5óo Chap.2. Of a good Name. Gorr. 9. prov. üj3. they fpeak the truth. The Wife man condemns him that revealethfecrets ; and it was the lira aggravation of Chams (in, to tell his brethren of his Fathers naked. nefs,Whereas lofeph being a jut' man,and finding that Mary was with child,fup- poling it might be by one with whom the was precontracged,would not aretaa oy_ aagav aútiiv, make her publick example, but was minded toput her away privily. Neither do forne only difcover the private faults of their brethren but am plife them, and make them greater than they are , as he that brought news to a Sam [3 3,, David, That Abfolomhadflain all the Rings foes, there want one of them left, when only Amnon was Ilain. Thus the common rumour goes, when but one is killed, that all are killed. And beyond all thefe,when theyhave once fpokenof a fault,; prov, q q, they never leave it, but go over it again, and fo as Selomon obferves,By repeating a matter theyfeparate very friends; when the wound Teems to be whole,and repen- tance made, yet they will refricare cicatricem,rub over the wound again,andmake it bleed afrefh.Thefe are fome degrees of an affeftion or appetite that lufts after envy, efpecially that of judging the wort} in doubtful matters : for ifone will 2 Sam.16.7, reafon, as Shimei. did againft David, that becaufe loab and Abner were bloody men, and adhered to David, therefore Davidwas a man of blood ; and fo will proceed ex dubiis, upon doubtful and uncertain grounds, it will open a win- dow to all other degrees of the lia here forbidden. 3. The feting 3.1n the third place we proceed (as in the former Commandement)to (ubablum ,f the J 1. [clam, the fitting and preparing of the foyl for the feeds of this fin ; and this is, when there is,pruritmaurium, the itching of the ears; or as the Wife man fpeaks, lrrov.17.4, awilling hearer, or one thatgives ear toa naughty tongue : For, as we fay, if there a were no receivers, there would be no thieves : fo if there were no itching ears that itched after the nakednefsof others,there would be no Chains to tell them of Pfalm i .3, it. And the Pfalmift among the notesof a good man, gives not only, that he will not flander norbackbite another,but alto that he will not take up,or receive a falfe report againft his neighbour. For if a man do butVultum contrahere,draw his Forehead together, and !hake off the flanderer, it is certain he will not rem tarn again. Dili-et non libenter dicere, cum didicit non libenteralios audire, he will learn not tobe forward to fpeak, when he perceives others unwilling to hear, as S. Aquilinefaith. In fome men,there is firft a delight tohear ofmens imperfe&ions, and fecond- Gen.39.20, ly, a credulity or readinefs to believe, as we fee its Potiphar. No fooner was the word out of his Wives mouth, but prefently Kepi/ was clapt up in prifon ; the was believed without examination : Whereas the righteous are like to Gedaliah Jer. 40.16. in Jeremy, as S. Alugnfiine faith, who when ?moat-hem told him that Ifmael would flay him, he wouldnot believe him,becaufe hewould not fulped any fuch thing by him. They are not credulous ; and will not eaftly admit a talebearer, nor indulgere, give regard to him by believing what he faith, or concluding it to be true, or by any geflure thew refpeht to him,without dueproof and examination of thematter. 4. The water- 4.In the fourth place follows, lrrifatio foli,the watering of the foyl being thus 8 .f thefoyl. prepared, and this is, whenmen do ,Ziaa(rosrnozotNv, bufie themfelves in anothers i Pet.4.i5. Diocefs. This curious fearching after faults inothers, is the note of an Hypo- crite, as our Saviour (hews. ThouHypocrite, Cur afpicis ? why fpieft thou a mote in thy brothers eye ? not Cur vides ? why feet thou? it is aakuv,to efpie, not ipav,to look or fee other mens faults, to enquire after themwhat they fay or . do, which makes men breakers of this Commandement. This arifes partly a Tim,5, 53. from idlenefs,as the Apostle (hews (of which we fpoke formerly) for when men begin to be idle, they become tatlers, and bulie-bodies,going about from houle to houfe. This is an affeCtion not becoming a difcreet man. A perfe& refemblance of this vicewe have in Ahimaan, who was fo earneft to carry the news to David,that many would not have Cued fo earneftly for the heft Sam. t8.iy. Office in all 3ury,as hedid to carry tidings. It is noted as the vice the Athenians were infe&ed with,ehey mindednothing in the world but to liften after ridings. Surely by this means,whenmen lookonly outwardly what othersdo, they hew either a negletb ofthemfelves,or they fall in jucundum fpettaculum, into a plea(ing dotage upon themfelves : fer as S. yerolee faith, ui fua non ornant,aliena carpunt, they
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