Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 8
Text.And louelove be multiplied.] The louelove wherewith God loued vsus, when we were his enemies, the louelove wherewith we shoulde one louelove another, as brethren: the louelove, which is that one great and newe commaundement of the Gospell, 1 Thes. 4.9which is the royall lawe of Christ. Of which louelove the Apostle saieth to the Thessal. hee hath no neede to write to them: For they were all taught of God, euen of Gods spirit, to louelove one another. This is the first lesson, that Gods spirit teacheth all his schollers, to louelove one another. Howe little then hauehave they profited in Gods schoole, that as yet hauehave not learned this lesson. This should be a lesson perfectlie learned, and commonlie practised, of al christians. This should be as the ayre we breath, and the fire and water we vse, and the garments we put on. And therefore the Apostle saieth,1. Cor. 13 Col. 3.12. Without louelove I am nothing. And put vponupon you tender mercy, louing kindnesse: let these bee as thy garments, dailie in all thy actions, ouer all thy members. As thou goest no whither naked without thy garmentes: so doe nothing without these.verse 14.1 And aboue all other vertues put on louelove, which is the verie bond of perfection. Without this thou art vnperfect. Wouldest thou bee as in bodie, so in soule perfect? wouldest thou not halt, or be maimed? wouldst thou hauehave no deformitie on thy face or in thy other members? why then put on louelove, it is the bonde of perfection. Without this thou art maimed, thou art deformed in thy soule, thou art a deuill, thou art the most deformed and misshapen creature in the world. All christians should be loued of vsus, they should be in our hearts to liue and die withall, and that not as in a sparing or pinching room or place, but as in a most large, and ample, as S. Paul saieth. Our mouth is open vntounto you, 2. Cor. 6.11.(O Corinthians) we preach to you plentifullie the gospell of Iesus Christ, wee kéepe nothing backe: Nay our heart is enlarged towardes you, you are also in our heartes, and that as in a most large place. You are not in vsus as in a narrowe roome: But you are kept in a straite place, in your owne bowels. Now for the same recompence I speake vntounto you, as vntounto children: Be yee also enlarged. So that christians should hauehave their hearts enlarged, euen to hauehave all their brethren dwelling in their hearts. But if this be true, what case are they in then, which hauehave them not in their heartes at all, neither as in a narrow, nor in a large roome? This largenes of the heart is charitie. And it is to be feared, where this largenesse is not, God is not. God is most mightie, most free, most large, he cannot abide to bee pinched. And therefore they which will hauehave God dwell in their hearts, must thus enlarge them. Our princes will not dwel in narrow cottages, but in large palaces: no more will God, the king of kinges. And O vnhappy is he, with whom God dwelleth not: For so it followeth in the same place, You are the tēple of the liuing God. As God hath said, I wil dwel in them, Leue. 26.11.12.and I will walke in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Those with whom God dwelleth not, God is none of their God, neither are they his people. For so we reade in the prophet Osee of that last adulterous childe of Gomer. Call his name (saieth God) not my people: For they are none of my people, Osee. 1.94and I will not bee with them: So that God is with his people, he dwelleth in them. This shoulde make vsus call euerie one beloued: neither so to call them, but in déed so to accompt them, least we loose the louelove of God. In token of this louelove, (as I hauehave read) we bare our heads to our brethren that wee meet, as offering our heades, our liues into their handes. For of whom we louelove we feare no harme. And therefore Augustine saieth, LoueLove me, and doe what thou wilt vntounto me. This mutuall louelove was in the first christians:Eus. li. 7. Eccle. hist. cap. 20. So that as Eusebius reports, when in a generall plague, the infidels forsooke their own parents, the christians went to them and comforted them, and ventured their liues for them. And these vertues must bee multiplied, must increase in vsus. We will euerie yeere increase our stocks of cattell, our possessions if we be able, and looke for the increase of our fieldes: So must we our selues increase in these heauenlie vertues, we must pray for the increase of these, wee must labour for them, we must be as earnest as we are to purchase our transitory thinges. And as we vse the meanes verie diligentlie to obtaine other worldlie commodities, so let vsus vse the meanes, to obtaine and increase these heauenlie vertues, which are, continuall prayers, hearing, reading, and meditating of Gods word, receiuing the sacraments, dooing good to our brethren. He that seeketh shal find (saieth our Sauiour) euen these heauenlie pearles: And hee that giueth, to him shall be more giuen; And hee that hath, shall hauehave abundance. God giueth not all at once; but, because he will hauehave all his labour, and not be idle, by drops and degrées, through the whole course of their liues; that as for earthlie things: so likewise for increase of heauenlie thinges, they should labour continually.