The Disabled Debtor Discharged, Part 5 – Part 6
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Text, Simon was the Maſter of the Feaſt, he it was that had invited Chriſt unto his Table; and that, out of the good reſpect he bare him; Yet to him hath our Saviour ſomething to ſay, &c.
Doct. Courteous uſage ſhould not keep us from telling men of their faults and diſcovering their failings to them.
Belſhazer promiſed Daniel great preferments;Dan 5.…6. He would cloath him in Scarlet, put a Chaine of gold about his neck, make him the third Ruler in the Kingdome; but all this could not bribe him ſo as to make him forbeare Reproofe; he ſpares not to tell him of his Pride, Sacriledge, Idolatry,Verſe 23. Voluptuouſneſſe, and other his horrible Impieties committed againſt God.
Herod pretended to be a great friend to Iohn the Baptiſt, he did heare him often, reverence him much, amended many things that Iohn reprooved: But all this could not make S. Iohn forbeare to tell him to his face,Mat. 14.4. that it was not lawfull for him to have his Brother Philips wife.
Chriſt was ſundry times invited by the Phariſees toLuke 11.37. Dinner, and he never refuſed to go unto them, (that we reade of;) But being at their Tables, he entertained them with as many Woes, as they did him with Diſhes. Let it be Martha (Lazarus ſiſter whom he loved ſo dearely) that ſhall offend,Luk. 10.41, 42 he will not ſuffer her to go away without a check.
Vſe. How juſtly are ſuch to be reproved, who in receiving courteſies, ſell their Liberties, and ſuffer their Tongues to be tied with the ſtrings of a Phariſees pouch?Nihil in ſacerdote tam periculoſum apud Deum, tam turpe apud homines quam quòd ſent…at veritatem non lib erè pronuntiare. Amb in Epiſt. ad Theo. Imper. It is a fault for any to be muſted, but for a Miniſter, it's piaculum, a fault of a high nature, and yet, wealth and worſhip carries ſo ſtrict a hand over ſome ſervile ſpirits, that they are faine to run at the ſtirrop, and come in at the leaſt rebuke; and (as Eraſmus notes Harpocrates was pictured) hold their finger in their mouthes.
It is ſtoried of Alexander the Great, that having had a Philoſopher a long time with him, at length he ſaid thus unto him; recede a me prorſus, conſortium tuum nolo: Be gone from me, I deſire not thy company, and being asked the reaſon, he made this Anſwer, Quod cum tanto tempore mecum degeris, nunquam me de vitio aliquo increpaſti; becauſe in living ſo long with me, thou haſt never reproved any vice in me; either thou haſt not obſerved me to erre, (which is a great Argument of thy Ignorance,) or els knowing me to erre thou haſt held thy peace, (which is an evident proofe of thy unfaithfullnes,) this made much to the praiſe of that great Monarch.
There are thoſe in theſe daies, who will keep Levits in their houſes, and feed Preachers at their Tables, but it is no otherwiſe then the Thiefe doth feed the dog, porrigit panem ut ſileat, they give him bread that he may not bark: Balaack offered Balaam promotion upon theſe termes, Numb. 23.
And indeed it falls out ſomtimes very unhappily, many are kept by this meanes from barking: So we read, Iſa. 56.10, 11. Mich. 3.5. Their good Benefactors are the Vowels, and they themſelves the Conſonants, needs muſt they follow the ſound of their vowels. Theſe are like Spaniels; if they hunt, or queſt at all, it muſt be that way their Patron lookes. Or like ſilent Setters, they muſt heare, ſee, and ſay nothing.
This ſhould not be, neither Favour, nor Benevolence, ſhould tongue-tie the Truth; Gods cauſe muſt be pleaded though it be againſt our beſt friends: I will not (ſaith S. Bernard) Favere Majeſtati magis quam veritati, be a ſervant to Caeſar and a Traytor to the Truth: Plato is my friend, and ſo is Socrates, but the Truth is more.
Say we be blamed for rudeneſſe and incivility. &c. Better it is that we hazard our Reputation this way, then purchaſe the Reputation of faire behaviour by ſpeechleſſe ſufferance; or ſmoothing flatterie, ſewing pillowes where we ſhould quilt thornes.
Sometimes (I grant) that in connivencie may be a religious Policie,Pro. 19.11.20.3. Amos 5.13. Acts 19 37. foreign. cel Rhod. lib. 29. c 8. every light offence is not to be obſerved: but continuall winking is worſe then blindneſſe. What the Philoſopher ſaid to one that very gravely ſaid nothing (for feare of diſpleaſing) when there was need of his reply, is true; if a foole hold his peace he doth wiſely, but if a wiſeman when he ſhould ſpeak he doth fooliſhly.
A great deale of diſcretion likewiſe muſt be uſed in dealing with men; due reſpect of perſons muſt be had, 1 Tim. 5.1. Iob 34.18. Great ones love not boiſterous uſage, we muſt come to them verbis byſſinis, with ſoft and ſilken words, as the mother of Cyrus charged him, who was to ſpeake unto the King.
It is none of the worſt obſervations we meet withall in Oleaſter; that the holy Prophets in dealing with great ones have ſpoken moſt an end in Parables, (as our Saviour did here to Simon.) Let Reproofe be as good and wholeſome diet as a Partridge, yet it would not be ſerved in to a great mans Table raw, or with the feathers on, but cook'd and ſeaſoned. Reproofe of them muſt be well wrapped up (as we do a Pill in ſugar) that it may the more eaſily be ſwallowed,Objurgationi ſemper aliquid blandi commiſce: facilius penetrant verba quae mollia vadunt, quàm quae aſpera Senec. Magis amat objurgator Sanans, quàm adulator diſſimulans. Aug. Pro. 28.23. Pſal. 141. Text. and work before they think on it. But it may not be wholy withheld from any man whatever, be he our deareſt friend: In ſo doing we ſhould deale unkindly with them who deale friendly with us. Unhappy is that friendſhip (ſaith Carthuſianus,) quae illum quem diligit tacendo tradit Diabolo, which favouring our Brothers eares doth breake his neck: ſuch friendſhip David putteth in his Letanie and deſireth God to keep him from. And thus much of the Excitation, Simons Replication followes.
And he ſaith Maſter ſay on]
Doct. Simon here makes good his Name, Conveniunt rebus nomina ſaepe ſuis; It ſometimes falls out, that the Name and diſpoſition are ſutable.
God at the firſt giving Names did ſuit them to the natures of the creatures. As to the Day, Night, Heaven, Earth, Sea, &c. And Adam obſerved this in giving particular names unto them by Gods appointment. Their foreign he made to be foreign. The Patriarkes went by the ſame rule, in naming of their children. The Sonne of God was called Ieſus, for that he was the Saviour of his people.
Vſe 1 Too too blame are thoſe who wrong their names: there be who will not anſwer to the ſound; being called, they will not with Samuel anſwer here am I.
And there are more who anſwer not the Signification of their names. There are many Iohns, but few gratious: many Simons, but few obedient ones: many Elizabeths, but few peaceable ones: many Hannahs, and many graceleſſe ones. They croſſe their Names, as many Popes have done; none more Ʋnclement amongſt them then the Clements; more Impious then their Piuſſes; more Noxious then their Innocents; more Turbulent then their Ʋrbanes, &c. So theſe by their lives may be thought with Maſſula Corvinus to have forgotten the name they are called by.
Vſe 2 This ſhould not be: Nomen inane eſt crimen immane. A favour it is, that our names ſound proſperouſly; yet we may not preſume too much upon them, as it ſeemes one Bonaſus did, whom S. Hierom writing unto, thus reproves; An ideo tibi bellus videris, quia juſto vocaris nomine? Doſt thou think thy ſelfe a fine man, becauſe thou haſt gotten thy ſelfe a fine name? If we thinke that grace is neceſſarily tyed to the name of any mortall creature, we deceive our ſelves.
This Name, mentioned in my Text was commonly (as is well obſerved by ſome) a happy Name in Scripture. We read of Simon Peter a ſanctifyed man; of Simon Zelotes, Mat. 10.2. Acts 1.13. Acts 9.6. Mat. 27.32. Acts 8.9.a zealous man: of Simon the Tanner, a charitable man; of Simon of Cyrene, a compaſſionate man; And (that none might too much preſume on Names) we read of Simon Magus, a diſobedient man, one who was a Witch, a Sorcerer, the Fountaine, and Father of all Hereſies.
How often have we heard of the wofull wrack of many goodly ſhips with their glorious titles?Chriſtiani nomen ille fruſtra ſortitur, qui Chriſtum minimè imitatur. Quid enim tibi prodeſt vocari quod non es, & nomen uſur pari alienum? Sed ſi Chriſtianum te eſſe delectat, quae Chriſtianitatis ſunt gere, & meritò tibi nomen Chriſtiani aſſume. Aug de vera Chriſt. Pſal. 79 9. (As the Triumph, Conqueſt, Save-guard, Good-ſpeed, &c.) So many with good names have periſhed, yea with that glorious name of Chriſtian, firſt given us at Antioch, that cannot ſave us if we ſin againſt it.
To conclude this, S. Paul ſaith of Chriſt, Heb. 1.4. He was made ſo much more excellent then Angels, by how much he obtained a more excellent name then they. As any hath received a more excellent name then others, (and in that caſe is advanced above them,) ſo let ſuch endeavour to excell in godlineſſe and Piety. And as David uſeth this often for an argument to the Lord, For thy names ſake, ſo let it prevaile with us, For our names ſake let us learne to be more righteous.