Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 43
CHAP. XLIII. Of iudgement and folly, and of iudging, reprouing, and praising.
THe Diuell when he cannot at the first corrupt affection, he will beginne to corruptIudgement. iudgement, and then affection.
2 We may be conuinced in iudgement, and yet not hauehave our mindes changed and renued, for that commeth onelyonly when our affections are reformed into the due obedience of that which we hauehave in true vnderstanding.
3 When we defer to hauehave that in affection, which wee hauehave in iudgement, it is the iust iudgement of God, to depriue vsus of that which we had in iudgement.
4 We may not iudge of any thing by any one action, neither may we iudge suddenly,Iudging. but tarrie Gods appointed time, for he will manifest all things in their appointed time.
5 We must beg of God the spirit of wisedome to discerne the dealings of men: for the wicked doe often the same things, and in the same manner that Gods children do, but yet not with like affection: we must take heed therefore, that we condemne not the good, norLearne wisely to consider of Gods works iustifie the wicked.
6 We be blind in iudging of Gods works: and hence it commeth to passe, that wee run headlong to destruction, in seeing those things that seeme to be good vntounto vsus. This ought to moue vsus to pray vntounto God, that he would inlighten our minds, and reforme our iudgements, that we may wisely consider of his workes.
7 A man may hauehave a good wit, and yet be subiect to the secret curse of God.
8 A good wit not sanctified, is a fit pray for the Diuell.
9 There are diuers kindes of follie. Salomon saith, A wise man is not a stranger in theOf folly diuers kinds. congregation of the Lord: so then this is a foolishnes, not to come to the congregation of Gods people. In Paules time it was said, bee not foolish but redeeme the time: th… then is1 also follie to loose time. In the time of Moses and Iethro, to giuegive authoritie and titles in the2 highest degrees to them that deserue them not, by Iethroes iudgement was follie, and wee3 do in these times the very same. Well, all these are fooles which can do vsus no harme, those that are aliue are no fooles, so long as they can doe hurt. And such as helpe vsus to preferment, we call them wise whatsoeuer we thinke of them: there are two kinds of fooles, one a sot for ignarance, or a crased foole, as he that hath a disease only. There is another foole, and he hath the carkase of folly, and he may well be called the child of follie: This is stinking follie, and brutish follie. Chrysostome faith, Better to be found a beast than to become like a beast, for the first is of nature, the last is of sinne. If it bee foolishnesse to be ignorantPraestat nasci iumentum, quam compar…r. …ume…t…. of that we should doe, what great follie is it to knowe what wee should doe, and doe it not? And who would thinke such follie could fall into any man, that he should know it to bee follie, and confesse i…, and yet doe it?
10 There is is a sect in our age, which say eueryevery one is a sinner, and so will neuer be reproued of any sinne: they say, eueryevery one hath enough to looke to one: so was Iohn counted a foole, an austere foole; and Christ a popular foole: for indeede, because they meant to follow neither of them, they counted them both fooles Christ compareth them to froward children, Luke 7, and wee may compare them to …oule gamesters, if I be not deceiued;Iudging and reprouing. who, when they hauehave lost all, and hauehave the last cast in their hande, and see that it is naught also, rise vp in a chafe, and fling downe all, and say, that there hath beene foule play played, when the fault is onelyonly in themselues. So these, when they are reprehended, say, all is naught, and bring others into the compasse of their owne follie. Therefore as they preached against iusticiaries afore time, that all were sinners, none that did good; so now we must preach against Libertines, that all are not vnrighteous: the holy Ghost in al timesAgainst Libertines. hath called some by these termes, righteous, wise, holy, though not before the iudgement seat of God, yet in walking in their calling, in doing right, and labouring to obserue the word. All is vanitie, for that all they vse sometimes, the Preacher said so, but he neuer said, all is vanitie of vanities. There is a difference betweene a sinne, that Esay compareth to a coard, and that to a car…rope; betweene Ezechias his boyle, and Lazarus his botch; betwixt Pauls pricke in the flesh, and him that was wounded in the way betweene Ierusalem and Iericho: one of these may heale another: a mote may pull out a beame, though a beame may not pull out a mote, else there should be no sinne reproued.
11 We can easily say, their foolishnesse, their sinne, their vnthankefulnesse. This is theWe are too censorious in the sinne of other, and too remisse in our owne. fittest Pronoune that we can vse, we hauehave many notable things in our selues, which we count follie in other men; as in Iudah hath Thamar played the whore, burne her; but when he saw the scaffold, the case was altered. There is difference betweene burne her, and I am to be blamed; sinners are to be blamed. This is that we learned in Philosophie, we can see intellectu directo those things which are in others, but we cannot see intellectu reflexo and vnderstand our selues: for our owne faults we had need of an Eunuch to looke out.
12 We may be bold with those that are dead: so said Lucian; Anger and Enuie hadEnuie whē it dispraiseth. killed all wise men, for in anger and enuie we will account none wise: fauour and flatterie had killed all fooles; for we wil for those two affections accompt all wise. So whenana flattery when it praiseth must bee …ad in iea…ousie. Pilate liued he was counted wise, but now he is dead, Pilate was a foole. So of Demas and Sobna. This is the triumph of wisedome aboue follie; that as wisedome is iustified of her children; so foolishnes is condemned of her children. They condemne the same things that they doe. Herod so long as he liued, was accounted wise, and was a King, and Iohn Baptist a foole; but now both be dead, Herod is a foole, and so confesseth of himselfe, and Iohn Baptist is a Saint. So was D…s Cla…dius Nero whilest he liued wise, and Paul a foole; but now he is Nero the tyrant, and Paul holy S. Paul. The reason of this is, for that wee are ledde by present things. So long as we liue together with them, feare and hope are stopples for our mouthes, so that no man can heare, what he is indeed being present, till he bee dead and gone from among vsus. They that follow shall pronounce the truth of vsus. Christ saith, Reioyce when men speake euill of you, for so did your fathers of the Prophets.
13 Gutturall praises must not bee giuen to God. It is an easie thing to affoord a goodThe best kind of praise is not in word but in deede to commend. thing a good word, to crie Euge macte virtute. The Prophet saith, the wicked are onelyonly mouthed men, they sprinkle it with a little court-holy-water: it is pretie shippe, but they will not goe in it: they crie, Lord, Lord, but yet they doe nothing. When the women cried out to Christ, Blessed are the pappes that gaue thee sucke: No, no, saith he, Blessed are they that heare these words and do them. Let the worke speake and commend it selfe, not he that when he heareth a good thing, straight breaketh out into glorious praises, his affection is so hot: but hee that is so stricken with it, that he is past praysing; so musing of it, that the sent of it appeareth in his life long after. They count Paul a wise man, but behinde the doore they laugh as Sarai did. Socrates. Praise me that I may see it: for our praise is, to giuegive a testimonyLauda vt videam. that we like it, but this is the best testimonie, if we follow it; for if thou didst thinke it to be true wisedome, thou wouldest follow it.
14 Vniuersities are the Lords Lebanon, frō whence timber is to be felled for the building of his Church, his quiuers, as Esay saith, wherein are hidden all his chosen shafts, the sonnes of the Prophets: and as I may say, the bayes or workes from whence salt is to bee digged with whose verdure the sacrifice is to be seasoned.
15 Schollers must make a good bending of their studies, and bee vertuously brought vp: first, that they may profit the Church▪ and attaine more easily to the knowledge of the Scriptures, they may not want humane arts. Secondly, if they be vertuous and godly, they shall hauehave more authoritie to preach, when men hauehave nothing to lay against them: sinfull men blush, and get not nor hauehave not that authoritie that others hauehave.