our selves Whereof the first shall be that the cause of our sorrow be just not fancied not insufficient For vve have knowne some that have brew'd their owne griefe vvho vvith Simeon Stylites have voluntarily chained up themselves in their owne pillar vvhen they might have enjoyed free scope of comfortable liberty How many melancholique peeces have vvith meere imaginations made their lives miserable and vvorne out their dayes in the bitternesse of their soule only out of those conceits vvhich the by-standers have hooted at as either impossible or ridiculous One thinkes himselfe loathsomly deformed another disgraced and infamous a third dying or dead One thinks himselfe transmuted into some beast another possessed by some ill spirit What forme cannot this humour put on I leave these kind of complainants to good counsell and Ellebore Others there are who have indeed reall crosses but farre below their sorrow passionately lamenting even small afflictions so we have seene a child when he hath taken a heedlesse and harmlesse fall bewray his griefe with loud crying and in a foolish anguish knocking his head against that ground which he accuseth for his miscarriage Thus we finde certain Armenians styled of old by the name of Chazinzarii who kept a yearely fast called Arzibur in the sad memory of the dogge of Sergius their Martyr of that name devoured by a wolfe which attendant of his was wont to goe before his Master and by some dumb signes call forth the disciples to their devotions It was an affliction to Rachel that she had no children but she had no reason so to be affected with it as to say Give me children or else I dye Ionah had cause to be sorry for the losse of his Gourd but he had no reason to say It is better for me to dye then to live These dispositions are like unto a new cart which screaks and cryes even whiles it hath no burden but his owne wheeles whereas that which is long used and well liquored goes silently away with an heavy load Our second caution therefore must be that even our just sorrow be moderate for the quantity not more then enough It was a rule of the Lycians as St. Ambrose tells us if a man would mourn above his stint to put him into a womans habit we may mourne for the dead but not as men without hope David mournes at least enough for his sick childe but when hee perceives it once dead he riseth up and washeth anointeth and refresheth himselfe and changeth his apparell and comes into the Lords house to worship Hath good Melaina lost her husband and her children at once her teares are just but she dries them up at last with this resolution that she shall now the more freely betake her selfe to her devotion Have we lost our worldly goods they had not beene goods if they vvere not vvorth our griefe for their miscarriage if as our riches have wings they be flowne up to heaven being taken away by the same hand that gave them it is good reason our sorrow should give way to our submission and obedience and we should say vvith Iob The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed bee the name of the Lord. As then on the one side we may not so obdure our selves as to be like the Spartan boyes vvhich would not so much as change a countenance at their beating so on the other side vve may not be like to those Anticks of stone vvhich vve see carved out under the end of great beams in vast buildings vvhich seeme to make vvry and vvrencht faces as if they vvere hard put to it vvith the vveight vvhen as indeed they beare little or nothing Our third Caution is that the measure of this sorrow be proportioned vvhether it be more or lesse according to the cause of the sorrow for it may be so moderate as to be unproportionable Griefe for crosses should be small and impassionate griefe for sin can hardly be too much and as those crosses and those sins differ in degree so should the degrees of our sorrow he therefore that grieves more for a crosse then for his sinne or grieves equally for a small crosse and a greater offends in the undue proportion of his sorrow Shortly then there is a worldly sorrow and there is a spirituall both which must know their just limits right reason and true Philosophy teaches the one the other Divinity I have lost my goods were they mine first perhaps I was but their keeper or bearer not their owner I see the groom that keeps the horse is not much troubled to flea him what doth he lose but his labour in tending him What was the mule in Plutarch after his lying down in the water troubled with the melting of that burden of salt which he carryed or what paines is it to the silly asse that the treasure which he bore is taken off and laid up in his Masters chest I see many sweating in the mint upon severall imployments they have money enough under their hands what are they the richer or doe they greeve to see it carryed away in full sacks from their fingering My goods are lost were they not only lent me for a time till they should be called for were they not delivered into my hands only to be paid back upon account if the owner require them at his day what harme is done so that my reckoning bee eaven how can I complaine to be eased of a charge I have lost my goods by shipwrack It is well that my selfe have escaped how have I heard and read of Philosophers who have voluntarily cast their gold into the Sea the windes have done that for me which their hands did for themselves perhaps that very wealth had beene my undoing which at least can doe no harme where it is why did I trust such friends as winde and water if I did not looke to be disappointed I have lost my goods by casualty of fire even that casualty was not without a providence He that sent that fire meant to try me by it he had not sent it but that he knew there was drosse of worldlinesse and corruption to be thus purged out of me It is a worse flame that I have deserved and if by this lesser and momentany fire the mercy of God hath meant to prevent that greater and everlasting I have reason as the Martyrs were wont to embrace the flame I have lost my goods by robbery cosenage oppression I would be loth to be in his case that hath thus found them Let him mourn that hath thus purchased a curse for me I have but forceably transferred my charge where it will be wofully audited for It is all one to me whether it be fire or water or fraud or violence that hath robbed me there is one and the same hand of God in all these events let me kisse that hand which strikes me with these varieties of rods and
with it for nothing they have run to meet that death which I flie from as formidable and ugly Thou fearest death Look upon the examples of those holy men who have tendered themselves to the painfullest martyrdome see Ignatius resolving to challenge the Lions see the tender virgins daring the worst cruelty of Tyrants and embracing death in his worst formes see silly Mothers in an ambition of a crowne of life running with their children in their armes to overtake death see those resolute Saints that might have been loosed from their wheels and racks with proffers of life and honour and scorned the exchange Doe I professe their faith doe I looke for their glory and shall I partake nothing of their courage Thou art afraid of death what a slaughter dost thou make every houre of all other creatures what meale passeth thee wherein some of them doe not bleed for thee yea not for need not for use but for sport for pleasure dost thou kill them dayly without pitty without scruple Alas we made them not they are our fellowes he that made us made them too How much are we lesse to God then they are to us Doe we see so many thousands of them then dye for us and shall we think much to returne our life to our Creator Thou art afraid of death Thou mistakest him thou thinkest him an enemy he is a friend If his visage be sowre and hard he is no other then the grim porter of Pararadise which shall let thee into glory Like unto Peters good Angell he may smite thee on the side but he shall lead thee out of thy prison through the Iron gates into the City of God Were there an absolute perition in our dissolution we could not feare it too much now that it doth but part us a while for our advantage what doe we feare but our gaine The stalk and eare arises from the graine but it must rot first Oh our foolishnesse if we be unwilling that one grain should putrifie for the increase of an hundred Thou art afraid of death Hast thou well considered from how many evills it acquites thee All the tumults of State all the bloudy cruelties of warre all the vexations of unquiet neighbours all secret discontentments of minde all the tormenting paines of body are hereby eased at once thou shalt no more complaine of racking convulsions of thy wringing collicks of the dreadfull quarry that is within thy reynes and bladder of thy belking goutes of thy scalding feavers of thy galling ulcers of the threats of thine Imposthumes the stoppings of thy strangury the giddinesse of thy vertigo or any other of those killing diseases wherewith thy life was wont to be infested here is a full Supersedea◠for them all what reason hast thou to be affraid of ease Lastly thou fearest death Is it not that thy Saviour underwent for thee did thy blessed redeemer drink of this cup and art thou no willing to pledge him His was a bitter one in respect of thine for it was besides spieed with the wrath of his Father due to our sinnes yet he drank it up to the very dregges for thee and wilt thou shrink at an ordinary drought from his hand And why did he yeeld to death but to overcome him Why was death suffered to seize upon that Lord of life but that by dying he might pull out the sting of death The sting of death is sinne So then death hath lost his sting now thou mayest carry it in thy bosome it may coole thee it cannot hurt thee Temper then thy feare with these thoughts and that thou mayest not be too much troubled with the sight of death acquaint thy selfe with him before-hand present him to thy thoughts entertaine him in thy holy and resolute discourses It was good counsell that Bernard gave to his novice that he should put himselfe for his meditations into the place where the dead body◠were wont to be wash◠and to settle himselfe upon the beare whereon they were wont to be carryed forth so feeling and frequent remembrances could not but make death familiar and who can startle at the sight of a familiar acquaintance at a stranger we doe especially if he come upon us on a sudden but if hee bee a dayly and entire guest he is at all houres welcome without our dismay or trouble §. XV. Of the moderation of the passion of anger OF all the passions that are incident to a man there is none so impetuous or that produceth so terrible effects as anger for besides that intrinsecall mischiefe which it works upon a mans owne heart in regard whereof Hugo said well Pride robs me of God envy of my neighbour anger of my selfe what bloudy Tragedies doth this passion act every day in the world making the whole earth nothing but either an Amphitheater for fights or a shambles for slaughter so much the more need is there of an effectuall moderation of so turbulent an affection Our schoole hath wont to distinguish it there is a zealous anger and there is a vicious The great Doctor of the Gentiles when hee sayes Be angry and sin not showes there may be a sin-lesse anger He that knew no sinne was not free from this passion when he whipped the money-changers twice out of the Temple Surely if we be not thus angry we shall sinne If a man can be so coole as without any inward commotion to suffer Gods honour to be trod in the dust he shall finde God justly angry with him for his want of anger I know not whether it vvere a praise that was given to Theodosius that never any man saw him angry so as it may fall an immunity from anger can bee no other then a dull stupidity Moses was a meek man as any upon earth yet vvas he not angry vvhen he smote the Egyptian vvas he not angry vvhen upon the sight of Israels Idolatry hee threw downe and brake the Tables of God vvhich he had in his hand There is so little need of quenching this holy fire that there is more need of a bellowes to blow it up that it might flame up to that perfect height of the Psalmist My zeale hath consumed me because mine enemies have forgotten thy words Oh the truly heavenly fire that burnt in that sacred bosome he doth not say my zeale hath warmed me but hath consumed me as if it were his highest perfection to be thus sacrificed and burnt to ashes neither doth he say because my friends have forgotten thy words but Because my enemies Every man can be troubled with a friends miscarriage but to be so deeply affected for an enemy must needs be transcendently gracious It is the vicious anger we must oppose in our selves In it selfe that passion is neither good nor evill it is either as it is used Like as we are wont to say of the planet Mercury that the influences are either good or evill according to his conjunction with
starres of either operation our anger then proves vicious when it offends either in the cause or the quantity when the cause is unjust or the quantity excessive The cause is unjust when we are angry with a man for a thing that is good for an indifferent thing for a thing that is triviall Kain is angry because his brothers sacrifice is accepted Pharaoh was angry with Israel because they vvould be devout and goe serve God in the wildernesse vvhen the man of God reproves Ieroboam and his Altar he in a rage stretches forth his hand for a revenge Iehoiakim when he heares some lines of Ieremiaâ—s scroll cuts it vvith a pen-knife and casts it into the fire in a fury and Ahab professes to hate Michaiah because he never prophesied good to him whiles he should have hated himselfe that would not deserve any newes but evill So that Tyran Cambyses because Praxaspes reproved him for his drunkennesse shoots his son to the heart and sayes See what a steddy hand I have when I am drunk this we feele every day Let a man never so discreetly reprove a swearer or drunkard or uncleane person or any other enormious sinner hee straight flyes out into a raging anger and verifies the old word veritas odium Am I become your enemy because I told you the truth saith S. Paul to the Galathians It may be possible which wise Solomon observes that he who rebukes a man afterwards may finde more favour then he that flattereth but in the meane time whiles the blood is up that anger which a man should turne inward upon himselfe for his sin he spends outwardly upon his reprover To be angry for good is devilish to be angry for that which is neither good nor evill or that which is sleight and frivolous is idle and absurd for whereas anger is a kindling of the blood about the heart how unfit is it that it should be set on fire with every straw and wherefore serves our reason if not to discern of those objects wherewith it is or is not meet for us to be affected Thus the Jewish Doctors tell us that Pharaoh was angry with his baker and butler for no other cause but for that there was a fly in his cup and a little grain of gravell in his bread It is our Saviours word upon the Mount He that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Iudgement the well governed heart must be like a strong oake which is not moved but with a blustering winde not like an aspen leafe that shakes with the least stirring of the ayre Now even where the cause is just yet the quantity may offend And the quantity shall offend if it be either too long or too vehement Those leaden angers can never be but sinfull which lye heavy and goe slowly away What shall be done to thee thou false tongue saith the Psalmist even sharp arrowes of the mighty with codes of Iuniper And why of Juniper S. Ierome tells us that of all wood that keeps fire the longest in so much that the coales raked up in ashes will as he saith hold fire for a whole yeare those therefore which were formerly turned carbones desolatorii are now translated justly coals of Iuniper It must be onely a lying false slanderous tongue that is a fit subject for coals of Juniper even the same that is no lesse fit for the fire of hel what should these Juniper fires doe in Christian hearts against offending brethren I find in Suidas certain fishes that are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which carry their coler in their heads such should Christians be not letting it settle in their hearts but venting it at their tongues The charge of the Apostle is that we should not let the Sun goe down upon our anger much lesse may we let it rise againe nightly anger is like the Serene in other countryes unwholsome if not deadly but to yeare and day our wrath is more then brutish and partakes too much of him that is a man-slayer from the beginning And as our anger may not be too long so not too intense vehement whiles it lasts it is not for a Christians wrath to be like the Dog-star which when it rises scorches the earth and burnes up the fruits or like a Comet that still portends war and death but rather like unto one of those gliding starres that we see in a winters night which as it is blazes not long and hurts nothing so ends in a coole and not unwholsome moisture Our anger therefore must be tempered with mercy and charity otherwise it is like to a fire under an empty kettle which burnes the vessell to no purpose Such wrath is cruell such anger outragious Now for the moderation of this dangerous passion it is not for me to prescribe Athenodorus his Alphabet that remedy is so poore that the very prescription is enough to move anger rather let me commend that of Bernards Consideration and that not so much when wee are once provoked for that is too late and the assaults of this passion are too sudden but as wise Princes are wont in the midst of peace to provide for warre so must we in the calmest state of our mindes prepare against this inward turbulency Art thou therefore subject to choler Look upon that passion with sober eyes see whether it be any other but a short fit of madnesse Look upon the person of a man thus transported see his eies red glaring sparkling his cheekes now pale as ashes then fiery and swolne up as with a poyson his head and hands shaking his lips quivering his mouth foaming his tongue doubling his feet unconstantly shifting and the whole man which Hippocrates notes as the effect of a most desperate disease become utterly unlike himselfe See in another how well this forme doth become thy selfe Look upon thy selfe be sensible of thine owne distemper thou shalt finde anger justly fetcht from angor vexation thou shalt finde it it is Austins comparison like to vinegar vvhich discolours the vessell it stands in thou shalt finde thou canst not take up a coale to throw at another but thou shalt burne thy owne fingers thou shalt finde that while thou stingest others thou shalt make a drone of thy selfe and that of Solomon shall bee verified of thee Anger resteth in the bosome of fooles Look to the effects of it thou shalt finde it utterly disables thee from good The wrath of man doâ—h not work the righteousnesse of God as St. Iames Thou shalt finde it exposes thee to all mischief for he that hath no rule over his owne spirit is like a City that is broken downe and without walls saith Solomon What enemy may not rush into such a City at pleasure Just such advantage doth thine anger give to thy spirituall enemies and therefore St. Paul when he charges us not to suffer the Sun to goe