Iezabels bloud This is meate and drinke to him l Dulce diabolo peccare nos Hila. Enarra in p. 118. He loues it a life to see vs sinne euen as cursed Cham did to see Noahs nakednes And as flies are alwaies busie about a sore place so sayes Theophilact m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In cap. Luk. 16. p. 320. That is a sport or a pleasure to Sathan which is a sore or a paine to man Especially if he be a godly man For this Behemoth the deuill 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 green and fresh And so the deuill 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 reioiceth most when one that is a sinner conuerteth He eateth grasse as a sheepe But the angel of sathan reioyceth most when one that is a conuert sinneth Hee eateth grasse as an oxe If the deuill can not keepe a man from liuing long then hee will hinder him from liuing well p Aut impetrat mortes aut impetit mores Leo. If hee can not kill him then hee will corrupt him And indeede hee takes greater pleasure in corrupting one godly man then in killing a hundred wicked He was more delighted when Dauid slew but Vrias then when Saul slew himselfe whē Peter did but deny Christ then when Iudas betrayed him So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the delight yea it is the very life of the Deuill It is on th' other side the death of himselfe O miserable wretch that I am saies 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 saies he as before for they are al one But Ierome saies farre more excellently They are not all one That is not true For it is one thing to liue in continuall daunger of death an other thing to die in continuall assurance of life q Aliud viuere moriturū aliud mori victurum Therefore Ecclesiastes saies 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 immortal And wee 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 merrie 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 whē Iohn Baptist was beheaded but they are sory at their dying day as Iudas was sorie when he went about to hang himselfe Cain was afraid euery one would kill him that met him Contrariwise the godly are sory at their birth day as Iob Let the day perish wherein I was borne and Ieremie Let not the day wherin my mother bare me be blessed ſ Ierem. 20.14 But they are merrie at their dying day as Simeō Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Paul I desire to be dissolued to be with Christ Therfore we also keep holy daies and celebrate the memorie of the Saints not vpon their birth-daies but vpō their death-daies 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 two waies the one hauing in it first a trāsitory life thē an eternall death the other hauing in it first a transitory death then an eternall life the wicked choose to liue here for a time though they die for it hereafter eternally but the godly choose to haue their life hid with Christ here that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter Therefore the wicked neuer think of death but the godly think of nothing els As Alexander the monarch of the world had al other things saue only a sepulchre to bury him in whē 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 〈◊〉 he thought of nothing else We read that Daniel strowed ashes in the temple to descrie the footesteps of Bels priests which did eate vp the meate So did Abraham strow ashes in his memorie saying I will speake vnto my Lord though I bee but dust and ashes So doe all the faithfull remembring they shall one day be turnde to dust and ashes That so seeing and marking the footesteps of death how it continually commeth and stealeth away their strength as Bels priests did the meate how it dayly eateth vp wasteth and consumeth their life they may be alwaies prepared for it Our first parents made them garments of figge leaues But God misliking that gaue thē garmentes of skinnes Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the fig tree which did beare onely fig leaues to couer our sinne but cōmended the Baptist which did weare skins to discouer our mortalitie For not onely as Austin sayth 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 sinne 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 sin or a sacrifice for sinne x Asham Esay 53.10 prefigured by all those sin-offerings of the old lawe Because indeede when Christ was crucified at the first he was broken for our sinnes According to that of Tertullian y Propter peccatum mori necesse habuit filius dei Vide etiam Aug. Medita cap. 7. vbi docet hominem esse causam passionis Sinne it was which brought the sonne of God to his death The Iewes were only instrumēts and accessaries to it sinne was the setler and the principall They cryed Crucifie him in the courte of Pilate but our sins cryed 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 sayth of them which either are or at least wise seeme to bee godly They say they know God but by their works they deny him and Saul Saul why dost thou persecute me and They crucifie again vnto themselues the sonne of God Zacharie prophecieth of Christ * Zach. 13.6 That when one shall
raised vs vp Eues tree of knowledge of good and euill hath throwen 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 maruel much what I meane to say so And some perhaps will scarce beleeue it is true which I say Neuertheles most christian and 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 saies he that men might haue life (a) Iohn chap. 10.10 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 had by the tree of life that aboundaÌ„tly we might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer wee lost or could lose by the disobedience of Adam in his life And therefore though that sinne of Adam was so haynous and so horrible that it cast the image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankind that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet considering the sequele how not only the guilt of this sinne but euen the very memory of it is nowe 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 wee haue found such plentifull redemption such vnestimable mercy such superabundant grace such selicity such eternity such life by Christs death For as hony beeinge found in a dead lyon the death of the lyon was the sustenance of Sampson so Christs gall is our hony c Christifel nostrum mel the bitter death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the sweet life of man Thus you see that the death of Christ is the death of death the death of the diuel the life of himselfe the life of man And therefore he saies in this fourth part weep not too much for my death FOR MEE VVEEP NOT FOR MEE BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES I Perceiue beloued I haue bin somewhat long in this part Therefore I will make more hast in the rest and do what I can deuise that I may not seeme tedious vnto you Now then to the fift part FOR YOVR SELVES Weepe not too little for your owne life For the life of man is quite contrary 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 iniquity and sinne Which euen in gods deare children saies Barnard is cast downe but not cast out d Deiectum non â—â—ectum Therfore though sin can not sometimes rule ouer vs because it is cast downe yet it will alwaies dwell in vs because it is not cast out For it is so bred in the bone that till our bones bee with Iosephs bones caried out of Aegypt that is out of the world sin can not bee carried out of our bones The irish history telleth vs that the city of Waterford giueth this posey Intacta manet (e) It continueth vntouched Because since it was first conquered by king Henry the second it was neuer yet attaynted no not so much as touched with treason Also that the yle of Arren in that country hath such a pure ayre that it was neuer yet infected with the plague Wee can not say thus of the nature of man That either it is so cleere from treason as that city is or els that it is so cleare from infection as that Iland is Nay our very reason is treason and our best affection is no better then an infection if it be well sifted in the sight of God Euagrius recordeth f libr. 5. ca. 15. that the Romanes got such a victory ouer Chosroes one of the Persian kings that this Chosroes made a lawe that neuer after any king of Persia should moue warre against the Romanes We cannot possibly subdue sin in such sort as the Romanes did this Persian king But do wee what we can do sinne will alwayes be a Iebuzite a false borderer yea a ranck traytor rebelling against the spirit Which makes the life of man first to bee saies Chrysostom a debt as it were owne due to death g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the diuell is the father of sin and sin is the mother of death Hereupon Sainct Iames saies that sin beeing finished trauailing in childbyrth 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 fleshe did not make the soule sinfull but the sinne of our soule did make the flesh corruptible Wherupon Lactantius calleth sin the reliefe or the foode of death h Pabulum mortis As a fier goeth out when all the fuell is spent but burneth as long as that lasteth so death dieth when sin ceaseth but where sin aboundeth there death rageth The Prophet Abacucke sinning not death was so far from him that he was able to flie without winges but king Asa sinning death was so neere to him that he was not able to stand vpon his feet Nay wee may see this in one the selfesame maÌ„ Moyses sinning not death could not meet with him in the bottome of the red sea but sinninge death did seaze vpon him in the top of mount Nebo So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the life of death It is also the life of the deuill As Emisenus sayes Each one hath in him as many deuils as euils i Tot daemonia quot crimina euery seuerall sinne being sufficient to maintaine a seuerall deuill The godly finding no ioy in the earth haue their conuersation in heauen But Sathan 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 hee hath his liuing As it was said at the first Thou shalt eate the dust of the earth all the daies of thy life This dust sayes Macarius is the deuils dyet k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therfore as a scadle curre waites for a bone so hee that goes about seeking whom he may deuour watches continually till the godly shake off the dust from their feet that is shake off some sinne which they haue gotten by walking in the worlde that then hee may licke it vp as one of those dogs which did licke vp
lighteth torches that are put out i De ciuitate Dei lib 25. c. 3. Fulgosus likewise reporteth k Mirum sontem dicere debemus apud Gratianopolin Gallicam vrâ—ens Nam quamuis caleÌ„tes aquas non habâ—at tamen simul cum ipsis aquis flammas persaepe emittit Fulgosus lib. 1. non longe à fine that there is an other fountaine neere Grenoble a citie in France which although it haue not hotte 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 sorow was stirred sayes he my hart was hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled l Psal 30. v. 3. When my sorrow was stirred There is the first fountaine My hart was hot within me 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 saies fitly Our eies must neither bee drowned nor drie m Nec fluant oculi nec sicci sint Seneca If they waÌ„t fire they will bee drowned If they want water they wil be drie Wherfore both VVEEPE NOT and BVT VVEEPE both fire and water must goe together that our eyes be neither drowned nor drie And this is the right moderatioÌ„ we must keep in weeping as appeareth in this third part VVEEPE NOT BVT VVEEPE both together VVEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES THe fourth part followeth FOR ME. 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 innocency and righteousnes 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 trueth 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 Caelestis vitae ianna clausa foret Therefore both before his death he threatneth and chalengeth death saying (b) Ose 13.14 O death I will bee thy death and also after his death he derideth and scorneth death saying (c) 1. Cor. 15.55 O death thou art but a drone where is now thy sting (d) sic Iohannes Pistorius Erasms Roterodami affinis igni cremandus dixit O mors vbiest tua victoria Aske death any of you I pray and say death how hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy streÌ„gth What is the matter that virgins and very children do now contemne thee wheras kinges and euen tyrants did before feare thee Death I warrant wil answere 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 loseth both sting life together in like maner death so long as it stung mortal men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse but when it stunge Christ once who is life it selfe by and by it lost both stinge and strength Therefore as the brasen serpent was so farre from hurting the Israelites that contratiwise it healed them after the same sort death is now so far froÌ„ hutting any true Israelite that on the other side if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs or if any thing els hurt vs presently it is helped redressed by death Those which will needs play the hobgoblins or the nightewalkinge spirites as we call them al the while they speak vnder a hollow vault or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpoÌ„ their faces they are so terrible that he which thinkes himselfe nosmall man may perhaps be affrighted with them But if some lusty fellowe chaunce to steppe into one of these and cudgle him well fauoredly and pull the vizarde from his face then euery boye laughes him to scorne So is it in this matter Death was a terrible bulbegger and made euery man afraide of him a great while but Christ dying buckled with this bulbegger and coniured him as I may say out of his hollowe vault when as the dead comminge out of the graues were seene in lerusalem and puld the vizard from his face when as he himselfe risinge left the linneÌ„ clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him Therefore as that asse called Cumanus asinus ietting vp and downe in a lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his maister but afterwards being discried did benefit him very much semblably death stands nowe like a silly asse hauing his lyons skinne puld ouer his eares and is so farre from terrifying any that it benefits all true christians because by it they rest from their laboures and if they bee oppressed with troubles or cares when they come to death they are discharged death as an asse doth beare these burdens for them Oblessed blessed be our lord which hath so disarmed death that it can not doe 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 can not make vs afraid no more then a scarbug can which hath novizard nay rather as an asse beareth his masters burdens 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 can not hurt the sunne He that poweeth water vpon yron which is red botte may well quench the heate but he cannot hurt the yron And so Christ the sunne of righteousnes did driue away the shadowe of death and as glowinge yon was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to digest 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 only excepted but when it went about to destroy Christ then it was destroyed it selfe Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon rawe flesh especially of men if they happen to eate a peece of rosted meate commonly they surset of it and die Euen so the right Canniball the only deuourer of all mankinde death I meane tasting of Christes fleshe and finding it not to bee rawe such as it was vsed to eate but wholsome and heauenly meat indeede presently tooke a surfet of it within three dayes dyed For euen as wheÌ„ Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand anon after his bowels gushed out in like sort death beinge so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christes flesh and a little bit of his body was by
reproch Diuerse auncient fathers note the virgin Mary was maried that the diuell might be deceiued For he knewe well enough Christ should be borne of a virgin But he neuer suspected blessed Mary was a virgin considering she was wedded to Ioseph Therfore he did not lye in wait to destroy the seed of the woman so circumspectly as otherwise hee would if he had bin aware or wist any such thing So that the birth of Christ did cosen the diuel But the death of Christ did conquer the diuell And that much more gloriously when the temple of his body was vpō the pinnacle of the crosse then when the body of his crosse was vpon the pinnacle of the temple For when he was vpon the temple his breath spake better thinges then Sathan but when he was vpon the crosse his bloud spake better things then Abell and there his breath came from his lunges 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 throwe down himselfe but here he skirmished yeelding and humbling himselfe to the death of the crosse and there the diuill ascended vp to him vnto the toppe of an high mountaine 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 spoiled principalities and powers and slewe the great Leuiathan in the very bottome of his own bottomles pit For the diuell like a greedy rauenous fishe snatching at the baite of Christs body as Damascene speaketh was pearced through and twicht vp with the hooke of his Deity u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore both before Christes passion Peter tooke mony out of a fishes mouth to pay his tribute and also after Christes passion the disciples broyled a fishe for him to feede vpon Whereby we see that Christ who made a fishe pay tribute to Caesar for him made the diuell also pay tribute to death for him and on the other side that the diuell while he went about to catch this good fishe which is Iesus Christ Gods sonne the sauiour as Methodius and Sybilla 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 diuel was broyled in hell Wherefore as it was booteles for Golias to brandishe 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 hauinge heard Golias prate talke his pleasure when they came to the poynt at the first stroke ouerthrew him so Christ with that very selfe same speare which gaue him a little venny in cōparison or if it be lawful for me so to speake but a phillip on the side which was soone after recured gaue the diuell a deadly wound in the forehead which with all his pawes hee shall neuer be able to claw off And again 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) Sanè crux ipsa funda est qua Dauid Goliath horrendum armis formidabilem visu prostrauit hunet Cyr. Ioh. l. 8.17 did conquer subdue the deuil And so the death of Christ by reasō of his righteousnes is the death of the deuil It is on the other side the life of himselfe That which was prophecied in the Psalme is here fulfilled in christ z Psal 92.12 The iust shal flourish as the palme tree In the hebrew it is Tamar which signifies only a palme tree But in the greek it is Phoinix which signifies not only a palme tree but also a Phenix Which translation proueth two thinges First that Iesus the iust one did most florish when he was most afflicted For the iust shall flourish as the palme tree a Chattamar Now the palme tree though it haue many waights at the top and many snakes at the roote yet still it saies I am neither oppressed with the waights nor distressed with the snakes b Nec premor nec perimor And so Christ the true palme tree though all the iudgements of God and all the sinnes of the worlde like vnsupportable waightes were laide vpon him yea though the cursed Iewes stoode beneath like venemous snakes hissing and byting at him yet he was neither so oppressed with them nor so distressed with these but that euen vpon his crosse he did most florish when he was most afflicted As peny royall being hung vp in the larder house yet buds his yellow flower and Noahs oliue tree being drownde vnder the water yet keepes his greene braunch and Aarons rod being clunge and drie 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 hee seem'de most to be dead For the iust shall flourish as the phenix * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the phenix though sitting in his nest among the holy spices of Arabia he be burnt to ashes yet still he sayes I die not but olde age dieth in me c Moritur me non moriente senectus And so Christ the true phenix though lying in his graue among the hot spices wherwith with Nichodemus embalmde him hee was neuer like to rise from death to life againe yet he dyed not but mortalitie died in him and immortalitie so liued in him that euen in his sepulchre hee did most liue when hee seemde most to bee 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 whē his death is neerest (d) Cantator cygnus funeris ipse sui Mart◠alis lib. 13. Epigr Epaminondas being sore wounded in fight demaunded of his souldiers standing by whether his enemies were ouerthrowne or no They answered yea Then whether his buckler were whole or no They answered also I. Nay then sayes he all is well This is not the ende of my life but the beginning of my glory For now your deere Epaminondas dying thus gloriously shal rather be borne agayne then buried (e) Nunc enim vester Epaminondas nascitur quia sic moritur Christ likewise was sore wounded But his enemies death and the deuill were ouerthrowne and spoyled His buckler which was his Godhead was whole and vntouched Therfore there was no harme done His death was no death but an exaltation vnto greater glory (f) Ego si exaltatus suero Ioh. 12.32 That noble Eunuch riding in his cooch read in Esay that Christ was silent before his death as a lambe before the shearer He sayes not before the butcher
wee are here pilgrimes and strangers exiled and banished out of our fathers house in heauen The righteousnes of Christ is the life of man This is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ If Queene Ester did reioyce as Queene Elizabeth doth at this daye whom God for his mercies sake euer saue and preserue and let al the people say Amē because she deliuered her people from thraldome and destruction can anye 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 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 virgine Mary wept so sore for the death of her sonne Iesus as though her tender heart had bin stabde and pearst thorough with a sharp sworde as Simeon speaketh can any thing in the worlde 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 deare brother blessed Christian whosoeuer thou art if thou bee too sorrowfull at any time remember what Christ hath done for thee how louingly how kindely he hath dealt with thee and thou wilt soone be glad if thou bee too ioyefull at any time remember what thou hast done against Christ how vngratefully how wretchedly thou hast dealt with him thou wilt soone be sorry So shall wee neuer suffer shipwrack of fayth either by too much sorrowe as Esau did who sought the blessing with teares weeping for himselfe not reioycing for Christ or els by too much ioye as Herod did who heard the Baptist gladly reioycing for Christ not weeping for himselfe But euen as a ship being neither too heauily burdened not too lightly balanced seateth neither waues nor windes but sayleth safely to the heauen so we being neither too heauy for our own miserie nor too light for Christs mercy but ioyning FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together shal neither be drowned with the waues of desperatiō nor puffed vp with the winds of presumption but we shall sayle safely in the arke of Noah vpon the fea of this world till wee ariue at the hauen of all happines in heauen And this is the right moderation wee must keepe betwene Christ and our selues as appeareth in this sixt part FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together VVEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES THe seuēth part followeth VVEEP NOT FOR MEE Wherin we must condsider three vertues that were in Christ Wisdome benignity magnanimity For wisdome he sayth VVEEPE NOT for benignty NOT YOV for magnanimity NOT FOR ME. Not weepe not you not for me VVEEPE NOT FOR ME. First for wisdome he saith VVEEPE NOT. S. Austin hath a very excellent sentence And it is this d Crux Christi pendentis cathedra fuit docentis Christ vpon his crosse did read vs a lecture like a doctor in his chaire Indeed in that learned lecture of his hee deliuered vnto vs many notable poynts of wisdome And one especially wee haue here Whereby wee are instructed how we should be affected towards the dead For if we must not weepe immoderatly for the death of Christ then wee must not greeue our selues greatly for the death of any christian The ancient Italians vsed to mourne for their dead ten monthes the Egiptians seauēty two daies the Ethiopyans fourty dayes the auncient Germaines thirty daies the Lacedemonians a leuen daies e Iohannes Bahemus de morib Gen But the Athenians the Romanes which were in their time coumpted the wisest men in the world were much more moderat For the Athenians had a law giuen them by Solon their lawgiuer which did forbid mourning at burials The Romanes likewise had a law in their twelue tables which did forbid to make any exclamations or outcries at funerals f Lessum habere funeris ergô Yea the third counsel holden at Toledo in spaine the one twentieth canon of the councel flatly decreeth that christians should bee brought to their graues only with singing reioycing g Cum canticis solummodo psallent iūvocib Because quoth the councel the apostle to the Thessalonians saies I wil not haue you ignorant brethren concerning them which are isleepe that you sorro we not euen as others which haue no hope Therfore Cutbertus who was Archbishop of Canter bury longe before the conquest (h) Floruit regnante Egberto Anno Domini 747. 〈◊〉 his death charged that no lamentation should be made for him And Ierom writeth that when the dead body of Paul the Eremite was brought forth holy Anthony did sing hymnes psalmes according to the christian (i) Prolato foras corpore Hymnos Psalmos de christiana traditione decantabat In vita Pauli Erems tradition And that when Paula a deuout widowe was (k) Pontifices choros psallentium ducebāt In Epitaphio Paulae buried the bishops did bring her forth with singing And that when Fabiola was buried psalmes were song Haleluiah was chaunted out so loud that it did shake the seelinge of the church (l) Sonabant psalmi aurata templorum reboans in sublime quatiebat Haleluia In Epitaphio Fabiolae Vide praeterea Sulpitium in vita Martini Ariopag Et Eub. Hierare ecclescap 7. Igraunt indeed we may sorrowe and weep for the wicked not only when they are dead but euen when they are aliue But wee must sing and reioyce for the godly not only when they are aliue but euen when they are dead And why Because they beeinge aliue are dead but these beeing dead are aliue According to that saying of the hebrew Rabbins m Tsaddikim bemetham caijm c. The godly euen in their death are aliue but the wicked euen in their life are dead Therfore Dauid whē his son Absalon died whom he knew to bee a wicked man wept for him saying Absalon my son 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 well apayd and arose from the ground and annoynted his face and looked cheerefully and sayd I shall goe to him he can not returne to me Wherby he warranteth that of Fulgentius who sayth That the godly deceased are n Non amissi sed praemissi not lost for euer but left for a time not gone away from vs but sent to God before vs. For if that bee true which Ignatius saies That life without Christ is death o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thē this is true also which I shall say That death with and in Christ is life The deathes of the saints are no funerals but triumphes p Exercitia suntasta non funera Cypr. So that