away sorrow or else get themselues into some jouiall company and to passe away the time And so likewise in the time of sickenesse in stead of looking vp to heauen they take hell for comfort by seeking to beguile the time and passe away the tediousnesse of the paine with idle tales cardes dice or some such like vanitie Thirdly it yeeldes matter of comfort vnto Gods children when they shall consider that God is their comforter what need they feare who bee their tormentor If wee had the keeping of this comfort in our owne hands and hearts onely as Adam had his innocency wee might easily leese it as Adam did his and Satan who was euer enuious of mans good would be ready to picke and steale it away from vs but God keepes it for vs in heauen and as hee did vnto the children of Israel in the wildernesse daily renew showres of Manna so doth he distill drops of heauenly comfort daily into the hearts of true Israelites in this their wildernesse and vale of teares Thus of the Author now of the Causes The first antecedent cause or the seed of the womans comfort was that the Lord saw her As not shee no more can any Saint of God bee in any distresse but hee sees it and good reason for he that made the eye shall not he see He that made the eare shall not he heare and hee that made the heart shall not he vnderstand the sorrowes of euery afflicted soule Yes he sees he heares he vnderstands all Neither comfort nor blessing crosse nor curse can come vnto vs but by Gods prouidence and fore-sight not a haire of our heades can be diminished nor a cubite can be added vnto our stature without the prouidence of our heauenly Father It is neither constellation of starres influence of the Celestiall bodyes coniunctions of Planets nor any such notionall fantasie of a Mathematicall braine that can worke our weale or woe It is not the malice of the deuill or wicked men can hurt Gods Church or children for God sees his prouidence is aboue all And this prouidence of God hath as well a restrayning as ordaining power for if either strength or policie could preuaile against Gods Church it could not stand if either the curses of men or the indeauours of the powers of darknesse should bee effectuall all would bee hell but God sees and his prouidence disposeth The Lord saw her Hee did not shut his eyes nor turne his backe vpon her but sees her takes especiall notice of her to teach man what hee should doe to turne his eyes from beholding vanitie looke vpon the poore saints of God in miserie What 's the reason men should now adayes so much degenerate frō Christ their Lord Men now adayes are growen like the Ostrich that while her egges are in the sand shee will not looke on them shee leaues them she forgets them When the clouds of aduersitie arise mens sights are dimmed they cannot see when Dauid is in aduersitie his friends and his acquaintance stand afarre off What 's the reason Surely men either haue their eyes through selfe-loue turned inward onely to looke vpon themselues or els the profits and pleasures of this world play the Philistims with Sampson cleane put out their eyes and so they are become idoles eyes they haue and see not the miseries of Gods saints Let such take heed least the Lord giue them also a sorrowfull mind and a trembling heart and they looke for comfort in vaine till their eyes fall out Deut. 28. 61. For hee that hideth his eyes from the poore shall haue many curses The Lord saw her Marke the gradation which heere the holy Ghost vseth it is worth the noting hee spake comfort vnto this woman VVeepe not But first hee had compassion on her and before hee had cōpassion on her he saw her not that any thing in God is first or last for all things with him are coeternall and admit no prioritie of subsistence but onely as hee doth actuate them towards men First hee sees then hee is mooued with compassion then he speakes comfort VVeepe not To shew vs that God may see though hee haue not compassion hee may haue compassion though hee doe not presently comfort if hee comfort not yet hee may haue compassion and though he shew not compassion yet certainely hee sees which may serue for admirable comfort to Gods children when the swelling waters of sorrow are cleane gone ouer their soules though the Lord doth not presenly send thee comfort yet hee may haue compassion on thee and though as yet hee hath not compassion yet certainely he sees and seeing thee is a cause to mooue him to compassion and his compassion will certainely in the ende bring comfort The like gradation God vseth in his iustice towards sinners which may be a terrour to euery impenitent person first he seeth their sinnes then his wrath is kindled and his iealousie waxeth hot and then hee strikes and therefore though hee doeth not plague a sinner presently yet hee is angry and though hee seeme not to bee angrie yet certainely hee sees him and the sight of his sinnes will kindle his wrath and who knowes the power of his wrath surely it will being a fearefull iudgement Secondly God doth first see our misery before hee is moued with compassion and send comfort let it teach euery Christian that desires comfort first of all to make his misery knowen vnto God We are all beggers and they we know vse to lay open their vlcers and sores to mooue the passengers compassion Let vs not bee so proud as to scorne to lay open our wants vnto God for except God see our misery how can hee haue compassion to conceale thy misery from God is to stop the fountaine well-head of Gods mercie The Prophet Dauid proues the truth hereof vnto vs When I held my tongue that is while I concealed my misery and did not make it knowen vnto God my bones consumed that is my sorrow increased I found no comfort then I acknowledged my sinne vnto thee neither hid I mine iniquity for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou forgauest the punishment of my sinne Vpon his confession God saw his misery seeing it was moued with compassion and this brought comfort It was his practise for Psal 51. before in the 12 verse he prayes Restore vnto me the ioy of thy saluation In the 5. vers he first inuites God to see and looke vpon his misery Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me God grant the like practise may be ours The Lord saw her God hath a fourefold eye First of Maiesty Secondly of Iustice Thirdly of Prudence Fourthly of Compassion With the first he lookes on himselfe only and this no man can see and liue as God told Moyses With the second hee lookes vpon sinne and sinners and this is an eye of terror it sparkles with
fire of reuenge in regard whereof euery man hath cause to pray Turne thy face away from our sinnes With the third hee lookes on all his workes and by it hee ordereth all things in weight and measure With the fourth he lookes on the fatherlesse and widdowes and all his poore and needie Saints for seeing them hee hath compassion on them and they like the Sunne in the Firmament giues both life and light to all sublunary bodies by this is euery afflicted soule abundantly reioyced and inuited with boldnesse to come vnto the Throne of grace and cry Abba Father And for this may euery sinner safely pray Lord shew vs the light of thy countenance Graciously looke vpon our afflictions Pitifully behold the sorrowes of our hearts And with this eye did hee looke on this widdow for seeing her he had compassion on her Heere is the second antecedent cause of this womans comfort and may be called causa subalternata as Logicians terme it because it is both an effect and a cause an effect in respect it proceeded from Christ his seeing her and a cause in that it produced and effected her comfort First let vs consider it an effect Christ did not see her in misery and passe by her without any regard but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 puts on the bowels of compassion and is touched with the sence of her sorrow when he saw he had compassion on her The Priest may see the wounded man and passe by on the one side the Leuite may come neere the place goe and looke on him and passe by on the other side but the good Samaritane Christ Iesus when he sees him he hath compassion on him The vse hereof is for exhortation with those words of the Apostle Let the same minde bee in you that was euen in Christ Iesus If wee are Christians let vs imitate our Master Christ Iesus Hee saw her but what manner of sight was this There is a good sight and a bad sight The good sight is threefold First of discretion or discerning Second of contemplation The third of commiseration the last is the best especially when it hath the misery of Gods Saints for i'ts obiect and the brighter our eyes are thus to see the neerer wee come to God the Father who is the God of mercy and to God the Sonne our Lord and Master who neuer sees his seruants in misery but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath compassion on them and to God the holy Ghost who is the comforter But men now a dayes are quicke sighted but slow to haue compassion They see as Cham to deride as Michal to mocke as Iobs friends to espie out their sinnes to aggrauate their infirmities to adde to their sorrow to trample vnder their feete the comfortlesse and deiected soule in stead of powring wine and oyle into their wounds like Christ like his tormentours giue gall and vineger to drinke Is this Christianisme t 's contrary to the practise of Christ Is it Religion no for pure Religion before God the Father is to visit the fatherlesse and widdowes in their aduersity Surely then we may conclude that more beare the name then haue nature from Christ more professe then practise Religion otherwise how can vvee behold the misery of Gods Church and children vvithout compassionate and relenting hearts How can we see the afflictions of Ioseph and yet drinke wine in bowles and sing to the sound of the viall How can wee see those Foxes which destroy the vineyard and not be moued with compassion to pray vnto our Spouse to take them How can wee see that man of perdition Sampson-like send Foxes with firebrands in their tayles into the Lords corne and not be moued with compassion to pray vnto the Lord of the haruest How can we see in our neighbouring countreyes abroad the beauty of Sion to bee defaced and her walles beaten downe almost euen with the ground and not be moued with compassion nor haue any pity on the dust thereof Let vs beware lest the like happen vnto vs and there bee none to pity nor to haue compassion on vs. How can we at home see so many poore needy naked sicke and comfortlesse Christians lie in misery and want and we passe by like so many Priests and Leuites vvithout any remorse any compassion Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy mercy and compassion it is one badge of a true Christian heere on earth by this shall men know that you are my disciples if yee loue one another It is the only Brand-mark that I read of by which Christ at the last day shal know the sheep from the goats Come yee blessed of my Father for I was hungrie and yee fed mee naked and yee clothed mee in prison and yee visited mee He had compassion on her Now consider it as it was a cause of her comfort or as the ground whereinto the seed of her comfort was cast and tooke root Christ was not sent vnto to come to rayse her dead sonne and being come was not intreated or sued vnto but voluntarily and out of his owne accord for hee was moued with compassion t' was his mercy and compassion that was the cause of her comfort To teach vs first that what blessing or comfort soeuer either spirituall or temporall we enioy Gods mercy is the cause of it It must bee his mercy alone that must feoffe vs in all blessings and comforts whatsoeuer and except this mercy of God in Christ feoffe vs in blessings and comforts as our sins do in crosses curses wee perish Secondly that God of himselfe is so ready to haue mercy that before we call be will answere and whiles wee speake he will heare he loues not onely to exceed our sinnes but our very desires in mercy Thirdly we may see the gradation of Christ his loue to his saints descending vpō them by a ladder frō heauen by three steppes or rounds 1 in heart 2 in word 3 in deed in heart for he hath compassion in word with a noli flere weepe not in deed for hee restored her dead sonne to life but first it beginnes at the heart Philosophers teach vs that life naturall first begins at the heart so grace the life spirituall is first feated in the soule the heart is first mooued to compassion then the toung to pitie for ex abundantia cordis out of the aboundance of the heart the tongue speaketh and hee that hath not a compassionate heart cannot haue a pitifull tongue but from the teeth outward and not to speake comfortably or shew comfort by word or deed or both is an euident signe of a hard heart and from hardnesse of heart good Lord deliuer vs. You haue heard the causes of her comfort Christ his seeing her Christs compassion on her now heare the effect of both he saith vnto her VVeepe not Hee saw her here the comfort was but in the seed Hee had compassion there the seed was cast into the
Gods faithfulnesse when wee see no other meanes but as to rayse children out of stones to fetch water out of a flintie Rocke to hold out a three yeeres famine with an handfull of meale and a little oyle here indeed is a true hope and a noble tryall of a strong faith for hope that is seene is no hope and faith grounded on or guided by the blind leader of carnall reason is no faith Thus God tryed Abrahams faith in that great extremitie when he commanded him to offer vp his onely sonne Thus was Iobs faith patience and constancie tryed by those extreme crosses on his bodie goods and children God dealeth with his children as Fencers with their scholers they first begin with woodden cudgels after they goe to weapons with blunted edges and points and last of all as they grow in skill and to put their skill to the tryall they play at sharpe and many times fetch blood So God inures his children first vnto pettie crosses and so inflicteth greater and greater at last hee will strike with the sharpe and draw blood from their soules onely to try what proficients they haue beene in the schoole of faith and patience Secondly because hee would make the deliuerance the more ioyfull when it doth come for the greater are our afflictions the greater shall be the waight of glory and the more welcome vnto vs as the Apostle speaketh concerning sinne in the godly so it is true concerning affliction God many times so bringing to passe that where sorrow hath abounded there ioy should much more abound So that afflictions they are but preparatiues to greater comforts Vintners we see oftentimes set before their guests that haue dainty palates brinish and salt meates that so their wine may haue the better taste and relish So because it is mans nature too slightly to esteeme of the mercies fauours and comforts of God as either to forget or to extenuate and lessen them hee doth many times giue them full cuppes of bitter sorrow to the end that they may the more highly esteeme and prize his mercies and fauours when he bestowes them Thirdly God seemes to leaue his without all hope of comfort because they should ascribe all the praise and honour of their deliuerance vnto him onely Man is of a dogged nature as in aduersitie like the dogge that snarles and bites at the stone and neuer lookes to the hand that threw it so in prosperitie when wee fare well and obtaine any blessed and comfortable deliuerance from any euill wee are readie presently to share glory with God saying This haue I gotten by my care industrie and wisedome or else attribute it vnto second causes and neuer looke vp vnto God to giue him the glorie But let vs know that God is a ielous God he will not part stakes with any man and therefore he will many times suffer vs to sinke so low that all meanes in the world shall faile before he will raise vs vp to the end we may acknowledge that God is aboue and beyond all meanes The vse of this shall be none other then those words of Saint Peter Dearely beloued 1. Pet. 4. 12. thinke it not strange concerning the fierie tryall which is among you to prooue you as though some strange thing were come vnto you but put on Iobs resolution Though the Lord Iob 13. 15. slay me yet will I put my trust in him Thus haue you seene a tragicall scene of sorrow personated and acted in and by a miserable and mournful widow lamenting the losse of her onely sonne now we are come to make it end in a ioyfull plaudite while we looke vpon Christ her mercifull comforter for hee seeing her hath compassion on her and sayth vnto her VVeepe not Wherein wee may obserue these parts 1. The time When the Lord saw her 2. The authour The Lord 3. Two antecedent causes of of her comfort first Christ his omniscience or prouidence hee saw her and this I may call the seed of her comfort secondly his mercy he had compassion on her and this I may call the ground into which it was cast and where it tooke roote 4. The comfort it selfe which is first verball onely Weepe not and here it is sprung into a blade Secondly reall for she receiued her sonne againe as the History sheweth and thus it is growne to an eare When the Lord saw her Was there a time when Christ did not know her miserie no Christ knew before hee came to see her and by his Almighty power whiles her sonne lay vpon his death-bed could haue preuented his death and his mothers sorrow but he deferres it vntill this time to teach vs this lesson That God alone best knowes when to wound and when to heale when to kill and when to make aliue when to afflict with sorrow and when to send comfort we are not to limit God to times and seasons nor yet to prescribe vnto him when wee should haue deliuerances from dangers and comfort in crosses and afflictions My times saith Dauid that is times of prosperity and aduersity are in thy hand that is to order and dispose according to thy wisedome to thy good will and pleasure And therefore though the Lord may seem a long time not to giue audience nor yet to behold the afflictions of his Saints yet there wil come a when a time that will bring comfort vnto them The Lord Heere is the Author All true sound comfort comes from God in Christ and from him onely is to bee expected hee is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort it is hee that sendes comfort in afflictions yea life in death it selfe by his power and mercy hee sweetens the bitter waters of death with the wood of his Crosse making that which is seene as though it were not so that though he hath not taken away death it selfe yet he hath taken away the tyrannicall power of death insomuch that through him wee may insultingly say Oh death where is thy sting Christ is the true hearbe of grace which doth mitigate if not wonderfully sweeten all those cups of gall and vineger which are the portion and the potion of the children of grace here before they can be the children of glory in heauen The Vse whereof is first to stirre vp euery one of vs to seeke onely vnto God for comfort and to satiate and delight our selues onely in him as in the God of all comfort and consolation If hee send vs comfort if he be the rocke vpon whom wee build our consolation no affliction can discomfort vs no feare can afright vs nor death it selfe can dismay or appall vs vnto him therefore and onely to him let vs seeke for comfort Secondly heereby is discouered and reprooued the vngodly practise amongst many now adayes that in the time of sorrow in stead of going to God for comfort they runne a cleane contrary way to the deuill They will goe to an Ale house to drinke
ground and tooke deepe roote VVeepe not here it is sprung into a blade This good Samaritan Christ Iesus contenteth not himselfe to see this wounded woman for indeed she had a wounded spirit and to haue compassion on her but goes vnto her bindes vp her wounds poures wine and oyle into them and takes care for her farther comfort weepe not To teach vs that it is not sufficient for vs when we see any in miserie onely to bee moued with compassion but wee must speake some words of comfort in due season it is the Apostle his rule our tongues must vtter the tender affections of our hearts and our hearts as they are or should bee the ground where mercy must roote must sometimes shew that there is life by sending fourth some buddes into the tongue which is the hearts best interpreter and commonly speakes the language of the heart if the heart conceiue compassion the tongue must vtter weepe not VVeepe not Here comes our Sauiour now and makes good in performance his comfortable doctrine which was in words and promises Blessed are they that mourne hee comes with a towell in his hands and wipes away the brinish teares from the blubbered and furrowed cheeks of this sorrowfull widow and turnes her sadnesse into gladnesse her fasting into feasting her sobbes and sighes into songs and prayses of deliuerance such is the power prouidence and mercy of our gracious Lord and mercifull Sauiour to rayse vp vnto his children in the middest of sorrow sudden and vnexpected comfort But here some sad deiected Christian co-partner with this widow in the same or like cause of griefe may yet refuse to be comforted and iustifie both the cause and act of sorrow for the Prophet Esay complained in his dayes that the righteous man perished and no man considered it in his heart besides it is not found through the whole sacred Storie of our Sauiours life that euer hee was seene to laugh but to weepe often and besides all this woman lost her sonne and therefore a senslesse stupiditie in her not to haue mourned would haue argued not onely want of loue but of nature and humanitie or to haue had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 courage aboue and beyond the strength of nature for how quiet soeuer the morall Doctors haue made themselues yet their rules haue neuer counteruailed all their troubles The wisest and most resolute Moralist that euer was look't pale when he was to taste his poysonfull Hemlocke and why because to grieue at crosses and to feare death is naturall is to bee a man why then doth our Sauiour forbid her saying VVeepe not We must know for all this that the God of nature will haue vs sometime though not to deny yet to curbe nature and grace must teach vs to doe that sometime which nature cannot for courage and constancie against all crosses and then to be least shaken when most assayled commeth from the rules of an higher art then naturall wisedome was euer able to teach Not that grace would make a man not be affectionate as not to mourne with them that mourne and weep with them that weepe for euen this is a lesson which euery man must learne in the schoole of grace but direct vs to moderate the inordinate and ouer-passionate affections of nature that they should not meurne as men without hope for them that sleepe in the Lord. Weepe not Here mee thinkes I am taken with admiration to conceiue in what amazement this sorrowfull soule and all the mournfull company stood to see one silly man and that a stranger to come with such a song of melody into a house of mourning and to present such a dissonant and discording dittie to so dolefull a tune and yet I cannot chuse but admire more how suddenly their sorrow was turned into comfort and mourning into mirth while I consider who it is that sayes vnto her weepe not Vox hominem sonat oh Deus certè the sound of the voyce bewrayes him to be a man but the matter that he speakes mightily declares him to be the Sonne of God God speakes by his Sonne the brightnesse of his glory and the engraued forme of his Person out of his Word vnto all both good and bad but it is not the sound of the voyce of God but the matter which he speaks that argues loue he may speake vnto an enemie as vnto Satan Satan whence commest thou Iob 1. in anger as vnto Adam when he called him to an account Adam where art tbou Gen. 3. He speakes peace to none but to his owne it is vnto them and vnto their soules that he sayes I am thy saluation It is with them that hee doth indent I will be their God and they shall be my people and happy that soule vnto whom in the middest of sorrow Christ shall vtter this comfortable voyce Weepe not The Church of God is compared to a ship sayling on the sea euery Christian is a passenger in this Vessell Christ is the Pilot and Steeres-man he still sits at the Helme let the weather be neuer so foule let the sea and waues of crosses rise one vpon another with neuer such swelling surges yet if my Sauiour say vnto my soule I am thy saluation I will neuer despaire if my steeres-man say vnto mee as vnto his Disciples Feare not O yee of litle faith that little faith I haue shall make me so confident as not to be dismayed if my Sauiour meete mee though not in the flesh yet but in his word as he doth here this comfortlesse widow with a noli flere weepe not though he take away from mee father or mother brother or sister my nearest and dearest comfort in the world I will not mourne as without hope but comfort my selfe in his comfortable promises Thus haue you seene a sorrowfull mother following her dead sonne with tearedewed cheekes a passionate multitude attending this pensiue widow a compassionate Lord stopping their mouthes wiping their eyes and cheering their hearts with a comfortable noli flere VVeepe not But this is not all let me adde something farther then my Text yet not beyond the Text for t' is in the Hystory hee gaue her her sonne aliue againe and thus the blade is growne to an eare from a verball to a reall comfort To teach vs first that it is not sufficient for vs to haue a tender heart and a bemoaning tongue to those that are in want and miserie but our handes must be inlarged our hearts towards poor needy Christians must be so affected that some worke of charitie and mercy might be effected Secondly and for conclusion of all whereas this woman in the depth of her sorrow found comfort and the yong man in the midst of death found life we may learne that both to liue and to liue comfortably are in and from Christ alone But some sorrowfull soule may yet farther obiect and reason that well might this woman receiue a great deale of comfort for shee had the reall and bodily presence of her blessed Sauiour whose very lookes were able to reuiue a drooping and languishing soule and besides to his presence he annexed his Power miraculously raising her dead sonne to life and thereby vnexpected comfort to her selfe but now Christ is ascended into heauen and there shall remaine till his second comming besides miracles are now ceased how then shall I by this example any whit comfort my selfe how shall I expect restitution of my losse restauration of my comfort I answere these doubts proceed but from the weaknesse of our faith shall the eyes of the body minister comfort to the soule and shall not Faith the Eye of the soule doe much more Rubbe but the scales of infidelitie from these eyes and then euen now by faith thou mayest see thy Sauiour sitting at the right hand of God making continuall intercession for thee But why doe I grant that Christ is absent from his Church and children Hee is not as Abraham in the Parable answered Diues They haue Moses and the Prophets so I say wee haue Christ still haue we not his owne promise Loe I am with you to the end of the world Doth hee not daily speake vnto our soules by the Spirit the Comforter and to our eares by his holy word as comfortably as euer hee did vnto this woman when hee sayd vnto her VVeepe not May not wee daily heare him say Blessed are the poore in spirit Blessed are they that mourne for they shall bee comforted Come vnto mee all yee that are heauy laden and I will refresh you and you shall finde rest vnto your soules As for the comfort this woman had by the raising of her dead sonne know that this was but a temporall and short life and when hee badde her not to weepe this comfort was as short if not shorter then the former for certainely afterwards so long as shee liued shee would haue cause to weepe by daily renewed causes of sorrow But wee howsoeuer wee loose our friends now shall one day see a more blessed raising of them neuer any more to bee depriued of their societie and then shall Christ pronounce words which shall bring more durable comfort then these to this woman for then shall all teares bee wiped from our eyes neuer to feele more sorrow Till which time the Lord giue vs grace to liue religiously and to wait patiently FINIS