Observations Divine and Moral, Chapter 38
CHAP. XXXVIII. Of Credit, and good name.
CRedit, and good name with men so follows vertue, and good deserts (like the shadow the body) as it remayns notwithstanding Gods good gift, sundry wayes. First, in bestowing upon men vertue, and goodnes to deserv it: for which also the gifts of God are to Austin.be the more welcom. Secondly, in guiding them to manifest, and improve their endowments to the advantage of their good name; not as stage-players, but as good stewards of the gift of God that way. Thirdly, by moving the hearts of other men to have them in due respect, and estimation: to which purpose it is sayd of Ioseph, and others (though of most singular desert in regard of men) that God gave Gen. 39.them favour in their eyes.
Many rayther desire a great name, then a good: and therefore rayther enterprise great, then good matters. Some matters greatly great; as they in the East, who to get Gen. 11.them a name, would build a tower, whose top should reach heaven. Such also was the levell of the huge, and high Pyramides built by the Egiptian kings. Some, things greatly strange though mean, as Parmeno in his artificiall imitation Plutarch.of the gruntling of a sow. Some, greatly dangerous; as those Funambuli, who rayther will venture their necks, then want a name. Some again, things, if no otherwise, yet greatly odious; as Herostratus, in burning the temple of Diana, in Ephesus, with wilde fire. And so Pilate is famous for crucifying Christ; and Iudas for betraying him: so is Ieroboam known by this brand, He that made Israel to sin. But a great name so got, and left to posteritie, is like to the great stinck of a lamp, or candle, when it is gone out: whereas the memoriall of the righteous is blessed; andProv. 10. like the smell of the costly oyntment of spykenard, wherewith Mary annoynted our Lords feet: the sweet sent whereof filled the whole house. And this good name of the godly, andIohn. 12. vertuous, living amongst good men upon earth, when they are dead, is a kinde of pledge of their souls living for ever with God in heaven. This none neglect, but they, who mean to do nothing to deserv it: nor despise, but with endangering their own hardning in evill, both against the fear of God, and shame of the world.
This good name is rayther to be chosen then great riches, Prov. 22.sayth he, who could well discern what was best. Which shews, both that he, who impayrs anothers credit by slaunder is worse then a theif, and steals a more pretious thing; as also that he, who seeks, and gets it to himself undeservedly, is as well to answer to God for his undeserved credit with men, as is a theif for his stoln goods.
This credit, and good name we may desire, as a good pleasing naturall thing, and for our more comfortable living amongst men: and so David prayed sundry times in one Psalm, that God would turn away reproach from Psal. 119.him, which he so feared. But this good name, and note with men, we are specially to desire to honour God withall, and to further, and prefer goodnes with others: as otherwise, so chiefly, by the good regard, and respect, wherein they have us, to advantage the example, and other provocations of vertue, and godlynes proceeding from us, for more ready imitation by, and better acceptance with them. And them, who thus labour to honour God with the honour, and respect, which he vouch safes them from others, he will surely honour with men (so far as is meet) and with himself for ever. Whereas the vaynglorious, and ambitious, that eyther seek honour above their desert, or onelyonly thereby to advance themselvs, and theirs, above other men; they lift up themselvs against God, and climbe higher, then that the bow will bear them: and God, first or last, will throw them down into perdition.
And whereas God would have us seek good name, & fame by well doing; if any seek it by evill, (as in evill times, and companyes too many do, as Austin confessethAustin. of himself, that in the dayes of his vanitie, he oft did evill, not onelyonly in lust of the thing, but for prayse by it, amongst his consorts; and sometimes also slaundered himself with the evils, which he had not done, lest seeming more chast he should be more contemptible then the rest) such do no better then set the divell in Gods place, and glory in their Phil. 3.shame, whose end, without repentance, is damnation. For God will keep his place in heaven; and from him shall men at length, and for ever, receave prayse for wel-doing; and not from the divell for evill. Neyther yet is credit alwayes gotten with men, by following it, no more then a mans shadow is: but he that seeks to honour God in his mayn intention, God will cause some strinkling of his own prayse to reach unto him; and covering his sins from his divine eyes, will so farr, as is meet, cover them from the eyes of men also; and therewith, as it were, commend his vertues to their acceptation: specially, if withall, such a man joyn with his zealous heart towards God, good thoughts, and speeches of other men, & good doings unto them. God will provide, that others shall mete the like measure Math. 7.to him again, in thinking, and speaking well of him.
As the whitenes of the Ethiopians teeth is the more remarqueable by reason of the blacknes of his whole body: so are the few vertuous doings of some persons the more noted; and they the more famous for the same; by reason of their contrarie course in evill. Things eyther rare in themselvs, or not expected from such or such persons, are most observed: so are the commendable actions, in them, whose ordinarie course in evill gives men litle cause to look for better. And by this means it comes to passe, that divers (specially great men, who have many trumpetters of their few vertues, and scarse any that dare so much as see their vices) get often times a greater name of just, mercifull, and pious, for some one, or a few works of those kyndes (like the Ethiopians teeth;) though in a course of injustice, and impietie; then many others do by the constant practise of those, and other vertues.
Seeing honour, and respect is in the hand of the honouring, Cicero.and not of the honoured; we are for the right valuation of mens credits in the world, to have speciall regard to the persons that honour others; whether by praysing them, or otherwise. For fools will prayse men lightly, and at a venture: flatterers, having linguas venales, for their own advantage: vayn and leaud persons, such as are like themselvs; in praysing of whom, they prayse themselvs by reflexion: But to be praysed by them, who themselvs are prayse-worthy, is both a reward of vertue, and a blessing of God. But above all things, we must remember, that whatsoever eyther we think, or speak of our selvs, or others of2 Corin. 10. us; onelyonly he, whom the Lord commendeth, is approved: without, or against whom, he that would be commended Austin.of men, shall not be defended of men, when God judgeth him; nor delivered by men, when God condemneth him. And what doth it advantage him, that runns a race, that the standers by approve of his running; if the Agonothetes, or Iudges of the course disalow him? And what will it avayl any, if all men, and Angels should extoll him never so highly, and even clap their hands at him, in admiration of his excellencie; if God the judg of all, and by whose sentence he is eternally happie, or miserable, should condemn him, and cast him of, as unworthy? Let our mayn care then be, that wee may alwayes be accepted of God: And for acceptance 2 Corin. 5.with men, let us not neglect it; for that were desperatenes; nor yet set our mynds too much upon it: lest to procure, or keep it, we loose favour in a better place. Let us rayther fear, with the Apostle, lest any think of us above that which indeed 2 Corin. 12.there is cause: and if we be approved, or happen to be praysed by any; let us with the godly Father (considering both our wants, and other things amisse) take thereby occasion of blushing in our selvs:Ignatius. and, with another, of begging at Gods hands, that he Greenhamwould make us answerable to the good, that any think, or speak of us.