absentes non deplorandi vt moâ—tui We may indeed wish for them because they are not with vs but we must not weepe for them because they are with God Loue grant commands vs. Well be it so What then But yet faith forbids vs to weepe for the dead s Pietas plorare iubet fides pro defunctis lugere vetat Isidorus And therefore Paulinus saith t Salua fide pietatis officia pendamus salua pietate fâ—dei gaudia praeferamus Though wee may notwithstanding our faith performe to the dead the duties of loue yet wee must first notwithstanding our loue afford to ourselues the comforts of faith So if wee shed some few teares which run softly like the waters of Silo no force saies Ambrose u Erunt non doloris illices sod indices pietatis They will not bewary in vs any want of faith but onely testifie an aboundance of loue Thus and no otherwise did Abraham weepe for Sara his wife Eleazar for Aaron his father Rebecca for Debora her nurse Ioseph for Iacob his father Bethsheba for Vrias her husband Christ for Lazarus his friend And here in wonderfull wisedome he teacheth vs how sparing we ought to be in weeping for the death of our godly friends considering our good hope that are aliue and their good happe that are dead As if the very dead body whom some of you perhaps euen at this present so seriously think of and so much lament for should now suddenly arise out of the graue and steppe into the Pulpit and preach and say vnto you Weepe not for mee but weepe for your selues You indeed as yet remaine in this vale of misery where you sinne daily and hourely against God where continually you feele afflictions and punishments due to your sins where lastly you are depriued of the glory of God of the society of the Saints of the ioyes of heauen Therefore if you will weepe for your selues but weepe not for me I am in that state of perfection where I neuer sinne but alwayes praise and laud the Lord I am out of the compasse of all calamities not to be touched with any trouble I euermore behold the amiable and the louing countenance of Christ and though I come not very neere him yet so farre forth I see him as this sight alone is sufficient to make mee euery way a happy man Thus would the very dead if they should rise againe speake vnto vs. But wee will not any longer disquiet the dead or disturbe them vvhich so sweetly sleepe in Christ. Certainely either this that hath been spoken will perswade vs oâ— else as our Sauiour saith though one should rise from the dead vvee would not beleeue For if these ancient and holy Fathers Fulgentius Ignatius Cyprian Chrysostome Ierome Isidore Paulinus Ambrosius should now all arise they would I assure you say no other thing but euen as you haue heard them speake alreadie in those sentences and allegations which I haue quoted and cited out of them The summe of al which is this That it is great folly and childishnesse to weepe immoderately for the dead and that it is on the other side a hie point of wisdome to be moderate in this matter considering our Lord going here to his death teacheth his friends not to weepe for him in that he saith weepe not weepe not for mee Thus much for his Wisedome Now for Benignitie he sayes Not you For though the person bee not expressed in the English yet in the Greeke verbe it is implied Weepe not as if it were Weepe not you Which Benignitie appeared in that among all his vntollerable troubles nothing troubled him so much as that his friends were troubled for his troubles And yet as it should seeme they of all other had greatest cause thus to bee grieued All the people wept for Moses death All Egypt for Iosephs death all Israel for Iosâ—as his death all the Church for Stephens death But a million of Mosesses of Iosephs of Iosiasses of Stephens are not comparable to Christ. The women of Troy wept for the death of worthy Hector their valiant Captaine making this the foot of their dolefull ditty wee weepe for Hector x Hectora flemus Seneca in Troade actu primo How much more then ought these women of Ierusalem to weepe for the death of their captaine Christ Al the widowes lamented the death of Dorcas because in her life time shee made them coates and garments And had not these women then far greater reason to lament the death of Christ who made euery one of them a wedding garment wherein he did marry them to himselfe Yee daughters of Israel saith Dauid weepe for Saul vvho cloathed you vvith Scarlet How much more then ought these daughters of Ierusalem to vveepe for Christ vvho clothed euery one of them with Scarlet and with the royall robe of his righteousnesse yea and gaue his owne deare selfe vnto them that they might put on the Lord Iesus When Christ was borne the night was turned into day as it was prophesied y Psa. 139.12 Then shall the night shine as the day But when Christ was crucified the day was turned into night as it was prophesied z Amos. 8.9 Then shall the Sun go downe at noone day The Sunne therefore wept for Christ. As Hamons face was couered when hee was condemned to die so the suns face was couered when Christ was condemned to die The temple also wept for Christ. As Dauid rent his garment when hee heard of Ionathans death so the temple rent his vaile when it heard of Christs death The graues likewise wept for Christ. As the King of Niniue threw vp dust vpon his head wheÌ„ he and his subiects were appointed to die so the graues opened and threw vp dust vpon their heads when Christ vvas appointed to die The stones lastly vvept for Christ. As Iob cut his haire vvhen he heard of his childrens death so the stones were cut in peeces and clouen asunder when they heard of Christs death As Asse carrying Christ into Ierusalem the children sung most merrily Christ carrying his crosse out of Ierusalem the women wept most mournfully If those children had held their peace and not sung as our Sauiour their protesteth the very stones would haue sâ—ng out the praise of Christ. If these women had held their peace not cried the very stones would haue cried for the death of Christ Or rather indeed as soone as euer these women left weeping because Christ bad them straight wayes the stones fell a weeping before Christ bad them And what heart of man then could here haue refrained from weeping though it had been harder then any stone seeing the hard stones before his eyes thus dissolued and distilled into teares Yet behold the benignity louing kindnes of Christ Christ died not for the Sunne not for the Temple not for the Graues not for the stones but for vs men and for our saluation he died Yet
à fine that there is another fountaine neere Grenoble a Citie in France which although it haue not hot waters as a Bath yet oftentimes together with bubbles of water it casteth vp flames of fire The fountaine of teares that is in our eies must be like these two fountaines As the Psalmist witnesseth When my sorrow was stirred sayes he my heart was hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled l Psal. 30.3 When my sorrow was stirred There is the first fountaine My heart was hot within mee There is the Torch lighted And while I was musing There is the other fountaine The fire kindled There is the flame burning Whereupon one sayes fitly Our eies must neither be drowned nor dry m Nec fluant oculi nec â—icci sint Seneca If they want fire they will be drowned If they want water they will be dry Wherefore both weepe not and but weepe both fire and water must goe together that our eyes bee neither drowned nor drye And this is the right moderation wee must keepe in weeping as appeareth in this third part WEEPE NOT BVT WEEPE both together Weepe not for mee but weepe for your selues THe fourth part followeth For Mee Weepe not too much for my death For the death of Christ is the death of Death the death of the Diuell the life of Himselfe the life of Man The reason of all this is his innocencie and righteousnesse which makes first that as the life of Christ is the life of Life so the death of Christ is the death of Death Put the case how you please this is a most certaine truth that the gate of life had neuer bin opened vnto vs if Christ who is the death of Death had not by his death ouercome death a Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset coelestis vitae iâ—nus â—lausa foret Therefore both before his death he threatneth and challengeth death saying b Osee 13.14 O death I will bee thy death and also after his death hee derideth and scorneth death saying c 1 Cor. 15.15 O death thou art but a drone where is now thy sting d Sic Iohannes Pistorius Erasmi Roterodami affinis igni cremandus dixit O mors vbi est tua victoria Aske death any of you I pray and say Death how hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy strength What is the matter that virgins and very children doe now contemne thee wheras Kings and euen tyrants did before feare thee Death I warrant will answer you that the only cause of this is the death of Christ. Euen as a Bee stinging a dead body takes no hurt but stinging a liue body many times looseth both sting and life together in like manner death so long as it stung mortall men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse but when it stung Christ once who is life it selfe by and by it lost both sting and strength Therefore as the brasen serpent was so farre from hurting the Israelites that contrariwise it healed them after the same sort death is now so far from hurting any true Israelite that on the other side if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs or if any thing else hurt vs presently it is helped and redressed by death Those which will needes play the hob-goblins or the night-walking spirits as we call them all the while they speak vnder a hollow vault or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpon their faces they are so terrible that he which thinks himselfe no small man may perhaps bee affrighted with them But if some lusty fellow chance to steppe into one of these and cudgell him wel-fauouredly and pull the vizard from his face then euery boy laughes him to scorne So is it in this matter Death was a terrible bulbeggar and made euery man afraide of him a great while but Christ dying buckled with this bulbeggar and coniured him as I may say out of his hollow vault when as the dead comming out of the graues were seene in Ierusalem and puld the vizard from his face when as he himselfe rising left the linnen clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him Therefore as that Asse called Cumanus Asinâ—s ietting vp and downe in a Lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his master but afterwards being descried did benefit him very much Semblably death stands now like a silly Asse hauing his Lyons skin pulled ouer his eares and is so farre from terrifying any that it benefits all true Christians because by it they rest from their labour and if they be oppressed with troubles or cares when they come to death they are discharged death as an Asse doth beare these burthens for them O blessed blessed bee our Lord which hath so disarmed death that it cannot do vs any hurt no more then a Bee can which hath no sting nay rather it doth vs much good as the brasen serpent did the Israelites which hath so dismasked death that it cannot make vs afraid no more than a scar-bug can which hath no vizard nay rather as an Asse beareth his masters burthens so death easeth and refresheth vs. This hath Christ done by his death Hee that felleth a tree vpon which the Sun shineth may well cut the tree but cannot hurt the Sunne He that poureth water vpon Iron which is red hot may well quench the heate but hee cannot hurt the Iron And so Christ the Sun of righteousnesse did driue away the shadow of death and as glowing Iron was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to disgest All the while Adam did eate any other fruit which God gaue him leaue to eate he was nourished by it but when he had tasted of the forbidden tree he perished Right so death had free leaue to deuoure any other man Christ onely excepted but when it went about to destroy Christ then it was destroyed it selfe Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon raw flesh especially of men if they happen to eate a peece of roasted meat commonly they surfeâ— of it and die Euen so the right Canniball the onely deuourer of all mankinde Death I meane tasting of Christs flesh and finding it not to be raw such as it was vsed to eate but wholsome and heauenly meate indeede presently tooke a surfet of it and within three dayes died For euen as when Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand anon after his bowels gushed out In like sort death being so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christs flesh and a little bit of his body was by and by like Iudas choaked and strangled with it and faine to yeeld it vp againe when Christ on Easter day reuiued Death I wisse had not beene brought vp so daintily before nor vsed to such manner of meate but alwayes had rauined either with Mithridates daughters vpon the poyson of sin or else with Noahs Crow vpon the
our Lord and Master giueth vs all that are his faithfull seruants is a coat made of this purple wooll The Psalmist saith that God giueth his snow like wooll But here wee may turne the sentence and say that Christ giueth his wooll like snow For as show couereth the ground when it is ragged and deformed so Christs wooll which is his coate without seame couereth our sinnes and though they were as crimson yet maketh them white as snow And as Gideons fleece when it was moist the earth was dry but when it was dry the earth was moist so when Christs fleece was moist as a greene tree then were all wee drye like rotten stickes but when his fleece was dry all the blood and water being wrung out of his pretious side then were we moistened with his grace Wherefore seeing death had not Christs fleece when he was shorne but we haue it which beleeue in him it followeth that neither death was the better nor Christ the worse But as a lamb is much more nimble liuely for shearing so this shearing of death was a kind of quickning to the lambe of God and onely a trimming to him before he ascended to his Father as Ioseph was trimmed and powled before he appeared to Pharaoh For looke how Adam slept so Christ died i Dormit Adam moritur Christus Prosper When Adam slept his side was opened when Christ died his side was opened Adams side being opened flesh and bone were taken out Christs side being opened water and bloud were taken out Of Adams flesh and bone the woman was built of Christs water and bloud the Church is built So that the death of Christ is nothing else but the sleepe of Adam For 〈◊〉 he said of the Damsels death The Damsell is not dead but sleepeth so hee saith of his owne death I laid me downe and slept and rose vp againe for the Lord sustained me And in another place when God the Father saith to his Son Awake my glory awake my Lute and Harpe God the Sonne answeres to his Father I will awake right early That vessel which Peter sawe in a traunce which came down from heauen to the earth and was knit at the foure corners and had all maner of beasts in it did betoken Christ Christ came downe from heauen to the earth and his story was knit vp by the foure Euangelists and hee hath made Iewes and Gentiles yea all Nations though they were as bad as beasts before yet he hath made them all I say one in himselfe Now saith Cassianus it is worth the noting that the Holy Ghost saith not this vessell was a sheet but was like a sheet k Pulchre â—it Non sintâ—um sed Quasiâ—inteum A sheet may signifie either sleepe or death Because there is both a sleeping sheete and a winding sheete But neither was Peters vessell a sleepe though it were like a sheet neither was Christs body dead though it were lapt in a sheete For wee our selues cannot so properly bee said to liue in our first birth as in our second birth and Christs life when he lay in that new wombe in which neuer any other was conceiued is nothing to his life when hee lay in that new tombe in which neuer any other was buried Wherefore as Iacob trauelling towards Haram when he had laid an heape of stones vnder his head and taken a nap by the way was much reuiued with it after his tedious iourney so Christ trauelling towards heauen when hee had slept a little in that stony sepulchre which was hewn out of a rocke liued then most princely after his painfull passion Tell me when did Ionas liue In the hatches of the ship or in the belly of the whale In the hatches of the shippe Why I am sure you will not say so That was nothing But to liue in the belly of the Whale when the mariners were in extreme ieopardy and danger vpon the water and yet Ionas most safe and secure vnder the water this indeede was somewhat who euer saw such a wonder The waters were one while hoisted vp to the highest cloudes another while hurâ—ed downe to the nethermost depth Ionas himselfe being all this vvhile in the very gulfe of destruction and yet not one haire the worse Christs case was the same As Ionas vvas in the belly of the Whale three daies three nights so so long vvas the sonne of man in the bowels of the earth Yet he had no more hurt then Ionas had but liued better vnder the earth then we can vpon the earth better in death then we can in life Tel me when did Daniel liue in the Kings court or in the Lions denne In the Kings court why there is no great reason for that Any man might haue liued there But to liue in the Lions den vvhen the mouth of the den vvas shut and the mouths of the Lions open this indeed was the life of an Angell no man What King could euer make Lions attend and wait vpon him Yet here you might haue seene vvorthy Daniel sitting in the midst of many hungry Lions when as the Lions lay downe at his feet couching and crouching before him and adored their owne prey cast vnto them vvhich otherwise they vvould haue vvorried and being beasts became men in humanity toward this Saint seeing men became beasts in cruelty against him The saâ—â—e reason was in Christ. His sepulchre was sealed as well as Daniels den And hee saith also of himselfe in the Psalmes My soule is among Lions These Lions were the terrors of death and the horrors of hell Yet hee tooke no more hurt then Daniel did But brake the chaines of death into fitters and the gates of hell into shiuers and then most gloriously triumphed And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnesse is the life of himselfe It is lastly the life of man When Christs speare had opened that way of life which the Cherubins sword had stopt vp Then said our sauiour to the Theefe This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Adam and Eue both in one day were expelled out of Paradise Christ the theefe both in one day were receiued into Paradise yea both in one houre of the day For about Noone when the winde blew Adam and Eue were expelled and so about the sixth houre that is about twelue of clock in the day time Christ and the Theefe were receiued Christ saying to the Theefe while he did draw him vp to Paradise l Ose. cap. 11. I doe draw thee with the cords of a man euen with bands of loue But the Septuagint translate the Hebrew words m Bechauele Adam which signifie with the cords of a man into those Greeke words n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie with the destruction of a man As if CHRIST should say thus to the Theefe I doe so deerely loue thee that I am content my selfe to be destroyed that thou mayest bee saued
condemned in our selues are iustified in Christ being dead in our selues are aliue in Christ The sinne of Man is the death of Christ. This is more then all to make vs sorrowfull in our selues If the Virgin Mary wept so sore for the death of her Sonne Iesus as though her tender heart had been stabbed and pierst through with a sharpe sword as Simeon speaketh Can any thing in the world then make vs more sorrowfull then this that Christ being blessed in himselfe was cursed for vs being exalted in himselfe was embased for vs being iustified in himselfe was condemned for vs being aliue in himselfe was dead for vs O deere brother blessed Christian whosoeuer thou art if thou be too sorrowfull at any time remember what Christ hath done for thee how louingly how kindly he hath dealt with thee and thou wilt soone bee glad if thou be too ioyfull at any time remember what thou hast done against Christ how vngratefully how wretchedly thou hast dealt with him and thou wilt soone be sorry So shall we neuer suffer shipwracke of faith either by too much sorrow as Esau did who sought the blessing with teares weeping for himselfe not reioycing for Christ or else by too much ioy as Herod did who heard the Baptist gladly reioycing for Christ not weeping for himselfe But euen as a ship being neither too heauily burthened nor too lightly balanced feareth neither waues nor windes but saileth safely to the hauen so we being neither too heauy for our owne misery nor too light for Christs mercy but ioyning for mee for your selues both together shall neither be drowned with the waues of desperation nor puffed vp with the windes of presumption but we shall saile safely in the Arke of Noah vpon the Sea of this world till wee arriue at the Hauen of all happinesse in Heauen And this is the right moderation we must keepe betweene Christ and our selues as appeareth in this sixth part For mee for your selues both together Weepe not for mee weepe for your selues THe seauenth part followeth Weepe not for me Wherein we must consideâ— three vertues that were in Christ. Wisedome Benignitie Magnanimitie For Wisedome hee saith Weepe not For Benignitie Not you For Magnanimitie Not for mee Nâ—t weepe Not you Not for me Weept not for mee First for Wisedome hee saith Weepe not Saint Austin hath a very excellent sentence and it is this d Crux Christi pendentis Cathedra fuit dâ—centis Christ vpon his Crosse did read vs a Lecture like a Doctor in his chaire Indeed in that learned lecture of his he deliuered vnto vs many notable poynts of wisedome And one especially wee haâ—e here whereby we are instructed how we should be affected towards the dead For if we must not weepe immoderately for the death of Christ then we must not grieue our selues greatly for the death of any Christian. The ancient Italians vsed to mourne for their dead ten moneths the Egyptians seauentie two dayes the Ethiopians forty dayes the antient Germanes thirty daâ—es the Lacedemonians eleuen dayes e Iohannes Boâ—emus de morib Gen. But the Athenians and the Romanes which were in their time counted the wisest men in the world were much more moderate For the Athenians had a law giuen them by Solon their law giuer which did forbid mourning at burials The Romanes likewise had a law in their twelue tables which did forbid to make any exclamations or out-cries at funerals f Lessum habere funeris ergo Yea the third Councell holden at Toledo in Spaine the one twentieth Canon of the Councell flatly decreeth that Christians should be brought to their graues onely with singing and reioycing g Cum cantisis solummado Psallentium vocib Because quoth the Councell the Apostle to the Thessalonians saith I will not haue you ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleepe that you sorrow not euen as others which haue no hope Therefore Cutbertus who was Archbishop of Canterbury long before the Conquest h Floruit regnauit Egberto An. Dom. 747. at his death charged that no lamentation should be made for him And Ierome writeth that when the dead body of Paul the Eremite was brought forth holy Anthony did sing Hymnes and Psalmes according to the Christian i Prolato for as corpore Hymnos Psalmos de Christiana traditione decantabat In vita Pauli Ereâ—i tradition And that when Paula a deuout widow was k Pontifices choros Psallentium ducebant In Epitaphio Paula buried the Bishoppes did bring her forth with singing And that when Fabiola was buried Psalmes were sung and Haleluiah was chanted out so loud that it did shake the seeling of the Church l Sonabant Psalmi aurata templorum roboans in sublime quatiebat Haleluia In Epitaphio Fabiolae Vide praeterea Sulpâ—tium â—a vita Martini Areopag Et Eub. Hieâ—ar Eccles. c. 7. I grant indeed wee may sorrow and weepe for the wicked not onely when they are dead but euen when they are aliue But we must sing and reioyce for the godly not onely when they are aliue but euen when they are dead And why Because they being aliue are dead but these being dead are aliue According to that saying of the Hebrew Rabbins m Tsaddikim bemotham caym c. The godly euen in their death are aliue but the wicked euen in their life are dead Therefore Dauid when his sonne Absolon died whom hee knew to be a wicked man wept for him saying Absolon my sonne O my sonne Absolon would to God I had died for thee But when his yong son died whom he knew to be an innocent babe hee was vvell apaid and arose from the ground and annoynted his face and looked cheerefully and said I shall goe to him he cannot returne to me Whereby hee warranteth that of Fulgentius who saith That the godly deceased are not lost for euer but left for a time n Non amissi sed praemissi not gone away from vs but sent to God before vs. For if that bee true which Ignatius saith That life without Christ is death o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then this is true also which I shall say That death with and in Chirst is life The deaths of the Saints are no funerals but triumphs p Exercitia sunt ista non funera Cypr. So that in respect of vs which are aliue it is a very charitable custome yea it is a very honourable custome to giue mourning cloakes and gownes but in respect of them that are dead it is altogether needlesse For what need wee weare blacke mourning cloakes in signe of sorrow seeing as it is in the Reuelation they weare white long robes in token of triumph Therefore Chrysostome saith q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It becommeth vs that are Christians at the death of Christians rather to reioyce as at a triumph then to weepe as at a tragedy For saies Ierome r Desideraâ—di sunt vt
me Who art thou Lord saies Saul I am saies Christ Iesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest Alluding to the title of his crosse which was Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes At which words Saul both trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt then haue me do Act. 22.8 Now if Saul who repented him afterward of his persecuting Christ stood so astonished when he heard but a peice of the title vpon his crosse how â—heâ— shall all they bee astonished how shall they be confounded which without any repentance or remorse of conscience persecute Christ continually when at the latter day not onely the title written ouer his head but euen the verie print of the wounds in his hands and side shall rise vp in iudgement to condemne them When like as Ioseph said to his brethren I am Ioseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt so Christ shall say vnto them I am Iesus of Nazareth whom you persecuted and put to death Wonderfull indeed is the feare and confusion of a wicked conscience After that Herod had beheaded Iohn Baptist he imagined stil he saw and heard that holy head showting and crying out against him Mark 6.16 Whereupon hearing the fame of Iesus hee said not as others said It is Elias or It is one of the Prophets but It is Iohn saies he whome I beheaded he is risen from the dead Saying whome I beheaded hee confesseth not his fault in true repentance but onely with his owne mouth beareth witnesse of his owne wickednesse In so much as that may be said to him which Dauid said to the Amalakite who brought him newes of Sauls death Thine owne mouth testifieth against thee saying I haue slaine the Lords anointed Now if the remembrance of this cruell act so vexed and disquieted Herod day and night that hee could take no rest for it but still thought waking and dream'd sleeping Iohn Baptist was risen againe to be reuenged of him how then shall they be affrighted how shall they be confounded which haue not beheaded Iohn but crucified Christ yea and crucifie him continually with their sins when at the resurrection of all flesh they shal see him whom they haue peirced and wâ—ing their hands and weep and waile before him Scipio appointed his sepulchre to bee so placed as his image standing vpon it might looke directly toward Africa that beeing dead hee might still be a terror to the Carthaginians after the same sort the Prophet Esay prophesying of Christ saith In that day the roote of Iesse shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people and euen his sepulchre shall be glorious Et erat schulchrum eius gloriosum So that as the bodie of Cadwallo an auncient king of the Brittaines being embalmed and dressed with sweete confections Hollinshed was put into a brasen image and set vpon a brasen horse ouer Ludgate for a terrour to the Saxons in semblable sort he that is called Faithfull and true shall sit vpon a white horse and out of his mouth shall proceede a sharpe sword wherewith he shall smite and slay the heathen The sword wherewith Dauid hackt off Golias head 1. Sam 21.9 after he had wrested it out of his hand was kept in the Tabernacle wrapt in a cloath behind the Ephod Which when Abimelech the Priest brought forth Dauid said There is none to that giue it me Christ also did conquer death euen with thâ—se weapons and armour wherewith death assaulâ—ed him And hee keepeth still a memoriall of his conquest in the tabernacle of his body That as the Philistims were afraid when they sawe Dauid fighâ—ing in the field with that sword so all Christs enemies may bee confounded when they shall see the signe of the sonne of man appearing in the clouds with power and great glorie It was a strange miracle that of Aarons rodde which budded Therfore the Lord said vnto Moses Numb 7.10 Bring Aarons rod againe before the testimonie to bee kept for a token to the rebellious children The bodie of Christ was a greene tree before it was crucified After being dead it was clung and drie like Aarons rod. But it budded when as the third day it rose againe Therefore it is kept stil for a token to the rebellious children That as Aaron conuinced the murmuring Israelites and confirmed the authority of his priesthood by the budding of his rodde which otherwise was but a dead and a drie thing so Christ may confound his enemies when he shall shew such flourishing glorie such excellent maiestie in his bodie which hath yet in it the tokens and the marks of death It is reported that Zisca the valiant captaine of the Bohemians commaunded that after his decease his skinne should be fleed from his bodie to make a drum which they should vse in their battels affirming that as soone as the Hungarians Fox Act. or any other their enemies should heare the sound of that drumme they would not abide but take their flight And surely euery battel of the warriour is with noyse with tumbling of gaâ—ments in blood but this battell wherein Christ shall tread Satan and all his enemies vnder his feete shall bee with burning and consuming of fire So that no drum can be more terrible then the last trumpet shal be when the Lord Iesus shall shewe himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels and shall so come downe with the very same markâ— and sears in his skin as the men of Galilie saw him ascending vp They which dispatched noble Iulius Caesar in the senate house did set a good face of the matter a while Dion l. 44. till Antonius the next day shew'd his robe in the market place all bloody cut and full of holes as his enemies had left it Then the people were so incensed and enraged against them that they made the best of them al glad to hide their heads The Romanes said We haue no King and therefore they slewe Caesar the Iewes said We haue no King but Caesar and therefore they slew Christ. But at the day of iudgment what shall Christ say Those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me Then not onely the angels but all creatures shall be ready to execute vengeance on these murtherers when they shall see the robe of Christ washt in wine and his garment in the blood of grapes Gen. 38.20 When Thamar Iudahs daughter in law was accused for committing folly in Israel she sent to her father in law saying Looke I pray thee whos 's these are the signet and the staffe Iuda by and by knew them and said She is more righteous then I. And so shall Christs enemies be enforced to confesse him more righteous then theÌ„selues yea they shall be quite confounded when they shall see how they haue abused him when they shall see the marks which their signet and staffe haue made their signet in his hands and their staffe in his
carrion of corruption Wherefore now saith Fulgentius e Mors Christum gustaâ—it sed non deglutiuit death did indeed taste of Christ but could not swallow him vp nor digest him Contrariwise Christ as soone as euer hee had but a little tasted of death f Heb. 2.9 est-soones hee did deuoure death hee did swallovv vp death in victory And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnesse is the death of Death It is also the death of the Diuell As the Apostle saith that by his death he did ouercome not onely death but him also which had the power of death the diuell It is reported that the Libard vseth a strange kinde of policie to kill the Ape Hee lieth downe vpon the ground as though he were starke dead which the Apes seeing come al together and in despite skip vp vpon him This the Libard beareth patiently till he thinks they haue wearied themselues with their sporting then suddenly he likewise leapes vp and catcheth one in his mouth and in each foote one which immediatly hee killeth and deuoureth g Conculcant insultantes ludibrij causa don ec perdalis sentiens illas iam saltando defagitates derepente reuiuiscens aliam dentib aliam vngâ—ab corripit Eras. Prou. Pardi morten ad simulat This was Christs policie He was laid in the dust for dead The diuell then insulted ouer him and trampled vpon him But hee like a liuely Libard starting vp on Easter day astonished the souldiers set to keepe him which were the diuels apes and made them lie like dead men h Math. cap. 28. verse 7. Euen as he told them before by his Prophet saying I will be to them as a very Lyon and as a Lybard in the way of Ashur i Osec 13.17 For as blind Sampson by his death killed the Philistims when they were playing the apes in mocking and mowing at him k Iude 16.25 so Christ by his death destroyed the Diuell Scalagor writeth that the Camelion when he espies a serpent taking shade vnder a tree climbes vp into that tree and le ts downe a threed breathed out of his mouth as small as a spiders threed at the end whereof there is a little drop as cleere as any pearle which falling vpon the serpents head kils him l Exore filum demittit araneorum more in cuius fili extremo guttula est margaritae splendâ—re ea tactus in vertice serpens moritâ—â— ex 196. Christ is this Camelion he climbes vp into the tree of his crosse le ts downe a threed of bloud issuing out of his side like Rahabs red threed hanging out of her window m Signa fidei atque vexilla dominica passionis attollens coccâ—â— in â—enestra legaun Ambr. de fide lib. 5. c. 5. Paulinus Natili 8. Puâ—iâ—to proprium signauit vellere tectum the least drop whereof being so precious and so peerlesse falling vpon the serpents head kils him The wild Bull of all things cannot abide any red colour Therefore the hunter for the nonce standing before a tree puts on a red garment whom when the Bull sees hee runnes at him as hard as he can driue But the Hunter slipping aside the Buls hornes sticke fast in the tree As when Dauid slipped aside Sauls speare stucke fast in the wall n 1 Sam. 19.10 Such a hunter is Christ. Christ standing before the tree of his crosse puts on a red garment dipt and died in his owne bloud as one that commeth with redde garments from Bozra o Esa. 63.1 Therefore the Diuell and his Angels like wilde Buls of Bazan p Psal. 22.12 run at him But hee shifting for himselfe their hornes sticke fast in his crosse As Abrahams Ram by his hornes stuck fast in the briers q Gen. 22.13 Thus is the Diuell caught and killed A dragon indeed kils an Elephant yet so as the Elephant falling down kils the dragon with him An Elephant kils Eleazar yet so as Eleazar falling down kils the Elephant with him r 1. Mach. 6.46 And accordingly to this the Diuell killing Christ was killed by Christ. Yea as an Elephant is stronger then the dragon and Eleazar is stronger then the Elephant so Christ is stronger then them both For the Elephant doth not liue after he hath killed the Dragon neither doth Eleazar liue after he hath killed the Elephant but Christ liueth after he hath destroyed the Diuell Leauing the Diuel dead hee is now risen himselfe from the dead Wherefore as a Lybard killeth the Ape and a Chamelion the serpent and a Hunter the Bull and an Elephant the dragon and Eleazar the Elephant himselfe so Christ the true Eleazar which signifies the helper of God hath by his death killed that mischieuous Ape the diuel that old Serpent the diuel that wild bull the diuell that great dragon the diuell that raging Elephant the Diuell When Mahomet the second of that name besieged Belgrade in Sernia one of his Captaines at length got vp vpon the wall of the Citie with banner displaied A noble Bohemian espying this ranne to the Captaine clapsing him fast about the middle asked one Capistranus standing beneath whether it would be any danger of damnation to his soule if he should cast himselfe downe headlong with that dogge so he termed the Turke to bee slaine with him Capistranus answering that is was no danger at all to his soule the Bohemian forthwith tumbled himselfe down with the Turke in his armes and so by his owne death only saued the life of all the Citie s Zieglerus l. de illustribus viris Germaniae cap. 98. Such an exploit was this of Christ. The Diuell like the great Turk besieged not onely one Citie but euen all mankind Christ alone like this noble Bohemian encountred with him And seeing the case was so that this dog the Diuel could not be killed stark dead except Christ died also therfore he made no reckoning of his life but gaue himselfe to death for vs that he onely dying for all the people by his death our deadly enemy might for euer bee destroyed For so Origen testifieth that there were 2. crucified vpoÌ„ the crosse of Christ Christ himselfe visibly with his will and for a time The Diuell invisibly against his will and for euer t Homil. 8. in Iosua Therefore the crosse is that victorious Chariot in the vpper part whereof Christ sitteth as a triumphaÌ„t conquerour and in the lower part of it the diuell is drawne as a captiue and is made an open spectacle of ignomie and reproch Dâ—uers ancient Fathers note the virgin Marie was married that the diuell might be deceiued For he knew well enough Christ should be borne of a virgin but hee neuer suspected blessed Mary was a virgin considering she was wedded to Ioseph Therefore he did not lie in wait to destroy the seed of the woman so circumspectly as otherwise hee would if he had beene aware or wist any
such things So that the birth of Christ did cosen the diuell but the death of Christ did conquer the Diuell And that much more gloriously when the temple of his body was vpon the pinacle of the crosse then vvhen the body of his crosse vvas vpon the pinacle of the Temple For when he was vpon the temple his breath spake better things then Sathan but when he was vpon the crosse his bloud spake better things then Abel and there his breath came from his lungs out of his mouth but here his bloud came from his heart out of his side and there hee fought standing stoutly to it and withstanding Sathan hee would not in any wise throw downe himselfe but here hee skirmished yeelding and humbling himselfe to the death of the Crosse and there the Diuell ascended vp to him vnto the toppe of an high mountain and so as I may say bad him base at his own goale but here he himselfe descended down to the diuell into the neathermost hell and so spoyled principalities and powers and slew the great Leuiathan in the very bottome of his owne bottomles pit For the Diuell like a greedy rauenous fish snatching at the bait of Christs body as Damascene speaketh was peirced through and twitcht vp with the hooke of his Deitie u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore both before Christs passion Peter tooke money out of a fishes mouth to pay his tribute and also after Christs passion the Disciples broiled a fish for him to feede vpon Whereby we see that Christ who made a fish pay tribute to Caesar for him made the Diuell also pay tribute to Death for him and on the other side that the Diuel while hee went about to catch this good fish which is Iesus Christ Gods sonne the Sauiour as Methodius and Sibylla proue the letters of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seuerally signifie was himselfe caught yea also killed by Christ. So that all the while Christ was buried in the graue the diuell was broyled in hell Wherefore aâ— it was bootlesse for Goliah to brandish his speare against Dauid so it little auailed the Diuell to shake his speare likewise in the hand of the souldier against the heart of Christ. For as Dauid hauing heard Goliah prate and talke his pleasure when they came to the point at the first stroke ouerthrew him so Christ with that very selfe-same speare which gaue him a little venny in comparison or if it be lawfull for me so to speake but a phillip on the side which was soone after recured gaue the diuel a deadly wound in the forehead which with all his pawes hee shall neuer be able to claw off And againe as Dauid onely with his sling wrought this feate so Christ onely by his death and by the power of his crosse which is the sling of Dauid y Sene crux ipsa funda est qua Dauid Goliath borrenoum armis formidabile visu prostrauit humi Cyr. Ioh. l. 8.17 did conquer and subdue the diuel And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the death of the Diuel It is on the other side the life of himselfe That which was prophesied in the Psalm is here fulfilled in Christ. z Psa. 92.12 The iust shal flourish as the Palm-tree In the Hebrew it is Tamar which signifies onely a palm-tree But in the Greeke it is Phoinix which signifies not only a palme-tree but also a Phoenix Which translation proueth two things First that Iesus the iust one did most flourish when he was most afflicted For the iust shall flourish as the palm-tree a Chattamar Now the palm-tree though it haue many weights at the top and many snakes at the roote yet still it sayes I am neither oppressed with the weights nor distressed with the snakes b Nec premor nec perimor And so Christ the true palm-tree though all the iudgements of God and all the sinnes of the world like vnsupportable weights were laid vpon him yea though the cursed Iewes stood beneath like venemous snakes hissing and biting at him yet hee was neither so oppressed with them nor so distressed with these but that euen vpon his crosse he did most flourish when he was most afflicted As peny-royal being hung vp in the larder-house yet buds his yellow flower and Noahs oliue tree being drowned vnder the water yet keepes his greene branch and Aarons rod being clung and dry yet brings forth ripe almonds and Moses bramble-bush being set on fire yet shines and is not consumed Secondly that Iesus the iust one did most liue when he seemed most to be dead For the iust shall flourish as the Phoenix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the Phoenix though sitting in his nest among the hot spices of Arabia he be burnt to ashes yet still he sayes I die not but old age dieth in mee c Moritur me non moriente senâ—ctus And so Christ the true Phoenix though lying in his graue among the hot spices wherewith Nichodemus emblame him hee was neuer like to rise from death to life againe yet he died not but mortality died in him and immortalitie so liued in him that euen in his sepulcher hee did most liue when hee seemed most to be dead As the Laurell is greenest in the foulest Winter and the lime is hottest in the coldest water and the glow-worme shineth brightest when the night is darkest and the swan singeth sweetest when his death is neerest d Cantator cygnus funeris ipse sui Martialis lib. 13. Epigr. Epaminondas being sore wounded in fight demanded of his souldiers standing by whether his enemies were ouerthrowne or no They answered yea Then whether his bucklet were whole or no They answrered also I. Nay then sayes hee all is well This is not the end of my life but the beginning of my glory For now your deare Epaminondas dying thus gloriously shall rather bee borne againe then buried e Nunc enim vester Epaminondas nascitur quia sic moritur Christ likewise was sore wounded but his enemies Death and the Diuell were ouerthrowne and spoyled His buckler which was his God-head was whole and vntouched therefore there was no harm done His death was no death but an exaltation vnto greater glory f Ego si exaltatus fuero Iohn 12.32 That noble Eunuch riding in his coach read in Esay that Christ was silent before his death as a lambe before his shearer He saith not before the Butcher but before the shearer Insinuating that death did not kill Christ but onely sheare him a little Neither yet had death Christs fleece when he was shorne For Christ taking to himselfe aspunge full of vineger g Ioh. 19.29 that is full of our sharpe and sowre sinnes did giue vs for it purple wooll full of bloud h Heb. 9.19 that is ful of his pure and perfect iustice And indeed the onely liuery which Christ
my selfe to die that thou mayest liue I doe draw thee with the destruction of a man euen with bands of loue So that the Theefe who saw his owne wounds and death in Christs body did see also Christs sauing health and life in his owne body As Alcuinus saith writing vpon the sixth of Iohn o Assumpsit vitae mortem vt mors acciperet vitam When â—he liuing Lord died then the dying â—heefe liued Notably saith the Prophet p Lam. 4.21 The breath of our nostrils Christ the Lord is taken in our sinnes to whom we said wee shall liue in thy shadow If Christ be the breath of our nostrils then he is our life And againe if wee liue in his shadow then wee liue in his death For where there is breath in a shadow there there is life in death Now as the ouer-shadowing of the holy Ghost was the life of Christ so the ouer-shadowing of Christ is the life of man And as Peters shadow gaue health to the sicke so Christs shadow giues life to the dead yea a thousand times rather Christs than Peters For as Elias his spirit was doubleâ— vpon Elizeus because Elias being aliue restored some to life but Elizeus as Ierome saith being dead raised vp one from the dead q Mortuus mortuum suscitauit so Peters spirit was doubled vpon Christ because Peter being aliue was a physitian to the liuing but Christ as Chrysostome saith being dead was a Physitian to the dead r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or rather indeede in this comparison there is no comparison But as Peters spirit was a shadow to Christs spirit so Peters shadow was nothing to Christs death Ezekias seeing the shadow of the Sunne goe tenne degrees backe in the Diall was assured by this signe that he should recouer of his sicknesse s Esa. 38.8 Sick Ezechias may signifie all mankinde which is sicke by reason of sinne But this is an vnfallible signe we shall recouer because the Sunne hath gone ten degrees back in the diall The Sunne of righteousnes Iesus Christ hath for our sake made himselfe lower by maâ—y degrees in the earth My father is greater then â— There hee is gone backe tenne degrees below his Father Thou hast made him lower then the Angels There hee is gone backe ten degrees below the Angels I am a worme and no man There he is gone backe ten degrees below men A liue dogge is better then a dead Lyon t Eccle. 9.4 There he is gone back ten degrees below wormes For hee was not counted so good as a liue worme but was buried in the earth as a dead Lyon to be meate for the wormes if it had bin possible for this holy one to see corruption But blessed O blessed be our Lord Christ being in the forme of God was buried in the graue and so was made lower then his Father nay lower then Angels nay lower then Men nay lower then wormes that we being now no better then wormes might be crowned in heauen and so might be made higher then wormes yea higher then men yea higher then Angels yea partakers of the same life and kingdome with Christ. Pliny reporteth v L. 36. c. 10. that there was a Diall set in Campus Martius to note the shadowes of the sun which agreeing very well at the first afterwards for thirty yeares together did not agree with the sun All the time of those thirty yea three and thirty yeares that Christ liued in his humiliation here vpon earth you might haue seene such a Diall In which time the shadow of the Diall did not agree with the shining of the Sun But thankes be to God all the better for vs. When the Sunne went backward ten degrees in the diall then Ezechias went forward fifteene degrees in his life He liued fifteene yeares longer And so the going of this Sunne Iesus Christ ten degrees backeward hath healed all our sicknesse and set vs a thousand degrees forward and infinitely aduanced vs by his death to euerlasting life For Christ is that louing Rachel which dies her selfe in Childe-birth to bring forth her sonne Beniamin aliue Christ is that righteous Adam which by the bloudy sweat of his browes hath earned for vs the bread of life Christ is that iust Noah which shutting vp himselfe in his Arke as in a sepulcher saueth all that come to him aliue Christ is that tender Pellican which wounding his owne breast doth with his bloud restore againe his yong ones to life And euen as when many birds are caught in a net if a Pellican or any other great bird that is among them get out all the rest that are little ones follow after semblably Christ as a great bird hauing broken through the net of death all we escape with him So that wee may say with the Psalmist Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowler the snare is broken we are deliuered Arnobius vpon these words in the Psalme x Psal. 138. Despise not the worke of thine owne hands writeth thus Wee are the worke of thine owne hands seeing wee are thy workemanshippe y Eph. 2.10 Ipsius summus sactura conditi in Christo. Quantum ad substantiam fecit quantum ad gratiam condidit Tertul. aduer Mar l. 5. non longè à fine Now because the worke of thy hands was destroyed by the work of our hands therefore were thy hands nailed to the crosse for our sinnes That those hands of thine might repaire againe the worke of thy hands by the tree of the crosse which was destroyed by the tree of concupiscence Thus farre Arnobius Whereby we may gather that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill is euill that is death but the fruit of the tree of life that is of the crosse of Christ is life When Alexander had throwne downe the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised that she would at her owne charges repaire them againe so that the Citizens would suffer this title to bee grauen vpon the gate Alexander hath throwne them downe but Phryne hath raised them vp z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutar. The case is quite contrary here Eue hath ouerthrowne not onely Thebes but euen all mankinde Christ hath at his owne cost and charges repaired and built vs vp againe Therefore wee must graue this title vpon the Crosse of Christ Eue hath throwne vs downe but Christ hath raised vs vp Eues tree of knowledge of good and euill hath throwne vs downe but Christs tree of life hath raised vs vp Nay I will be bold to say yet more What is that Marry this That as far as the tree of life excelleth the tree of knowledge of good and euill so farre the crosse of Christ excelleth the tree of life I know well many will muse maruell much what I meane to say so And some perhaps will scarce beleeue it is true which I say Neuerthelesse most Christian
blessed brethren make you no doubt of it For it is not my opinion or my speech only They are the very words of our Sauiour I came sayes hee that men might haue life a Iohn 10.10 and that they might haue it more aboundantly More aboundantly What is that That aboundantly wee might haue more life by the Crosse of Christ then euer wee could haue by the tree of life that aboundantly we might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer we lost or could loose by the disobedience of Adam in his life And therefore though that sinne of Adam was so heinous and so horrible that it cast the Image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankinde that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet considering the sequell how not onely the guilt of this sinne but euen the very memory of it is now vtterly abolished by the bloud of Christ S. Gregory is not afraid to say O happy happy happy man was Adam that euer hee so sinned and transgressed against GOD b O foelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem Because by this meanes both hee and all we haue found such plentifull redemption such inestimable mercie such superabundant grace such felicitie such eternity such life by Christs death For as honey being found in a dead Lyon the death of the Lyon was the sustenance of Sampson so Christs gall is our hony c Christi fel nostrum mel and the bitter death of Christ by reason of his righteousnesse is the sweete life of man Thus you see that the death of Christ is the death of Death the death of the Diuell the life of Himselfe the life of Man And therfore he saies in this fourth part weepe not too much for my death For me Weepe not for me but weepe for your selues I Perceiue beloued I haue beene somewhat long in this part Therefore I will make more hast in the rest and doe what I can deuise that I may not seeme tedious vnto you Now then to the fifth part For your selues Weepe not too little for your owne life For the life of man is quite contrarie The life of man is the life of Death the life of the Diuell the death of himselfe the death of Christ. The reason of all this is his iniquitie and sinne Which euen in Gods deere children saies Bernard is cast downe but not cast out d De iectum non eiectum Therefore though sin cannot sometimes rule ouer vs because it is cast downe yet it will alwayes dwell in vs because it is not cast out For it is so bred in the bone that till our bones be with Iosephs bones carried out of Egypt that is out of the world sinne cannot be carried out of our bones The Irish history telleth vs that the Citie of Waterford giueth this poesie Intacta manet e It continueth vntouched Because since it was first conquered by King Henry the second it was neuer yet attainted no not so much as touched with treason Also that the Isle of Arren in that country hath such a pure aire that it was neuer yet infected with the plague We cannot say thus of the nature of man that it is either so cleare from treason as that Citie or else that it is so cleare from infection as that Island is Nay our very reason is treason and our best affection it is no better then an infection if it bee well sifted in the sight of God Euagrius recordeth f Li. 5. ca. 15. that the Romans got such a victorie ouer Chosroes one of the Persian Kings that this Chosroes made a law that neuer after any King of Persia should moue warre against the Romans Wee cannot possibly subdue sinne in such sort as the Romanes did this Persian King But doe we what we can doe sinne will alwaies be a Iebuzite a false borderer yea a ranke traytor rebelling against the spirit Which makes the life of man first to be sayes Chrysostome a debt as it were owne and due to death g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the diuell is the father of sin and sin is the mother of death Hereupon Saint Iames saith that sinne being finished trauelling in child-birth like a mother bringeth forth death And Dauid in the ninth Psalme calleth sin the gate of death Because as a man comes into a house by the gate so death came into the world by sinne The corruption of our flesh did not make the soule sinfull but the sinne of our soule did make the flesh corruptible Whereupon Lactantius calleth sinne the reliefe or the foode of death h Pabulian mortis As a fire goeth out when all the fuell is spent but burneth as long as that lasteth so death dieth when sin ceaseth but where sin eboundeth there death rageth The Prophet Abacucke sinning not death was so farre from him that hee was able to flie without wings But King Asa sinning death was so neere to him that hee was not able to stand vpon his feet Nay we may see this in one and the selfe-same man Moses sinning not death could not meet with him in the bottome of the red sea but sinning death did seaze vpon him in the toppe of mount Nebo So that the life of man by reason of his sinne is the life of death It is also the life of the diuell As Emisenus saith Each one hath in him as many diuels aâ— euils i Tot daemonia quot crimina euery seuerall sinne being sufficient to maintaine a seuerall Diuell The godly finding no ioy in the earth haue their conuersation in heauen But Satan finding no ioy in hell hath his conuersation in the earth So that the earth is a hell to vs but a heauen to him Here he hath his liuing as it was said at the first Thou shalt eate the dust of the earth all the dayes of thy life This dust saith Macarius is the diuels diet k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore as a scald Cur waits for a bone so hee that goes about seeking whom he may deuouâ—e watches continually til the godly shake off the dust from their feete that is shake off some sinne which they haue gotten by walking in the world that then hee may licke it vp as one of those Dogs which did licke vp Iezabels bloud This is meate and drinke to him l Dulce diabola peccare not Hila. Enarra in p. 118. He loues it alife to see vs sinne euen as cursed Cham did to see Noâ—hs nakednesse And as flies are alwaies busie about a sore place so saith Theophylact m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In cap. Luc. 16. p. 320. That is a sport or pleasure to Sathan which is a sore or a paine to a man especially if he be a godly mâ—n For this Behemoth the Diuell eateth grasse as an oxe
n Iob 40.10 Whereupon Gregory noteth that a sheepe or any such other beast will eate any manner of grasse though it be trampled and stained neuer so much but an oxe will eate no kind of grasse but that which is greene and fresh And so the Diuell will be sure to haue his feede of the very finest and best o Esca eius electa Abacuc 1.16 For the Angell of the Lord reioyceth most when one that is a sinner conuerteth He eateth grasse as a sheepe But the Angell of Sathan reioiceth most when one that is a conuert sinneth Hee eateth grasse as an Oxe If the Diuell cannot keepe a man from liuing long then hee will hinder him from liuing well p Aut Imperat mortes aut impetit mores Leo. If hee cannot kill him then hee will corrupt him And indeede hee takes greater pleasure in corrupting one godly man that in killing a hundred wicked He was more delighted when Dauid slew but Vrias then when Saul slew himselfe when Peter did but denie Christ then when Iudas betraied him So that the life of man by reason of his sinne is the delight yea it is the very life of the Diuell It is on the other side the death of himselfe O miserable wretch that I am saith one who shall deliuer me from this body of death The life of the godly is a very body of death But their death is onely a shadow of death Thales a Philosopher being demaunded what difference there is betweene life and death answered They are all one Then being asked againe if he had not rather liue then die No saith he as before for they are al one But Ierome saith farre more excellently They are not all one That is not true For it is one thing to liue in continuall danger of death another thing to die in continuall assurance of life q Aliud viuere moriturum aliud mori victurum Therefore Ecclesiastes saith That the day of our death is better then the day of our birth For when we are borne we are mortall but when we are dead we are immortall And we are aliue in the wombe to die in the world but wee are dead in the graue to liue in heauen Hence it is that the wicked are merry at their birth-day as Pharaoh made a feast at his birth-day when his chiefe Baker was hanged r Gen. 40.20 and Herod likewise made a feast at his birth-day when Iohn Baptist was beheaded but they are sorry at their dying day as Iudas was sorry when hee went about to hang himselfe and Caine was afraid euery one would kill him that met him Contrariwise the godly are sorry at their birth-day as Iob Let the day perish wherein I was borne and Ieremie Let not the day wherein my mother bare mee be blessed s Ier. 20.14 But they are merry at their dying day as Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and Paul I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Therefore we also keepe holy dayes and celebrate the memory of the Saints not vpon their birth-daies but vpon their death-dayes to shew that these two are not all one but that the day of our death is better then the day of our birth For whereas there are 2. waies the one hauing in it first a transitory life and then an eternall death the other hauing in it first a transitory death and then an eternall life the wicked chuse to liue here for a time though they die for it hereafter eternally but the godly chuse to haue their life hid with Christ here that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter Therefore the wicked neuer thinke of death but the godly thinke of nothing else As Alexander the Monarch of the world had all other things saue only a sepulchre to bury him in wheÌ„ he was dead he neuer thought of that But Abraham the heire of the world had no other possession of his own but only a field which he bought to bury his dead in he thought of nothing els We read that Daniel strowed ashes in the teÌ„ple to descry the footsteps of Bels Priests which did eat vp the meat So did Abraham strow ashes in his memory saying I will speake vnto my Lord though I be but dust and ashes So doe all the faithfull remembring they shall one day be turned to dust and ashes That so seeing and marking the foot-steps of death how it continually commeth and steales away their strength as Bels priests did the meat how it daily eateth vp and wasteth and consumeth their life they may be alwayes prepared for it Our first parents made them garments of figge-leaues But God misliking that gaue them garments of skins Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the fig-tree which did beare onely figge leaues to couer our sinne but commended the Baptist which did weare skins to discouer our mortalitie For not onely as Austin saith Our whole life is a disease t Vita morbus but also as Bernard saith our whole life is a death u Vita mors The life of man by reason of his sin is a continuall disease yea it is the very death of himselfe It is lastly the death of Christ. The Prophet Esay calleth Christ a sinne or a sacrifice for sinne x Asham Esay 53.10 prefigured by all those sin-offerings of the old law Because indeed when Christ was crucified at the first he was broken for our sins According to that of Tertâ—llian y Propter pecâ—atum mori â—ecesse habuit Filius Dei. Vâ—de etiam Aug. Medita ca. 7. vbi doceâ— hâ—minem esse causam passionis Sinne it was which brought the sonne of God to his death The Iewes were onely instruments and accessaries to it sinne was the setter and the principall They cried Crucifie him in the court of Pilate but our sinnes cried Crucifie him in the court of heauen Now as the death of Christ was not efficient to saue the wicked so the sinne of the wicked was not sufficient to condemne Christ. But the Scripture saith of them which either are or at leastwise seeme to be godly They say they know God but by their workes they deny him and Saul Saul why dost thou persecute me And They crucifie again vnto themselues the sonne of God Zachary prophesieth of Christ * Zacha. 13.6 That when one shall say vnto him What are these wounds in thy hands Then he shall answere Thus was I wounded in the house of my friends that is in the house of them which ought to haue bin my friends So that our sins did wound Christs handâ— at the first And now also not the wicked which are no part of his body but wee which are misticall members of his body and therefore should by good reason be his friends we I say doe yet oftentimes by our sinnes deny Christ with Peter nay we persecute Christ with Paul nay we crucifie Christ with the Iewes Yea
for himselfe Wherefore as in a ballance if there be any ods in the sâ—ales wee take out of that which is the heauier and put it into that which is the lighter till there be no difference betwixt them So here wee must wey these matters well that wee our selues may be iust weight neither too heauy for our owne misery not too light for Christs mercy Thus did Dauid when hee said to God Hide mee vnder the shadow of thy wings What are Gods wings His Mercy and his Iustice. What are the shadow of his wings Our loue and our feare Our loue is the shadow of his mercy which is his right wing Our feare is the shadow of his Iustice which is his left wing Now seeing hee that is hid vnder the right wing onely may presume because hee hath no feare and hee that is hid vnder the left wing onely may despaire because he hath no loue therefore sayth Dauid Hide me O Lord vnder the shadow not of one wing but of both thy wings That I may neuer despaire while I alwaies loue thy mercy and reioyce for Christ that I may neuer presume while I alwayes feare thy iustice and weepe for my selfe A Quaile the very same Bird which was the Israelites meate in the wildernesse as he flies ouer the sea feeling himselfe begin to be weary lights by the way into the sea Then lying at one side he layes downe one wing vpon the water and holds vp the other wing towards heauen Lest hee should presume to take too long a flight at the first hee weâ—s one wing Lest hee should despaire of taking a new flight afterwards hee keepes the other wing drie Thus must a Christian man doe When hee layes downe the wing of feare vpon the water to weepe for himselfe then hee must hold vp the wing of loue toward heauen to reioyce for Christ. That his two wings may be answerable to Gods two wings That as God hath two wings the one of Mercie the other of Iustice so hee may haue two wings the one of ioy for Christ the other of sorrow for himselfe Sem Iâ—pheth Noahs godly and dutifull children when they saw their father otherwise then hee should be went backeward and couered him They went backeward that they might not see him themselues they couered him that others might not see him Christ hanging naked vpon the Crosse was the shame of men and the outcast of the people Therefore wee that are the children of God must goe backeward by abhorring them that crucified Christ and yet wee must couer him and hide him euen in our very hearts by remembring and honouring his death and resurrection Lest wee should presume wee must goe backeward for feare and yet lest we should despaire wee must couer him for loue That as God hideth vs vnder the shadow of his wings which are loue and feare loue the shadow of his mercy and feare the shadow of his iustice so we may hide God vnder the shadow of our wings which are ioy and sorrow ioy the shadow of our loue and sorrow the shadow of our feare ioy for Christ and sorrow for our selues To this strange kinde of going backeward the Psalmist alludeth when hee saith to God Thou hast made my feete like Hindes feete A Hinde goeth not still forward in one way but as an auncient father speaketh hee iumpes crosse out of one way into another Saltum habet transuersum Right so a Christians feete must be like Hindes feet He must iumpe crosse from himselfe to Christ and then backe againe from Christ to himselfe Would you see such a Hinde Then mark how Iob footes it That he might not despaire he iumpes crosse from himselfe to Christ and saith a Chap. 33.9 I am cleane without sinne I am Innocent and there is none iniquitie in mee Heere is the mercy of Christ. But that hee might not presume hee iumpes backe againe from Christ to himselfe and saith b Chap. 6.2 O that my griefe were well weighed and that my miseries were laid together in the balance Here is the misery of man Thus must we weigh the mercie of Christ and the misery of man together in the balance and besure as I said before wee make the scales euen and when we weigh the reasons why wee should not weepe for Christ then we must weigh the reasons also why we should weepe for our selues So wee shall find for great cause of ioy in Christ great cause of sorrow in our selues for greater cause of ioy in Christ greater cause of sorrow in our selues for greatest cause of ioy in Christ greatest cause of sorrow in our selues for that which is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ that which is more then all to make vs sorrowfull in our selues The righteousnesse of Christ is the death of Death Great cause of ioy in Christ. If Debora reioyced when Barack put Sisera to flight haue not wee as great cause to reioyce seeing Christ hath put death to flight The sinne of man is the life of death Great cause of sorrow in our selues If Anna wept for her barrennesse haue not wee as great cause to weepe seeing wee can conceiue nothing but sorrow and bring forth iniquity vnto death The righteousnesse of Christ is the death of the Diuell Great cause of ioy in Christ. If Iudith reioyced when shee did cut off the head of Holofernes haue not wee great cause to reioyce seeing Christ hath cut off the head of the Diuell The sinne of man is the life of the diuell Greater cause of sorrow in our selues If Thamar wept being defloured by her brother haue not wee greater cause to weepe seeing we commit spirituall incest and adultery daily with the diuell The righteousnesse of Christ is the life of himselfe Greatest cause of ioy in Christ. If Sara laughed when shee heard shee should haue a quicke childe in her dead wombe is not this the greatest cause of laughter which can be vnto vs that Christ liued in death and was most free among the dead and could not see corruption in the graue The sinne of man is the death of himselfe Greatest cause of sorrow in our selues If Agar wept being turned out of Abrahams house is not this the greatest cause of weeping which can be vnto vs that our life is no life because we neuer cease from sinning while wee are heere pilgrimes and strangers exiled and banished out of our fathers house in heauen The righteousnesse of Christ is the life of man This is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ. If Queene Ester did reioyce as King Iames doth at this day whom God for his mercies sake euer saue and preserue and let all the people say Amen because he deliuered his people from thraldome and destruction can any thing in the world then make vs more ioyfull then this that we being cursed in our selues are blessed in Christ being embased in our selues are exalted in Christ being
it Therefore the soule of thy soule is faith So that if we would know what is a faithfull man we must define Him not by his naturall soule as he is resonable but by the soule of his soule which is his faith And when we easily answer the obiection that a flood may come neere a faithfull mans goods neere his bodie neere his reasonable soule but to his faith that is to Him it can neuer come neere For if you speake of the life and essence of him that it is faith the Prophet also witnesseth Abacuck The iust shall liue by faith Gal. 2.20 And the Apostle Now I liue not but Christ liueth in me but that I liue I liue by faith in the sonne of God who loued mee and gaue himselfe for me And he that was wiser then all the Philosophers determineth this point thus The summe of the matter when yee haue heard all is this Eccles. 12.23 Feare God and keepe his commandements for this is all of man All of man what 's that All of man which will hold out against all floods of many waters For the goods of man may be gotten away by forged cauillation the bodie of man may be weakened by sickenesse the soule of man and the faculties thereof as memorie witte and such like may be impaired by age but faith in Christ the feare of God a care to keepe his commaundements is all of man which no floods either in life or in death can ouer-whelme All of man wherein man ought to imploy himselfe while he is aliue and without which man is but vanitie when he is dead but with which man both in life and death is most blessed For if this be the summe of all then of any thing but this there is no reckoning at all to be made Matth. 16.18 I haue praied for thee saith our Sauiour that thy faith should not faile and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against thee For loue is strong as death Can. 8.7 iealousie is cruell as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame Much water cannot quench loue neither can the floods drowne it Euen as Paul also glorieth Rom. 8. that nothing can separate him from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Wherefore seeing the godly man is so inuincible that neither the gates of hell nor the flood-gates of many waters can preuaile against him Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him In the last place must be considered the asseueration Surely For if both liuing and dying my felicity be most certaine in Christ and yet I knowe not so much what comfort can I gather thereby Now in all aduersities this is my greatest ioy that the fauour of God which is most constant in it selfe is fully assured also to me For I know that my reedeemer liueth And if I be iudged I know I shall be found righteous And I know whome I haue beleeued and I am sure In one word I am Surely perswaded that neither life nor death nor any thing els can separate vs froÌ„ Christ. Nay in all the flood of waters wee shall be more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 They shall not come neere to conquer vs. But rather we shall conquer them Yea that which is strangest of all Surely we shall be more then conquerers ouer them Though an hoast of men were laid against me Psal. â—7 3 yet shall not my heart be afraid and though there rose vp warre against me yet will I put my trust in it Not in him as it is ill translated in the English but in it that is In the verie warre it selfe I will not feare Nay I will be of good hope Yea Surely in the very warre will I hope and trust For euen as a building made arch-wise the more waight is laide vpon it the more strong still it is so the more force and strength is brought against me the greater triumph victorie I shall haue Therefore I will not be afraid of tenne thousand of the people Psal. 3.7 that haue set themselues against me round about For a thousand of them shall fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but they shall not come neere mee The Arke in the flood was not drowned Gen. 7.18 as other things were but floated vpon the waters Yea the higher the waters encreased the higher Surely for that did the Arke still arise Likewise the redde sea did not hinder the Israelites passage Exod. 14.22 but opened an easie way to them Yea Surely it was moreouer as a wall to backe them against all their enemies The words of Saint Iames are verie plaine Iam. 1.2 My brethren count it exceeding ioy when you fall into diuers temptations Tentation of it selfe doth vexe and disquiet a man But to the godly it is a ioy As we read els where That they which are iustified by faith haue peace nay haue easie accesse to God and great ioy in tribulations But the Apostle adding Rom. 5. that this ioy is not common or ordinarie but Surely exceeding ioy raiseth vp the amplification as high as may be Whereunto S. Paul also accordeth We are afflicted on euery side 2. Cor. 4 9. yet we are not in distresse in pouertie but not ouercome of pouertie wee are persecuted but not forsaken cast down but we perish not Here he prooueth directly that the flood commeth not neere the faithfull But where is the Surely It followeth in the same epistle As dying and behold we liue as chastened and yet not killed 2. Cor. 6.20 as sorrowing and yet alwaies reioycing as poore and yet making others rich as hauing nothing and yet possessing all things O the securitie and felicitie of the faithfull For his faith maketh life of death ioy of sorrowe riches of pouertie What shall I say more or what would you haue me say more then as the Apostle saies It makes all things of nothing As hauing nothing saies he and yet possessing all things But the special thing to be noted iâ— this sentence is As dying and behold we liue For they import that death is no death but As it were death an image or a shadowe of death beeing indeede life and Surely a better life and more immortall then we had here Therefore he saies Behold we liue to shewe that by death the faithfull liue a life wherein there is some great specialty and excellencie worthy indeed to be beholded regarded As if he should say Behold we liue Behold we liue a more happie life then euer we liued in our life Saint Augustin often commeÌ„deth the saying of his master S. Ambrose when he was readie to die Speaking to Stilico and others about his bed I haue not liued so among you Non ita vixi inter vos ve me pudeaâ— vinerenet mori timeâ— quia bonum dominumâ—â—o 〈◊〉 Pontius in fine vitae eius saith he