The Merchant Real, Sermon · Lesson 11
The eleuenth leſſon.
Thus you hauehave hard vvhat is meant by that One pearle of great price in heauen. Novve ſee vvhat is that One pearle of great price on earth which this reall marchant findeth here. The former interpreters hauehave expounded it to our hand shevving that it is Charity. The learning then is. That Chriſtian Charity is that one, & only pearle in earth both peareles, & priceles vvhichwhich is found only among the children of god.
The light of this appeares moſt euidently from S. Paules vvords.1. Cor. 12.31. 1. Cor. 13. per tout. Wherin firſt S. Paule ſayth. That he vvould shevve a more excellent vvay, & in the chapter follovving doth make it demonſtrable. The Analyſis vvhereof is thus breefly. Firſt it callengeth the beſt things. Secondly it combateth vvith the vvorſt things, and Thirdly it conquereth the laſt things. Chriſtian Charity callengeth the beſt things, For angellical, euangellicall eloquence vvithout Charity is as ſounding braſſe, or as a tinckling cymball. The gift of prophecie, all knovvledge, all faith, yea miraculous faith in compariſon of this is nothing▪ Almes deeds, & martyrdome vvithout Charity profitteth nothing. In the ſecond place it combateth vvith the vvorſt things. In vvrath it ſuffereth long▪ baſe couteouſnes it cānot endure, for it is bountifull, it is voyd of ſpight for it enuies not, it is not frovvard for it doth not beaſt it ſelfe, it is noe ſovvlen bladder of pride, for it is not puffed vp, it is farre from reproach that it vvill doe noe vncomly thing, it is ſo farre from iniury that it ſeeketh not its ovvne, in it is noe bitternes at all for it cannot be provoked to wrath, noe ſurmiſes of euill, for it thinketh none, noe vniuſtice for it reioyceth not in inquity, but reioyceth in the truth, beleeueth the good, hopeth the beſt, & endureth all. In the third place it conquereth the laſt things. For vvhen the vvorld hath done it shall endure, & vvhen faith vvhichwhich beleeueth all things of god, & hope vvhichwhich expecteth all, doe ceaſe, yet shall Charity vvhervvith vve louelove god, & man endure for all eterinty.
It is alſo one,Io. 13.34. for it is that one commandement from mount Sion vvhichwhich is the complement of the other ten from mount Sinai vvhichwhich Chriſt calls the nevve commandement, & affirmes that it is the marke of his choſen. It is alſo a pearle of perfection for the Chriſtians houſe vvhichwhich he builds to god hath faith for its foundation vvhere vponupon it is grounded, & hope the vvalls vvhereby it is erected, but Charity is the roofe vvhichwhich perfecteth, & couereth all. It is of all price vvhether vve reſpecte the nearenes of it vntounto vsus It is not in heauen that thou shouldeſt ſay vvho shall goe vp for vsus, & bring it vntounto vsus that vve may beare it, & doe it. Neither is it beyond the ſea that thou shouldeſt ſay vvho shall goe ouer the ſea, & bring it vsus that vve may heare it, & doe it? But the vvord is very nigh vntounto thee, in thy mouth, & in thy hart, that thou mayeſt doe it. Or the breefnes. The commandement is shortened that eueryevery man might be vnexcuſable, & that noe mā in the day of iudgmēt as ſaith S. Auguſtine might implead god, or complaine that he could not retayne this leſſon in his memory Therefore ſaith that father the vvord is this. If yee louelove me you vvill louelove one another.
Mat…. 11.30Or if vve reſpect the eaſines of this leſſon. It is an eaſie yoke. For both old, & young, rich, & poore, vveake, and vvhole may performe this duty. Or if vve reſpecte the pre…iouſnes of it. It is the bond of perfectiō, yea pretious it is in all dimenſions. In lenght it endureth euer. In breath it is dilated to all, to the good of duty, to the bad of pitty. In deepenes it fayleth neuer, it vvill not forſake a frend in miſery, noe nor in extremity, noe not in death it ſelfe.Cant. 8.6.7. For louelove is as ſtrong as death, ielouſie is as cruel as the graue: the coales thereof are fierie coales, & a vehement flame. Much vvater cannot quench louelove, neither can the flouds drovvne it: if a man should giuegive all the ſubſtance of his houſe for louelove, they vvould greatly contemne it. Or in height, it is of a noble diſpoſition, it loues our frends in the lord, & our enimies for the lord. In a vvord it is pretious in extenſion. In this vvorld univerſall, it doth good to all. In the other vvorld it is eternall. Pretious in this vvorld for vſe, for a mans faith is his ovvne proper good, but Charity is profitable, and vſefull to others. In the other vvorld it is pretious, for continuance, for it endureth to the end, in the end, after the end; vvithout end. Ignatius Chriſts martyr shall conclude vvho ſaith, that faith is the beginning of our Chriſtianity, Charity the end, & beſt pillovve vvhereon to repoſe our head at the laſt gaſpe.
The right of this appeares in the ſubject of Charity, for it ſvvimmes not in the braine vvith fancifull, & imaginary opinions, but ſetleth in the hart by deuine, and Chriſtian affections. It is not conceitfull, but truly cordiall. In the obiect it is pretious, for god is the obiect thereof, & vvhatſoeuer god vvill hauehave beloued, as men; all men, yea our enimies for thats the exaltatiō thereof, Angels, ſaincts, Chriſt himſelf according to his humane nature vvhereby he doth not diſdaine to call vsus brethren. Laſtly in the effects pretious, for it bringeth vntounto vsus the ioy of the ſpirit, peace of our conſcience, patience, merciemercy, bounty, & the like.
Practice. 1 The vſe of this is firſt of Confutation of the Papiſts vvho make Charity the forme of faith, & they argue thus. If Charity be greater then Faith, & hope, & more pretious for vſe, & continuance as Paule affirmeth. Then are vve not iuſtified by faith only. I anſvvere that theſe concluſions vvill as vvell follovve. A king is better then a boore, therefore he can till the earth better, A man is better then a beaſt, therefore he can runne ſvvifter then a horſe, he can carry more then an Elephant. Who ſees not the abſurdities? Let Faith hauehave her prerogatiues, It is the cauſe of gods louelove.Galat. 5.6. For in Ieſus Chriſt neither circumciſion aueileth any thinge, neither vncircumciſion, but faith vvhichwhich vvorketh by louelove. It is the victorie vvherby vve ouercome the vvorld.1. Ioh. 5.4. It is the renovation of the nevve birth in the children of god. It is that alone vvhichwhich iuſtifieth vsus,Eph. 3.17. yea vvithout faith Charity is ſinne But in the meane vvhile let vsus not ſpoile Charity of her priuiledges, as doe the Solifidiās,Rom. 14.23 & Nullifidiās. For charity is the end of the cōmaundemēt.1. Tim. 1.5. The bond of perfection.Col. 3.14. Rom. 13.10 Ioh. 13. Gal. 5.6. The complement of the lavve, The ſupplement of the goſpel; & vvithout vvhichwhich Faith doth nothing.
Practice 2 The ſecond vſe is of Eſtimation. For by Charity vve doe ſurpriſe god. God vvill doe nothing till Lot come to Zoar. Hereby vve honor angels CHARITATE, NON SERVITUTE ſaith S. Auguſtine. Hereby vve participate vvith the bleſſed in the communion of Saincts, in the church militant, in the church triūphant, & hereby vve liue comfortably vvith men in the common vvealth, in the church, in our houſes, in the ſtreets, eueryevery vvhere.
Practice. 3 The third vſe is of reſiſtance. For it vvithſtandeth all imperfections, & infirmities of our minds, all vveakeneſſes of our vvretched, & vvicked natures, & is like a pretious antidote, or rare ievvell, or pearle to cure the maladies of our minds. For in caſe of emnity It ſaith I vvill louelove mine enimie by the example of Chriſt.
Rom. 5.8.In caſe of iniury It ſayth I vvill pray for mine enimies by the example of Stephen. In caſe of neceſſity It ſupplieth vvants.Act. 7.60. Prov. 25. Pro. 24.17. Luc. 17.4. In caſe of miſery It condoleth, and in caſe of penetencie It doth vvillingly forgiue, & that full oft.
Practice. 4 The fourth vſe is of conſideration. Hovve vve shall enter into heauen.Matt. 22.12 For vvithout this garment to that holy mariage vve cannot be admitted. Our Sauiour vvonders hovve a fellovve came to a vvedding not hauing a vvedding garment. Novve eueryevery garment hath the commendations from the matter vvhereof it, is made, from the colour, & from the ſvveetnes. The matter of this garment is the tender bovvells of Ieſus Chriſt. The colour is the tincture of CHRISTS bloud, And the ſvveetnes is of Mirh, Aloes, & Caſſia.Pſal. 45. Noe man came into the court of Ahaſuerosh vvith ſackcloth,Act. 9. & noe man can come into the court of heauen vnleſs as Dorcas frends at her death shevved the garments that shee had vvrought before shee vvas reſtored to life by Peter. So in the laſt day vve muſt shevve our garments made of this Charity before vve shalbe poſſeſſed of life euerlaſting.Matth. 25▪
Practice. 5 The Fift vſe is of Expoſtulation. Tell me vvho can implead god.Rom. 13.10. Ioh. 13.34. He hath commanded you to doe ten things. This commandement doth them. Seauen things are to be deſired, in a ſort this deſireth them, …ay abſolutly doth them. Tvvelue things are to be beleeued, To vvhichwhich of theſe doth this not extend it ſelfe either of nature, grace, or glory.
Practice 6 The laſt vſe is to examine the language that this deuine vertue ſpeaketh in. Firſt in caſe of iniury I vvill not hurt neither in vvord, nor deed ſaith …hee. In caſe of rashnes I vvill not iudge ſaith shee.Pſal. 39.2. 1. Theſ. 5. Mat. 7. In caſe of caſualty I vvill not reioyce (ſaith she) if it be euill, I vvill not grudg (ſaith shee) if it be good. In a vvord she ſaith of all I vvill deſpiſe noe brother, I vvill contemne noe ſiſter, for vvhere I find one fault in them I can find ten in my ſelf, if I looke vponupon my ſelfe vvith the fame prying, & curious eie wherevvith I looke vponupon them. Marke her reaſonings to maintaine this. You thinke it a burthen ſaith she, but I knovve the yoke is eaſie. If Iacob could ſerue ſeauen yeares for Rachell, & ſay that it ſeemed fevve dayes vntounto him for the louelove that he bare vntounto Rachel, if naturall louelove can vvorke this, vvhat shall not deuine Charity effecte. Secondly her reaſon tells her that if shee endureth any thing for the louelove of god. God himſelfe vvill beare a part, & that shee shalbe deliuered from the greeuous yoke of malice, from the deuil the father thereof, & from hell the den thereof. Frō which miſerable, & diabolicall miſcheefe of malice, and ſinne of Sathan good lord deliuer vsus.
Noe ſoner hath this reall Marchant found this pearle but …e ſtraightvvaies is become another man For the text ſayth. He went, & ſold all that he had & bought it. Reſolution therefore is the remarkable note of a true Chriſtian, vvhichwhich conſiſteth in fovver things couched in theſe laſt vvords of my text.
The firſt is readines He vvent.
Secondly contempte of the vvorld And ſold.
Thirdly a full perſvvaſion He ſold all.
And Laſtly The enioyement He bought it. His readines is couched is theſe vvordes He went That is as the originall vvord ſignifies He vvent from himſelfe in denying himſelfe, & all his ovvne ſtrength For as the prodigall ſonne is ſayd to returne to himſelfe vvhen he bethought himſelfe to returne to his father hauing not bine vvith himſelfe all the vvhile of his prodigallity; So this marchant is ſayd to goe from himſelfe vvhen he endeuoreth to purchaſe that vvithout himſelfe vvhichwhich he in himſelfe could neuer find. So that the learning then is this.