, is not truly grieued.
3 In admonishing it is good to obserue the rule of our Sauiour Christ, Matth. 18. before wee proceede either to Minister or Magistrate: than so doing all things with louelove, lenitie and prayer, wee may not doubt but the Lord will blesse his appointed meanes, and so in faith and meekenes offer our selues to him: if it be so that wee see no fruite, yet wee shall possesse our soules in peace, with the conscience of our simple obedience.
4 A godly man doubting whether (being moued in heart to admonish an vnruly partie by writing, and fearing that it would not be profitable (hee should continue in his purpose or no; he was answered: it was a great sin then not to do it, and also a great great iudgement of God came on that sin often, which was, that we should forget the good motion: or hauing the good motion, we should want oportunitie to doe it: wherefore let vsus do the thing, and leaue the successe to God, after we hauehave prayed for it. And if it so come to passe (as often it doth) that though the action be good, our hearts vpright in the doing of it, our affection louing, considering the thing right and good, yet our labours and our praiers be vnfruitfull: let vsus remember that in all these were secret imperfections and sinnes, for the which the Lord might hinder the successe, which by deferring hee doth scoure away, that afterwards in fuller measure of his merciemercy, when we shall be the better prepared by humilitie to be thankfull, he powre out a more rich measure of granting our requests vponupon vsus.
5 The children of God become better, and profite more when they are rebuked; and a rebuke is not without effect in anie, but in the wicked. They that harden their hearts and necks when they are admonished, & thinke that sharpe handling doth make them worse, had neede to take great heede to themselues: for if the Lord cannot preuaile by great admonitions, nor sharp rebuking, he will certainly punish: for though he did beare with the often murmurings and many sinnes of the Israelites, yet at the last hee sware in his wrath they should not enter into his rest.
6 Iethro doth not rashly reprehend Moses, Exod. 18. 14. but hee first commeth to the knowledge of the cause: and when he saw cleerly that there was an ouersight in his sonne, then doth he admonish him, & giuegive him such counsell as is agreeable to the word of God. The want of this wisedome doth often make our admonitions vnprofitable, because we take not aduisement how the case standeth, then for that wee doe not labour to hauehave a sure ground for our counsell out of the word of God. If then we will that our admonitions take place, let vsus first duly consider of the thing it selfe, and by the word trie it to be a fault; then let vsus also labour to hauehave a way out of the Word, whereby the matter may be better handled. If this were an ouersight in Moses that hee had neede of an admonition, who can exempt himselfe from it? None at all, but eueryevery man must be content to be admonished, yea though it be of his inferiours: for so Moses, farre excelling his father in graces, yet is profitably admonished by him, and willingly receiueth it. So was Naaman the Syrian admonished1. Sam. 25. 31. 32. by his seruant, and Abigail by her seruants, and shee did also admonish Dauid the King and Prophet of God. Wee must then admonish, and be admonished, euen by them that hauehave receiued lesser graces then wee, and with all modestie and louelove, and thanks-giuing, as Moses and Dauid.
7 The nature of the wicked soone appeareth in admonition, who will at no hand bee admonished by the godly, albeit the cause be neuer so iust. The wicked Israelite could be content to suffer the wicked Aegyptians to whip him, but not godly Moses to admonish him. The world will be subiect to the world, but not to God,
8 Wee must learne to admonish speedily after the offence is committed, because our nature in good duties, and in them especially which hauehave offence with them, is readie to put off, we must not-tarrie vntill we meete the offender; but goe to him, whilest the brunt is vponupon vsus: for our nature is giuen to coole too fast, if we plie it not whiles it is hot. So our modo and modo, neuer hauehave a modum, when wee post it off from time to time, and our anger against sinne is quickly shaken: while we are hote then, and our brother is sicke, the equitie of the thing requireth, that we should goe to him, though otherwise he should come to vsus: The reason is, because after sinne is once committed, there is a darknes, a dimnes, or a myst brought on our soules, whereby howsoeuer in iudgement we receiue somewhat of other mens sinnes, (as Dauid did of his offence, that tooke the poore mans sheepe) yet wee cānot see our owne. Besides, there is cast a deformed blemish on the glasse, shewing vsus our sinne, and the diuell so prouiding, that sinne neuer dieth, we abhorre those meanes which should recouer vsus; we on our parts receiue our standing to this end, to admonish. Wherefore, Peter not being able to requite Christ for praying for him, that satan might not ouercome him, is commanded by the confirmation of his Faith, to remember to confirme the faith of others. And Psal. 26 the Lord is content to set ouer the debt due to himselfe to others. And Iohn makes this a speciall note, that we are not dying, if we louelove the brethren. The third reason that should moue vsus to make haste, is this: whilest sinne is yet tender, greene headed, and shamefast, whilest it hath blood with blushing in the face, whilest it is like a little aspe, or like a small corde, it is wisedome to admonish the partie of it: otherwise it will fall out with vsus, as with the practise of an ancient Father, who planting one yeere, pluckt vp the plante with one hand, who suffering it two yeeres, was faine to pull it vp with both his hands: but planting three yeeres, he vsed both handes and breast; at the length when it was a plant of foure yeeres old, hee was constrained to let it alone. So God would hauehave vsus pull vp the sinne whilest with one hand wee may doe it, not to tarrie, whilest two hands, breasts, and all will not doe it: for feare of negligence we are to admonish in respect of our selues, because the sinne is on our score, that we admonish not. The same God that saith, forgiue thy brother if he offend, saith also, if thy brother offēd, admonish him, Many would hauehave their faults forgiuen, but not reproued: but hee sinneth as deepely that reproueth not, as he that forgiueth not: so fearefull a thing it is not to admonish.
9 It is a good thing when wee so take an admonition, as the admonition take vsus. Paul Gal. 2. 11. 12. 13.reproues Peter openly, and records this fault in his epistle: and yet Peter for all this calleth him his brother Paul, cōmending his wisedome, his gifts and graces, accepting his admonition not as a blowe with a staffe, but as a most precions balme. But wee when a spot is shewed to be in our garment, are readie to take vp myre, and to cast it on his coate, that pointed at our spot: or seeing something in our face by a glasse, we be ready to breake the glasse that shewed vsus our blemish. Againe, when wee admonish, wee shall meete with some that will flatly deny the fact: some will graunt the offence, but in part: some will confesse the whole, but they doe extenuate it. For all which maladies, as good Physitions, wee must not at the first vrge the most forcible medicines, but vse them in their degree and place, that is, when more fauourable meanes preuaile not: wee must not with Rehoboam vse too strong a purgation at the first, least our patients be not able to beare it, but we rather cause them to be more crasie, than rid them of any part of their disease.