CHAP. XXXIII. The Parson's Library.
The Parson's Living Library
The parson's holy life serves as his library, and his personal victories over temptations become ready-made sermons.
The Country Parson's library is a holy life: for besides the blessing it brings—since there's a promise that if you seek first the kingdom of God, everything else will be added—that life itself is a sermon. For the temptations that beset a good man, and the ways he overcame them, when told to someone else—whether in private conversation or in church—are a sermon. Whoever has carefully thought about how to govern his appetite at the table, if he tells this to another, is preaching—and with much more feeling and sound judgment than when he writes his rules of temperance from books.1 So the Parson, having studied and mastered all his lusts and affections within, and the whole army of temptations without, always has as many sermons ready written as he has victories. And it works in this realm as it does in medicine: anyone who has been sick with consumption and knows what restored him is a physician to the extent that he encounters the same disease and constitution—and can treat it much better and more specifically than someone who is generally learned but was never sick.2 And if the same person had been sick with every disease and had recovered from them all by remedies he knew, there would be no physician like him—both for skill and for tenderness. Just so it is in divinity, and not without clear reason: for though the temptations may differ among different Christians, the victory is the same in all, since it comes by the same Spirit.
The Peaceable State and True Repentance
The parson examines repentance in the peaceable state, learning from his own doubts and struggles that true repentance is an act of the heart and spirit, not dependent on tears.
Nor is this true only in the military state of a Christian life, but even in the peaceable state as well—when the servant of God, freed for a while from temptation, seeks in a quiet sweetness how to please his God. So the Parson, considering that repentance is the great virtue of the Gospel and one of the first steps of pleasing God, after examining its nature for his own use, is then able to explain it to others. And in particular, sometimes doubting whether his repentance was true, or at least as deep as it ought to be—since he sometimes found himself weeping more for the loss of some worldly things than for offending God—he finally came to this resolution: that repentance is an act of the mind, not of the body, just as the original word implies; and that the main thing God requires in Scripture is the heart and the spirit, and to worship him in truth and spirit.3 So if a Christian tries to weep and cannot, since we are not masters of our bodies, that is enough. And so he found that the essence of repentance—so that it may be alike in all God's children (which, as for weeping, it cannot be, some being of a more tender disposition than others)—consists in a true detestation of the soul, abhorring and renouncing sin, and turning to God in truth of heart and newness of life: which acts of repentance are and must be found in all God's servants. Not that weeping is not useful where it can be, so that the body may join in the grief as it did in the sin; but that, provided the other acts are there, weeping is not necessary: so that the one who performs the other acts of repentance, when he can do no more, repents as truly as the one who weeps a flood of tears.4
First to Himself, Then to Others
The parson applies his self-taught lessons on repentance and other virtues by preaching first to himself, then to his congregation, following Paul's example.
This instruction and comfort the Parson gains for himself; when he tells it to others, it becomes a sermon. He does the same with other Christian virtues—faith, and love, and the cases of conscience belonging to them—in which (as Saint Paul implies that he ought, Romans 2. 21) he first preaches to himself, and then to others.
Read the original English
THe Countrey Parson's Library is a holy Life: for besides the blessing that that brings upon it, there being a promise, that if the Kingdome of God be first sought, all other things shall be added, even it selfe is a Sermon. For the temptations with which a good man is beset, and the ways which he used to overcome them, being told to another, whether in private conference, or in the Church, are a Sermon. Hee that hath considered how to carry himself at table about his appetite, if he tell this to another, preacheth; and much more feelingly, and judiciously, then he writes his rules of temperance out of bookes. So that the Parson having studied, and mastered all his lusts and affections within, and the whole Army of Temptations without, hath ever so many sermons ready penn'd, as he hath victories. And it fares in this as it doth in Physick: He that hath been sick of a Consumption, and knows what recovered him, is a Physitian so far as he meetes with the same disease, and temper; and can much better, and particularly do it, then he that is generally learned, and was never sick. And if the same person had been sick of all diseases, and were recovered of all by things that he knew; there were no such Physician as he, both for skill and tendernesse. Just so it is in Divinity, and that not without manifest reason: for though the temptations may be diverse in divers Christians, yet the victory is alike in all, being by the self-same Spirit. Neither is this true onely in the military state of a Christian life, but even in the peaceable also; when the servant of God, freed for a while from temptation, in a quiet sweetnesse seeks how to please his God.
Thus the Parson considering that repentance is the great vertue of the Gospel, and one of the first steps of pleasing God, having for his owne use examined the nature of it, is able to explaine it after to others. And particularly, having doubted sometimes, whether his repentance were true, or at least in that degree it ought to be, since he found himselfe sometimes to weepe more for the losse of some temporall things, then for offending God, he came at length to this resolution, that repentance is an act of the mind, not of the Body, even as the Originall signifies; and that the chiefe thing, which God in Scriptures requires, is the heart, and the spirit, and to worship him in truth, and spirit. Wherefore in case a Christian endeavour to weep, and cannot, since we are not Masters of our bodies, this sufficeth. And consequently he found, that the essence of repentance, that it may be alike in all Gods children (which as concerning weeping it cannot be, some being of a more melting temper then others) consisteth in a true detestation of the soul, abhorring, and renouncing sin, and turning unto God in truth of heart, and newnesse of life: Which acts of repentance are and must be found in all Gods servants: Not that weeping is not usefull, where it can be, that so the body may joyn in the grief, as it did in the sin; but that, so the other acts be, that is not necessary: so that he as truly repents, who performes the other acts of repentance, when he cannot more, as he that weeps a floud of tears. This Instruction and comfort the Parson getting for himself, when he tels it to others, becomes a Sermon. The like he doth in other Christian vertues, as of Faith, and Love, and the Cases of Conscience belonging thereto, wherein (as Saint Paul implyes that he ought, Romans 2. 21) hee first preacheth to himselfe, and then to others.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'then' is comparative 'than'; 'carry himself...about his appetite' rendered as self-government of appetite at meals.
- 2 ↩'Physick'/'Physitian' modernized as medicine/physician; 'temper' as bodily constitution; 'particularly' as more specifically.
- 3 ↩"the Originall" points to the root sense of the biblical word for repentance (a change of mind/heart), not a particular printed original edition.
- 4 ↩"detestation of the soul" is taken as the soul's true loathing of sin (subjective genitive), clarified by the following "abhorring, and renouncing sin."
A Priest to the Temple, or, The Country Parson companion
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