V. SERM. good; but though he remember it in sorrow and in the bitterness of his soul, yea though his sorrow be above measure sorrowful, it will profit him nothing? I say, grief both utterly comfortless, and altogether unprofitable. [Conf. 3. The joining, or These five make him that feels it here wish, that none of those he wisheth well may ever come there to know how hot that "fire," or how terrible that "torment" is. These five words are all within the compass of the verse itself, and may serve every one as a nail to fasten our memory to this cross; that we may ever remember it and never forget it, and never forgetting it, never feel it. This then is his cross. We long, I know, to have it taken down; our ears are dainty, and the matter melancholic, and we little love to hear it stood on so long. But Chrysostom saith well, of that fire: Nunquid, si tacuimus, extinximus? If we speak not of it, will it go out? No, no: sive loquamur, sive taceamus, ardet ille; "speak we, or keep we silence, it burneth still, still it burneth.' Therefore let us speak and think of it, and let it stand in the name of God; et exerceamus auditum, saith the good Father, ne ita mollescat, and keep our ears in exercise, that they grow not nice.' If to hear of it be painful, to feel it will be more. The invention is to keep the exaltation, to take it up. For none so near it as they, qui non tollunt, donec super-imponitur, 'that take it not up till it be laid upon them.' Thus we have severally seen the counterpoints of this cross; the top, which is in vita, in this life;' and the foot, which reacheth ad novissima inferni, "to the bottom of hell '." ['Deut.32. It remaineth we tenon both these together, as antecedent and tenon. Jam vero. 22.] 1, consequent : "Thou didst receive;" "Now therefore." 1. First, that they may be; 2. and then, how they may be joined. First then we find, that recepisti is as it ends; and that, by this example, it may end in cruciaris, and prove the one end of a heavy cross. Which first bringeth us out of admiration of the riches of this life. When we see that these " good things" which after the tax of the world are counted, and in a manner styled, the only good things, and in the deceitful [S. Chry balance of this world weigh down "Abraham's bosom," be not ever demonstrative signs of God's special liking; nor they, ipso facto, highest in His favour that receive them in sost. de. Lazar. con. 3.] greatest measure; nor peradventure, as Christ saith, so highly Lu. 16. 15. accounted of in Heaven as they be on earth. Therefore, they that have them, not to reflect too much on them; nor be ideo inflati, as saith St. Augustine, quia obsericati, as much pride in their soul as purple on their body.' And they that have them not, not to amulari, vex and grieve themselves' at Nabal's wealth, Haman's preferment, this man's table; seeing there cometh a jam vero, and when that cometh, we shall see such an alteration in his state, as he that wisheth him worst shall wish, that for every "good thing" he received here he had received a thousand; and, with St. Bernard, ut omnes lapides converterentur in rosas, that every stone under his feet here had been turned into a rose.' Such is his case now, and such theirs that come where he is. Is this all? No. But as it bringeth us out of admiration, 2. so it bringeth us into fear. For two things it offereth, either of which is, or may be, matter of fear. 1. First, in that he is Abraham's son. That Abraham hath of his seed in hell, and that all his sons shall not rest in their father's bosom. Which offereth us occasion to fear, for all our profession. For though he were a son too, and so acknowledged by Abraham, yet there he is now. rich sons, and one that 2. In that he is of Abraham's "received good things" in his life. matter of fear; that, as the Prophet saith, "Tophet is pre- Isa. 30. 33. pared of old, and that even for great ones," for such as go in purple, and wear fine linen, and fare full daintily;—even for such is it prepared. Not as every prison for common persons, but as tophet, or the tower, for great estates. So that it may seem either of both these have their danger at their heels; for that they to him were, to many they are, and to us they may be as antecedents to an evil consequent. Men verily may flatter themselves; but sure I can never think but there is more in this "Now therefore," than the world will allow. And that this recordare of Abraham's is not a matter so slightly to be slipped over. There is some danger no doubt, and that more than will willingly be acknowledged, to such as are "wealthy and well at ease in Amos 6. 1. Sion." St. Gregory confesseth by himself, that never any sentence entered so deep into his soul as this. And that, as V. Rom. 13. 13. Confess. [Vid. S. Hieron. ad Eustoc. SERM. surgite mortui was ever in St. Hierom's ear, and non in comessationibus, "not in surfeiting," in St. Augustine's, by which he was first converted; so this was with him, and he could [S. August. not get it out of his mind. For he, sitting in the See of lib. 8. 29.] Rome, when it was grown rich and of great receipt, was as he saith still in doubt of recepisti; whether his exalting into Epist. 22. that Chair might not be his recompence at God's hands, and 30.] all that ever he should receive from Him for all his service. And ever he doubted this recepisti, which we so easily pass over, and whether his case might not be like. Thus did the good Father, and, as I think, not unwisely; and would God, his example herein might make due impression, and work like fear, in so many as have in the eyes of all men "received the good things in this life!" For this may daily be seen every where, that divers that received them if ever any did, and that in a measure heaped up and running over, carry themselves so without remembrance or regard of this point, as if no such simile were in the Scripture as that of the Mat. 19.24. needle's eye; no such example as of this rich man, no such recordare as this of Abraham which we have in hand. It should seem, they have learned a point of divinity Abraham 2 Pet.2.15. never knew-Balaam's divinity I fear, "to love the wages of unrighteousness" and a gift in the bosom, and yet to cry Nu. 23. 10. Moriatur anima mea, his soul should go straight to Abraham's bosom for all that; and so, in effect, to deny Abraham's consequence. We must then join issue upon the main point, we cannot avoid it; to enquire how this "Now therefore" cometh in; and how far and to whom this consequent holdeth. I demand then, Was he therefore "tormented," because he "received good things?" Is this the case of all them that wear purple and fare well in this life? Shall every one, to whom God reacheth such "goods things" as these, be quit for ever from Abraham's bosom? By no means. For Cujus est sinus, 'Whose is the bosom?' Is it not Abraham's? And what [S. August. was Abraham? Look Gen. 13. 2. "Abraham was rich in cattle, in silver and gold." There is hope then for rich men, in a rich man's bosom. Then the bosom itself is a rich man's, though a Lazarus be in it. Yea though we find here Lazarus in it; yet elsewhere, we find, he is not all. For the great in Ps. 51. c. 14. ad. fin.] [Mat. 27. lord that bare rule under Queen Candace; the elect lady; Acts 8. 27. Joseph of Arimathea, and the Areopagite-grave and wise 2 Joh. 1. counsellors; the purple seller; and if the purple seller, why 57.] not the purple wearer? Yes, the purple wearers too were in Acts 17.34. earth Saints as we read, and are we doubt not in Abraham's bosom also. It was not therefore because he was rich; for then must Abraham himself have been subject to the same sentence. Nay, one may so be rich, and so use his riches together, as they shall conclude in the other figure, and end in solaris; and no ways hinder, but help forward his account, and bring him a second recipies of the "good things" of that eternal life. And, if you mark it well, we have here in this Scripture two rich men 1. One that giveth the recordare; 2. The other, to whom it is given. The example of a rich man, which rich men to avoid; the sentence of a rich man, which rich men to remember. Acts 16. 14. Dan. 5. 29. It is evident it was not for that he had "received good 1. things in this life," seeing as truly as Abraham said to him, "Son, remember, thou didst receive good things," so truly might he have rejoined, Father, remember, thou didst receive, &c.' It was not that. Neither was it because he came by them unduly, by such 2. ways and means as the soul of God abhorreth; for it is, saith Bernard, recordare quia recepisti—not, quia rapuisti, or quia [S. Berdecepisti, 'by ravine or deceit.' nard. Epist. 2. 3. Neither was it because he received them and wrapped them Ed. Ben.] up. For as his receipts are in this verse, so his expenses in the nineteenth. So much in purple and linen, so much in feasting. Neither was it, because receiving plenty, he took his portion 4. of that he received in apparel or diet. For Num solis stultis apes mellificant? saith the philosopher; 'Do bees make honey, or worms spin silk, for the wicked or reprobate only?' Howbeit it cannot be excused, that being but homo quidam, he went like a prince; for purple was princes' wear. Or that he feasted, and that not meanly, but aμπρŵs, “in all sumptuous manner;" and that not at some set times, but κað ýμéρav, "day by day;" for this portion was beyond all proportion. None of these it was. Yet we hold still some danger V. SERM. there is; there is some, and this recordare is not idle or needless. [Vid. S. Bernard. Declam. 38. 47.] [S. Chrysost. de Lazar. What was it then that brought him thither, or, as St. Bernard calleth it, what was his scala inferni, 'the ladder by which he went down to hell?' that we may know, what is the difference between Abraham's receipt and his; and when recepisti shall conclude with cruciaris. St. Chrysostom doth lay the weight on the word recepisti, in his natural or proper sense. For it is one thing, saith he, conc. 3.] Xáßew, that is, accipere, to receive or take;' another, aπoλáBew, that is, recipere, to receive it as it were in full discharge and final satisfaction.' And the same distinction doth Christ [Vid. S. Gregor. in Mat. 6. 16. Himself observe in exew and ảπéxew, in the sixth chapter of St. Matthew. Both have, and both receive; but they that do Xáßew, 'receive them' as a pledge of God's farther favour; but they that do aπoλáßew, "receive them as a full and complete reward," and have no more to receive, but must thereupon release and quit claim all demands in whatsoever else. Tanquam arrham, and tanquam mercedem, is the distinction in schools. cap. 4. Beati Job.] 1. With God verily it is a righteous thing to let every man receive for any kind of good he hath done here. Yea, even the heathen for their moral virtues, as St. Augustine holdeth of the Romans, and the victories they received. 2. But righteous it is also, that the Reubenites, which choose their lot in Gilead on this side of Jordan, and there seat themselves, should not after claim their part too in the Land of Promise. Even so, that they that will have, and have their receiving time here, should not have it here and elsewhere also. Then all is in the choice where we will lay our recepisti; whether here or there, in this or that life; in purple and silk, and the delights of the world, or in the rest and comfort of Abraham's bosom. Whether we will say; Lord, if I may so receive, that I may be received; if I may receive so the good of this life, that I be not barred the other to come, tanquam arrham, as the earnest of a better inheritance,' Ecce me. But if my receiving here shall be my last receipt, if I shall receive them tanquam mercedem, as my portion for ever,' I renounce them; put me out of this receipt, and reserve my part in |