Works, Book 1 · Discourse 22
DISCOURSE XXII.
PSAL. 112. 6.
The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
A Word fitly spoken, Prov. 25. 11.saith Solomon, is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver; that is, graceful and comely: so is a Text of Scripture fitly chosen, and rightly applied to the occasion. Such an one as I take it, is this I have now read, not chosen by me, but appointed by order to be used at these times of*This Discourse was delivered in the Chappel, at the Commemoration of the College-Benefactors, Anno 1634. Commemoration. I shall need no other Preface to commend it to your attention: Let us therefore see what is the Sense and meaning thereof.
The Righteous, that is, The Bountiful; shall be in everlasting remembrance; In remembrance with God, In remembrance with men: With God, in the world to come, and in this world; With men, How, and in what manner? These are the several Heads I shall speak of; and first of the First, the Subject, The Righteous, or the Bountiful, man.
For Righteousness in a special sense, in the Hebrew and the rest of the Oriental Tongues of kin to it, signifies Beneficence or Bounty, both the Vertue and the Work; and therefore by the Hellenists or Septuagint is it translated foreign, the word so frequent in the New Testament for that we call Alms. 'Tis a known place, Dan. 4. according both to the Septuagint and Vulgar Latin, Peccata tua *foreign.Eleemosynis redime, & iniquitates tuas misericordiis pauperum: Where in the Original for Eleemosyna Alms is foreign Righteousness, as we in our English render it, Break off thy sins by Righteousness, and thine iniquity by shewing mercy to the poor. This notion of Righteousness is to be found thrice together in the 12. of Tobit. Ver. 8. Prayer (saith old Tobit there to his Son) is goodwith Fasting, and with Alms, and Righteousness: A little with Righteousness is better than much with unrighteousness: It is better to give Alms, than to lay up gold. 9. For Alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin, Those that exercise Alms and Righteousness, shall be filled with life. Here in the Greek copy foreign and foreign Alms and Righteousness are exegetically put the one to expound the other, but in the Hebrew there is but one word foreign for them both, that being the word in that language for foreign. Hence in the Syriack Translation of the New Testament foreign is rendred by foreign Iustitia, And so in the Arabick. Hence Mat. 6. 1. for Take heed that you do not your alms before men, (as we read it) the vulgar Latin and some Greek Copies have, Attenditè ne justitiam vestram faciatis coram hominibus, Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men; foreign for foreign. Namely as the word Charity with us, though in the larger sense it signifies our whole duty both to God and man, is restrained to signifie our Liberality to the poor; so is the word Righteousness in the Oriental Languages.
If Righteousness therefore signifie Beneficence and Bounty, then is the Righteous according to this notion the Bountiful man, or as we speak the Charitable. And that it is so taken in my Text, both the general scope of the Psalm, and the connexion with the words before and after, is proof sufficient. For before goes this,*Vers. 5. A good man sheweth favour and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with judgment: Surely he shall not be moved for ever. (Then come the words of my Text) The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. After it follows this, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; Vers. 9.his righteousness remaineth for ever: which S. Paul alledgeth 2 Cor. 9. 9. to promote their collection for the poor Saints at Ierusalem.
For illustration of this and our further information, it will not be amiss, I hope, to commend to your observation some other places of Scripture where the word Righteous is thus taken: as namely Psal. 37. 21. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. Again, Vers. 25, 26. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth, and his seed is blessed. Here the Righteous is the merciful and bountiful; to whom namely this blessing, That his seed shall not want, is proper and peculiar.Psal. 112. 6. The same use is, Prov. 10. 2. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but Righteousness delivereth from death. The same is repeated again Chap. 11. 4. Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but Righteousness delivereth from death. Where Righteousness to be taken for Alms is apparent out of Tobit 12. 9. where it is so applied and rendred, namely, Alms doth deliver from death. I could add also another place, Prov. 21. 26. but these shall be sufficient.
Hence appears their errour who conceive of the nature of Alms as of an arbitrary thing, which they may do if they will, or not do, without sin; as that which carries no obligation with it, but is left freely to every mans discretion. And this makes some contend so much to have the Priest's maintenance granted to be Eleemosynary, that so they might be at liberty to give something or nothing as they listed. But if that were so, yet if Alms be foreign Righteousness in the Hebrew tongue, and the language which our Saviour spake; if our Saviour call'd them Righteousness, when he mentioned them; who dare affirm then that Righteousness implies no obligation, or that a man may leave it undone without sin?
THUS much of the Subject, The Righteous: Now I come to the Predicate, shall be in everlasting remembrance. In remembrance, I said, with God and men: With God, in the life to come, and this life. Let us see for the first, The world to come.
It is certain that at the day of Iudgment we shall receive our doom according to our works of Charity and Mercy; and that of all the works that a Christian man hath done, these alone have that peculiar priviledge to be then brought in express remembrance before God: Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me, &c. Forasmuch as ye have done thus unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me, Matt. 25. 34, &c. What doth my Text say? The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance: God remembers our good deeds, when he rewards them, (as he doth our prayers, when he hears them.) If to remember then be to reward, an everlasting reward is an everlasting remembrance. 'Tis remarkable, that this priviledge which the works of Bounty and Mercy shall have at the day of Iudgment was not unknown to the Iews themselves: for so we read in the Chaldee Paraphrast upon Ecclesiastes 9. 7. foreign, It shall come to pass at the day of Iudgment, that the Lord of the world shall say thus openly to every righteous man then before him, Go and eat with gladness thy bread which is laid up for thee, as a reward for the bread which thou gavest to the poor and needy when they were an hungred; and drink with gladness of heart the wine which is kept for thee in the garden of Eden (or Paradise) as a reward for the wine thou gavest the poor and needy when they were athirst: for behold thy good works have found acceptance before the Lord.
The reason of this Prelation of the works of Mercy at that great day is, because all we can expect at the hands of our Heavenly Father is merely of his Mercy and Bounty: we can hope for nothing but mercy, without mercy we are undone; according to that of Nehemiah in his last*Vers. 22. Chap. Remember me, O Lord, concerning this, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. Now in those that are to be partakers of Mercy, the Divine wisdom requires this congruity, that they be such as have been ready to shew mercy unto others; judging them altogether unworthy of mercy at his hands, who have afforded no mercy to their brethren: For so the Scripture tells us, that they shall have judgment without mercy, that have shewn no mercy. Iames 2. …The tenour of our Petition for forgiveness of sins, in the Lord's Prayer, runs with this condition, As we forgive them that trespass against us. Matt. 18.And who can read without trembling the Parable of the unmerciful servant in the Gospel, to whom his Lord revoked the Debt he meant to have forgiven him, because he shewed no mercy to his fellowservant, who owed him a far lesser Debt? Shouldst thou not, saith he, Vers. 23. have shewed compassion to thy fellow-servant, as I shewed compassion unto thee? This rule of congruity, I say, is the reason why at the day of our great account we shall be judged according to our works of mercy and bounty. To do as we would be done to, hath place not only between man and man, but between God and men.
Nor is this I speak of manifest by the Form of our last Sentence only, but by other Scriptures beside: what else means that of our Saviour, Luke 16. 9. Make unto your selves friends of the unrighteous Mammon, (that is, of these slippery and deceitful riches, for foreign in the Scripture's Dialect is foreign) that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles? Or what means that of S. Paul 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18. Charge them that be rich in this world,—that they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God,—That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life? Laying up a good foundation, &c. in the Greek, foreign. Here it is observable, that works of Beneficence are said to be foreign or the Foundation of the reward we shall receive in the life to come. If any but S. Paul had said so, we should have gone near to have excepted against it for an error. Works the Foundation of eternal life? No, that shall not need: but the Foundation of that blessed Sentence we shall receive at the last day for them; and that is evident by the form thereof, which we have alledged. Whatsoever is meant, a great priviledge sure is hereby implied, that these works have above others. Where give me leave to tell you what a*S…. P…tit. … …at. 11. … passage … T…b…t. 4. 9. or 10. foreign, &c. Hebrew …epy set forth by … Fagtus hath foreign …ositum. late sacred Critick hath observed concerning the word foreign in this place of Timothy; namely, That the signification thereof there is not Vulgar, but Hellenistical, agreeable to the use of the Hebrew word foreign whereto it answers; for foreign signifies, as it doth, Radix vel fundamentum, the root or foundation. But besides this in the Rabbinical Dialect it is used for Tabulae contractûs, a Bill of contract, a Bond or Obligation whereby such as lend are secured to receive their loan again. That therefore foreign, which answers foreign in the first sense, doth answer the same likewise in the second; and accordingly the Apostle's meaning to be, That those who exercise these works of Beneficence, do provide themselves as it were of a Bill or Bond, upon which they may at that day sue and plead for the award of eternal life, Vi pacti, but not Vi meriti.
In the same sense he takes foreign,…ct. cap. 10 2. Tim. 2. 19. The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his: And, Let every one that nameth (or calleth upon) the name of Christ, depart from iniquity. The mentioning of a Seal here, implies a Bill of contract; for Bills of contract had their Seals appendant to them; each side whereof had his Motto, the one suiting with the one party contrahent, the other with the other. That to this S. Paul alludes; God's foreign, saith he, standeth sure, (that is, God's Bill of contract, or his Chirographum,) having a Seal according to the manner: the one side whereof carrieth this Motto, The Lord … oweth them that are his; the other this, Let every one that calleth upon the name of Christ, depart from iniquity.
YOU have heard how God remembreth the Righteous, or Charitable man, in the world to come. …. 4. ….He remembreth him also in this: For that which the Apostle saith of Godliness, that it hath the promise of this life, as well as of that to come, is most properly and …eculiarly true of this Righteousness of Bounty and Mercy: other Righteous…. …eed must not look for its reward till hereafter, but this is wont to be rewa….
… Spiritual blessings we have the example of Cornelius, who for his Alms-deeds found … our with God, to have S. Peter sent unto him to instruct him in the saving knowle… of C…st:Acts 10. 4, 5. Thy Prayers and thine Alms-deeds, said the Angel, are come up in remem…r…nce before God, Now therefore send to Ioppa, and inquire for one Simon, Peter, &c.
For Temporal blessings hear what David sayes Psal. 37, 25, 26. (quoted before) I was young, saith he, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; therefore his seed is blessed. This blessing is the merciful and charitable man's peculiar, that his children shall not want, who was liberal and open-handed to supply the want of others. But think not that God remembers the charitable man with a Temporal blessing in his posterity only; for he remembers him also in his own person. Thus the same David, Psal. 41. 1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 2. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing, &c. And doth not his Son King Solomon say the same? Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given, he will pay him again. But this perhaps some will think may be applied to the reward in the life to come: If it be, it would much illustrate that of S. Paul's foreign I now speak of, But Prov. 28. 27. is a place not capable of this exception; He that giveth to the poor, shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes, shall have many a curse.
THUS we have seen how the Righteous man is in remembrance with God: Now let us see how the same is and ought to be in remembrance with men. And it may be inferred from the former: For why should not we remember those whom God doth? The practice in the Church of God hath been accordingly.
The Iews, when they make mention of any of their deceased Worthies, are wont to do it with this Encomium, foreign, Let his memory be blessed: Otherwise with this, foreign, Be his memory blessed to eternity. And of their Rabbies in general, when they mention them, they say, foreign, Our Rabbies, whose memory be blessed. Which encomiastical Scheme is taken from that of Solomon, Prov. 10. 7. foreign … The memory of the righteous is blessed: which therefore they sometimes use unaltered to the purpose aforesaid; sometimes with addition, as, Let the memory of the just be blessed to eternity; sometimes, Let the memory of the just and holy be with blessing. These formulae are frequent in their writings. Nor hath this commemorative Scheme been taken up by them (as some perhaps may suppose) since the coming of our Saviour, in the time of their dispersion; but was used long before, as may appear Ecclus. 45. 1. where Moses is thus remembred, Moses beloved of God and men, foreign, whose memorial is blessed. Eccl. 46. 11.And in the next Chapter like mention is made of the Iudges of Israel; namely, The Iudges every one by name, whose heart went not a whoring, nor departed from the Lord. foreign, Let their memory be in benediction. So of Iudas Maccabaeus, 1 Mac. 3. 7. He grieved many Kings, and made Iacob glad with his acts; foreign, His memorial is, or Let his memorial be, blessed for ever.
But what is the meaning of this Formula? what is it for the memory of the righteous to be foreign, or with blessing? The Septuagint's Translation of that Prov. 10. 7. (whence, as I told you, this Form of honourable remembrance is taken) will soon resolve us: for they, in stead of the words foreign The memory of the just is with blessing, have foreign, The memory of the just is with praises. To make mention therefore of the righteous by way of benediction, is to praise them. For the word foreign, or foreign, to bless, in Scripture hath a treble notion: First, to speak well of; secondly, to speak well for; thirdly, to do well unto. To speak well of, is to praise. So we are said to bless God, when we praise and glorifie him:Psal. 103. 1, 22. & 104. 1, 35. Benedic, anima mea, Domino; Bless the Lord, O my Soul; that is, praise him.*Psal. 41. 13. & 106. 48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; Luk. 1. 68.that is, praised. Bless the Lord, all ye Nations; that is, praise him: and so every where in the Psalms. The second notion, To speak well for, is to pray for. So the Priest is said to bless the people, when he prayes for them:*Num. 6. 24. The Lord bless you, and save you; The Lord make his holy countenance to shine upon you, and be merciful unto you. So other blessings of the like kind are prayers for those over whom they are pronounced. The third notion of blessing is To do good unto, to bestow some gift or good upon.Gen. 1. 28. Thus God is said to have blessed man, when he said unto him, Increase and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it; that is, He endowed him with these gifts. In thy seed shall all the Nations of the world be blessed; Gen. 22. 1….that is, receive some great benefit. So God is said to have blessed the Patriarchs, when he made them to thrive, and gave them wealth and riches; according to that of Solomon, Prov. 10. 22. The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it; namely, such as is wont to accompany riches gotten without God's blessing. Hence foreign or foreign, Blessing, in Scripture signifies a gift or present, bounty or beneficence:Gen. 32. 13. &c, & 33. 11. The Present of cattel which Iacob provided for his brother Esau, when he went to meet him, is all that Story through call'd his Blessing: The Presents which David sent of his prey to the Elders of Iudah, 1 Sam. 30. 26. are there call'd Blessings. And in the New Testament, 2 Cor. 9. the collection at Corinth for the poor Saints at Ierusalem is thrice called foreign,Vers. 5, 6. their blessing, which we translate Bounty. I thought good to be a little diligent in this explication, that we might be the better able to discern what kind of remembrance of righteous men deceased is commended unto us in that Scripture, The memory of the righteous is with blessing: whence not the Iew only, as you have heard, but the Christian also seem to have derived their practice in that particular, which I am now to shew.
For the Christian in this point hath been no whit short of the Iew, but exceeded him rather, not in the later only, but in those better and Primitive times: witness those anniversary remembrances of the Martyrs and Saints deceased; the appointing of Festival days for their memorial; the custome to assemble at their Sepulchres, to make Panegyrick orations in their honour; and above all, that ancient and so long-continued custome without known beginning, to commemorate at the Holy Table, when the Encharist was celebrated, the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, Martyrs, and Confessors: All which tended to this, That the memory of the righteous might be with blessing. In the extent of which Blessing the Christian went beyond the Iew: For of that threefold notion of Blessing I now speak of, first, to speak well of or to praise; secondly, to speak well for or to pray for; thirdly, to do well unto; the Iews …eem not anciently (but only of*Vid. Buxtor…. Synag. Iud. c. 35 Schickard Ius Reg. p. 170. late) to have used any but the first in their Commemorations, namely, that of praise: But the Christian added the second of prayer and good wishes for the Saints departed, namely, for their publick acquital and consummation at the day of Resurrection: which, had it continued in the first and original meaning, could not be disliked; but having proved in time the Mother of many Superstitions and Errours, and kindled the fire of Purgatory, it was thought fit by the Authors of our Reformation to be disused, and the blessing of the Dead to be confined to that of praise only, namely, of praising and commending them, by recounting their worthy deeds; and then secondly, of praising God for them. And this is the duty we are now assembled to perform to our blessed Founders and Benefactors.