Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 62
CHAP. LXII. Of sinne, and how to abstaine from the least, and of iniquitie and the punishments thereof.
THere be some which call good euill, and euill good, they shrinke vp euill into a narrowWe must abstaine from the least sin, and from all shew of sinne. Two kinds of euils. scantling: and would faine bring it to this, if they could, that none doe euill but they that are in gailes. But wee must take …eede of this, and therefore let vsus knowe what it is to doe euill. Euill is either naturally euill, or euill by circumstance. In all our actions to auoide euill, 1. Thess. 5. 22. wee must learne this lesson, followe nothing but proue it first, and keepe that which is good, but abstaine from all apparance of euill. Be sure that it is good ye doe, but if it hauehave but a shew of euill, auoide it: if it bee an euill fauoured thing to see to, flie it. 1. Cor. 6. All things (saith Paul) are not profitable, though they be not plainly forbidden.
2 To heare the threatnings and to tremble at them; to heare the promises and to beleeueMeanes to keepe vsus from sinnes, &c. them; to reuerence the Sacraments and to receiue them; to pray vntounto God in all our wants, and to be thankfull for all his mercies, are waies to keepe vsus from sinne, and to recouer vsus from sinne when we are fallen thereinto. Therefore the neglect of these doth pull downe iudgements vponupon men: for though Paul rebuked the Corinthians of many sinnes,… ▪ Cor. 11. 30. 31. yet for this cause (saith he) some are asleepe, some are sickly, &c. For if these had been vsed as they ought, sinne should neuer hauehave growne so farre as it did.
3 Let them that feare the Lord account it his great merciemercy, that hee will not let them prosper and thriue in their sins: least they should be carried away thereby to perdition, and those who belong not to the Lord (though they thinke all well) so long as they feele their profit: yet let thē know that the Lord doth shew no greater signe of his wrath, than when he suffereth thē to prosper in their wickednesse. For as a father that hateth his child most,To prosper in sinne, a signe of wrath. when he giueth himselfe to be ruled by his owne pleasure: so it is with the Lord. Therefore let them that take pleasure in following their owne lusts, and satisfie their owne desires in sin and wickednesse, though for the present they obtaine that they delight in, take heed least the cloudes of darknes suddenly ouershadow them; and so the Lord send them to be tormented in hel before they be aware. Whereas contrariwise he chasteneth his children in this world, that eternally they might not be condemned.
4 We shall neuer througly leaue sinne, vntill we know and acknowledge sinne to be sinne, and be truly sorrowfull for the same.
5 The nature of the wicked is, that there groweth their louelove, where they be not gainsaidSee Admonition. and reproued for sinne, and where they be admonished, there groweth their hatred.
6 If once we giuegive consent to sinne, we are made ready to fall into moe and many sins, and making no conscience of one sinne, we shall not make conscience of many and great sinnes: and so being once in wrapped in sinne, it is an hard thing to get out of the clawes of the diuell. Lord giuegive vsus grace to see and to resist the first sinne, euen the first motions vntounto sinne, Iam. 1. 13. 14. conferred with Heb. 3. 12. 13.
7 It is the greatest iudgement of God that can be, to thriue in sinne.
8 We must take heed that by the occasion of others that sinne, we giuegive not our selues to doe the like: but rather by the fall of others into sinne, we must learne to rise vp vntounto the Lord.
9 The occasion of sinne may be by another, but the cause of it is in our owne corrupt nature, which is alwaies readie to sinne.
10 Sinne getteth most strength, when good men fall into it.
11 It is a great mercy of God to goe bungar like, and foolishly about a sinne.
12 It is good to resist that which nature most liketh.
13 That God that drew light out of darkenesse, will draw goodnes oft times out of our corruption. Our corruption corrected by the mercy of God, maketh vsus esteeme better ofNote. good men, being remoued or taken away from vsus, than we did when they were neere and remaining with vsus.
14 One sinne goeth not alone: but one sinne will open the doores of the soule to let in another.
15 We neuer will labour to leaue sinne, so long as we be quiet in minde, but still flatterSixe notes of the greatnes and enormitie of sinne. our selues and bedawbe our consciences with rotten plasters, vntill we be either stricken with feare, or cast downe with iudgements. The greatnes and enormitie of sinne is seene by sixe points: First, on Gods behalfe how huge and detestable it is may be seene, who by sin is so greatly dishonoured: for how much the higher his Maiestie is, so much the greater1 enormitie it is to sinne against him. Secondly, sinne is noted by the qualitie of a sinner.2 Sinnes are made so much the higher & greater, the more that a man is bound vntounto equitie: for the more and greater benefits he hath receiued of God, so much the more is he bound to doe his will. Thirdly, it is waighed and noted in the qualitie of the matter, whereabout3 the sinne is committed: for a sinne against mans person or name is greater, than against his substance or goods: but those sinnes are most grieuous which are directly done against God, which doe impeach and touch his Maiestie, so neerely piercing him, as it were to the quicke, as distrust, despaire, blasphemie, idolatrie, &c. Fourthly, sinnes measured by4 meanes of the end which the sinner bendeth to: for the worse that the intent or purpose of the sinner is, the more grieuous is his sin. Fiftly, circumstances are to be respected of time,5 and place. Sixtly, of the very deformitie of sin it selfe according to it selfe, the which is alwaies6 so much the greater and more loathsome, as the vertue is more excellent and worthie which is contrarie to it: whereupon as the louelove of God is the highest vertue, so on the contrarie part the hatred of God is the greatest vice. S. Gregorie saith, A vile and stinking carrion is more tolerable to mans sent, than a sinfull soule vntounto God. So then if we feare, and be vnwilling to appeare vile, filthie, and detestable before the holy and most worthie Maiestie of God, and if we abhorre that the countenance of our Creator should be turned from vsus, let vsus then auoide sinne with all carefulnes and pure affection, within and without: for no deformitie can so disfigure vsus in mans eye, as the reasonable soule by sinne isSimile. deformed, and made vile and hatefull in the eyes of God, and before his sight: for by sinne the soule of man is made like the diuell himselfe.
16 Euill doers shunne the light, what they cannot auoide, they endeuour to conceale, they do things they shame to heare of, they walke disorderly, and thinke to shroud themseluesOf iniquitie, and the punishment thereof. in the cloudes: That, which the feare of God cannot cause thē wholy to auoid, that the shame of men enforceth them to conuey frō the eyes of the world. So sin is ashamed of it selfe, and sheweth that God had naturally implanted in all a sentence, and condemnation against sin, which though we commit, yet committing it we condemne it, and because we condemne it in our selues, we conceale it from others. Yet many hauehave so depriued themselues of this naturall remorse, they open the face of sinne to the view of all men, let a man shut his eyes neuer so close. How earnest was Athanasius with the Emperour, sharply to correct the Pastors in his time going from their flock? If for the reuerence of their persone,Negligence in the Ministerie. saith that good man, thou wilt not constraine them to dwell with their flockes, suffer me to auoide them out of thy gouernment, and if God aske me a reason, why I do so, I will shew it him. And yet these sins being written in the open foreheads of many in this land: how many doe pull downe their hearts one whit the more for it? Thus to walke in sinne without shame at all, is it marueile, if the godly bewaile to see it? If there were but one vniust man, iniquitie for this one mans sinne were lamentable, much more when whole families, when whole streetes, nay when whole townes and cities are such, the case is to be lamented. And be it that generally the common sort of men be so ill inclined, yet so long as the Ministers be vnpolluted with blood, there is hope, the rest may be recouered: but if they be as a theefe that laies waite for his pray, And liuing not onelyonly of, but from the altar, work euill in the eyes of the people, what then can be hoped for? Yet hope of better is not only cut off, if those that be in authoritie correct both the one and the other, and censure both people and Pastors. But if a state be so ruinous, that they do the greatest wrongs, which sit in the highest roomes, when iniquitie & authoritie kisse each other, when the workers ofSwearing. iniquitie will not be controlled, and cannot be corrected; then it is a time of mourning and lamentation. If the Prophets in their daies did bewaile such things, what should we doe,Oppression and adulterie. whom God hath cast into such daies, wherein we see the bookes had and read wherein iniquitie is prescribed? As for swearing, and prophanenesse, these are the sins of poore men, they that will beare a top in the world, must now think oppression and adulterie be things indifferent, so far are the precepts of iniquitie spread euen in our highest places. This thou feest, O Lord, and canst thou suffer it, that what thou condemnest for a crime we should account it vertue? When such things are among vsus, and suffered and practised in stead of harmonious songs, the musicke of Ierusalem should be to lament. Otherwise it will bring those times, when it will be our greatest mishap that euer we hauehave been happie, so much our present sorrowes shall be augmented by our by▪past ioyes. Then it will be time to burne our Crowne to ashes: when for these abominations we that seemed as Gods, shall be trampled vnderunder foote as dung; when the Nobles, that are as the purest gold, become to be as earthen vessels; when our Ministers, that were honorable, shall become contemptible; when the Babylonians shall drink in our holy and honourable vessels of Gods worship.Poore. Oh that this could teach vsus wisedome, to make the bowels of the poore the coffers of our treasures. Yet herein is not all; our sinnes deserue a greater scourge. Our children, forPlagues threatned. whom we would not promise an heauenly inheritance, shall wallow in their owne blood before our faces; when that comes to passe, though thy childe be deare, yet remember that he should not hauehave been so deare to thee, as he that shed his blood both for him and thee. And yet beyond all this our ground shall be burnt to the ground: our vines shall drie, our trees shall be eaten vp with fire, our pastures scorched as an heath, our sumptuous buildings shall be ruinous houses, our fields shall be like vntounto the paued allies, and our cities shall be as a plowed field, the enemie shall finde a Paradise, and shall leaue vsus a wildernesse. But you will say, what is all this to vsus as yet? I answere, if the least of the Saints (which be precious stones in the Lords Sanctuarie) be better than all buildings in the world, who can think of our spiritual vastation, and not to hauehave his countenance sad with the remembrance therof? Hath not the Lord euen in our daies and in our eyes, puld off the bark from eueryevery pleasant tree; how hath he made it bare? is there one branch, which the enemy hath not made white? How do the heards pine away? how do the flocks perish? That which theFamine of Gods word. Paliner-worme hath left, the Canker-worme hath eaten; that which the Canker-worme hath left, the Caterpiller hath eaten, they hauehave spoyled the Church from hand to hand. Wherefore it behoueth those places, that hauehave so cast the Lord out, to labour the haruest may be recouered, and that the branches be new planted, that the holds cast down may be reedified, and that the vines decaied may be repaired. For want whereof euerie priuate mans field being as a garden, and euerie mans garden being as a Paradise, the Lords gardenIdlenes in the Ministerie. (whether for want of manuring, or for the sleeping of the dressers, I know not) lyeth like the field of the sluggish man, and his vineyard like the vineyard of one that is idle. And where eueryevery house is curiously sieled, eueryevery citie aptly compacted, the house of the Lord (whether for that the spirituall workmen are confounded among themselues, or the ouerseers of the worke be willingly corrupted) lieth void & waste in many places, so that they that see it, are constrained to say, O Lord, why doest thou behold vsus thus, and sufferest to see such vastation? Neither yet shall the voyce of the enemie crying in the day of reuenge; race it, race it downe to the ground, strike vsus with such a terror, as when violenceCalamities for the contempt of the Gospell and Gods worship neglected. shall come vponupon vsus, our wiues, our children, without all respect of age and estate. It is not possible, that we in our great securitie, should cōceiue a shadow of that inexplicable griefe, which shall follow that persecuting plague hastning towards vsus, when the carkases of our friends shall make a way, and be as a path in our streets, when our women shall villainously be abused in the Lords Sion, the children put to the edge of the sword, the Princes hanged vp by the hands, no sparing shall be of sexe or of age, and besides so outragious a rage, when our foes shall come to tread as holy ground, where the glorie of God his housePopish persecution how great. should strike them stone dead, when their sword should be abashed and lose it glittering, when it should see the Maiestie of the Lord in his Ministers and Preachers. This is a matter of griefe and indignation: for the harmelesse blood powred out by the king of Babel on the ground, being compared to the blood of the Saints shed by the Pope, it would be but as a spoonfull in respect of the Sea. When this moodie Tigre comes, he will pretend that he rootes out heresie; but then why doth he suck the blood of infants, who are not capable of heresie? Well, if this be his intent to roote out heresie, is the sword a fit instrument to do it? Paul and Peter, and the rest of that blessed colledge, and Christ himselfe put many notable heretikes to silence, by the force of reason, and not by dint of sword. Was it Christ his meaning, that the successor of Peter should draw out his sword, when Peter himselfe was bidden to put it vp? And yet this royall Priest and Bishop, generally will drowne the Church in her own blood. And do we not see how the guides, Pastors, and ouerseers of the Church, are driuen out of sundry places, where this Bishop hath set his foote, whose harts could hauehave bene better contented at once, to hauehave sealed their doctrine with their blood, than to be separated from them, to whose soules they had deuoted themselues? An heauie farewell, no doubt they took of their congregations, when as we reade of some, who filled their high waies with their beasts, & laid their children at the feet of the Pastors, whē theyPersecution. departed from them, crying vntounto them, What shall be our estate, now ye are gone to martyrdome? Who shall wash our children in the cristall waters of Baptisme? Who shall ease our afflicted consciences when the aduersary shal accuse vsus? Who shall leade vsus the way of life, and bring our soules to rest? Recompence them (O Lord) as they hauehave deserued, that are the cause of this, (O Lord) giuegive them sad harts. So heauy a crosse will it be to see an irremediable desolatiō of holy things: we know not yet the bitternes of this cup, yet we hauehave them amōg vsus which hauehave tasted it, whom let vsus entertaine with Ioseph with teares of merciemercy, and let vsus in their suites say to the Lord, they hauehave beholden miserie (O Lord) cause them to behold the light of thy louing countenance, for their reliefe & comfort. So be it.
17 It is the great iudgement of God vponupon the corrupt iudgement of the world, thatTo be mooued onelyonly with palpable and prodigious sins, a signe of securitie. vnlesse sinne be prodigious and monstrous, such as goe round about the world, we are not mooued with it. When we admonish other sinnes of iesting, and such like, forsooth we must smile when we doe so, and we must laugh vponupon them, least we moue choler, and giuegive offence. Well for all sinne in equall measure, and for the least of all sinnes, Christ Iesus the Sonne of God was faine to shed his precious blood. Howsoeuer sinne seemeth little to vsus in committing, it was very great to Christ in suffering for it. They be small sins to vsus which are vsuall to all, but if they were not vsuall, they would seeme prodigious.
18 All the senses especially the eyes, as they are most singular instruments to receiueOccasions of sinne. good things by, if they by Gods spirit be directed: so if they be not well ordered, do bring greatest euils, and therefore Dauid prayeth that his eyes might be guided aright, and Iob Gouernment of the eyes.maketh a couenant with his eyes, vnderunder which the other parts are included, as also when Dauid maketh a couenant with his mouth. Ioseph his mistresse first offended in looking without a cause: for the wantonnesse of vaine lookes bewray the corruption of the heart, we must then striue to hauehave a lawfull cause of all our doings, that so we may be assured of Gods prouidence to watch ouer vsus, least if any harme happen vntounto vsus, we be the iust occasion thereof. Secondly, she offended in not keeping a measure: for whosoeuer seeth his owne corruptions truely, will be afraid of the very appearance of euill, as Iob, although he was neuer adulterer, yet priuie to his corruption he made a couenant with his eyes. Iosephs mistresse spake to him day by day and he refuseth, she abideth stil in her euill purpose, but he still refuseth her, and here is the difference betweene Gods children and the wicked, the one continueth still in wickednesse and would hauehave all others such, the other perseuere in godlinesse, and would bring all men to the same, she was conuinced of her fault, and yet sorrowed not but continued. Where note, the oftner sinne the lesse griefe, a note of the children A note of the di…els child and Gods. Verse 12.of the diuell. But contrarily, the oftner sinne the more griefe, a note of the child of God. Ioseph was young about thirtie foure yeeres, and yet chast, contrarie to those that say, fornication is but a tricke of youth. Ioseph was entised and yet yeelded not, a signe of a pure heart, for although temptations be offered of those, yet it proceedeth of our corruption that we yeeld to them. As Bathshaba yeelded to Dauid because she was corrupted: Ioseph yeelded not to his mistresse, because his heart was pure. If we will be cleane in all, let vsus first know our hearts, and see where we are weakest, and get a speciall defence against that, otherwise weHearts. shall take too much libertie, and indeed the chastest in heart, will be chastest in looke, because they know their owne corruption and striue against it, for whosoeuer hateth sin truly, will hate the garment defiled with sin: and will beware of those things which in themselues are lawfull, because he is readie to abuse them.
19 If God hath made any as the eye to see, as the mouth to reproue, as the hand to redresseThe greater place we are in, the greater our sins. The Magistrates and Ministers sinne most dangerously. sinne either in families, in Church or in Common-wealth, they must specially looke to themselues, they sinne not. For of al others it is a great disgrace to see them, as the principall members of the body hurt. Againe, the hurt of such a member is the endangering of all the other members. Now great reasons there are, why such men sinne most dangerously. First, the higher we ascend, the greater strength we receiue of God to resist sinne; a thing then it were most deformed, that the more strength we hauehave to keepe off sinne than others, the lesse we should doe it. Againe, the greater and better credit wee hauehave, the more we must thinke our selues bound to thankfulnes, then where thankfulnes should abound most, vnthankfulnes being found most, it is the greater blemish. Thirdly, where wee are1 neerer to such dignitie, wee should hauehave the chiefest gifts to keepe our motes and beames,2 both great and small sinnes; now if the eye, that should foresee and preuent such things3 should receiue motes and beames in it selfe, it is a thing most absurd, when they, I say, that should rid the house, the Church or Common-wealth of blemishes, bee most full of4 blemishes, it is a great deformitie. Lastly, the least offence that such a one commits, euerie one is grieued with, and then rather than such a thing should bee, it were better not to be a Gouernour, or that hee were faire burned. For as without the eye no other memberSimile. can doe this office, neither the hand, nor the foote can doe their function without sight; so without the direction of such gouernours, no part can doe his dutie. The safetie of the eye is the safetie of the other members, the good estate of the people is in the good estate of the Prince, eueryevery member hath his interest in the ey…, and therefore the fault of the eye stickes in eueryevery member. So that in the perill of the eye how many members soeuer are dependant of it, so many are in danger, and so many slippes that men of authoritie fall into, so many occasions of offence are offered to their charges.
20 In a publike reformation we must specially meete with the greatest sin, and beginGreat sinnes must first out first to cast out beames, & then motes. This is the order of God himselfe: for although he first talked with Adam, and so proceeded to Eue, and then to the Serpent, (for Adams sinne is as the mote) yet when he comes to iudgement and to sentence of casting ou…, he first begins with the Serpent, whose sinne was a beame sinne, and so proceedes against the other two, which in respect of that were but as mote sins. This was Dauids order, first Psal. 101.Degrees of sin. 1. 2. 3. 4. he will cast out Apostataes, and Atheists: secondly, scorners of Religion and all peruerse spirits: thirdly, the slanderer and taleteller: and lastly euen him that looketh but proudly, which thing we little account of. This was the order of Christ: for bodily diseases, it is said, Matth 4 he healed all sicknesses, and then it is said he healed cripples: for spirituall he first cured them that were possessed, thē the lu…atike, then the leprous, &c. Lastly, this was the order of the Primitiue Church, whether they dealt in excōmunication, in suspension,Excommunication. 1. 2. 3. 4. or in admonition. For excommunication, first they began with scorners, then with blasphemers, thirdly with heretikes, fourthly with periured persons, and fittly, with the obstinate enemies of Discipline. For suspension, they dealt first against common scorners: secondly,The order of the ancient discipline. Suspensis. 1. 2. 3. 4. against neglecters of the liturgie: thirdly, against quarrels: fourthly, against incontinent persons, & fiftly against slanderers. For admonition, first they met with the idle persons: secondly with common pratlers: thirdly, with vnrederent behauiours of themselues against superiours: fourthly, against them that exceede aboue their abilitie in their apparell: fiftly, with them that neglected the state oeconomicall by needlesse running intoAdmonition. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. debt, and so into debt, and so into wilfull pouertie. Thus we see the order of God himselfe, of Dauid, of Christ the Sonne of God, of the Church in it excellent beautie.
21 The estate of sinners may well be compared to them that be sicke: for as when oneSimile. keepeth his bedde, and goeth to Physicke, it argueth some notable maladie, and disorder, whereby he is hindred from some necessary function: so our soule by the distemper of sin, is not onelyonly hindred from her dutie, but is cleane put out of all good course and temper. Dauid complaineth of this, My sinne hath taken such hold vponupon me, that I am not able to looke Psalm. 40. 12.vp, they be gone ouer my head, they hauehave worne away my beautie, there is no rest in my bones by reason of my sin. Very aptly are they compared to sicke men that are sinners, to the end they might more warily look to thēselues, search the bottome of their thoughts, feele their griefe where it lieth, finde out the cause thereof, seeke be…imes for remedie, least not taking it in time, it rankle and fester inwardly, it eate and infect more and more, it come to a running sore, as Dauid complaineth, and so prooue very neere incurable. The Pharisies are well called sicke men, to moue those Peacock-tailed iusticiaries, to pitie the miserable plight and pickle they were in, and not so sleightly to ouer-looke themselues as they were wont to doe. Who is so vnnaturall, that is not mooued with pitie towards the sicke? who is so without all bowels, that is not touched with compassion of a sicke man? If his heartstrings be not so hard as a horne, if he hauehave not a flint stone in place of his hart, if his reines be not steele, and his hart and bowels hewed and framed out of an hard Oke, he must needes hauehave some remorse, his bowels must needes yearne, and his heart within him cannot chuse but mourne ouer the groanes of a man that draweth his last breath. And as the Lord spake, it is a memorandum for them to strike their frozen hearts: so for our selues we hauehave to take this Item also, for in them he toucheth vsus, our share is in it, he shadowes therein the whole estate of mankind subiect to eueryevery disease, alwaies drouping and complaining, alwaies laid vp on one side or other, teaching vsus to giuegive ouer, and to diuorce our selues from all securitie. The Scripture in this point is plentifull, Who can say his heart Note.is cleane? There is none that doth good, no not one, all are sicke either of the couetous dropsie, or ambitious All sicke.feuer of the itch of concupiscence. He that hath not the fit on him, may start vp and looke to his neighbour. All our health is a perillous disease, our righteousnesse is as a rag stained with the flowers of a woman. If none be voide, if many sinnes lie hidde in vsus (for who can tell how oft he offendeth, who can say, he is not crased?) if our cleannesse be filthie, if our light be darknesse, if our health be sicknesse, how filthie is our filthinesse? how darke is our darknesse? howsoeuer is our sicknesse? And how truly is our body called abody of death? If then we had any hope of our recouery, it would make vsus look for our Physition Christ.