The Ready Way to Good Works, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII. Of the unmercifull who they bee, and of the miſeries of the mercileſſe.
AMong al the ſons and daughters and ſinfull ofſpring of Adam, none lie plunged in ſo deplored and lamentable a condition, as pittileſſe, compaſſionateleſſe, hardhearted, cruell, and unmercifull men, for they ſtand regiſtred in Gods Booke among the veſſels of wrath, who one day ſhall be filled full with the furie and indignation of the Almightie.Matth. 15. 41. Curſed they are in their life, curſed at their death, and moſt curſed ſhall they bee at the day of Judgement: If you deſire to know ſome of their names, they are ſuch as theſe, Extortioners, Uſurers, extreame Exactors, Oppreſſours, Horders up of Corne in times of ſcarcitie, Enhauncers of the prices of things, Covetous niggards, Churliſh Nabals, cruell Depopulatours, detainers of the Labourers deſerved wages, Bribetakers, Mammoniſts, Idolizers of durt and clay, cunning circumventers, and over-reachers of their brethren: beſides theſe, there be more of this curſed Catalogue and black Guard, as for inſtance, Such as give to the poore, but with a grudging heart, and frowning face: ſuch as ſhut their eyes, and their ears, and hands againſt the helpleſſe members of Chriſt, Such as ſpare more than needeth, and ſpend more than they ought, in proud Plumes, gay Clothes, Gaming, Gluttonie, Drunkennes, and riotous Revellings, upon Hawks, or Hounds, or Players, and perhaps, ſometimes upon Whores and Harlots, Such as give juſt nothing at all, or as good as nothing all their lives long, and at their death, part with ſome pitifull portion to the poore, becauſe they can keepe it no longer. I cannot give you the entire and perfect number of all theſe hard-hearted and mercileſſe men, who will one day wiſh that they had never beene borne, or (if they muſt needes have a being and exiſtence) that they might be Metamorphoſed into a bruite beaſt, a ſtocke, or a ſtone, or any ſenſeleſſe or inanimate creature, that ſo they might bee the leſſe capable and ſenſible of thoſe heavie plagues and puniſhments, which are the juſt deſerv'd ſtipend and reward of every incompaſſionate and pittileſſe man.
I could wiſh, that I were endowed with the Art and skill of ſome cunning Appelles, that I might delineate and deſcribe this monſter of men in his proper colours, and repreſent him to your view in all his defects and deformities, that ſo you might together with his perſon, loath and abominate his conditions and practices: I finde in the ſacred Scriptures ſome few marks and properties, whereby I may thus deſcribe him: He hath not1 Joh. 3. 17. the leaſt ſparke of true love either towards God or man, not the ſmalleſt dramme of ſavingJam. 2. faith, for though he beleeves, yet tis but a diabolicall aſſent or preſumptuousJob 6. 14. confidence: he hath no feare of God before his eyes: He can finde no acceptance with God, when he makes his prayersPro. 21. 13. unto him, for when he cryeth he ſhall not be heard: he is a barren and fruitleſſe Figtree, whichLuk. 3. 9. ſhall ſurely be burnt, a moſt curſedPſal. 109. 16. with verſ. 6, 7, 8. to verſ. 15. Jam. 2. miſcreant, which ſhall certainely bee condemned, a faithleſſe and mercileſſe ſteward, which ſhall bee delivered to the tormentors; a notable foole, thatMat. 18. 34. to winne the world will loſe hisLuk. 12. 20. owne ſoule: he is a very theefe and robber of the poore, nay which is worſe, hee is a man of blood, ſaith Eccleſiaſticus, a devourer,Eccleſ. 34. 21. a murtherer of the poore: for, ſaith Saint Ambroſe, Si non paviſti, occidiſti, thou haſt killed thy poore brother, whom thou haſt not fed. This is to kill, ſaith the ſame *In Pſal. 118.Father, to deny the meanes of the preſervation of life: to keepe in thy bags which ſhould relieve the poore, is to bury in the grave, the life of the poore. And leaſt men ſhould thinke theſe words to be but wind or ſuperfluous, & empty breath, and make light of ſuch paper Gun-ſhots, as having no ſtrength and power to pierce through the heart that is harneſſed with inhumanitie and pitileſſe cruelty, and congealed unto Adamant, let them ponder a while upon the parable of the mercileſſe man,Matth. 18. 30. 34. who tooke no pitty on his fellow ſervant, and was therefore rigorouſly handled by his owne Lord and Maſter, and caſt into Priſon there to bee tormented everlaſtingly for his dogged diſpoſition, and cruell carriage towards his fellow-ſervants: Or let them take theſe two principall examples into their ſerious conſideration: the firſt is that of unmercifull Dives, who for denyingLuk. 16. Lazarus a little hard lodging, a bed of ſtraw, was tumbled downe from his bed of Downe into a bed of flame, for denying him the crumms which fell from his table, was fed with fire and brimſtone in the pit of hell, and for denying him drinke to quench his thirſt, was denied himſelfe a drop of water to coole his tongue, ſo true is that of Saint James, Hee ſhall have Jam. 2. 13.judgement without mercy: that hath ſhewed no mercy. The other example is that of the Emperour Mauritius, who through covetouſneſſe and love of money, refuſing to redeeme certaine Chriſtian captives, who were deſtinated by the Conquerour to the ſword and deſtruction, in caſe of non-payment, was reduced into a moſt lamentable ſtate and condition, to a moſt mercileſſe and doleful end. After this cruell and bloody act of his, in not redeeming the captives (for he had a finger in their ſlaughter as well as the enemie, becauſe he might have ſaved their lives) he never thrived or proſpered in any thing hee went about, the Lord gave him over to the horrours of a troubled and wounded ſpirit, to bee vexed with continuall feare of treaſon, and to bee tormented with the praeapprehenſion of the torments of hell, but praying againſt thoſe future paines and puniſhments which he feared in another world, and rather chooſing to bee afflicted and plagued in this life, in a dreame (though they bee moſt commonly falſe and *Somnia ne cures nam fallunt ſomnia plures.deceitfull) hee learned the decree of God againſt him, that hee ſhould bee dethroned, and delivered up into the hands of bloudy Phocas, one of his Centurions, who ſhould aſpire and attaine unto the Emperiall Crowne and dignitie: And even ſo it came to paſſe, as he foreſaw in his imagination, for the ſame Centurion rebelled againſt him, got the upper hand of him, was proclaimed Emperour in his ſtead, and aſſoone as he was lifted up upon the wings of ambition, to the higheſt top of honour, power and Emperiall majeſtie, hee purſued his former lord and maſter, tooke him priſoner, firſt ſlew his wife and five children before his face, (hee himſelfe all the while crying; juſtus es Domine & rectum judicium tuum, Juſt art thou, oh Lord, and righteous is thy judgment:) and after hee had diſpatched them, he murthered moſt miſerably poore Mauritius himſelfe.
Thus were theſe two forlorne wretches plagued, the one with temporall, the other with eternall puniſhment, not for commiſſion of evill, which they ſhold not have done, not for cruelty in oppreſſing the oppreſſed, or for grinding the faces of the poore, or for robbing, wronging, or notoriouſly injurying them: but for omiſſion of good, which they ſhould have done, for not ſhewing mercy and compaſſion when they ought; for this were they hunted, and overtaken with Gods plagues and puniſhments, and ſo ſhall all the damned at The day of judgement. This will bee one of the moſt grievovs and unanſwerable bils, which will bee caſt in againſt wicked men at the laſt and great tribunall: Imprimis, for not feedingMat. 25. 42, 43, &c. the hungry: Item, for not giving drinke to the thirſtie: Item, for not lodging and entertaining ſtrangers: Item, for not clothing the naked: Item, for not viſiting the ſicke, &c. As men muſt then bee ſtrictly accountable for all their thoughts, words, and actions, ſo more ſpecially for the neglect or contempt of Charity and the works of merciemercy: An invincible Armado of former forgotten ſinnes will then be muſtered together, and with all their united forces fight againſt, and charge upon poore graceleſſe impenitent ſinners: but ſinnes of malice, ſinnes of uncharitableneſſe they be the Captaine ſinnes, who will march in the forefront of the battell, and being armed with moſt fiery Scorpion-ſtings will vex, and wound, and murther moſt horribly and bee verlaſting ſcourges and flames unto their conſciences
Let unmercifull men conſider on theſe things, and if they deſire to eſcape thoſe Judgements, which hang over the heads of all mercileſſe men, let them pray unto God for that unvaluable Jewell, the grace of Charitie: Let them put on bowels of pitty and compaſſion, remoove and prevent all cauſes and occaſions of unmercifulneſſe and crueltie, which be principally theſe: Independance upon God, diſtruſt in his promiſes made to the mercifull. (Let covetous, carnall, and hard-hearted miſers ſay what they will, they doe not beleeve in God, they give not credit to his Word) feare of future want and penurie, when they have the Word of Truth to the contrarie, wnat of love towards God, and of pitty towards the poore, love of mony, and earthly-mindedneſſe, pride of apparrell, fulneſſe of bread, love of pleaſures, andEzech. 16 49. paſtimes, Selfe-conceit, and a groundleſſe preſumption that they are good Chriſtians, when they are nothing leſſe, that they are in the right way to Bleſſedneſſe, cocke ſure of Heaven, true worſhipers of God, ſincere profeſſours of his Goſpell, unqueſtionable beleevers, albeit they be not zealous of good workes, nor given to the practices of Charitie. Theſe and the like obſtacles and hinderances there are, which ſtop men from walking the ready way to good works: They will all appeare very cleere and evident in the next Chapter of objections, which worldlings frame upon purpoſe to ſhift off the exerciſe of Charitie, and to ſpare their purſes.