after his cure Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee as if that should be his chiefe ioy if there were no more ioy here is recompence enough for all thy mourning From the teares wee draw from Jacobs Well that is to say for the miseries of humane life wee reape a second ioy which is the ioy of content for they make vs content with that little God giueth vs here because wee see this life a vaile of miserie and that the more men haue the more miserie they haue with it Now for one to be content with his present estate it is not onely a great ioy but so great a gaine too as that without it as it should seeme by the Apostle godlinesse it selfe were no gaine Godlinesse is great gaine if a man be content with that he hath From the teares which we draw from the third Well that is to say our Sauiours Wel we may reape a third ioy and that is no lesse then the ioy of our saluation as it is called by the Psalmist 51. 12. Restore vnto me the ioy of thy saluation and to the waters of this Well wee haue an expresse promise annexed Esay 12. 3. With ioy shall yee draw water out of the Wells of saluation Here is a ioy indeed for a condemned man to be deliuered from I cannot tell how many sentences of death temporall and eternall curses here and being cursed hereafter and that with no lesse price then by the bitter death and passion of the Sonne of God This may well be called The Ioy of saluation She that was saued from least found great cause of ioy I meane Marie whose spirit reioyced in God her Sauiour And hee that thought he was saued from most Saint Paul who reckoned himselfe the greatest sinner found so much ioy in it as hee resolued neuer to reioyce nor glorie in any thing else but in the Crosse of Christ. From the teares which wee draw from the fourth Well that is to say the Well of life we reape a fourth ioy the ioy of hope Of what Of inheriting our Country from our absence from which wee wept so much and if it were not for this hope the heart would breake It was this ioy the ioy of hope of looking after the recompence of the reward which made the Martyrs so merry from this ioy of hope came their reioycing singing kissing of the stake as it is reported of Theodorus that young man who when by Iulians command he was drag'd to most terrible tortures hee is said so to haue sung and reioyced as hee made his very torturers to blush hee perswaded some almost others altogether to become Christians I can stay no longer on these ioyes because the gaudium magnum the great Ioy is yet behind Onely let mee tell you this that the least of those Ioyes is worth all your teares and the least drop of them is worth a Sea of all sensuall and worldly ioyes and indeed to speake of these spirituall ioyes to such as haue not felt them is ridiculous because they are knowne by apprehension not by discourse and to them who haue felt them it is needlesse to discourse of them for this doctrine is better learned by one experience then by a hundred rules as one will know more of the sweetenesse of hony by one taste of it then by a hundred disputations and discourses of it In this point only if there were no more it is worth all worldly ioyes it is purum purum gaudium a sincere and sound ioy so are not worldly ioyes they are but shadowes and figures of things wee take them to bee 1. Cor. 7. 30. Let them that reioyce be as if they reioyced not and them that marry be as if they married not and they that buy as if they possessed not for the shadow of these things passeth away The Fathers on that place haue made this obseruation that the ioyes of this world are but quasi as if they were ioyes not ioyes indeed but shadowes or figures they are as it is in the nine and twentieth Chapter of Esay and the eighth verse As whē a hungry man eateth in his dreame but when he awaketh his soule is emptie as Nebuchadnezzar did see the glorie of the world but it was in a dreame Next this spirituall Ioy is a sincere ioy because as it is all ioy so it is alwayes ioy any crosse or affliction will dash out a worldly mans ioy Balthasars ioy dashed out with the dash of a pen vpon the wall Herods ioy dashed with a few Lice and Vermin worldly mens ioyes lie in the power of others but saith our Master of spirituall ioy no man shall take your ioy from you It is increased rather then impaired by death it selfe as I told you in the Martyrs or by scourges as in the Apostles who reioyced that they were thought worthy to suffer for the name of Christ So worldly ioyes are but like Townes and Countries finely painted in the Map which as with a little water any one may wipe out so are they quite wiped away by the water of affliction and if there be no crosse to dash out worldly ioyes they will dash out themselues for they are all saith Gregor Nyss. in his 5. homily on Eccles. written in water which retaineth no print of that which passeth thorow it nam voluptatis cuiusque cessante operatione cessat sensus when that is gone in which worldly men ioy their ioy is gone It is not so with spirituall ioy which reflecteth back vpon it owne acts and obiects When wicked men delight in sin they reioyce for the time but when they remember what they haue done that reflecting vpon it grieueth and troubleth them Pro. 14. 13. The end of their mirth is heauines but a godly mā is ioyed not only whē he reflecteth vpon any ioyful action but when he remembreth his griefe and sorrow and reioyceth euen in the remembrance of his sufferings As Samson Iudg. 14. 8. being set vpon by a Lion slew it and after a few dayes going to looke vpon it found a swarme of Bees and Hony-combes in it So godly men when they reflect vpon their temptations and crosses find ioy and sweetnesse in the remembrance of them I haue done with the Ioy which wee shall reape here from our teares let vs speake a little of the Ioy of Heauen which one day wee shall reape hence from the same teares for hee that draweth teares from the foure forenamed Wells shal be sure one day to reape eternall ioy OF which Ioy I know not well what to say so much hath been said already and yet nothing hath been said in my expression of it I would gladly take a new course and onely tell you this of it that it cannot be expressed Heare Saint Augustine he telleth vs that one day while he was about to write something vpon the eighth verse
of all The second Well wee may call Jacobs Well as the Well of Sichem is called by the woman of Samaria in the 4. of John and I giue it the name from Iacob because the consideration of the miseries of this life we best learne from him who in one sentence did most significantly expresse them all Gen. 47. 9. Few and euill haue the dayes of my pilgrimage been The third Well we may call fontem Saluatoris our Sauiours Well or the Well of saluation as it is called by the Prophet because it is the consideration of his teares and passion who is both our Sauiour and saluation And the fourth Well we may call fontem vitae the Well of life or Gods Well because it is the consideration of our absence from him with whom is the Well of life Psal. 36. 9. With thee is the Well of life I can make these foure Wels but two and deuide these teares in lachrymas amaras ac dulces salt teares and fresh or sweet teares teares of hatred teares of loue teares of griefe and teares of ioy the teares we must draw from Adam and Iacobs Well we may call salt teares teares of hatred and griefe because we shed them out of a detestation of sinne and being wearied of the miseries of this life The teares wee draw from our Sauiour and Gods Well we may call fresh sweet teares teares of loue and ioy because they are shed out of a desire to be at home in our owne Country with God and Christ. And these two larger Wels of griefe and ioy wee may wel compare to the waters of Noahs Floud which were wholly caused by God yet partly from the Springs of the Depth which were let loose below partly from the excessiue Raines which fell from Heauen aboue For our teares of griefe and hatred proceed from the consideration of our sinnes and miseries which are here below our teares of loue and ioy from our consideration of Christ and God who are aboue yet all these teares like the whole waters of the Deluge are from God Sure if the consideration of our sinnes and miseries can not fetch teares from vs yet the consideration of Christ and God will doe it If Moses first smiting will not yet his second smiting shall fetch water out of the stony Rock But I will let this latter deuision of teares passe and hold my selfe to our first foure Wels. And though I know that in this valley of teares there needeth no great seeking after Wels for we may haue iust occasion of teares euery where yet it is our best course to draw them from the Well-head Dulcius ex ipso fonte bibuntur aquae and of these foure Wels now I will speake in order If onely first I tell you that by the teares here to be drawne from these Wels wee must not vnderstand strictly onely the moystnesse and water of our eyes but the griefe and sorrow of our hearts which many a time runneth ouer when we cannot shed a teare leues loquuntur curae ingentes stupent But as all teares are worth nothing without the mourning of the heart so many times the heart may bee drowned with griefe when the eyes are drie and we shall reape in ioy though we sowe not in teares but in sorrow blessed are they not onely that weepe but mourne for they shall be comforted Mat. 5. 4. WE begin with the first Well of sorrow or teares which I called Adams Well because it is the consideration of sinne which by Adam entred into the world and who would not shed teares for sinne if he do but consider what a lamentable thing it is that it is nothing else but one offending and grieuing of God al his creatures making vs like Ismael setteth our hand against euery man and euery mans hand against vs It is a grieuing of God for it was onely sinne which made God grieue and repent that he had made man It grieued the Sonne of God the sins of Ierusalem in the 19. of Luke made him weepe our sinnes made him grieue in the Garden and drew not onely his teares but his bloud from him on the Crosse It grieueth the holy Ghost therefore in Scripture are we forbid to grieue and quench the Spirit by our sinnes It grieueth the Angels for as they Reioyce at the conuersion of a sinner to God so no question after a sort they grieue as God is said to grieue for the auersion of a sinner from God It grieueth all sorts of men good men whose eyes gush out with teares when they see that the wicked will not obserue Gods Law It offendeth wicked men whom sinners draw into sinne by their bad example and though perhaps yet they doe not grieue at it yet it is the cause of many teares to them afterwards and perhaps of weeping and gnashing of teeth for euermore It grieueth and offendeth all the rest of the creatures because it turneth them out of the seruice of God into the seruice of sin and Satan for God created the Heauens Elements and al other creatures to serue man and to waite vpon him in his seruing of God but now when man turneth himselfe out of Gods seruice all the creatures while they serue sinfull man are as it were turned out of Gods seruice too and not without grieuing are compelled to waite vpon a wrong Master in which regard the creatures in the 8. Romans 22. verse are said to groane and to be in trauell nay which you would wonder at sinne grieueth and offendeth the very damned in hell for the more the number of the damned is increased which is done by sinne the greater is their torment their groaning weeping gnashing of teeth for that must needs bee the cause why the Rich Glutton in the 16. of Luke did beg of Abraham that Lazarus might be sent to his friends and kindred to forewarne them of comming thither One damned can aske nothing out of charitie but out of selfe-loue lest his torment and griefe should be increased by seeing his brethren there Now who would not shed teares and grieue for sinne which maketh all the Persons of the Trinitie Angels good men and bad all the rest of the creatures nay the very damned in hel to grieue and will one day if they be not wept for here make vs weepe and gnash our teeth for euermore Now when I tell you that wee must shed teares for sinne I meane not onely your owne sinnes though them principally but the sinnes of others too the sinnes of the time aswell as the sinnes of your persons for as we find Dauid washing his bedde with teares for his owne sinnes so finde wee his eyes gushing with teares because the wicked would not obserue Gods Law Christ had no sinnes of his owne to mourne for yet wept he for the sinnes of Ierusalem Dearely beloued in the Lord when
the Iewes remained vntouched therefore Lord saith he giue me rather a heart of stone then a heart of flesh Let vs not I beseech you be slow to draw teares out of this Well O but Christ hath forbid vs Weepe not for me ye daughters of Jerusalem Luke 23. 28. But O Lord thou couldest haue taken no such ready course to make vs weepe as to forbid them then to weepe for how can we alas but weep to remēber that thou thy selfe diddest weepe for Ierusalem and yet that thou wouldest not suffer the daughters of Ierusalem to weepe for thee that thou makest so small account of thy selfe in regard of vs that thou canst not choose but weepe when thou considerest that in Ierusalem there shall not be left so much as one stone vpon another and yet thou wilt not consent that the daughters of that trayterous Citie shall weepe to see thee keepe not so much as one drop of blood by another Weepe then first for the measure of his passion O but secondly grieue and weepe much more that we were the cause of all this his suffering you are deceiued if you thinke it was either the hands or tongues of Christs enemies that did crucifie and reuile Christ so much as our sinnes did Not all the hands of the souldiers could haue done it he said no sooner to them I am he but they fell dead to the ground Iohn 8. 6. What was it then heare the Prophet Propter scelus populi mei percussi eum heare the Apostle Sinners do crucifie againe vnto themselues the King of glorie and make a mocke of him Heb. 6. 6. What our sinnes doe now they did then the Iewes cried out Crucifie him crucifie him their malice was so great that if it had been possible they would haue had him twice crucified and they had their wish for they did it once with their hands and we did it with our sinnes let vs shed teares for that The necessitie and vertue of these teares drawne from our Sauiours Well see both at once in one word because we must be like Christ that sheweth the necessitie of them and they make vs like Christ that sheweth the vertue of them if the head weepe the hand must not play nor the foot dance and if the members condole when the head weepeth it maketh the members like the head Remember Vriahs answer to Dauid when hee would haue had him gone home to reioyce with his wife Doth my Lord and Captaine Joab and the Hoast of the Lord lye abroad in tents and shall I goe home and reioyce with my wife 2. Sam. 11. 11. Did our head weepe and shall not our eyes shed teares Let it be the answere wee make to all the pleasures and vanities of this world when they would perswade vs onely to laughter and to forget teares And thus much of the teares which wee may draw from this third Well which I called our Sauiours Well THe fourth Well I called the Well of life or Gods Well With thee is the Well of life Psal. 36. 9. How can wee out of this Well draw teares Euen because wee cannot come at this Well Let vs weepe because in this life we are forced to sit by the waters of Babylon and are yet strangers and as it were banished and barred from being satisfied with the pleasures of that Riuer which gladdeth the Citie of God Alas if wee did consider that our Country were Heauen and did apprehend this place here below to bee our prison or place of banishment the least absence from our Country would draw teares from our eyes and sighes from our hearts with Dauid Psal. 120. 5. Woe is me that J soiourne in Mesech and am constrained to dwell in the Tents of Kedar Theodoret expounding that place obserueth that Kedar was the other son of Ismael and that they who were descended of him did dwell not farre from Babylon who calling to mind that their father Jsmael was cast out of Abrahams Family did liue like exiles and bewaile their banishment out of their fathers House the House of Abraham What should we doe then when wee consider our long absence from Abrahams bosome and our being banished like our father Adam for a certaine time from the heauenly Paradise Do you remember how the Iewes behaued themselues in the 137. Psalme in the time of their exile and captiuitie while they sat by the Riuers and Waters of Babylon they wept would not be comforted hanged vp their Harpes and Instruments What are the waters of Babylon but the pleasures and delights of the World the waters of confusion as the word signifieth Now when the people of God sit by them that is to say doth not carelessely but deliberately with a settled consideration see them slide by and passe away and compareth them with Sion that is to say with the vnconceiueable riuers of pleasure which are permanent in the heauenly Ierusalem How can they chuse but weepe when they see themselues sitting by the one and soiourning from the other And it is worthy your obseruing that notwithstāding the Iewes had many causes of teares the Caldeans had robbed them of their goods honors Countries libertie parents children friends the chiefe thing for all this that they mourne for is their absence from Sion We wept while we remembred thee O Sion for their absence from Ierusalem What should wee then doe for our absence from another manner of Ierusalem theirs was an earthly old robbed spoyled burned sacked Ierusalem ours a Heauenly new one into which no arrow can be shot no noyse of the Drum heard nor sound of the Trumpet nor calling vnto battell who would not then weepe to be absent from hence The necessity of these teares you may easily see because God giueth none of the water of the Well of life that is to say eternall happinesse but to such who by the importunitie of their teares doe begge it and obtaine it of him The vertue of them is seene because the Saints who sought heauen with these teares obtained it Dauid whose meate day and night were his teares while they said vnto him Where is thy God whose heart brayed panted and fainted after the liuing God Psal. 42. 3. The woman of Samaria who after shee had heard Christ talke not aboue three or foure words of the water of this Well of life made it her present suite Lord euermore giue me to drinke of these waters Iohn 4. 15. Peter who after he had seene a little of the glory of that Country made it his next suite Lord it is good for vs to be here let vs build three tabernacles Saint Paul who after his rapture into that Countrie made it his onely moane that While we dwelt in the bodies we were strangers from the Lord and did sigh till he might be dissolued and be with Christ. All these mens longings haue been satisfied and that Kingdome which with teares