Against quarrel picking.

the one is picking of quarrels, with sharp and contentious words: the other standeth in froward answering, and multiplying evil words again. The first is so abominable, that St. Paul saith, If any that is called a brother be a wor- 1 Cor. v. shipper of idols, a brawler, a picker of quarrels, a thief, or an extortioner, with him that is such a man see that ye eat not. Now here consider that St. Paul numbereth a scolder, a brawler, or a picker of quarrels, among thieves and idolaters; and many times there cometh less hurt of a thief, than of a railing tongue : for the one taketh away a man's good name; the other taketh but his riches. which is of much less value and estimation than is his good name. And a thief hurteth but him from whom he stealeth; but he that hath an evil tongue, troubleth all the town where he dwelleth, and sometime the whole country. And a railing tongue is a pestilence so full of contagiousness, that St. Paul willeth Christian men to forbear the company of such, and neither to eat nor drink with them. And 1 Cor. v. whereas he will not that a Christian woman should forsake her husband, although he be an Infidel, or that a Christian servant should depart from his master, which is an Infidel and Heathen, and so suffereth a Christian man to keep company with an Infidel: yet he forbiddeth us to eat or drink with a scolder, or quarrel picker. And also in the sixth chapter to the Corinthians, he saith thus, Be 1 Cor. vi, not deceived; for neither fornicators, neither worshippers of idols, neither thieves, nor drunkards, nor cursed speakers, shall dwell in the kingdom of heaven. It must needs be a great fault, that doth move and cause the father to disinherit his natural son. And how can it otherwise be, but that this cursed speaking must needs be a most damnable sin, the which doth cause God, our most merciful and loving Father, to deprive us of his most blessed kingdom of heaven? Against the other sin, that standeth in requiting taunt for Against frow taunt, speaketh Christ himself, saying, I say unto you, Re- ing. sist not evil; but love your enemies, and say well by them that say evil by you, do well unto them that do evil unto you, and pray for them that do hurt and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, who suffereth his sun to rise both upon good and evil, and sendeth his rain both upon the just and unjust. To this doctrine of Christ agreeth very well the teaching of St. Paul, that chosen vessel of God, who ceaseth not to exhort and call upon us, saying, Bless them that curse you; bless, I say, and curse Rom. ii. not; recompense to no man evil for evil; if it be possible (as much as lieth in you) live peaceably with all men.

ard answer

Matt. v.

Rom. xii.

Τ

The second Part of the Sermon against Contention.

TT hath been declared unto you in this Sermon against Strife and Brawling, what great inconvenience cometh thereby, specially of such contention as groweth in matters of religion: and how when as no man will give place to another, there is no end of contention and discord; and that unity, which God requireth of Christians, is utterly thereby neglected and broken; and that this contention standeth chiefly in two points, as in picking of quarrels, and making of froward answers. Now ye shall hear St. Paul's words, saying, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, and I will revenge, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with goodness. All these be the words of St. Paul. But they that be full of stomach, and set so much by themselves, that they may not abide so much as one evil An objection. Word to be spoken of them, peradventure will say, If I be reviled, shall I stand still, like a goose, or a fool, with my finger in my mouth? Shall I be such an idiot and dizard, to suffer every man to speak upon me what they list, to rail what they list, to spew out all their venom against me at their pleasures? Is it not covenient, that he that speaketh evil should be answered accordingly? If I shall use this lenity and softness, I shall both increase mine enemies' frowardness, and provoke others to do the like. Such reasons make they, that can suffer nothing, for the defence of their impatience. And yet, if, by froward answering to a froward person, there were hope to remedy his frowardness, he should less offend that so should answer, doing the same not of ire or malice, but only of that intent, that he that is so froward or malicious may be reformed. But he that cannot amend another man's fault. or cannot amend it without his own fault, better it were that one should perish than two. Then if he cannot quiet him with gentle words, at the least let him not follow him in wicked and uncharitable words. If he can pacify him with suffering, let him suffer; and if not, it is better to suffer evil than to do evil, to say well than to say evil. For to speak well against evil, cometh of the Spirit of God: but to render evil for evil, cometh of the contrary spirit. And he that cannot temper nor rule his own anger, is but weak and feeble, and rather more

An answer.

like a woman or a child, than a strong man. For the
true strength and manliness is to overcome wrath, and
to despise injuries and other men's foolishness. And, be-
sides this, he that shall despise the wrong done unto him
by his enemy, every man shall perceive that it was spoken
or done without cause: whereas contrarily, he that doth
fume and chafe at it, shall help the cause of his adversary,
giving suspicion that the thing is true. And in so going
about to revenge evil, we show ourselves to be evil; and
while we punish and revenge another man's folly, we
double and augment our own folly. But many pretences
find they that be wilful to colour their impatience. Mine
enemy, say they, is not worthy to have gentle words or
deeds, being so full of malice or frowardness. The less
he is worthy, the more art thou therefore allowed of
God, and the more art thou commended of Christ, for
whose sake thou shouldest render good for evil, because
he hath commanded thee, and also deserved that thou
shouldest so do. Thy neighbour hath peradventure with
a word offended thee: call thou to thy remembrance with
how many words and deeds, how grievously thou hast
offended thy Lord God. What was man, when Christ
died for him? Was he not his enemy, and unworthy to
have his favour and merey? Even so, with what gentle-
ness and patience doth he forbear, and tolerate, and suffer
thee, although he is daily offended by thee? Forgive
therefore a light trespass to thy neighbour, that Christ
may forgive thee many thousands of trespasses, which art
every day an offender. For if thou forgive thy brother.
being to thee a trespasser, then hast thou a sure sign and
token that God will forgive thee, to whom all men be
debtors and trespassers. How wouldest thou have God
merciful to thee, if thou wilt be cruel unto thy brother?
Canst thou not find in thy heart to do that towards an-
other, that is thy fellow, which God hath done to thec,
that art but his servant? Ought not one sinner to forgive
another, seeing that Christ, which was no sinner, did pray
to his Father for them, that without mercy and despite-
fully put him to death? Who, when he was reviled, he did
not use reviling words again; and when he suffered wrong-
fully, he did not threaten, but gave all vengeance to the
judgment of his Father, which judgeth rightfully. And
what crackest thou of thy head, if thou labour not to be
in the body? Thou canst be no member of Christ, if
thou follow not the steps of Christ; who (as the Prophet Isaiah liii.
saith) was led to death like a lamb, not opening his mouth

1 Pet. ii.

Luke xxiii.
Acts vii.

1 Cor. iv.

to reviling, but opening his mouth to praying for them that crucified him, saying, Father, forgive them, for they cannot tell what they do. The which example, anon after Christ, St. Stephen did follow, and after St. Paul: We be evil spoken of, saith he, and we speak well: We suffer persecution, and take it patiently: Men curse us, and we gently entreat. Thus St. Paul taught that he did, and he did that he taught. Bless you, saith he, them that persecute you: bless you, and curse not. Is it a great thing to I speak well to thine adversary, to whom Christ doth command thee to do well? David, when Shimei did call him all to nought, did not chide again, but said patiently, Suffer him to speak evil, if perchance the Lord will have mercy on me. Histories be full of examples of Heathen men, that took very meekly both opprobrious and reproachful words, and injurious or wrongful deeds, And shall those Heathen excel in patience us that profess Christ, the teacher and example of all patience? Lysander, when one did rage against him, in reviling of him, he was nothing moved, but said, Go to, go to, speak against me as much and as oft as thou wilt, and leave out nothing, if perchance by this means thou mayest discharge thee of those naughty things, with the which it seemeth that thou art full laden. Many men speak evil of all men, because they can speak well of no man. After this sort, this wise man avoideth from him the reproachful words spoken unto him, imputing and laying them to the natural sickness of his adversary. Pericles, when a certain scolder or railing fellow did revile him, he answered not a word again, but went into a gallery; and after, towards night, when he went home, this scolder followed him, raging still more and more, because he saw the other to set nothing by him: and after that he came to his gate, (being dark night) Pericles commanded one of his servants to light a torch, and to bring the scolder home to his own house. He did not only with quietness suffer this brawler patiently, but also recompensed an evil turn with a good turn, and that to his enemy. Is it not a shame for us that profess Christ, to be worse than Heathen people, in a thing chiefly pertaining to Christ's religion? Shall philosophy persuade them more than God's word shall persuade us? Shall natural reason prevail more with them, than religion shall with us? Shall man's wisdom lead them to those things, whereunto the heavenly doctrine cannot lead us? What blindness, wilfulness, or rather madness is this! Pericles,

being provoked to anger with many villainous words,
answered not a word. But we, stirred but with one little
word, what foul work do we make! How do we fume,
rage, stamp, and stare like mad men! Many men of
every trifle will make a great matter, and of a spark of
a little word will kindle a great fire, taking all things
in the worst part. But how much better is it, and more
like to the example and doctrine of Christ, to make ra-
ther a greater fault in our neighbour a small fault, rea-
soning with ourselves after this sort: He spake these
words; but it was in a sudden heat; or the drink spake
them, and not he; or he spake them at the motion of
some other; or he spake them being ignorant of the truth;
he spake them not against me, but against him whom he
thought me to be. But as touching evil speaking, he
that is ready to speak evil against other men, first let him
examine himself, whether he be faultless, and clear of the
fault which he findeth in another. For it is a shame,
when he, that blameth another for any fault, is guilty
himself, either in the same fault, or in a greater. It is
a shame for him that is blind to call another man blind;
and it is more shame for him that is whole blind to call
him blinkard that is but purblind: for this is to see a straw
in another man's eye, when a man hath a block in his
own eye.

Then let him consider, that he that useth to speak evil shall commonly be evil spoken of again. And he that speaketh what he will for his pleasure, shall be compelled to hear what he would not to his displeasure. Moreover, let him remember that saying, that we shall Matt.xii give an account for every idle word. How much more then shall we make reckoning for our sharp, bitter, brawling, and chiding words, which provoke our brother to be angry, and so to the breach of his charity? And as touching evil answering, although we be never so much provoked by other men's evil speaking, yet we shall not follow their frowardness by evil answering, if we consider that anger is a kind of madness, and that he which is angry is, as it were, for the time in a phrenzy. Wherefore let him beware, lest in his fury he speak any move thing, whereof afterward he may have just cause to be from froward sorry. And he that will defend that anger is not fury, but that he hath reason even when he is most angry; then let him reason thus, with himself when he is angry: Now I am so moved and chafed, that within a little while after I shall be otherwise minded: wherefore then

Reasons to men

answering.