Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 5 · Verse 29 – Verse 30
Verse 29. And if thy right ere offend thee, pluck it out]
That is; if it be either so naturall or habituall to thee to go after the fight of thine eyes (which Solomon assigneth for the source of allLet thine eyes … right …, and let thine eye-lids lock streight before thee. youthfull outrages, Eccles. 11 9.) that thou hadst as lieve lose thy right eye, as not look at liberty; out with such an eye, (though a right eye:) … it out, and rake in the hole where it grew, rather then that any filth should remain there. Pluck it out of the old Adam, and set it into the new man. Get that oculum irretortum, Prov. 4. 25.that may look forth-right upon the mark, without idle or curiousforeign Puellam & … oculi significat. Plut. in Apopb prying into, or poring upon forbidden beauties. A Praetor (said the Heathen) should have continent eyes, as well as hands. And the … and worthily ubraided a certain wonton, that he had not pupils but punks in his eyes. And Archesilaus the …, observing one to have wanton eyes, told him, that theIn a Sam 12. 4. there came a … to the …, &c. difference was not great, whether he plaid the naughty-pack with his upper parts or his nether. Lot might not look to ward Sodom. And Peter Martyr observeth out of Nathans Parable, that lust,foreign Signifies both … eye and …; as it is the spring of sin, let it be of tears. though it once prevailed over David, yet it was but a stranger to him: had enough of that once, for it cost him hot water. His eye became a fountain, he washed his bed which he had defiled (yea his pallet or under-bed) with tears. So did Mary Magdalen, once a strumpet; her hands were bands, her words were cords, her eyes as glasses, where into while silly larks gazed, they were taken, as in a… quibus videmus … stemus. day-not. She therefore made those eyes a fountain to bath Christs feet in, and had his bloud a fountain to bath her soul in, Zech. 13. 1. To conclude: the sight is a deceitfull sense, therefore binde it to… …, that … and his servants were at a feast; she was at home as feigning her self sick. Pro. 25. 23 the good abearance: call it in from its out-strayes, check it and lay Gods charge upon it for the future. Chast Joseph would not once look on his immodest mistresse: she looked, and caught hold on him, and that when she was abed: but her temptation fell like fire upon wet tinder, and took not. It must be our constant care, that no sparkle of the eye flee out to consume the whole, by a flame of lust: but upon offer of wanton glances from others, beat them back, as the North winde driveth away rain. A Kirg that sitteth in the throne of judgement, and so any other man that sets seriously upon this practice of mortification) scattereth away all evil with his eyes, Prov. 20. 8. And this is to pluck out, and cast a way the right eye that offendeth us, as being an occasion of offence unto us. He that shall see God to his comfort, shuts his eyes from … of …. For wanton and wandring eyes (like spiders) gather … …. …, ….out of the … flowers, and (like Jacobs sheep) being too firmely fixed on beautifull …, they make the …, oft-times, bring … fruits.
For it is … for thee that one of thy members perish]
An eye is better lost then a soul. For every (unmortified) one shall be Mar. 9 49. expounded.… with …, … up, as it were, and preserved for eternall …, and every sacrifice (acceptable to God) shall be salted with salt of mortification and self-deniall,) Mark. 9 49Rom. 8 ….D … Ge. og pag 156.
And not that … whole body should be cast into hell]
As otherwise it will be: For if ye live after the …-ye shall die, &c. In… Barbary, … present death for any man to see one of the …: and for them too, if, when they see a man, though … thorow a …, they do not suddenly … out. So here, a … and lewd eye hazards the whole to hell fire. And is it nothing… to lose an immortall soul? to purchase an everliving death? A man would be loth to fetch gold out of a fiery crucible, because he knows it … burn him. Did we as truly … the everlasting burning of that infernall fire, we durst not offer to fetch either … or profits out of those flames. Bellarmine is of opinion, that one glimpse … hells horrour, were enough to make a man not only turn Christian and sober, but Anchorite and Monke, to live … the strictest rule that can be. And there is a … of one, that being… vexed with fleshly lusts, laid his hands upon hot burning coles, to minde himself of hell-fire, that followeth upon fleshly courses.
Verse 30. And if thy right hand offend thee &c.]
By wanton… touches, by unclean dalliance; a farther degree of this sin, and … greater incentive to lust; as we see in Josephs mistresse: when she not only cast her eyes, but proceeded to lay hand upon him, she became… much more inflamed towards him: and had not his heart been seasoned with the true fear of God, there was so much the greater danger of his being drawn thereby to commit, not that trick of youth, as the world excuseth it, but that great wickednesse, The archers shot at Ioseph, but his bovv abade in strength, Gen. …9. 24.as he there counts and cals it. Visus, colloquium, contactus, osculum, concubitus, are the whoremongers five descents into the chambers of death. Off therefore with such a hand by all means: cry out of it, as Cranmer did of his unworthy right-hand, wherewith he had subscribed: And as John Stubbes of LincolnsInne, Castus erat, non solum continens, ut Bellerophon, Scipio, alij.having his right-hand cut off, in Queen Elizabeths time, with a cleaver driven thorow the wrist with the force of a beetle (for writing a book against the marriage with the Duke of Anion, entituled, The gulf wherein England will be swallowed by the Camd Elizab. fol. 239.French match, &c.) he put off his hat with his left-hand, and said with a loud voice, God save the Queen: So when God strikes a parting blow between us, and our dilecta delicta, our righthand sinnes, let us see a mercy in it, and be thankfull: let us say toIsa. 30 22. these Idols, Get thee hence, What have I to doe any more with Idols? Hos. 14. 8.that God may say, as there, I have heard him and observed him, I am like a green fir-tree; from me is thy fruit found; when he shall see thee pollute those Idols, that thou wast wont to perfume, Isa. 30. 22.
And not that thy whole body be cast into hell.]
Our Saviour is… abi que de …. Non enim … in gehennam incidere gehennae meminisse. much in speaking of hell. And it were much to be wished (saith S. Chrysostom) that mens thoughts and tongues would run much upon this subject: there being no likelier way of escaping hell, then by taking ever and anon a turn or two in hell by our meditations. A certain Hermite is said to have learned three leaves, a black, red and white one: that is, he daily meditated upon the horrour of hell,Chrysost. the passion of Christ, the happines of heaven.Mors tua, mors Christi, … mundi, gloria coeli, & dolor … tibi.