The Diseases of the Time, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. That the Vse of the Keyes, is an excellent Remedie for the Diseases of the Church (if it selfe be not diseased) and that it is not to bee taken for a priuiledge, to bee free from Remedies and not from Diseases.
WHen I reade aCyprian. Epis. 10.11.55. & de …a…s.the practice of Penitence in the Times of the first LoueLove, it reioyceth mee greatly to see the beauty of the Church, which could not chuse but shine in a notable fairenesse, when the spots were so duely and carefully taken away, the faces of the spotted being throughly washed by the teares of repentance. Open Sinners were not admitted into the Communion of Saints, neither was the bread of the Children giuen vntounto dogges, neyther by an equall bounty to the godly and the wicked, was there an equall incouragement to godlinesse and iniquity. But a separation was made betweene the sicke and the whole; and this separation had no other intent but edification, euen an edification of the Spirit by the destruction of the Flesh. So could men finde no fault with the dispensers of this power, hauing nothing to complaine of, but that their liues thereby were sought to bee amended, and their soules to bee saued.
I confesse the cause was weighty for which the gates of Heauen were to be locked; great in matter, or great in manner, great in the thing done, or great in the wilfulnesse of the doer. And this not without reason, for the doome is heauy, and fit for the backe of a strong & mighty Euill. It was a short damnation, a temporall Hell, a measured deliuery vntounto Satan, man being shut out of Heauen vponupon Earth, euen the company of Saints, and shut out of Heauen in Heauen, euen the ioyes and comforts of the Spirit of Consolation. Neither could it but bee an excellent Remedie, because it was so fitted to the Disease. A degree of Presumption is incountred with a degree of Despaire; the Scorpion is made a medicine against the Scorpion, and Satan is set on worke to take him downe by Terror vntounto Saluation, whom before he animated and puffed vp to destruction. Hee that sayd at first, Sinne boldly, for yee shall not die at all, now he changeth his voyce and sayth, Thy sinne is greater then can be forgiuen thee. But the Wisedome of dispensation suffered this roaring Lyon no longer to terrifie, but vntill his Terror did mollifie. Hee aymed indeed at despayre, and destruction, but the Church aymed at Humiliation and Conuersion, yea to Consolation and Saluation. For indeed Humiliation for Sin is the way to Conuersion from Sin, and Conuersion from Sinne is the way to the consolations of the Spirit, and the comfortable Spirit is both the guid and way to Life eternall. Therfore when the man is humbled, Satan is cashiered, the Horse-leach is taken away when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous bloud. And now the man formerly forsaken by all, is comforted of all, the gates of Heauen are vnlocked to him, and hee is restored to both the Heauens, the Communion of Saints, and the ioyes of the Spirit. Thus are wee healed by wounding, and by humbling wee are exalted. O admirable vse and command of Satan! Hee is an enemy to God, yet doth him seruice; he is an aduersary to Man, and yet helps him. A strange thing it is, that Satan should helpe the incestuous Corinthian, to the destruction of his flesh, and the edification of his soule. A strange thing that Satan should teach b1. Tim. 1.20.Himeneus and Alexander not to blaspheme. His Kingdome is seated in the Flesh, and yet the Flesh he destroyes. Hee is the Author of blasphemies, and yet hee teacheth not to blaspheme. But is Satan contrary to himselfe, and is his Kingdome diuided in it selfe? No surely. But one that is stronger then hee, both in wisdome and power, manageth both his craft and malice to ends which himselfe intendeth not. The Deuill is one and the same still, euen purely malicious. And in this malice hee tempts men being in high bloud vntounto a presumption of sinning. And by the same malice, hee tempts the same men being cast downe vntounto a despayre of MercieMercy. Now as Remedies are by contraries, so a measure of despaire is medicinable to a measure of presumption. And iust so farre doth God suffer Satan to goe on in his temptation, as temptation is profitable, and no farther. Therefore while Satan is driuing the Offender to despaire, God stops his course when the Sinner is come to due humiliation. And then as it was with Christ in the Wildernesse, so it is with the humbled Sinner, Satan is dismissed, & the Angels come and minister to him. And as God doth publikely administer this Remedie to the members of his Church in publike Euils, so also doth he priuately exhibite it to his choysest Saints in their priuate Necessities. And so a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet Paul, that by the strokes of him who is the king of pride, God might teach his seruant Humility. But what shall we say to these things? Are men at this day willing to take this physicke, of the Physician of our Soules Christ Iesus? or doe not most men that are of any growth, thinke themselues too great to bee taken by this Net of Mercy, but are willing to breake through, that they may be taken in the Net of Iudgement? I wish wee had not farre more need of the words of Saint Ambrose, then he had when he vsed them. cS. Ambros. apologia Dauid, cap. 2.What great or rich man (sayth hee) shall yee now find, that will take it well to be reproued of a fault? Yet this man (Dauid) being glorious in Kingly power, and often approoued by Diuine Oracles, when he was reprooued by a subiect, because hee had grieuously offended, did not repine in a rage, but confessing re…ented by Repentance. And a little after: Other men when they are reproued of the Priests, increase their fault by going about to deny or diminish it, so that by the same meanes by which they should hauehave beene amended, they increase their sicknesse. Had this holy Man a cause to complain, to whose keyes the Emperour Theodosius submitted himselfe both for binding and loosing, and hauehave not our dayes much more, wherein men of a farre inferiour greatnesse thinke it a speciall priuiledge, belonging to their dignity to sinne without controlment? And yet if wee looke clearly into the matter, a priuiledge to sin quietly, is but a priuiledge quietly to be damned. But I think it much rather a miserable in conuenience of greatnes, and a meere abuse of it, when the terror therof is employed, to fright away grace, & so terrifie saluation. These are they of whom it is said, Potentes potenter cruciabūtar, The mighty by the abuse of their owne might shall be most mightily punished. And if greatnesse would but take a proportion of wisdome and patience, and thereby soundly examine why he is angry, when hee is iustly reprooued, I thinke he will be so farre from finding a reason for his anger, that hee will on the other side find a reason of thankes and reioycing. For put the case (as it is too often) that a great man hath offended, to him the Man of God speakes or writes, in due or respectiue manner, and discouers his Sinne and his danger by sinning. The mayne intent of Gods seruant, is but to take away the Sinne that would slay him, and instead of Sinne and Death, to recommend vntounto him Grace and Life. Now wherein hath this man offended? whose only businesse is to take from greatnesse Sinne and Misery, and to giuegive it Vertue and Happinesse? Surely thou hast nothing to dislike, except it bee to be lesse wicked, and lesse miserable, and to be more vertuous and more happy. Yet (though without a reason) greatnesse will in this case often be angry, though it hauehave most reason to bee angry with it selfe, for being angry without a reason. But when reasons faile I thinke this must represent one, That it is a dishonour for a superiour to bee reprooued of the inferiour, and it is commonly a little great Man that doth not think more honourably of himselfe then of most of the Priesthood. To this I answere, that this exception is made all of stomack & nothing of reason. And first I could confute much of it, by proouing and proposing the dignity of Priesthood from whose Spirituall power (it being as the Scripture sayes a power vntounto edification) of exhorting, teaching, reproouing; yea, binding and loosing, I thinke no true member of Christs Church should desire to be exempted. Besides, Saint Paul without any distinction writes to the Thessalonians, to acknowledge those that laboured among them, who (as he affirmes) were ouer them in the Lord. Whence might bee deduced this Doctrine, That the Layitie in generall is the Flocke, and the Priests are the Shepheards, and spirituall Shepheards in the administration of spirituall things, are ouer their Flockes. But flesh & bloud is loth to heare of any Eminence, though it bee but spirituall, and not of this world. Therefore I must talke with it in a Language more naturall to it, and therevpon I reply, That an Inferiour, which in his manner of speaking, keeps safe and whole the dignity of the Superiour to whom hee speakes, and in his matter only striues to take away his sinne, this Inferiour hath in nothing disgraced the Superiour, for in the manner he hath giuen him respect, and in the matter hee offers him Amendment. So vponupon the whole hee hath not disgraced, but graced him in respectiue words, and in profitable matter.
And surely a man so reproued, may if he please be more honorable after reproofe then hee was before, if by the reproofe he become better then he was before. Naaman was an honourable man, but a Leper, and at first hee tooke exceptions to the Prophet, because he came not out to him, but sent him health in a manner that distasted him. But if Naaman had continued in his anger, he had continued a Leper, whereas by hearkning vntounto the Prophets direction, hee returned honourable as hee was before, and healthy which hee was not before. Surely eueryevery man though neuer so honourable, hath a spirituall Leprosie, and if a Prophet aduise him to wash and be clean, by refusing it, hee may continue an honourable Leper, but by obeying it, hee may hauehave spirituall health added to his temporall honour.
Wherefore let eueryevery man doe that for the health of his soule, which this mighty man did for the health of his body, let him wash according to the words of the Prophet. Christs businesse is to wash vsus in this world, that he may present vsus spotlesse to his Father in another world. As hee washeth vsus chiefly by his owne Bloud & Spirit, so he washeth vsus ministerially by his Word, by his Sacraments, by his Keyes, for by these the Bloud and Spirit which wash vsus are more neerly applyed, and more fully communicated. Therefore louelove and embrace the outward meanes of thy inward puritie, and take willingly not one but all the helpes that may beautifie thee.
Some thinke it too much to bee hearers of the Word of Christ, and cry out that preaching (indeed a foolishnesse to such, but a foolishnesse that saues others) hath turned the world vpside downe. Act. 17.6. Another can indure preaching, because hee can indure to sit at his ease, while the preacher takes paines in vttering that for which before hee tooke paines in gathering; but the Sacrament he will take but once in the yeere, and not once, except his Charitie fall out right with the time of the yeere. A third, will indure both Word and Sacrament, and with Herod will doe some things gladly, but if hee bee threatned with a binding in Heauen for vnlawfull Lust, Iohn Baptists head must dance from his shoulders. But ô thou man whosoeuer thou art that desirest to see the face of God, giuegive leaue vntounto God to sit thee for his presence, by all his meanes of washing and clensing. For there is nothing purer then our God of purest eyes, and there is nothing fouler then a man of naturall corruption, therefore thinke no washing too much, to bring the most defiled thing on earth to the purest Essence in Heauen, Beleeue that Christ knew the glory of God sufficiently, for he came from it immediatly to vsus, and that he knew sufficiently the filthinesse of Man, for hee came to wash it with his bloud, and therefore let no man thinke that hee hath prescribed any thing too much, to bring vsus from so great a filthinesse to so infinite a Glory. Wherefore let no man limite the Highest, and tell him the Word and Sacraments might hauehave serued for his clensing, but yeeld to his Wisedome, which hath thought chastisement sometimes as necessary as food. Therefore bee thou like Dauid (and be not better then he who was both a Saint and a King) and then shalt thou say with Dauid, That Gods rod and his staffe doe comfort thee, as well as that hee maketh thee to lye downe in greene pastures, and leadeth thee by the still waters. So to summe vp all, Let the dispensers of Christs ordinances, and his spirituall Stewards, giuegive to all his seruants due meat in due season. Let them take the Towell and the Basin wherewith once Christ washed and wiped his Disciples feet, and at this day wash the feet, euen the spots of his blessed spouse. Hee hath told you that he did it to giuegive you an example, if yee follow not his example, you goe about to make his giuing of it in vaine. Wash them with the Word, for Christ hath testified, Now are yee cleane by the Word. Wash them with the Sacraments, for the bloud of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ, the chiefe meanes of our Spirituall clensing, are thereby communicated to vsus. Wash them with the rod of censure and chastisement, which purgeth out the euill by the blunesse of the wound, and by the destruction of the Flesh saueth the Spirit in the Day of the Lord. 1. Cor. 5.5. And let the Flocke of Christ striue for the vtmost cleannesse, and not for priuiledges of vncleannesse, for as they are purified, they shall bee glorified, the more white wee are here in Grace, the more bright wee shall bee in Glory. And let eueryevery man though outwardly great, seeke to make himselfe as much within as hee is without, and to that end, let him incourage his spirituall father freely to tell him the sinnes that binde in Heauen, that hee may bee freed from them whiles hee is here on Earth. And let eueryevery great one that meanes to bee saued, account it an especiall benefit, if he meet with a messenger of God (Iob 33.23.) which may by wholsome admonition, take from him those sinnes which may loose or lessen his saluation. For it is a certaine Trueth, that as the more purity the more glory, so the more spots, the lesse glory and the greater damnation.
Now vntounto him that hath loued vsus,Reuel. 1. and washed vsus from our sinnes in his own bloud, and hath made vsus Kings & Priests vntounto God his Father, To him be glory and dominion for euer and euer