A commentary upon the whole book of Judges Preached first and delivered in sundry…A commentary vpon the vvhole booke of Iudges Preached first and deliuered in sundrie…

Now though we are not the worse for the prosperity of other, neither doth it diminish any thing from the good of our estate; yet the envious man thinketh, that the gifts that are in himself are darkened and blemished thereby, unless he have especial grace to abate and mortify such thoughts. Therefore to aggravate this sin, know we, that as the envious is sad by the prosperity of another, so (which is worse) he is made joyful by his disgrace and abasement: as the Pharisees were, in and for the crucifying of our Saviour, and Josephs brethren, when they had sold him. Yea so cursed an humour is envy, and so opposite to love, that whereas he who loves unfeignedly ⟨p. 383⟩would part even with the most precious jewel for the sake of that which it loveth: the envious person would willingly pull out one of his own eyes, upon condition he might lose both his, at whom he grudgeth. So that not unfitly Pauls speech of fornication may be applied to envy: Other sins are without a man: but the envious sins against his own body, and the health and prosperity thereof: God justly plaguing it in the kind, in that whiles it pines at the eminency of another, it reflecteth and beateth back the hurt upon it self, and feedeth upon the most precious spirits of the soul and life, and consumeth them: seldom doing any harm to the other, while it fretteth out the very heart blood and bowels of it self. This envy is remedied by shaming our selves for that we cannot abide that our brethren should have and do good with Gods gifts to other: considering also that thereby we hinder Gods glory. Also we shall loosen the roots of this envy, if we think meanly of our selves, and that God is only wise, who denieth for just cause, that unto us, wherewith he blesseth others. And thirdly, this shall help to weaken it, if we consider that God hath rather deserved infinite thanks of us, for granting us other blessings, which those (perhaps) may want, whom in other respects we envy, (for it is his great mercy that ¹we be not consumed) the one we will not see, the other we behold too much. Whereas our eye seeth not the worse, because another's seeth better: how much less if in another kind we see as well? Doth the foot envy the eye because it seeth, or the eye the foot because it goeth?

Now though we are not the worse for the prosperity of other, neither doth it diminish any thing from the good of our estate; yet the enuious man thinketh, that the gifts that are in himselfe are darkened and blemished thereby, vnlesse he haue especial grace to abate and mortifie such thoughts. Therefore to aggrauate this sinne, know we, that as the enuious is sad by the prosperity of another, so (which is worse) he is made ioyfull by his disgrace and abasement: as the Pharisies were, in and for the crucifying of our Sauiour, and Iosephs brethren, when they had sold him. Yea so cursed an humor is enuie, and so opposite to loue, that whereas hee who loues vnfainedly