μεταμέ λειαν.]

it should be bestowed, and lavished on the body, where a spaxuwv great deal less would serve. It is St. Augustine's wish; O si μetaμéexcitare possemus homines et cum iis pariter excitari, ut tales amatores, &c.! O that we would in this kind stir up others, and ourselves with them be stirred up, but even to bestow such love on the immortal soul, as we see daily cast away on the corruptible body!' What, but so much, and no more? Absit ut sic, sed utinam vel sic! Till it might be more, would God it were but as much in the mean time! Yet more, and much more it should be. Sed infelix populus Dei non habet tantum fervorem in bono, quantum mali in malo, is St. Hierom's complaint. But the people of God, unhappy in this point, hath not that courage or constancy in the love of the Spirit, that the wicked world hath in the lust of the flesh.' That courage? Nay, nothing like. Ad erubescentiam nostram dico, 1 Cor. 6. 5. "to our shame it must be spoken." Look but to the first point, impendam; doth not the body take it wholly up? And, if we fail in the lowest, what shall become of the rest? Well, St. Paul's love is, and ours must be if it be right, pro animabus, "soul-love," which may serve for the first point of the sequestration.

6

2.

The rea

son.

But why pro animabus, what is there in the soul so lovely that all this should be said or done for it? Why for souls? Why? 1. Why, take the soul out of the body which so much we dote on, but even half an hour, and the body will grow so out of our love, so deformed, so ugly, so every way loathsome, as they that now admire it will then abhor it; and they that now cannot behold it enough, will not then endure once to come near it, nor within the sight of it. This a natural man would answer: The soul is to be regarded of the body, for it maketh the body to be regarded. 2. But a Christian man will say more for it. That the love of Christ must be the rule of the love of Christians, and ours suitable to His. And Christ hath valued the soul above the world itself, in direct affirming that he, that to win the world hazards his soul, Mat. 16.26. makes but an unwise bargain; which bargain were wise enough, if the world were more worth. Appende animam homo, saith Chrysostom, et impende in animam: If you would prize your souls better, you would bestow more on them.' This is nothing. Christ hath valued your souls-valued and

SERM. loved them above Himself; Himself, more worth than many VI. worlds, yea, if they were ten thousand. I come now to the point. Is Christ to be loved? Why, all that St. Paul hitherto hath professed, all and every part of it, it was but to the souls at second-hand. His eye was upon Christ, all the time of his profession. But because Christ hath by deed enrolled set over His love to men's souls, and willed us toward them to shew whatsoever to Him we profess; therefore, and for no other cause, it is, that he standeth thus affected. For that those souls Christ so loved, that he loved not Himself to love them. Dilexisti me, Domine, plus quam Te, quando mori voluisti pro me--it is Augustine. Dying for my soul, Lord, Thou shewedst, that my soul was dearer to Thee, than Thine own self.'

66

In love then to Christ, we are to love them that Christ loved-not sicut Seipsum as Himself,' but plusquam Seipsum, 'more than Himself;' and therefore hath changed the sicut Mat. 19. 19. of the Law, sicut teipsum, "as thyself," into a new sicut, sicut Joh.13.34. Ego vos, as I have loved you." And how did He love us? Even that He was the first that ever professed these four to us, 1. Did bestow, 2. was bestowed, 3. most gladly, 4. yea though the more IIe loved, the less we loved Him. Or, to give Him His right, a degree higher than Paul; not, when Joh. 15. 24. We loved Him little, as faint friends, but hated Him greatly as sworn enemies. For He it was that professed this art, first. The words are indeed Christ's own; the primitive and most proper uttering them, belongeth to Him. None ever so fully or so fitly spake or can speak them, as the Son of God Lu. 23. 34. on the cross, from the chair of His profession. And of Him there St. Paul learned hoc carmen amoris. Himself confesseth as much, in the fifth chapter of this Epistle, that it was love; not his own love, but Christ's love, charitas Christi extorsit, that brought these words from Him. His they be not, but ore tenus; the tongue his, but Christ the speaker. His they were; His they are, out of whose mouth, or from whose pen, soever they come.

We are come then now, where we may read love in the very original; yea, in the most complete perfection that ever it was. Profitente Christo, Christ Himself, the professor,' saith 1. Impendam first; bestow He will. If you will make port-sale of your love, none shall outbid Him. Even whatso

ever Himself is worth, He will bestow; His kingdom, and the fulness of joy and glory in it for ever.

2. Impendar. That? why consummatum est, it is done Joh. 19. 30. already; all, hands and feet, head and heart, opened wide;

and all, even to the last drop of blood bestowed for us on His cross, where the love of souls triumphed over the love of His own life.

3. Libentissime, "most gladly." Witness that speech; "A Lu. 12. 50. baptism I have to be baptized with," and quomodo coarctor, "how am I pained till I be at it!" And that too, that to him that moved Him not to bestow, but favour Himself, He used no other terms than to the devil himself, "Avoid Satan." Proof Mat. 16. 23. enough, say I, how willingly He went, and how unwillingly He would be kept from it.

4. And for His etsi, would God it were not too plain! Both at His cross, where the louder their crucifige, with the more strong crying and tears He prayed Pater ignosce; and ever Lu. 23. 34. since, usque hodie, 'till now,' when all may see our regard is as little as His love great, and He respected as if He had done nothing for us. Every part of His love, and the profession of His love, but specially the etsi of His love passeth all. For Christ by deed enrolled hath set over His love to them. Which is that that setteth such a price upon them, and maketh them so amiable, if not in their own kindness and loveliness, yet in the love of Christ Himself. And it is the answer that David when he loseth his sleep, to think upon Ps. 132. 4. the people of God; that Moses, when he wearieth himself in Ex. 18. 14hearing causes from morning to night; that Joshua, when he fighteth the Lord's battles, and jeopards his life in the high places of the field; that any that wears and spends himself in the common cause, may make as well as St. Paul. Why it is pro animabus, "it is for souls," for safeguard of souls-those souls which Christ hath so dearly loved, and so dearly bought, and to our love so carefully commended; Sicut Ego vos, as He did or ever shall do for us, that we do for them. Whereto, if not the souls themselves, for the most part unthankful, yet this motive of love, of Christ's love, doth in a manner violently constrain us. For though nothing is less violent in the manner, yet in the work nothing worketh more violent than it.

18, &c.

I

SERM.

I conclude then with St. Bernard's demand; Quæ vero VI. utilitas in sermone hoc? What use have we of all that hath The appli- been said?' For he that wrote it is dead, and they to whom it was written are gone; but the Scripture still remaineth, and we are to take good by it.

cation.

13.

1. It serveth first to possess our souls of that excellent virtue, 1 Cor. 13. Major horum, "the greatest of the three;" nay, the virtue without which the rest be but ciphers; the virtue that shineth brightest in Christ's example, and standeth highest in His commendation, love.

2. But love, the action of virtue, not the passion of vice. Phil. 3. 21. Love, not of the body, the "vile body"-so the Holy Ghost Pro. 6. 26. termeth it--but of the soul, "the precious soul" of man. Love of souls; the more, the more acceptable. If of a city, well; if of a county, better; if of a country or kingdom, best of all.

3.

And for them, and for their love, to be ready to prove it by St. Paul's trial; to open our impendam, to vow our impendar, and as near as may be to aspire to the same degree of libentissime. Verily, they that either, as the Apostle, for the winning of souls; or for the defence and safety of souls, many thousands of souls, the souls of an whole estate, in high and heroical courage have already passed their impendam; and are ready to offer themselves every day to impendar, and with that resolute forwardness which we all see, for it is a case presently in all our eyes; they that do thus, no good can be spoken of their love answerable to the desert of it. Heavenly it is, and in Heaven to receive the reward.

4. But when all is done, we must take notice of the world's nature. For, as St. Paul left it, so we shall find it, that is, we shall not perhaps meet with that regard we promise ourselves. St. Paul's magis diligam met with a minus diligar.

Therefore above all remember his etsi. For to be kind, and that to the unkind; to know, such we shall meet with; yea, to meet with them, and yet hold our etsi, and love nevertheless; this certainly is that love, majorem quâ nemo; and there is on earth no greater sign of a soul throughly settled in the love of Christ, than to stand thus minded. Come what will come, magis or minus, si or etsi, frown or favour, respect 2 Cor. 11. or neglect; Quod facio, hoc et faciam, "What I do, I will do,"

12.

with eye to Christ, with hope of regard from Him, let the world be as it is, and as it ever hath been.

23.

Samuel, this day in the first Lesson, when he had spent his life in a well-ordered government that his very enemies could no way except to, in his old days was requited with fac nobis Regem, only upon a humour of innovation. What then? Grew he discontent? No, non obstante, for all their 1 Sam. 8.5. ingratitude, good man, this he professeth, "God forbid," 1 Sam. 12. saith he, "I should sin in ceasing to pray for you; yea, I will shew you the good and right way of the Lord for all that." That may serve to match this out of the Old Testament. For here in like sort we have Paul's minus diligar before our eyes; and we see, he is at his libentissime etsi for all that. You learn then, as that minus diligar may come, so in case it do come, what to do; even to consummate your love with a triumph over unkindness. Learn this, and all is learned; learn this, and the whole art is had.

And we have in this verse, and in the very first word of it, that will enter us into this lesson.

First from

ego vero.

From his, and from our own persons, 1. we may begin to raise this duty. When we were deep in our minus diligar, and smally regarded Christ; nay, cum inimici Rom. 5.10. essemus, to take as we should, "when we were His enemies," of His over-abundant kindness it pleased Him to call us from the blindness of error to the knowledge of His truth; and from a deep consumption of our souls by sin, to the state of health and grace. And if St. Paul were loved when he raged Acts 9. 1. and breathed blasphemy against Christ and His Name, is it much if for Christ's sake he swallow some unkindness at the Corinthians' hands? Is it much if we let fall a duty upon them, upon whom God the Father droppeth His rain, and God the Son drops, yea sheds His blood, Trèp ȧxapíσтovs Kai Lu. 6. 35. Tovηρoùs, "upon evil and unthankful men ?" πονηροὺς,

Surely if love, or well-doing, or any good must perish, 2 which is the second motive, and be lost through some body's default where it lighteth, much better it is that it perish in the Corinthians' hands, than in Paul's; by them in their evil recciving, than by him in his not bestowing; through their unkindness, than through our abruptness. For so, the sin