fauours there Gods prouidence supplies vs with many Chrysostome saith Non habes hominem sed Deum Thou hast not man but thou hast Goâ— to thy friend The Aegyptian whom the Amalekites left behind them because he was sicke of a Feuer and could not follow them Dauid finding him as he followed the chase tooke him vp and cherished him Saint Gregorie noteth That it is the fashion of the World to forsake those that will not follow after it whereas God runnes a contrarie course for he cherisheth and fauoureth those whom the World forsaketh Saint Austen ponders much vpon Iosephs two yeares being in prison expecting the fauour of Pharaohs seruant to whom he had recommended his suit so that as long as he depended vpon man he was suspended by God but when his hopes were that way vtterly lost and was now able to say Hominem non habeo I haue not a man God did worke his enlargement Ioseph saiâ—â— to the Cup-bearer Memento mei Remember me and he did not so much as oncâ— thinke of him in two yeares after The Theefe said to Christ vpon the Crosse Memento mei Remember me and he was admitted into Paradise the verie samâ— day Domine ante te omne desiderium meum O Lord my desires my grones and my sighs are for and to thee and my trust is in thee only that thou wilt noâ— see me vnrewarded Daniel being shut vp in the Lyons Den and the doore seaâ—led with the Kings own Seale when he could find no fauour amongst men Goâ— presently extended his fauour towards him The like fauor did he shew to thoâ—â— Children that were in the firie Furnace and to Moses in that Arke of Rushâ—â— floating vpon the waters Seneca comforting Marcia concerning her sons death amongst other reasons he alledgeth this Comfort your selfe in this that you liue in a Commonwealth wherein you are thus farre happy that you haue no sonnes to pretend for Here wee may well bring in Pilats Ecce homo Though thou sweet Iesu hadst not a man to fauour thee yet thou foundst a man that gaue his bloud and his life for them Ecce homo Lo thou wast the man that show'dst such great kindnesse to those that vsed thee so vnkindly Thou poore Soule hast not an Angell to mooue the Fish-poole for thee Ecce homo behold the man who makes more hast to helpe thee than an Angell Hominem non habeo Why doost thou complaine that thou hast not a man to helpe thee Why doost thou not rather complaine that thou doost relye and trust vpon man He does like himselfe in deceiuing thee but thou doost not like thy selfe in presuming vpon him Many complaine of the world and the deceits therof but doe not complaine of the foolish confidence which themselues put in this false world I complaine of Fortune that she is mine enemie but not of my selfe who sue to so fickle a Dame and so earnestly importune her Night is the embleme of the world and of a false friend In the day all communicate and conuerse together but at night they take their leaue and get them gone In prosperitie all the whole world will fawne vpon thee and keepe thee companie but in aduersitie no man will looke vpon thee but will shunne thee and turne his face from thee If thou wilt experiment what power thou hast with the world and how much thou canst preuaile with it necessitie will instruct thee That friend which shall alwayes lye vnto thee in whom thou neuer findest truth it is thine owne folly that deceiues thee if thou trust him it is not he And therefore he that now and then treateth truth is the more dangerous of the two In Deutronomie God commaundeth That if there arise amongst his people a Prophet or a Dreamer of dreames and giue thee a signe or wonder and the signe the wonder which he hath told thee come to passe that Prophet or Dreamer of dreames shall bee slaine But he doth not commaund that hee shall be slaine if it doe not come to passe For hee that alwaies lyes doth no hurt at all The world hath beene a notorious lyer these fiue thousand yeeres and more and therefore I doe not see what reason thou hast to thinke that it will now keepe it's word better with thee than it hath with others heretofore Hominem non habeo I haue not a man This is not onely a complaint of the poore but of powerfull persons and those that are riche who because they haue not the happinesse to haue a man to sticke close vnto them that may direct and counsaile them passe ouer this their life in distraction and perdition in the end loose both life and soule Homo homini Deus homo homini lupus Man is a God to man Man is a wolfe to man Expressing in the one a prudent and vertuous man one that is stayd and well settled In the other one that is light inconstant and false-hearted Commonwealths vse likewise to complaine as also those that are iealous of their goods that they cannot meete with a man whom they may trust Theodoret sayth That hee offers a great and a mightie wrong vnto Gods prouidence who complaineth hereof For that Commonwelth that prouides it selfe of feete should not leaue it selfe without a head and stooping so low as mans brest for those more painefull and base occupations as the Scauinger the Cobler and the hangman they should likewise haue a care of placing fit men in places of a higher naâ—ure that are to order businesses of State and to cleanse a Kingdome of those filthie dunghils and sinkes of sinne which annoy a Commonwealth This hurt I meane when base and vnworthie persons gouerne a State ariseth from those two grounds The one The making choice of such men who by good and euill meanes making no great difference of either seeke for preferrement and out of their ambition would rather die than loose it And when hee is thus preposterously preferred and put in place of authoritie hee playes Rex putting in one and putting out another so as hee may raise himselfe to honor cares not whom he disgraces and treads vnder foot though they bee ten times better men and worthier than himselfe Moses by Gods appointment made choice of seuentie Elders of Israell to assist him in the gouernment of the People and they being one day to meet at a certaine houre before the Tabernacle to the end that God in the presence of all the people might put his Spirit of prophecie vpon them there remained two behind among the Host to wit Eldad and Medad because God is not confined to any set place the Spirit likewise rested vpon them and they prophecied in the Host. Ioshuah thought this was a disreputation to Moses that these two should prophecie without especiall order from him insomuch that he persuaded him that hee should forbid them to prophecie any more This is a true picture of the course fashion
beleeue the immortalitie of the soule they hold a sudden death a kind of happinesse but a Christian who confesseth that there is a iudgement after death desireth a more lingring and leisurely kind of dying for to preuent future danger both of soule and bodie In Leuiticuâ— God commanded That they should not offer any câ—eature vnto him which did not chew the cud or which had not a clouen hoofe And he therefore ioyned these two things together for to swallow the meat downe whole is verie dangerous for the health and the foot not cloâ—en verie apt to slip and slide and in a mysticall kind of sence is as much as if he should haue said That he that shall swallow down so fearefull dangerous a thing as Death without chewing meditating thereon shall doubtlesse slide if not take a fall as low as Hell The onely sonne of his mother In the order of conueniencie it seemeth fitter that the old mother should haue died than the young sonne But as there is nothing more certaine than death so is there nothing more vncertaine than the time of our death the young Bird as soone falls into the snare as the old one and your greater Fish as soone taken with the hooke as your lesser Frie. If the Wicked turne not God will whet his sword bend his Bow and prepare for him the instruments of death and ordaine his Arrowes against them For old men that stand vpon the graues brinke death hath a Sythe to cut them downe for young men that stand farther off he hath his Bow and his Arrowes Saint Augustine saith That God taketh away the Good before their time that they may not receiue hurt from the Bad and the Bad because they should not doe hurt to the Good The onely sonne of his mother Not that he was her onely sonne but her best beloued sonne Salomon stiles himselfe Vnigenitum matris suae His mothers onely begotten sonne not that he was the onely sonne of Bershabe as it appeareth in the first of Chronicles but because he was so deerely beloued of his mother as if he had beene her only sonne he was his mothers darling her best beloued the light of her eyes and her hearts comfort she cherished him made much of him would not let him want any thing yet all this care and prouidence of hers could not shield him from death There is a man in the Citie that is of a strong and able bodie and abounding in all worldly happinesse There is another saith Iob that is weake hungerstarued and his wealth wasted and consumed both these death sets vpon and layes them in the graue He exemplifies in the King and the Gyant for the rest he makes no more reckoning of them than of so manie little Birds whom the least fillip striketh dead but he sets vpon a King like a Lyon a poore man hath many meanes to hasten his death but Kings seldome die of hunger of penurie of heats or of colds c. And a Gyant seemes to be a perdurable and immortall Tower of flesh but in the end both Kings and Gyants fall by the hand of Death And since that Death did dare to set vpon the Sonne of God and his blessed mother let neither High nor Low Rich nor Poore hope to find any fauour at Deaths hands Ioshuah did stop the Sunne in his course Moses the waters of the red Sea Ioseph did prophecie of things to come and many of Gods Saints wrought great Myracles but there is no myracle to be wrought against Death Ieremie tells vs of certain Serpents that cannot be charmed charm the charmer neuer so wisely of this nature is Death Ecclesiasticus introduceth a dead man who speaketh thus by way of aduice to the Liuing Memento judicij mei sic enim erit tuum Heri mihi hodie tibi That man was neuer yet borne nor shall be hereafter that shal not see death or escape this heauie iudgement Salomon commanded the child to be diuided in the middle about whom the two mothers did contend and that sentence which he did not then execute shall bee executed vpon all liuing flesh for all men beeing in regard of the bodie sonnes of the Earth and in regard of the soule the children of Heauen euerie one receiues this sentence from the Iudge at his death Let the earth returne to the earth from whence it came and the Spirit to God who gaue it life She was a Widow woman The word Erat She was carrieth with it a kind of emphasis she was a sorrowfull and forelorne Widow A Widow ought to bee a rule and patterne of perfection to all other women shee should bee the glasse wherein they should see their faults and what is amisse in them In a word shee was a woman irreprehensible and without blame Nor according to Saint Paul hath the Virgin or the Wife that tie and obligation vpon them as shee hath The one because her small experience in the deceits and vanities of the world may excuse her in many things the other the charge and care that necessarily attends Wedlocke When Absalon entred into the wiues and Concubines of his father the King gaue command they should bee shut vp like so many Recluses because they had opened the doore vnto him as if the King had beene dead And Widowes are to liue so seperated and seuered from the world as if they liued not in it Isiodore expoundeth the Spanish word Viuda which signifies a Widow to be quaâ—i vidua diuided from her husband as the Vine from the Elme which was it's prop and stay which being taken away the Vine lieth leuell with the ground and without any comfort The Hebrew deriueth the name of Widow from a certain word which signifieth both bound dumbe now to be bound and dumbe are the conditions and properties of him that is dead who is neither able to mooue nor speake So that the vulgar Translation calls a Widow Sterilem barren and vnfruitfull as it is in Iob and in Esay Another letter stiles her Eradicatam pluckt vp by the Roots as a tree that is quite rooted vp that it may neuer grow nor waxe greene againe The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Frankincense They must not smell of Amber nor of Ciuet but of Frankinsense which they offer vp in Incense for a widdow ought to lead the remnant of her dayes so neere vnto her husbands Tombe that her garments should sauour of that incensorie perfume Of such Widowes as these God hath that especiall care that none shall doe them any wrong for the teares that drop downe from their cheekes ascend as high as Heauen And as the vapours that are exhaled from the earth come downe againe in lightning and thunder and terrible tempests so prooue the Widowes teares to those that shall vniustly cause them to weep and draw those watred drops from their eyes Heliodorus pretended to rob the Temple of Ierusalem
and in stead of shrill and cheerefull flourishes the trumpets sound hoarse so now in this our Mary Magdalens death who was the chiefe Captaine and Ring-leader of the vices of that Citie a hollow sound of sighes was heard and a grieuous noyse of confused grones and broken throbs breathing out these wofull words ô my good Lord I haue beene like vnto the Serpent for on the one side I sustained my selfe by the earth without once offering to lift mine eyes from the earth on the other side I did prostrate my selfe laying traps and snares for thy feet soliciting the men of this City to tread thy Lawes vnder their feet Oh Lord since I haue thus playd the Serpent tread thou vpon mee crush me in the head and bruise out all the venome that is in me O sweet Iesus the Serpent vseth to enter in betweene the rocks and rub off her old skinne and leauing it there behind her to renew her selfe againe I much desire to cast off my old skinne and to leaue it in the wounds of these thy feet and on my strong rocke Christ Iesus I wot well ô Lord that so vile and lewd a woman as I am is to be made no more reckoning of than the durt that is trod vnder foot in the streetes Mulier fornicaria quasi stercus in via conculcabitur But many times the dung of the earth doth serue for the rootes of trees and other plants and because thou art that Diuine plant whose branches reach vp as high as heauen permit ô Lord that I though but durt and dung may lye at thy feet The Cananitish woman did shew a great deale of humility when she tearmed her selfe a dogge but Mary Magdalen much more â—earming her selfe dung And she wiped his feet with the haires of her head S. Ambrose asketh the question Why some of his Apostles did not wash our Sauiours feet either before or after that he had washt all theirs He renders two reasons The one for that Mary Magdalen had washt them and hee would not that this lustre which those her tears had giuen them should be lost by washing them with ordinarie and common water And the comparison is good For he that is washed with the water of Angels will refuse to be washed with any other water The other saith Saint Ambrose for that we should wash those his diuine feet with the teares of our eyes That mysticall lauing of the Apostles feet which was directed to the cleansing of their soules could not fit with our Sauiour Christ who was free from the least filth of sinne If any Lauatorie likes him it is that of our teares because in them the heart is softned Besides Those eyes and hayres which were so well imployed did expresse her good desire and thoughts And there is not any Sacrifice so acceptable vnto God as to see the desires and thoughts of our hearts to be offered vp at his feet Chrysologus saith That after God had seene the resolution and courage of Abraham in the sacrificing of his sonne he cared not a rush for all the rest and therefore cryed vnto him Lay not thine hand vpon the child neyther doe any thing vnto him for now I know thou fearest God c. For I take no pleasure in the death of the Innocent nor in the shedding of blood my delight is to see thy will submit it selfe at my feet My sister my spouse thou hast wounded mine heart Thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes and with a hayre of thy necke Following the selfe-same Metaphor to wit That the hayres are the thoughts and the eyes the desires As if her beloued should haue said vnto her One desire one thought my spouse one resolute determination one firme purpose hath quite robd me of my heart And he that shall indeere the delight that he takes in one single hayre will take much more pleasure in that whole skayne of gold Bonauenture sayes That shee did behold our Sauiour by stealth and peeping through the lattice of her hayres did euer and anon snatch a sight of him But after that she had once inioyed the brightnes of his face and the sweetnes of his eyes whence he shot forth such sweet shafts of loue and that did light so right vpon her that her heart was taken therewith It seeming vnto her That the skie was now cleere and the weather very faire and prosperous she did vnruffle the sides of her haires and spred them abroad to the wind finding so good a gale And as he that hath escaped many dangerous fits of death at sea is neuer satisfied with kissing the earth when hee comes ashoare so Mary Magdalen thought shee could neuer haue her fill of kissing the blessed earth of those her Sauiours most holy feet And as the Traueller that hath passed through the deserts of Arabia his mouth being as dry as those sandie grounds or as tinder that is ready to take fire being driuen to drinke of foule and vnsauourie puddles no sooner comes to a cleere fountaine but hee rushes hastily to the water and neuer makes an end of drinking so did it fare with Mary Magdalen c. With her hayres Absalons hayre was Absalons halter Sampsons lockes serued as bands to bind him fast the Philistims by those hayres haling him to prison My hayres haue been no lesse cruell to me than theirs were to them God he is said to haue a head of gold but hayres as blacke as the Rauen. But I being a Rauen in my soule for blacknesse had my hayres of gold c. And annoynted them with oyntment Saint Gregorie saith That Mary Magdalen entertained our Sauiour Christ at this feast with two great regalos or dainties The one That it was she that made him the feast For albeit the Pharisee had inuited him he had not set before him one sauourie morsell For what could sauour well in the house of a proud scorner that is giuen to mocke and scoffe And howbeit for the body the cheere was good enough yet if it had not beene for Mary Magdalen the soule might haue fasted But she did supply that defect by affording matter to our Sauiour to taxe the Pharisee of discourtesie c. Seest thou this woman I entred into thy house and thou gauest me no water to my feete but she hath washed my feet with teares Thou gauest me no kisse But shee since the time that I came in hath not ceased to kisse my feet Mine head with oyle thou didst not annoynt but she hath annoynted my feet with oyntment c. The other That at the feet of our Sauiour she made a generall sacrifice of all those things wherewith she had before offended him as of her eyes mouth hayres hands heart and soule not leauing out so much as that her oyntment which is that which women are loathest to leaue and doe latest and hardliest part withall Saint Bernard saith That Mary Magdalen did climbe vp to heauen
Homo quia cinis es Remember Man that thou art but Dust. THE remembrance of death saith Climachus is amongst other remembrances as bread amongst other meats howbeit it is more necessarie for the soule than bread for the bodie For a man may liue many dayes without bread but the soule cannot doe so without the remembrance of death And it is the generall opinion of all the best and holiest Writers Perfectissimam vitam esse continuam mortis meditationem i. That the most perfect life is a continuall meditation of death Chrysostome expounding that place of Saint Luke Qui vult venire post me i. He that will follow me saith That Christ commandeth vs not to beare vpon our backes that heauie burthen of the woodden Crosse but that we should alwayes set our death before our eyes making that of Saint Paul to be our Imprese Quotidiè morior i. I die dayly In the second of the Kings it is recounted that the holy King Iosias did clense the people from their Altars their Groues and high places where innumerable Idolatries dayly increased and to amend this ill he placed there in their stead bones skulls and the ashes of dead men Whose iudgement herein was very discreete For from mans forgetting of his beginning his end arise his Idolatries and so reuiuing by those bones the rememberance of what they were hertofore what they shal be hereafter he did make them amend that mischief Verie many nay numberlesse are those men which adore the noblenesse of their Linage and out of a desire that they haue to make good their descent and beginning they multiplie Coats one vpon another hang vp Scutchions blazon forth their Armes tell you large histories of their pedigrees and genealogies and many times most of them meere lies and fables Ezechiel did represent these vnto vs in those twentie fiue yong men which were besotted and rauished in beholding the Sunne which by way of exposition signifieth the adoring of the glorie of their birth But leauing these as fooles who glorie in the gold that glisters the Church teacheth thee another lesson and sayes vnto thee Memento homo Remember man c. God created Adam of the basest matter of verie durt but this Durt being molded by Gods owne hand and inspiring it with so much wisedome councell and prudence Tertullian calls it Cura diuini ingenij i. The curiousnesse of Gods wit but man growing proud hereupon and hoping to be a God himselfe God doomed him to death and wrapped him againe in his durtie swadling clouts with this inscription Puluis es in puluerem reuerteris i. Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne Adam did not without some mysterie cloath himselfe with greene leaues for as Saint Ambrose hath noted it he gaue therein as it were a signe and token of his vaine and foolish hopes But as the mother when theâ—ee hath stung her childs finger runnes with all hast to get a little durt and claps it to her little one which doth assuage the swelling and giue it ease so those busie Bees of hel dayly stinging vs striking into our breasts the poyson of their pride arrogancie the Church with dust and ashes with a Cinis es incinerem reuerteris i. Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt returne abates this pride and tells vs of that swelling arrogancie of ours When God reuealed to Nebucadnezar how little a while his Empire was to last he shewed him a statue of diuers mettalls the head gold the brest siluer the bellie brasse the legges yron the feet clay and a little stone which descended from the mountaine lighting on the feet dasht the statue in pieces But in stead of taking this as a forewarning of his end and to haue it still before his eyes he made another statue of gold from top to toe which is held to be a durable and lasting mettal so that the more God sought to dis-deceiue him the more was he deceiued with his vaine hopes And this is a resemblance of that which dayly hapneth vnto vs for God aduising vs that our best building is but durt our idle thoughts vaine hopes imagine it to be of gold And mans life being so short that as Nazianzen said it is no more than to goe out of one graue to enter into another out of the wombe of our particular mother into that of the common mother of vs all which is the Earth we flatter our selues with the enioying of many long yeres of life But the Church being desirous to cut off this error saith Memento homo i. Remember man By Ezechiel God threatned his people with a great slaughter that they only should escape that were marked in the forehead with the Hebrew letter Tau which is the last in the alphabet some say that it hath the figure of a crosse and it may be that when Ezechiel did write this he had that figure before him and S. Hierome saith That in stead of Tau the Samaritanes did vse the figure of a crosse The Hebrews by this letter vnderstand the end as beeing the last in the ABC And God was willing that those that bore this marke in their forehead that is should haue their end before their eyes should liue but that those that liued forgetfull of their end that they should die And the Church beeing desirous that her children should escape this danger prints this in their minds Terra es Earth thou art c. It is well weighed by Rupertus that after God had condemned Adam to death he bestowed vpon his wife the name of Life Mater cunctarum gentium i. The mother of al the liuing Scarce had God condemned him to punishment but he by- -by shews that he had forgot it And therfore did God permit the death of innocent Abel to the end that in Abel he might see thâ— death of the body and in Caine the death of the soule for to quicken his memorie From Adam we inherit this forgetfulnes not remembring to day what we saw but yesterday the general desire of man striues all it can to perpetuate our life which if it were in our hands we would neuer see death But because the loue of life should not rob vs of our memorie and that fearing as we are mortall wee might couet those things that are eternall seeing that walles towers marble and brasse molder away to dust we may euer haue in our memorie Memento homo Remember man c. Many holy Saints haue stiled the memorie the stomach of the soule as Gregorie Bernard Theodoret Austen Nazianzen c. And God commanding Ezechiel That he should notifie vnto his people certaine tâ—â—ngs that he had reuealed vnto him and charging him that he should remember himselfe well of them he said Comede quaecunque ego do tibi i. Eat whatsoeuer I giue thee And in another placehe commanded him that he should eat a Book wherin were written Lamentationes
his hat cloake jerken and breeches but he wrapping them close about him with the helpe of his hands and teeth he kept himselfe vnstripped by the Wind who could doe no good vpon him so he giues off Then comes me forth the Sunne who came so hot vpon him that the man within a verie litttle while was faine to fling off all and to strippe himselfe naked The verie selfe same heat and courage did the Sunne of Righteousnesse vse in that last eclipse of his life when from the Crosse he did so heat inflame the hearts of them that were present that they did teare and rent their cloathes Et Velum Templum scissum est And as the barrennest ground is made fruitfull by the Husbandmans industrie so goodnesse ouercommeth euill Fortis vt mors dilectio i. Loue is strong as Death The stoutest the valiantest and the desperatest man aliue cannot resist Death no more can he Loue. Omnis natura bestiarum domita est à natura The nature of beasts is tamed by Nature Against that harme which the Philistines receiued by Mice the Princes made Mice of Gold let thy enemie bee as troublesome to thee as they mold him into Gold and hee wil neuer hurt thee more S. Chrysostome considereth the truth of this in Saul who bearing a deuelish hatred against Dauid yet by Dauids twice pardoning him his life made him as tractable as wax and he captiuated by this his kindnesse brake out into this acknowledgement Iustior me est He is iuster than I for I returned thee il for good and thou me good for ill S. Chrysostome concludes this Historie with a strange endeering That Dauids drawing teares out of Sauls hard heart did cause him more to wonder than did Moses and Aaron when he strucke the Rocke and the waters gushed forth We want not examples of this Doctrine euen in those things that are inuisible The toughest Impostumes are made tender by Vnctions Plinie saith That the roughest sea is made calme with oyle In the Prouince of Namurca they burne stone in stead of wood and that fire will bee quenched with Oyle Against the Impostume of hatred the raging sea of an angrie brest and the flames of a furious enemie there is no better remedie than Mildnesse Sermo mollis frangit iram A soft answer mitigates wrath Orate pro persequentibus vos Pray for them that persecute you This Prayer may be grounded vpon two reasons The one That the hurt is so great to him that doth the wrong that he that is wronged ought to take pittie and compassion of him and beeing it is Damnum animae The hurt of the soule which the offended cannot repaire of himselfe hee must pray vnto God for him That he would be pleased to repaire it Philon treating of the death of Abel saith that Cain killed himself non alterum not another and that Abel was not dead but aliue because he kild but the bodie which was none of his and left him his soule which was his And of Caine That his bodie remained aliue which was none of his and his soule slaine which was his and therefore Clamat sanguis Abel The bloud of Abel cries c. The other That there are some such desperate enemies that are made rather worse than better by benefits being like therein vnto Paper which the more you supple it with Oyle the stiffer it growes or like vnto sand which the more it is wet the harder it waxeth or like vnto an anuile which is not stirred with the stroke of the hammer or like vnto Iudas who comming from the washing of our Sauiors feet went forth afterwards with a greater desire for to sel and betray him whereas being in this desperate case hee should rather haue had recourse vnto God Prayer therefore is proposed vnto vs as the greatest charme and powerfullest exorcisme against the obstinacie rebellion of an enemie For vpon such occasions as these Prayer is woont to worke miracles Saint Stephen prayd for those that stoned him to death which wrought so powerfull an effect that Saint Austen saith That the Church is beholding in some sort to this his Prayer for the conuersion of Saint Paul And Saint Luke That the Heauens were opened hereupon vnto him he saw Christ standing in glorie at the right hand of his Father And it is worth the noting That the ordinarie Language of the Scripture is That our Sauiour Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God the Father but now here in this place the word Stantem Standing is vsed as if Christ had stood vp of purpose to see so rare and strange an accident and claue the Heauens in sunder offering him all the good they did containe or that he did seeme to offer him his Seate as it were as to a child of God vt sitis filij patris vestri That yee may be the children of your Father And this grace and fauor which God shewes vnto those that pray for their enemies was peraduenture a motiue to our Sauiour Christ to make that pittifull moane vpon the Crosse bewayling the Iewes cruell pâ—oceeding against him and praying that his death might not be layd to their charge Pater ignosce illis Father forgiue them Hee might haue hoped that these his charitable prayers would haue opened the Gates of Heauen for the Sonne of Glorie to enter in But in stead thereof the Sunne was darkened and a blacke mantle as it were in mourning spred ouer all the earth whilest he himselfe vttered these words of discomfort My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The doores of Heauen are shut against me my God hath forsaken me But the mysterie is That Heauen was shut against him that it might be opened vnto you and euen then was it opened to the Theefe and to many that returned from Mount Caluarie percutientes pectora sua i. Smiting their brests as also to that Centurion that said Verè filius Dei erat iste This was truly the Sonne of God There may be rendred another reason of this our Sauiours praying vpon the Crosse Which is this That for to obtaine fauors from Gods hand there is no meanes comparable to that of praying for our enemies In me loquebantur qui sedebant in Porta in me psallebant qui bibebant vinum ego autem orationem meam ad te Domine tempus beneplaciti Deus Dauid speaking there as a figure of Christ saith That his enemies sate like judges in the Gates of the Citie entertaining themselues with stories of his life and that they went from Tauerne to Tauern and from one house to another singing Songs in dirision of him descanting and playing vpon him but I turning towards God prayed heartily for them as knowing there was not any time fitter than that for the obtaining of my request Tempus beneplaciti An acceptable time c. The like he saith in the 180 Psalm Pro eo vt me
many Bookes that are written thereof especially by a Sea of judgement where your shallow wits are vsually drowned Concerning this Article which is so notorious there is not a Prophet an Euangelist a Sybil nor any of the holy Fathers which do not make confession thereof yea the verie Angells said vnto the Disciples This Iesus who was taken from you shall So come where this particle Sic So doth not so much exprimere modum as similitudinem not the true manner of his comming but after what likenesse he shall come Now doth he sit at the right hand of his Father and shall possesse that Throne till that he shall come to iudge the world and make his enemies his footstoole According to that of Dauid Sit at my right hand Vntill I make thy enemies thy footstoole a sentence which was repeated afterwards by S. Paul to the Hebrews Not that the sitting at the right hand of his father shal euer haue any end for as Saint Chrysostome and Gregorie Nazianzen hath noted it the word Vntill doth not point at any set time but the mutation of the place which our Sauiour Christ is to make for that terme of time that the Iudgement shall last himselfe comming thither in person to set all things in order Vsque in diem restitutionis omnium so saith Saint Luke And by reason of the notoriousnesse thereof the Euangelist doth not say that hee shall come but supposeth as it were his present comming with a Cum venerit c. The Sonne of Man Iudiciarie power or this Potestas judiciaria as the Schoole-men call it is proper to all the Trinitie but is here attributed to the Sonne as Wisedome is likewise attributed vnto him which is the soule of the Iudge So that the Sonne as he is God is the eternall Iudge and the Lord vniuersall to whom the Father hath communicated this dominion by an eternall generation Generando non largiendo saith Saint Ambrose But as he is man the blessed Trinitie gaue him this power in tempore by vniting him to our nature Hee gaue him power to doe judgement And Saint Iohn giues the reason thereof Because he is the Sonne of Man it beeing held fit that Man should be saued by Man Gods mercie gaining thereby glorie and Mans meannesse authoritie And therefore it was thought fit that Man should be iudged by Man Gods justice remaining thereby iustified and Mans Cause secured For What greater securitie can man haue than that hee should bee Mans Iudge who gaue his life for Man shedding his bloud on the Crosse for Mans saluation So doth Saint Austen expound that place alledged by Saint Iohn Dedit ei judicium facere quia filius hominis est On the one side here is matter of hope comfort on the other of feare and trembling Who will not hope for pittie from a man and such a man that is my brother my aduocate my friend who to make me rich had made himselfe poore c. But who can hope for any comfort from that man that was iudged sentenced and condemned vniustly by man vnto death Who can hope for any good from that man whose loue man repaid with dis-loue and whose life with death These Yrons are too hard for the stomacke of man to digest it had need of some Ostriches helpe I will not destroy Ephraim because I am God and not Man God is woont to requite bad with good discourtesies with benefits his loue commonly encreaseth when mans diminisheth but mans brest is somewhat streighter laced In a word This his beeing Man is a matter of feare and by how much the more was Mans obligation by so much the more shall the son of mans vengeance bee For the pretious bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and his cruell yet blessed wounds are the Sanctuarie of our hopes especially to those that trust in him and lay hold on him by Faith but for the vnthankefull sinner they shall be matter of cowardise and of terrour and to our Sauiour Christ minister occasion of greater punishment and a more rigorous reuenge Esay introduceth the Angels questioning our Sauior at his entrance into Heauen Quare rubrum est vestimentum tuum sicut calcantium in torculari Why are thy garments ô Lord like vnto those that tread the Wine-presse You say wel for I haue troden like the grapes my enemies vnder foot and my garments are sprinkled and stained with their bloud O Lord this bloudie spoyle would well haue beseemed thee on earth But what doost thou make with it here in Heauen Dies vltionis in corde meo The day will come when I shall bee reuenged at full of those ill requited benefits which I bestowed on my People and all that patience which I then sâ—ewed shall be turned into wrath and endlesse anger Saint Chrysostome interpreting that place of Saint Mathew Sanguis eius super nos Let his bloud be vpon vs and our children saith thus The time shall come that the bloud that might haue giuen you life shall occasion your death it shall be vnto you worse than that Fire of Babylon which the King intended for death though in the end it turned to life The bloud of Christ was intended for life but it shall end in death Hosea saith Vâ— eis cum recesserâ— ab eis Another Translation hath it Caro mea ab eis When the Sonne of mans mercie was come to that heigth as mans thought could not set it higher to wit That God in mans fauour should take mans flesh vpon him woe vnto those men who were vnmindfull of so great a blessing for this extraordinarie courtesie of his being so vnthankfully entertained and so ill requited shall be their condemnation for whose saluation it was intended Cornua eius sicut Rinocerotis saith Deutronomie The Vnicorne is the mildest the patientest beast that is and it is long ere he will be prouoked to anger but if he once grow hot and angrie there is no creature more fierce and furious than he is Ex tarditate ferocior as Pierius vseth it by way of adage Saint Austen collecteth hence another conuenience Euerie iudgement saith he requireth two especiall and important things The one That the Iudge feare not the face of the Mightie The other That he hide not his face from him that is brought before him For the first The Scripture hath it euerie where Regard not the countenance of the Mightie For the second Iob pondering the perdition of a certain Prouince saith That the Iudges thereof would not suffer themselues to be seen The earth is giuen into the hands of the Wicked he couereth the faces of the Iudges And therefore God will not be seene by the damned for by their verie seeing him they should be freed from their punishment and therefore in this respect it was fit that Christ should come to iudge the world as Man In Maiestate sua In his Maiestie The Interlinearie hath it In Diuinitate
open to others view and their owne confusion Nor shall these our sinnes bee conspicuous onely to others but euerie offendor shall see and plainely perceiue his owne particular sinnes For there is no man that fully knowes his owne sinnes while hee liueâ— here in this world And so doth Saint Basil interpret that place of the Psalmist Arguam te statuam contra te faciem tuam Euerie man shall then behold himselfe as in a glasse In a word This day will be the summing vp of all those oâ—â— former dayes wherein as in a beadroll wee shall read all the loose actions of our life all our idle words all our euill workes all our lewd thoughts or whatsoeuer else of ill that our hearts haue conceiued or our hands wrought So doth a graue Author expound that place of Dauid Dies formabuntur nemo in eis In that day shall all dayes be formed and perfected for then shall they bee cleerely knowne Et nemo in eis This is a short and cutted kind of speech idest There shall not bee any thing in all the world which shall not bee knowne in that day The other wonder shall be That all this businesse shall bee dispatcht in a moment In ictu oculi saith Saint Paul In the twinckling of an eye The Greeke Text in stead of a moment renders it Atomo which is the least thing in nature Concluding this point with that saying of Theophilact Haec est res omnium mirabilissima This is the greatest wonder of all Statuet Oues à dextris eius Haedos à sinistris He shall place the Sheepe at his right hand and the Goats at the left Dayly experience teacheth vs That what is good for one is naught for another that which helpeth the Liuer hurteth the Spleene one and the selfe same Purge recouers one and casts downe another the Light refresheth the sound Eye and offendeth the sore Wisedome saith That those Rods which wrought amendment in the Children of Israell hardned the hearts of the Aegyptians the one procured life the other death darkenes to the one was light light to the other darknesse When Ioshuah pursued the Ammorites God poured downe Hailestones Lightning and Thunder to Gods enemies they were so many Arrowes to kill them to his friends so many Torches to light them In the light of thy Arrowes saith Abacuc Death to the Wicked is bitter to the Good sweete Iudgement to the Goats is sad heauie but to the Sheep glad ioyfull to the one a beginning of their torment to the other of their glorie And therefore it is here said He shall place the Sheepe at his right hand From this beginning ariseth the Iust's earnest desiring of this our Sauiours comming and the Wicked's seeking to shun it Which is made good by Saint Austen vpon that place of Haggie Hee shall come being wished for of all Nations And his reason is because our Sauiour Christ being desired it is fit that he should be knowne and for want of this knowledge it seemeth vnto him that this place doth not so much suit with his first as his latter comming Saint Paul writing to his Disciple Timothie sayes That the Iust doe long for this judgement His qui diligunt aduentum eius Agreeing with that of Saint Paul to the Romans That the Iust passe ouer this life in sighs tribulations expecting that latter day when their bodies shall bee free from corruption and from death Saint Iohn introduceth in his Apocalyps the soules of the Iust crying out Vsque quò Domine sanctus verax Non judicas vindicas sanguinem nostrum de his qui habitant in terra How long Lord holy and true c. Saint Austen and Saint Ambrose both say That they doe not here craue vengeance on their enemies but that by his comming to judgement the Kingdome of Sinne may haue an end Which is the same with that which we dayly beg in those words of our Paternoster Thy Kingdome come And Saint Iohn in his last Chapter saith The Spirit and the Spouse say Come Come Lord come quickely make no long tarrying That the Sinner should hate this his comming is so notorious a truth that many when things goe crosse with them would violently lay hands on themselues and rid themselues out of this miserable world if it were not for feare of this Iudgement And this was the reason why Saint Paul in saying It is decreed that all men shall die once presently addeth After death Iudgement Other wise there would be many as well discreet as desperate persons that would crie out Let vs die and make an end of our selues at once for a speedie death is better than a long torment This is that that keepes these fooles in awe and quells the vaine confidence of man in generall Tunc dicet Rex his qui à dextris eius erunt vsque esuriui c. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand I was hungrie c. Hee begins with the rewarding of the Good for euen in that day of justice he will that his mercie goe before as well for that it is Gods own proper worke as also for that it is the fruit of his bloud and death Venite Benedicti Patris mei Come yee blessed of my Father a most sweet word in so fearefull a season possidete Regnum Come yee and take possession of an eternall Kingdome Quia esuriui I was hungrie c. Some man may doubt Why Christ at the day of judgement being to examine all whatsoeuer actions of vertue doth here onely make mention of mercie I answer For that Charitie is that Seale and Marke which differenceth the Children of God from those of the Deuill the good Fisâ—es from the bad and the Wheat from the Chaffe Ecce ego judico inter Pecus Pecus so saith Ezechiel and in summe it is the summe of the Law as Saint Paul writeth to the Romans Secondly He maketh mention onely of the workes of mercie for to expell that errour wherein many liue in this life to wit That this businesse of Almes-deeds is not giuen vs as a Precept whereby to bind vs but by way of councel and aduice whereby to admonish vs. And this is a great signe token of this truth for that there is scarce any man that accuseth himselfe for the not giuing of an Almes But withall it is a foule shame for vs to thinke that God should condemne so many to eternal fire for their not shewing pittie to the Poore if it were no more but a bare councell and aduice Gregorie Nazianzen in an Oration which he makes of the care that ought to bee had of the Poore proueth out of this place That to relieue the poore and the needie is not Negotium voluntarium sed necessarium not a voluntarie but a necessarie businesse And Saint Augustine and Thomas are of opinion That we are bound to relieue the necessities of
our neighbour be it with food or apparell or councell or our assistance according to the measure of their necessitie and our abilitie gouerning our selues therein according to the rules of wisedome Hence it followeth that the sinne of crueltie carries with it a kind of desperation For as Saint Augustine saith he must be condemned to eternal fire who hath not cloathed the naked who hath not fed the hungrie he that strips another man of his cloathes and he that â—natcheth a morcell of meat from the mouth of the hungrie and what shall become of him in the end Iudicium sine misericordiâ— his qui non faciunt misericordiam Let not him saith Saint Iames looke for mercie in the world to come that shewes not mercie in this life One of the reasons why Hamon King Assuerus his great Fauourit found no pittie in Queen Esters nor the Kings brest though he besought it on his knees and with teares in his eyes was for that he had plotted such a mercilesse tyrannie as to destroy all the Iews both men women and children at one blow and therefore deserued no fauour Nathan pâ—opounding to Dauid that Parable of him That hauing many Sheepe of his owne had robbed his Neighbour of his onely Sheepe hauing no more besides in all the world was so incensed against this so great an iniurie that he held him for the present vnworthie of pardon As the Lord liueth he is the child of death In a word the Word of God cannot faile And Amos in his fourth and sixth Chapter threatneth those powerfull cruell ones with most seuere punishments And Salomon saith That the hard heart shall haue many a shrewd pang when he lies on his death bed This Doctrine hath in it's fauour three powerfull reasons The first In the secular state for the elder brother is bound to maintaine his younger brothers and vpon this condition is hee made the heire of his house otherwise he should be condemned for vnkind and cruell God saith Saint Basil made the rich man the elder brother that he might relieue his younger brother the Poore And Malachie saith That the hungrie the naked and the maimed man on whom the rich man bends his brow is his brother that they haue one and the same God to their Father one and the same Church to their Mother The second Our Sauiour Christ is not contented that thou shouldst make account that thou giuest thy brother an almes but thy selfe And he doth reueale this truth and notifie it vnto thee to the end that thou shouldst not despise the Poore Haec requies mea reficite lassum hoc est meum refrigerium How is it possible ô Lord that the succouring of the Poore should be thy ease and thy refreshing Because I saith our Sauiour am that poore Man and happie is hee who vnder the ragges of the Poore diuideth the riches of God The third That this charitie towards the Poore giues vs an assurance of Heauen Charitie affoords great confidence to all that practise it and will not suffer their soule to goe into darkenesse Besides Dauid calls that man happie whose sinnes are couered Beatus vir cuius tecta sunt peccata And Salomon and Saint Peter affirme That Charitie couers a multitude of sinnes Vniuersa peccata operit Charitas Discedite in ignem eternum Goe into euerlasting fire This is a most cruell punishment in regard of the despaire of any future comfort Micheas treating of a punishment that God was to inflict vpon his People saith I will make a wailing like the Dragons mourning as the daughters of the Owle Quia desperata est plaga eius For her wound is incurable O with what teares ô with what hideous shreekes ought man to bewaile the desperate torments of Iudgement and of Hell This punishment all the damned shall equally suffer nor there is not the immagination of any thing that can so much affright and dismay vs. But in those other punishments some shall suffer more than other-some their shame confusion and their hellish torments being answerable to the nature of their offences The first sort that shall suffer the seuerest punishment shall be the Iewes who in crucifying our Sauiour Christ committed the greatest sin and the heinousest offence that euer was committed in the World Who when at the day of judgement they shall see and perceiue whom they so impudently abused shamefully mocked cruelly scourged scornefully crowned rigorously handled spit vpon buffeted and crucified and all vndeseruedly beeing one that wisht them all good hugg'd them vnder his wing as the hen clocketh her chickens wept ouer them and mourned for them they shall remaine so thunder-strucken so astonished so daunted and so dead with feare and the horror of their punishment that they shall cry vnto the mountaines and call vnto the hills with a Cadite super nos Fall vpon vs. This lamentable and wretched condition of theirs Zachary pointeth at in these words Et aspicient ad me quem confixerunt They shall looke vpon mee whome they haue pierced And Saint Iohn Videbunt in quem crucifixerunt They shall see whom they haue crucified And in the Apocalips Videbit eum omnis oculus Euery eye shall see him But especially they Qui eum pupâ—gerunt That goard him O what a cruell taking must they bee in who are guilty to themselues in that day how cruelly they vsed the Sauiour of the World The second sort are those cast-awayes that haue made a couenant with Hell whilest they liued here on Earth Of whom Esay sayth Percussimus foedus cum morte cum inferno fecimus pactum i. Those desperate theeues that haue made a league with the Gallowes And those vnworthie Communicants of whome Saint Paul That they eate and drinke their owne condemnation Iudicium sibi manducat bibit Of these the sayd Esay asketh Which of you can dwell with the deuouring Fire Aut quis habitabit cum ardoribus sempiternis Are ye of that mettall that yee can suffer eternall fire who are not able to indure temporall heate Let the most desperat amongst you he that imagines he is able to indure any torment put but his finger awhile into the flame but of a candle and hee will soone tell mee another tale The third sort are those that professe a perpetuall and euerlasting hatred to Vertue and Goodnesse follow tyranny with delight and take a pleasure in sinning thinking there is no life to that which is vicious According to that of Esay Hee that departeth from euill maketh himselfe a prey It is death to them to doe otherwise And as Hosea hath it Sanguis sanguinem tetigit Against these God shall come armed with a corslet of Iustice and with robes of Vengeance and with a cloake of Zeale and like a swift torrent he shall sweepe away these reeds and bulrushes c. The fourth sort are those who deny God eyes to see the infinite summe and masse of those things that
out of it's stubbornenesse say vnto God I will not But admit it should say I will the miracle is no lesse but rather a manifest token of Gods diuine power and omnipotencie It is likewise to be noted That all the entrances which our Sauiour Christ made were with a great deale of noyse and clamour In that first which he made in the world Haggie prophecied That he should turne the Heauen and the Earth topsi-turuie And God did performe it vsing as his Instrument therein the Emperour Octauianus Augustus In that which hee made into Aegypt he did trouble all that Kingdome by throwing their Idolls downe to the ground as it was prophecied by Esayas Commouebuntur simulachra Aegypti So doth Procopius declare it Eusebius Athanasius and Saint Austen But say That in these his entrances there was a generall motion yet was there not a generall obedience But here Commota est vniuersa Ciuitas The Greeke saith Velut terrae motu concussa fuit As if it had suffered an vniuersal earthquake there was neither old man nor woman nor child c. This is a great encarecimiento or endeering of the matter First Because our Sauiour preaching about the Cities and Townes of that Kingdome the Euangelists deliuer vnto vs That all the Inhabitants that were in those parts left their houses and their villages emptie and forsaken and only for to follow him S. Marke he saith Et conueniebant ad eum vndique vt iam non posset manifeste introire in Ciuitatem sed in Desertis locis esset And Saint Luke That they troad one another vnder foot and crusht the breath out of their bodies and only to presse to heare him Ita vt se mutuò suffocarent But it is to be supposed that many likewise staid at home but in this his entrance into Hierusalem God would haue this lot to light vpon all and therefore it is said Vniuersa Ciuitas The whole Citie Seâ—ondly In regard of the infinite number of Inhabitants that were in that Citie which as Plinie reporteth was in those dayes the famousest in all the East And in a manner all those that haue writ thereof make mention of foure millions of persons Iosephus relateth That the President of Syria beeing desirous to render an account vnto Nero of the greatnesse of that Commonwealth did desire of the high Priests that they would giue him a true note of the number of those Lambs which they sacrificed one Sabboth which were afterwards eaten by seuerall companies and Housholds some consisting of ten some of 15 and some 20 soules and they found that they did sacrifice at euerie one of those their solemne Sabboths two hundred fiftie six thousand and fiue hundred Lambes which according to the rate of fifteene persons in a companie amount to foure millions and fiue hundred thousand But withall it is to be noted that neither the Sicke nor the children were present thereat But here Vniuersa Ciuitas The whole Citie came some out of passion and some out of affection Thirdly For that our Sauior Christ was alreadie condemned to death by the Chapter house of the Clergie who had called a Conuocation to send out Serjeants and Souldiers for the apprehending of him and had published Proclamations of rewards to those that should bring him bound vnto them that then and at such a time the whole Citie should receiue him with Songs and acclamations of King Messias and God being a proscribed man and doomed to death Haec mutatio dextrae excelsi This was an alteration which could not proceed but from the most High Commota est vniuersa Ciuitas The whole Citie was mooued Ierusalem had beene long settled in it's vices Visitabo super viros defixos in sordibus suis Moab requieuit in faecibus suis I will search Ierusalem with candles and punish the men that are settled on their lees c. And as the wise Phisitions stirre and trouble the humours cause loathings and gripings in the stomacke so our Sauiour Christ in the breast of euerie one causeth a squeamishnesse of the stomacke by moouing and stirring those foule dregges of sinne wherewith they were corrupted Et commota est vniuersa Ciuitas Many old diseases are woont to be cured with some sudden passion as of sorrow or feare or by some great and violent vomit for euerie one of these accidents make a pause in the humours and detaine the spirits An Ague hath been seen to be put out of his course and quite taken away by the sudden drawing of a sword vpon the Patient and a Palsey driuen away with the sight of a mans enemie And Horace telleth vs That a couetous Miser was recouered of a great Lethargie by the Physitions feigning that his heires were carrying away his bagges of money and the Chests wherein his Treasure lay In like manner in the infirmities of the Soule one turbation one disquieting one breaking vp of those Chests wherein our sinnes are massed vp may bee the recouerie of our perdition This made Dauid to say of his Soule Sana contritiones eius quia commota est O Lord my Soule is troubled within me when I consider the foulenesse of my sinnes it is sad and melancholy for the verie griefe thereof it is much disquieted And therefore ô Lord Sana contritiones eius affoord me thy helping hand for it is now high time to cure me of my sore Quis est hic Who is this This was a question of the enuious and appassionated Pharisees Howbeit it seemeth to Origen That it should proceed from some good honest people c. Howsoeuer it was a question whereunto no man could fully answer put Theologie the sacred Scripture the Doctors the Saints the Councells the Arts the Sciences and all the Hierarchies of Angells put them all I say together and put this question vnto them and after that they haue said all they can say all will be too little to satisfie this demand of Quis est hic Who is this One of Iobs friends treating of the Maiestie and greatnesse of God and how incomprehensible a thing it was saith Forsitan vestigia Dei comprehendes Et vsque ad perfectum omnipotentem reperies Canst thou by searching find out Gods footsteps Canst thou find out the Almightie vnto perfection By the tracke of his footsteps he vnderstandeth these inferior things that are guided and gouerned by his prouidence And by perfection which is the head of all the highnesse of his Wisedome In a word In all God is altogether inuestigable in regard of his heigth the Heauens come short of him Excelsior Coelo est see then if thou canst reach vnto him Which consideration made Saint Austen to say That God is not onely present in earth which is his footstoole and in Heauen which is his Throne but in those which are to be immagined elsewhere How then canst thou reach vnto him beeing more deepe than Hell longer than the Earth and broader than the
our life were but a Hell Saint Bernard saith That the end which our Sauiour had in transfiguring himselfe was that we might settle our thoughts and our hopes on that glorie whereunto he inuiteth vs for that mans happinesse wholly consisteth in enioying the presence of God Saint Basil expounding that place of Saint Mathew Estote perfecti c. Be yee perfect euen as your Father is perfect saith That the plainest way to enioy God is to thinke so continually on him that our Soules should be translated as it were into himselfe wee playing therein the Painters who for to take a picture perfectly neuer haue their eye from off the originall Saint Cyprian saith That there is not any thing that doth so much glad the eyes of God as our thinking on the reward which is set before vs. Many Saints turmoyled with a thousand miseries did euermore liue merily by being onely cheered vp with these good thoughts and hopes Salomon tells vs A reward is as a stone pleasant in the eyes of them that haue it Nor is there any pretious stone that so gladdeth his possessour as hope cheereth the Righteous Gregorie Nissen calleth Affliction the Floure of Glorie Fructuum qui sperantur flos As he that is to eat of the fruit takes pleasure in the floure for that neighbouring hope which is neere at hand so the Righteous through hope reioyce in Affliction Our Sauiour therefore being desirous that we should liue in hope vnfolded part of that Glorie which he retained in his Soule that placing our eyes and hearts thereupon all troubles whatsoeuer though neuer so great might seeme little in regard of our hoped-for reward Hence it followeth how ill they proceed and what a desperate and indirect course they take to whom God hauing deputed the Earth for their hopes and Heauen for their blisse peruert this his order by making the Earth their Heauen It is an ordinarie phrase of speech in Scripture to call our life a Warrefare now souldiers that are wise and valiant reuerse their pleasures till the battell is ended and the victorie obtained De torrente in via bibit propterea exaltauit caput He dranke of the torrent by the way therefore hath hee lift vp his head Saint Chrysostome expoundeth this verse of our Sauiour Qui non acquieuit in diebus carnis sua Who rested not in the dayes of his flesh vntill he had ouercome Death and Hel. Saint Ambrose declaring that place of the Apostle Non est nobis colluctatio c. Wee fight saith he with the Princes of Darkenesse for coelestiall goods for they loosing them by our occasion they are vnwilling that wee should enioy them And because Reward is that which giues the Souldier both heart and hands the last Sonday we proposed the Warre this the Reward The Deuill offered our Sauiour the glorie of the World but our Sauiour offers vs the glorie of God the hopes of this are better than the enioying of that Saint Bernard saith That the time of this life is the vigil of that feast which we hope for in glory whence he inferreth these two things The one That it were folly in vs to make the Vigile the Feast Which is all one with that of S. Austen Summa peruersitas est vti fruendis frui vtendis It is no good chop considering the vnequalnesse of the tearmes God gaue vs the Earth that we might vse it Heauen that we might inioy it And it is a beastly kind of ignorance to make the Earth Heauen The other That the Feast beeing so great the fast of the Vigile ought not to seeme so long vnto vs. Saint Paul making a counter position ofthat which may be suffered heere and that which may be hoped for there after that hee had sayd that the one was light and momentary the other weightie perdurable he added Supra modum in sublimitate It is a highnes aboue all highnesse the altitude thereof alone cannot be taken Nor can the tongue of man indeare it so much but it must fall short therof This made Saint Gregorie to say Qua lingua c. What tongue or what vnderstanding is able to vtter the great and wonderfull ioyes of that coelestiall Citie Saint Gregorie opening that place of Ieremie Patres nostri c. Our fathers eatâ— sowre grapes and our teeth were set on edge He stâ—les the pleasures of this life to be sowre grapes and fruits that are not yet come to their true ripenesse which are good for nothing else but to set our teeth on edge Philon calls them Fâ—riâ— Coeli For pleasures are not for the earth hee that inioyes them steales them from Heauen And as hee that steales inioyes what he hath so got with a great deale of feare and iealousie so may wee be sayd to inioy these humane feasts and pastimes That sacrifice of Abrahams was held the most acceptable that euer any man in the old Testament offered vnto God For in sacrificing his son Isaac hee did sacrifice all the ioy and content of this his life For Isaac by interpretation signifies laughter Risum fecit mihi Dominus The like may bee considered in his casting Agar out of his house which signifies a stranger Resoluing with himselfe beeing but as a stranger in this world not to ioy in the contents of this life Ieremie whose ordinarie occupation was weeping sayd Diem hominis non desideraui That is the day of prosperitie and of pleasure haue I not desired And Saint Bernard hath this note vpon it That hee might haue sayd That he did neither desire it nor inioy it Dauid grew wearie of his passe-times and pleasures Renuit consolari anima mea If any thing can affoord mee comfort it is the meditation of euerlasting ioy Base is that minde that liues merrie and contented with the inioying of the goods of this life Base are the thoughts of that Prince who keeping himselfe close in a Sheapheards cottage shall deeme himselfe happie in that poore estate not so much as once thinking on that crown which he ought to hope for Saint Austen declaring that place of Saint Iames Fratres sufferentiam Iob audistis finem Domini vidistis Yee haue heard Brethren of Iob's suffering and yee haue seene the end of the Lord. God sets before vs as patternes of patience the life of Iob and the death of Christ where it is to be obserued that he doth not set before vs the end of Iob because God giuing him a larger increase of wealth of children and other contents in this life his end was not by him to bee desired But that of our Sauiour was most painefull vnto him And therefore it is sayd Learne of Iob to suffer in this life and of our Sauiour in his death Leauing our hopes to relye vpon that other life Et transfiguratus est And hee was transfigured It was likewise fit that our Sauiour should be transfigured for the confirmation of our Faith For if these
vs take his Inheritance They did not say This is the sonne but the Heire discouering therein the dropsie of their couetousnesse for greedinesse of the Fruits they killed his Seruants and for greedinesse of the Inheritance they killed the Heire Couetousnesse is the root of all euill Pride is the seed of all sinnes and Couetousnesse the root which maintaines them The Seed is that beginning which giues them their beeing the Root that which sustaines and nourishes them in their verdure From the Tree you may easily lop the boughes but hardly remooue the roots First Because they are so deep that we cannot well come at them And secondly Because they are couered and buried vnder ground When Couetousnesse taketh deepe rooting in the heart of man it is couered ouer with the cloake of Sanctitie and of Vertue they are hard to bee digged out From this Vice two great huts doe arise The one That it is the Leauen of all our ill Salust saith That it destroyes the Vertues and the Arts and in their places brings in Infidelities and Treasons standing at open defiance both with God and Man Ecclesiasticus saith That there is nothing worse than a couetous man for such a one would euen sell his Soule for loue of money The Princes of Iudah saith Osee were like them that remooued the bound Saint Hierome and Lyra note That the Prophet borrowed this Metaphor from the Husbandmen who inlarge the bounds of their Inheritance growing by little and little on that which is another mans And that the Gouernours of the two Tribes did reioyce in the seruitude and captiuitie of the other ten for to inlarge their owne Lands and Territories and to augment their jurisdiction To reioyce in the inlarging of their owne was not much amisse but to take pleasure in another mans miserie is so great a sinne that God threatens seuerely to punish it I will poure forth saith he myne indignation vpon them like water In other his chastisements he vseth the word stillare now that which is distilled comes away in little drops and with a great deale of leisure but heere he saith Effundam iram meam Like a storme that comes so suddenly vpon him that he cannot escape it The Prophet Amos saith That amongst many other sinnes which the Sonnes of Ammon had committed one was a verie desperate one For three transgressions of the Children of Ammon and for foure I will not turne to it Because they haue ript vp the women with child of Giliad that they might inlarge their borders For bordering vpon those of Gilead they slew their women that were great with child that they might inherit their possessions ad dilatandum terminum suum As Queene Iesabel caused Naboth to bee put to death that she might haue his Vineyard In a word In that verie houre when Couetousnesse killed the Sonne of God What punishment were it neuer so cruell might not such an offence iustly feare The second hurt is That it is a vice of all other the hardest to bee remedied Phylon calls it Wickednesses Fort where all sinnes are protected and defended Saint Chrysostome saith That Gold turnes men into Beasts nay into beastly and abhominable Deuils Whereby he signified That it was an vnreclaimable sin Saint Ambrose That the couetous man reioyceth to see the Widow weepe and the Orphan to crie which is a foule sinne Saint Bernard paints out the Chariot of Couetousnesse to be drawne by cruell fierce and desperate both Coachman and Horses Iudas his owne heart opens this truth in regard that all the diligences all the fauours that our Sauiour Christ did him in washing his feet with water and it may be with the teares that trickled from his eyes his permitting him to dip his finger in the same dish with him and to bestow his best morcells vpon him were not of power to mollifie and soften this stonie heart of his Come let vs kill him Verie fitly is Sinne called a breake-necke or a downfall not onely in regard of that heigth from whence the Sinner falls and the deepenesse of the pit whereinto hee is to descend but because of his retchlesnesse and his carelesnesse by falling headlong from one sinne into another til he come to the bottome of all villanie and wickednesse And this is the reason why the Scripture makes so much reckoning of the first sinne we commit The first sinne that Saul committed was the pittie that he shewed to Amaleck And though in it selfe it were not so grieuous a sinne yet hee perseuered afterwards in enuying and persecuting Dauid hee committed great cruelties in Nob as a Moore could not doe more he slew fourescore and fiue Priests that wore a Linnen Ephod And because his faults were so heinous the Scripture mentioneth not any one saue that of his pittie towards Amaleck because that was the first round in the Ladder by which he fell afterwards downe into Hell Beatus vir qui non abijt Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the councell of the Vngodly 〈◊〉 stood in the way of Sinners and hath not sate in the seat of the Scornefull There are three happinesses that a man is said to enioy The one Not to fall into the pit of Sinne. The other If he doe fall not to continue long therein The third That if he doe perseuer in sinne that he bee not bewitched therewith nor make it his Seat For Sinne according to Saint Austen produceth Custome and Custome a necessitie of sinning Thus doth God punish one sinne with another a lesser sinne with a greater which is the greatest and seuerest rigour which the Tribunall of Gods Iustice inflicteth Seneca tells vs The prime and principall punishment of a Sinner is his sinning for then God falls presently a punishing sinne vpon sinne The Scripture reckoning vp all the sinnes of Herod as his tyrannies cruelties his swinish nature and his incestuous life it addeth super haec omnia as though all the rest in comparison of this were as nothing That hee had beheaded Saint Iohn Baptist because he preached Truth vnto him And this was the greatest vengeance that God could take of his former sinnes With Vria's murder God reuenged Dauids adultrie And Nathans reproouing him was the appeasing of Gods wrath against him For if God should not haue vsed this his mercy towards him what would haue become of Dauid Saint Ambrose expounding those words which Christ vttered vnto Peter Thou shalt denie me thrice saith That this placing of these three denialls was not onely a foretelling of them but of setting likewise a bound and limit vnto them to the end that hee should not denie his Master any more than three times God reuenged his first deniall by his second being forced to forsweare That he knew him not and his second by the third aggrauating the same with so many protestations and Anathema's But if Christ had not looked backe vpon him and taken pittie of
Ecce Satanas expetiâ—it vos vt cribraret sicut triticum Lo Satan seekes to sift ye as one would sift and winnow Wheat The graines of Wheat continue close together as long as they are in the garner but when they come to be sifted they are sundred and seperated one from another According to that of Iob Feruescere faciet quasi ollam profundum maris He will diuide the Sea in sunder with dissentions with the same rage fury as oyle boyleth vnder a great fire If Satan be deuided against himselfe how shall his Kingdome stand Satan is a common name which signifieth many Deuills For if it were a proper name as that of Belzeebub it could not haue so conueniently beene said In se diuisus est This word implyeth any aduersarie whatsoeuer As it appeareth by many places of Scripture Non est Satan neque occursus malâ—s said Dauid And our Sauiour Christ Vade post me Satan Sathan get thee behind mee But by a kind of excellencie it is more particularly appropriated vnto the Deuill because he is the greatest aduersarie we haue But if Sathan be diuided in him selfe how shall his Kingdome stand This seemeth to be no good consequence being that a superiour Deuill may cast out an inferiour I answere That our Sauiour Christ doth not denie this nay many of the Sinagogue by coniurations and vnlawfull exorcismes beeing the Deuills ministers did cast foorth other Deuills But if this were euery foote put in practise and that many superiour Deuill or their ministers should infest and hinder one another of force there must grow dissention among them diuision must needs follow vpon it and vpon this diuision the dissolution of their Kingdome as Athanasius hath noted it But our Sauiour Christ did cast out innumerable Deuills to their great griefe and torment Crying and saying Why art thou come to torment vs before our time Where Saint Luke sayth In digito Dei eijcio daemonia In the finger of God I cast out Deuils Saint Austen reads it Si in Belzeebub c. If I cast out Deuills by the power of Belzeebub then is his Empire diuided and cannot stand But his Kingdome not being to be at an end till that God commeth into the World as is made apparant by many prophecies Peruenit in vos regnum Dei The Kingdome of God doth come vnto you When a strong man armed keepeth his pallace the things that he possesseth are in peace Seneca extends this name of Tyrant to a King that lawfully possesseth a Kingdome but is now in his hands who by force or subtiltie vsurpeth that which is none of his own or in his who gouerns that which is his own but with tyrannie and cruelty Saint Austen looking narrowly into those the primarie beginnings of the Kingdomes and Empires of the World cals them Magna latrocinia Great and famous robberies When Rome was Queen of the World Titus Liuius sayth That all the spoiles of other nations were there deposited Alexander reprehending a Pyrat for robbing at Sea with two poore ships Hee told him Thou robbest the whole world and doost thou find fault with mee for those petty thefts that I commit And euen thus doe things passe at this day in your great commonwealths They whip a young theefe for stealing but ten Royals and let a greater scape scot-free What thinke you if they were well examined of a Treasurer of a Iudge of an Admirall and the like great officers of a State are not these great Theeues And yet for greatnesse sake we adore them Your mice are prettie little Theeues who in a Larder lye nibbling at a Pastie Thou puttest in a Cat to kill them or to feare them away the cat falls vpon the Pye and at times eates it all vp Which I pray you is the greater Theefe of the two The greatest Tyrant and Theefe that euer was in the World is the Deuill Not onely for hauing made himselfe so much Lord and Master of the World whereunto hee had no right by stiling himselfe Prince and Lord thereof but also for his exercising therein such strange and tyrannous cruelties as hee dayly dooth Our Sauiour Christ called him Theefe He that comes not in at the right doore is a Theefe and a Robber Esay tearmes him a Tyrant But I cannot let it passe without admiration that our Sauiour should say That hee should possesse all these things peaceably being that no Theefe nor Tyrant can long inioy that which he holdeth by violence First of all Great is the feare which he must liue in whether it be out of his owne guiltie conscience that continuall tormenter of the Soule or in regard of those perils and dangers wherin his life stands Helyes in waite for other mens liues there are thousands that lye in waite to take away his It is an antient Prouerbe amongst vs Que los tyranos nunca â—legauam a viejos That Tyrants neuer liued to be old men Phalaris was one of the greatest that euer the World had who sayd That Man would neuer haue beene borne If he had but knowne beforehand those miseries whereunto hee is borne Nor a Tyrant desire to beare rule knew hee but the troubles and misfortunes that attend commands whereof one is Feare For though he bee feared of all men yet greater is his than their feare Caine was the first Tyrant that euer was in the World and did liue in that terrible feare that the wagging of a leafe would startle him and make him turne coward This his feare made him to say Whosoeuer findeth me will slay mee Macrobius painting forth the pains torments of Hell sayth That your Tyrants haue a great rocke hanging ouer their heads which is euermore threatning to fall vpon them This picture in that other life dooth well answere to that which they suffer in this Aelian compares them to hogs who are no sooner toucht but they grunt fearing their liues shal be taken from them Nor is the deuil himself lesse affraid than they euer since that God sayd Ipse conteret caput â—â—um He shall bruise thy head There was neuer yet that man borne into the world that was a Saint or whom the prophecies did prefigure for a Saint but that the Deuill was still affraid that hee would cracke his skull or to vse the Scripture phrase would bruise his head Secondly For the better auoiding of feare a Tyrant out of feare commits many cruelties Herod out of this feare slew so many innocent Babes Pharaoh out of this feare would haue all the male children of the Hebrews put to death Athalia out of this feare destroyed all the stocke Royal that she could come by For all sayth Seneca that are either powerfull or popular or next of bloud to the Crowne whether they be friends or enemies are alike suspected of him that is a Tyrant And Iob remembers the reason of this iealousie Hee takes away the liues of the valiant because he is
fro with it's vnruly appetites is al one Et vita inter Effoeminatos Another Letter hath it Scortatores The connexion is good for Youth runnes it selfe quickely vpon the Rockes of death through it's sensualities and lewdnesse of life There are two daughters of the Horse-leech which still crie Giue giue And the Wiseman pointing them forth vnto vs saith The one is Infernus The other Os Vuluae The Graue the one and Lust the other And the Wiseman did linke these two together with a great deale of conueniencie and fittingnesse for if Lust bee neuer satisfied the Graue lesse This truth is likewise made good forasmuch as the Scripture stileth Sinne Death If I doe this I must die the death So said Susanna to the Iudges that made vnlawfull and dishonest loue vnto her And Cain seeing himselfe charged with fratricide at that verie instant he gaue himselfe for a dead man Whosoeuer shall meet me will kill me Youth then beeing a house whereinto the raine doth drip so fast and at so many places it is no meruaile that life should cease and soone decay It is prouerbially said Loue is as strong as Death And as Loue doth vsually set vpon Youngmen so doth Death and where Loue striketh Youth Death may spare his Dart. The Antients painted a Youngman starke naked his eyes with a Vaile or Bend before them his right hand bound behind him and his left left at libertie and Time followiâ—â— him close at the heeles and euer and anon pulling a thred out of the Vaile Hee was drawne naked to shew with what little secrecie hee had vsed his delights and pleasures with his right hand bound behind him to expresse that he did not doe any thing aright his left free and at libertie signifying that he did all things aukwardly and vntowardly he was portrayed blind because he doth not see his owne follies but Time goes opening his eyes by little and little day by day brings him to the true knowledge of his errors And he that was dead sate vp and began to speake The Dead presently obeyed the voyce of the Liuing And hee sate vp God cryeth out aloud to those that are dead in their Soules yet doe they not obey his voyce Arise thou that sleepest c. Hee began to giue thankes vnto him that had done him this so great a fauour Thou hast deliuered mee ô Lord from the dooâ—es of death and therefore I will celebrate thy prayses and magnifie thy name in the Gates amiddest the Daughters of Syon It is Saint Chrysostomes note That the word Doores is put here in the plurall number because many are the dangers out of which God deliuereth a sinner That all may speake of thy praise and talke of thy wondrous workes And there came a feare vpon all It may seeme to some That the word Loue would better haue become this place and beene fitter for this present purpose and occasion All a man would thinke should rather haue expressed their loues vnto him sung forth his prayses and offered their seruice vnto him In those former punishments of a World drowned and ouerwhelmed with Water of a Sodome burned and consumed with Fire it was verie fit and meet that it should strike feare and amasement into all But in such a case as this What should cause them to feare Hereunto I answer That nothing doth strike such a feare and terrour into man as the great and wonderfull mercies of God A Roman Souldier told Iulius Caesar It much troubles me nor can I be heart-merrie as oft as I thinke on the many fauours that I haue receiued from thy liberall hand but doe rather hold them as so many wrongs and iniuries done vnto me for they are so beyond all requitall that I must of force proue vngratefull which makes me to feare that thou wilt proceed against me for a heinous offendor in this kind In like manner so many are the mercies of God towards man and so infinite that they may be held as Vigiles of his future seuerer Iustice. Iacob did in a manner vtter the same sentence against himselfe Minor sum cunctis miserationibus tuis The least of thy mercies is greater than all my merits nor can the best seruices that I can doe thee make satisfaction for the least of those fauours which I haue receiued from thy bounteous liberalitie Grant ô Lord that what is wanting in our owne worthinesse may bee made vp in the mercies and merits of our Sauiour Iesus Christ To whom with the Father c. THE XXX SERMON VPON THE FRYDAY AFTER THE FOVRTH SVNDAY IN LENT IOHN 11.1 Erat quidam languens Lazarus Now a certaine man was sicke named Lazarus of Bethanie c. PEtrus Crysologus calls this Signum signorum Mirabile mirabilium Virtutem virtutum The signe of signes the wonder of wonders and the Vertue of vertues or the power of powers Saint Augustine Miraculorum maximum The myracle of myracles which of all other did most predicate and blazon forth Christs glorie Saint Hierome preferres it before all the rest that he wrought here vpon earth By this prenda or pledge of his Diuinitie Death remained confounded the Deuills affrighted and the lockes and barres of Hell broken Genebrard That it is the voice of a Crier which goes before a Triumpher who makes Death the triumphant Chariot of his Maiestie and glorie That a valiant Warriour should make a braue and gallant shew on horsebacke hauing his Courser adorned and set forth with curious and costly Caparisons it is not much but to seeme handsome and comely in Deaths palenesse weakenesse and foulenesse beeing so ghastly a thing to looke on God onely can doe this Ante faciem eius saith Abacuc ibit mors Death â—â—all flie before his face Christ doth deliuer vs from a double death the one of the soule the other of the bodie He deliuered them from their distresses Death is swallowed vp in victorie He that drinketh takes the cup in his hand and doth therewith what it pleaseth him so did our Sauiour deale with Death therfore he called it a cup drinking the same vp at one draught wherein he dranke a health to all Beleeuers Saint Bernard vpon this occasion saith of him Mirabilis potator es tu Thou art a strange kind of drinker O Lord before thou tastedst of this cup thou saidst Transeat Let it passe and after thou hadst dranke thereof thou saidst Sitio I thirst The Flesh was afraid but the Spirit got the victorie ouer Death with that ease as a good Drinker doth of a good cup of drinke when he is verie thirstie In a word Not onely because this was a myracle wrought vpon a dead person that had lien foure dayes buried in his graue but because the sacrilegious councell of the Scribes and Pharisees had layd their heads together and plotted the death of our Sauiour Christ as also in regard of those other circumstances That the deceased
vs it is a kind of imperfection because these affections or passions fall a balling without any reason in the world and no iust occasion being giuen But in our Sauior Christ these passions were not without cause as Saint Augustine hath noted it Saint Gregorie and Saint Hierome neither can they presse him further than hee is pleased to command them If here our anger take hold vpon vs it is like a fierce mastiffe which being set on by his Master takes hold on the Bul and will not let him go though he be rated off againe and againe In conclusion two things doth here recommend themselues vnto vs. The one That our Sauiour Christ was angrie The other That he was mooued to much compassion His anger was occasioned through the Iewes incredulitie as it is noted by Cardinall Tolet and Caietane whose hardnesse and vnbeleefe was such that hee was forced to take Lazarus his life from him to disconsolate those two kind Sisters to draw teares from their eyes and sobs from their brest and afterwards to returne himagaine vnto the world and onely that some might be drawne to beleâ—ue Saint Cyril saith That this his anger was against Death and the Deuill as if he had threatned their ouerthrow and vowed their destruction as it is prophecied by Osee O mors ero mors tua O death I will be thy death c. Vbi posuistis eum Where haue yee laid him c. O Lord Why shouldst thou aske this question I answer That he did it for two reasons The one The countenance of a Sinner is so strangely changed and is so strangely altered from what he was before he fell sicke of sinne that it is a phrase of Scripture to say God doth not know him Thou lendest thy friend thy Horse or thy Cloake the one is returned to thee so lame and so leane the other so ill vsed and so vtterly spoyled that not knowing thyne owne thou sayest This is not that which I lent Of an vntowardly and vngratious sonne the father will vsually say He is none of my sonne so said God to the foolish Virgins and to those that had wrought myracles in his name Nescio vos I know yee not Your Robbers on the Highway disfigure the faces of those whom they rob and murder to the end they may not be knowne And there is nothing that makes the Soule fouler than Sin Denigrata est facies eorum super carbones and it beeing so faire beautifull before it is no great meruaile that God should not know it So that now our Sauiour seemes not to know the place there being so great a difference betweene the one place and the other that of the life of Grace and that of the death of Sinne that he here askes Vbi posuistis eum Where haue yee layd him Saint Chrysostome alledgeth That hee vsed the like question when hee called vnto Adam saying Adam Adam vbi es Adam where are thou I find thee in a different place from that wherein I put thee I placed thee in prosperity and content and I find thee now in wretchednesse and in miserie Who caused this so great an alteration in thee Saint Cyprian saith That this question was made more to the Sinne than to the Sisters and that Lazarus representing Mankind he said speaking of our sinnes Vbi posuistis eum Where haue yee layd him I placed him in Paradice and yee haue put him in the graue The like is reported by Petrus Crysologus and he calleth the Graue the Caue wherein the Deuill hides his thefts and because the beginning of all this harme proceeded from woman he asketh the Sisters Vbi posuistis eum Where haue yee layd him For there are many women God hauing placed man in honour happinesse and health which bring man to his graue The other A Sinner through sinne is remooued so farre from God in Regionem longinqâ—am that God askes where he is For if it were possible for man to hide himselfe from the all-seeing eye of God doubtlesse he would hide himselfe in the land of Darkenesse that is of Sinne. And therefore it is said The Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous and the way of the Wicked shall perish And Iesus wept Of this sheding of teares wee haue rendred many reasons elsewhere Those which now offer themselues are these The first is of Saint Ambrose and Saint Chrysostome who say That Christ was mooued to weepe by seeing Marie and Martha weepe Christ seeing the Widow of Naim weepe said vnto her Noli flere Weepe not and in the house of the chiefe Ruler of the Synagogue he sought to diuert their teares and yet heere these of Marie seeme to extort by force the falling of these teares from his tender eyes Marie had accustomed her selfe to talke with our Sauior in this â—ind of Language it being a Cypher which onely our Sauiour vnderstood and because she talked to him in teares he answers her in teares The exhalations of Maries heart ascend vp to the heauen of Christs eyes and these humane teares draw downe diuine teares obtaining that by grace which was impossible for nature to compasse The second is of Saint Hilarie and Epiphanius who affirme That he thinking on the obstinacie of the Iewes and their finall perdition brake forth thus into teares For no man can comprehend what an offence to God is saue God himselfe and therefore none ô Lord can so truly bewaile sinne as thy selfe And it seeming to our Sauiour Christ that two eyes were too little to lament their miserie he added fiue wounds which serued as so many weeping eyes not shedding water but bloud Saint Bernard saith That in the Garden our Sauior did sweat bloud that he might weepe with all his whole bodie treating therin touching the remedie of the mysticall bodie of the Church Eusebius Emisâ—nus saith That he did groane and weepe in token that wee ought grieuously to lament and bewaile our sinnes And to this purpose saith Ieremie Call for the mourning women that they may come let them make hast and let them take vp a lamentation for vs that our eyes may cast out teares and our eye lids gush out of water And why I pray you so much weeping and lamentation Quia ascendit mors per fenestras as it followeth anon after Because death is come vp into our windowes and is entred into our Pallaces to destroy the children without and the young men in the streets The Soule is gone forth and Death hath entred in weepe therefore c. The death of the bodie is a type of that of the soule And therefore Saint Gregorie saith If I shall walke in the midst of the shadow of death He saith That the departing of the bodie from the soule is but a shadow but the departing of the soule from God is a truth and as a shadow is a refreshing in Sommer so is death to the Righteous The Wicked sticke not to say
that he did him and the great reward hee bestowed vpon him Amongst other Motiues the first shall be the Title of the Crosse Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum Iesus of Nazareth King of the Iewes It was prophesied That his Kingdome should take it's beginning from the Crosse Dominus regnabit à ligno The Iewes did secretly honour the word à ligno The Saints did openly reuerence it Christ had giuen great pledges in his birth that hee was à King by Angels Shepheards and Kings In his life by the obedience of all sorts of creatures Who is this whom the winds and seas obey By the voices of the Diuells themselues by the whips of the Temple and by his last Supper Here bee some standing here which shall not taste of death vntill c. In his passion My kingdome is not of this world and ye shall see the Son of man comming in power But in his death hee gaue farre greater pledges All the creatures gaue testimonie of their Creator The diuels cried out so sayes Eusebius Caesariensis Pan magnus interijt And howbeit on Pilats and the peoples part the Title of the Crosse was placed there in scoffe and scorne of him yet the diuine prouidence made vse of these liuing instruments And as in the creation he walked on the waters so in the reparation of mankind he passed through punishments and paines of our Sauiour Christ making their iests turne to earnest The same consideration being likewise to be had concerning the Crowne the Scepter and the Robe of purple which in derision they put vpon him c. Hilarie and Bonauenture both say That our Sauiour Christs Patience was one great Motiue In heauen the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost beare witnesse In earth the Holy Ghost Water and Blood All these testimonies proue the Diuinitie of Christ. But to let passe those of heauen The Holy Ghost doth prooue that hee was a Diuine person whose voyce was so powerfull when the Spirit tooke his leaue of his body that it forced the Centurion to say Vere filius Dei erat iste Truely this man was the Son of God The Water which was miraculous prooues that he was a Diuine person for it is not possible that water should naturally flowe from a dead body The Blood that prooues it not onely in regard of it's muchnesse but that it was shed with so much patience For though his wounds were many and his torments great yet like a sheepe before the Shearer he neuer once opened his mouth or shew'd the least resistance And Euthymius and Theophylact adde That the prayer which he heard him make to his Father Father forgiue them which was the first that he vttered on the Crosse did worke that amasement in this theefe That he said with himselfe Sure this is no man And thereupon began to haue an assured hope of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes For thought he he that is so desirous to pardon those that had vsed him so cruelly not onely tormenting him in his body but also scoffing and flouting at him to vexe if it were possible his soule will surely farre more willingly pardon me who being heartily sorry for my sinnes desire to become his seruant I haue heard that the Kings of Israel are mercifull but none of them all had so generous and free a heart as our Sauiour Christ. Tertullian saith That hee came into the world for to shew himselfe a God in his suffering making Patience the badge and marke of his Diuinitie And that the power which he shewed in pardoning being so great much greater was that which hee shewed in suffering It was much that he should suffer for man much more in that he suffered for man when as man would not suffer him to be God To admit a Traytour to his boord to bid him welcome to feast him and make much of him that finding himselfe so kindly vsed he may make him surcease from his plotted treasons winning him vnto him by these and the like courtesies well may a man doe this but that God should admit a Iudas to his table that he should eate with God God witting That he would goe from the table to execute his treason to sell God and to deliuer him vp into the hands of his enemies onely God and his patience could suffer so great an iniurie which made Saint Augustine to say A potentia discimus patientiam S. Chrysostome Origen and S. Ierome are or opinion That the alteration of the sunne and the elements wrought the same effect vpon the theefe as it did vpon Dyonisius in Athens when he cryed out Either the world is at an end or this man is God Vincent Ferrariensis saith That the shadow of our Sauiour Christ did inlighten this Theefe And that the shadow of Saint Peter healing bodies it was not much that the shadow of Christ should heale soules Whereunto may be applyed that of Dauid Thou hast shadowed my head in the day of battaile Petrus Damianus saith That the blessed Virgin might bee a meanes of this Theeues Conuersion by intreating her sonne that he would be pleased to open the eyes of his soule Whether she were mooued thereunto because the good theefe did not reuile Christ or whether which Saint Augustine reports though some attribute the same to Anselmus That in her iourney to Aegypt hee being Captaine of the Theeues did the blessed Virgin many good seruices being much taken with the prettinesse of the child and the sober and modest countenance of the mother sure I am that it was a happines so sole in the world consisting of such strange circumstances That no man did or euer shall enioy the like good lucke And as we cannot expect a second death of our Sauiour Christ so such a second happy incounter as this was cannot bee hoped for This Theefe came in that good time when as heauen did shoure downe mercies when there was a plenary Indulgence and Iubilee granted when God did poure forth the balme of his Blood for to ransome man when the doores of heauen and the wounds of Christ were equally open when the fountaine of liuing water did cry out in the middest of the world If any man thirst let him come vnto mee and drinke when our Sauiour had such a longing desire to see the fruit of his labors and sweats when he had put that petition to his Father which began with Ignosce illis Forgiue them And it seeming vnto him That his Father was too slow in granting his request he did thus pittifully complaine vnto him O my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Why came I into the world Why was I borne in pouertie liued in labour and dyed in sorrow What Haue I laboured then in vaine Secondly it was his happinesse as Saint Gregory Nissen hath obserued That he inioyed our Sauiour Christs side and his shadow that he was so close vnder his wing He that sayles in a little Barke with a
praise of it 41 Apparell How to be limitted 235 The abuse of it 236 B Baptisme THe foundation of Christian building 558 Bethesda the figure of it 165 Beloued A name of good preheminence 502 Bells The vse of them 526 Beelzebub Why resembled to a flye 295 Benefit See Courtesie Well bestowed if much desired 546 Beautie The force of it 571 Blessing Why Isaac would haue conferred the blessing on Esau. 227 God measures out his blessings to vs more by Loue than Wisedome 262 He substracts them from the vngratefull 270 C Centurion HIs behauiour iustified 36 His faith commended 34 Capernaum The glorie of it 23 315 Why Christ would worke no myracles there 318 There began the preaching of the Gospell 315 Change A change to be seene in all things 247 Charitie See Mercy and Vnmercifulnesse Much respected of God 100 praised of Men. 307 Must be practised towards all 337 How it differs from couetousnesse 439 Chaire What is meant by Moses his Chaire 212 Chastisement See Punishment Gods chastisements whereunto resembled 244 To what purpose they serue ibid. More in shew than in substance 452 Children What care Parents should haue of them 226 If vertuous their Parents glorie 310 Christ a Schoole-master euen to these 462 Foure degrees of child-hood and whereunto alluding 602 Christ. See Death His comming to Iudgement 93 With what Maiestie it shall be 96 97 His combat with the deuill 71 How called the hope of the Gentiles 142 Why called the Sonne of Dauid rather than of Abraham 149 His transfiguration and the reasons of it 184 c. The necessitie of it 187 The qualitie 188 Glorious in his Passion three manner of waies 192 His bodie two-fold Naturall and Mysticall 193 His Passion the fountaine of our glorie ibid. He suffered onely because he would 200 His willingnesse to dye 219 Why called the Sonne of Man 223 His blood why shed in the Vine-yard 265 If conceiued in the heart soone discouered 309 His Pedigree the noblest that euer was 310 His workes of two sorts 318 No Monopoly to bee made of his Worth 326 As he was meeke in reprouing so he was stout in reuenging 359 He brings Health and Holinesse wheresoeuer he commeth 374 Compared to the Sunne 388 The onely Well of liuing Water 394 A Controller of curious nicenesse ibid. The prerogatiue of his flesh 379 More mooued at our disasters than he was at his owne 494 Why without peccabilitie 524 c. His innocency exemplified both by his life death 526 Neuer any so abused by the World as he 537 543 Hee must be sought while he may be found 543 His power neuer more seene than in his Passion 549 605 He prooues his Diuinity by no other testimonie than his workes 556 Alwayes ready to forgiue Sinners 583 Why called a Bull. 605 His life was to bring the Iewes to knowledge his death the Gentiles 605 His Humility the character of his Loue. 637 His company a sure protection 622 Euery part of him affoords a Sinner confidence 645 His Dietie when most concealed ibid. His bloud ought to be much regarded 647 The difference betwixt his Triumph those of Men. 16 Christians Led more by Custome than Deuotion 414 Many now worse enemies to Christ than were the Pharisees 267 Many Christians why called sheepe 567 Church Why persecuted 65 Likened to a Rocke ibid. Her greatest persecution is to want persecution ibid. Her firmenesse 250 Gods fauour towards her 345 Why stiled a well ordered Army 440 In her infancie she needed miracles 326 She thriues because watered with the blood of Christ and his Martyrs 251 Clemencie A profitable vertue 534 Communion Two dignities to be considered in it One of the Person that receiueth Christ the other of the Preparation wherewith he doth receiue it 33 636 Confession When to be made 203 The onely way to absolution 281 Without it no true comfort 288 Sathan would keepe vs from it ibid. Contemplation Must not bee seuered from action 488 Nor preferred before it 413 Conscience If guiltie the greatest torture 567 Cooperation Necessarie in things that concern the sauing of our Soules 147 Counsaile Where good Counsell is wanting all runs to ruine 436 State Counsells more to pill the poore than to preserue them 437 No man so wise but may need good Counsell 587 Ill Counsel produceth ill effects ibid. Countrey Euery man must loue his owne Countrey 275 316 Conuersion Three conuersions celeberated by the Church 615 That of the Theefe miraculous 616 Couetousnesse Foolish and vnnecessarie 8 The roote of all euill 234 Nothing worse than a couetous man 263 No Vice more seuerely punished ibid. None so hard to be reformed ibid. The onely God that commands the World 264 Men vsually couet what is especially commended 407 Couetousnesse and Mercy how they differ 439 Neuer satisfied 441 Naught in a Magistrate ibid. Worse in a Minister 448 457 489 Courtesie The receit of a courtesie is the ingaging of our libertie 226 A good turne is a strong fetter 253 Courteous behauiour the greatest gaine 445 Court Courtier The Courts of Princes like the poole of Bethesda 162 The life of a Courtier is wholly vpon hope ibid. Crosse. Heauens key 623 The death of the Crosse an iniurie to nature 644 Crueltie See Vnmercifulnesse Curiositie Dangerous in diuine matters 125 as also in searching into other mens liues 477 Curiositie and Temperance are stil at variance within vs. 521 D Death THe Glorious change whereunto it brings the child of God 242 No greater dishonour than to dye by the hand of a base enemie 74 Naturall to shunne Death and to seeke Life 219 Christs willingnesse to dye ibid. Christs death to be considered two manner of wayes c. 222 c. As a mans life is so is his death 243 Why called a change 247 We ought to pray against suddaine death 331 492 The death of the wicked full of terror 332 The death of the Saints is the weakening of the place in which they dye 426 Little regarded or remembred 489 The remembrance of it affoords two benefits It is incident to all 490 c. The liuing more to be pitied than the dead 494 Death a large draught but Christ swallowed it downe 499 Why termed a Sleepe 509 c. Christs death how different from ours 510. The death of the Soule a true death that of the body onely a shadow 512 Why the Heathen erected Pyramids ouer their dead 514 Christs death the Deuills worst torment 528 549 Why Christ desiring to dye fled to auâ—yd death ibid. c. Christs death did alter the nature of things 645 The Deuil neuer more deluded than by Christs death 646 Preparation against death necessarie 597 Deuill He layes vpon Man three burthens 17. His description 71. His trade is wholly to doe euill 80 Why he appeared to Eue in the forme of a Serpent 81 His subtiltie 82 A great prouoker to Gluttonie and why Ibid. His malice oftentimes outrunnes his Wit 85 He is
neuer be asswaged 530 562 Blind and simple in all her practises 592 c. Euer her owne foe 646 Man The name of man imports three things 3 The qualitie of his thoughts 601 His pride and vanitie 2 Two definitions of him 625 Deferres his promises 159 His attributes obliuion and basenesse 3 His best knowledge is to know himselfe 4 The benefit arising from this knowledge 6 7 His onely supporter God 160 Nothing his owne in this life 251 Nor can he doe any thing of himselfe 252 The Vine of all plants most resembleth him 255 God is able to make of him what he pleaseth 256 Good men are scarce 259 Nothing so foule as man without his God 279 He is the Deuils Cittadell 285 Why Sathan is so malicious against him 291 Of all creatures the most furious if not guided by reason 329 Christs Art in gaining him 637 The Deuill not more cruell 381 425 598 Why God suffers in him so many corporall weakenesses and defects 480 c. 506 Inferiour to the creatures in all humane goods 508 His wayes are two and he needs a guide 520 608 Masters How to vse and esteeme their seruants 25 c. They must visit and helpe them in their sickenesse 31 The benefit of hauing Christ our Master 115 Meditation Like Gun-pouder 5 Meekenesse Preuailes vpon the fiercest persons 51 Memorie The true vse of it 3 Mercy See Charitie Pitie Loue. Gods omnipotency seene most in his mercy 54 The practise of mercie brings with it the greatest glorie 55 It differenceth Gods children from those of the Deuill 100 Workes of mercie most enquired after in the day of Iudgement 105 Mercie and Iustice the two Poles of Gods gouernment 108 Mercie a sure motiue to Mercy 153 Merciful men the fittest to be about Princes ib. God defers not his Mercy but to augment it 159 Not so plentiful vnder the Law as vnder Grace 165 Gods Mercy euer in competition with mans malice 260 He that would find Mercy must seeke it 387 Iudges must incline to Mercy 421 455 c. An argument of goodnesse in whomsoeuer it is found 424 'T is Gods care to worke his children to Mercie 435 Hee delights in no attributes of his owne so much as this 481 'T is the Spring from whence all his other blessings flow 496 Sometimes so great that wee cannot thinke on it but with terrour 498 Merits Vtterly cryed down 148 321 Ministers See Preachers Magistrates Miracles When to be wrought 85 324 Why not in vse now Ibid. Hypocrites fauour them much 120 c. The nature of Christs miracles 122 c. How they differed from those of the Deuill ibid. Why miracles should be desired 123 More frequent in the time of Grace than vnder the Law ibid. Prophesies more auailable 190 Neither necessarie to saluation nor sufficient 326 Christs miracles all wrought for the reparation of our miseries 430 Mirth See Sorrow The best Phisicke 167 Money The instrument of all mischiefe 274 Moores Of all people the most fearefull and why 73 Mortification If true neuer without mirth 19 20 Moses Chaire What it meant 212 N Niniue THe greatnesse of it 132 How the Niniuites shall rise vp in Iudgement against Christians at the latter day 132 O Obliuion HAth two bosomes 535 Offence See Iniurie Offerings No honour to God when hurtfull to others 366 Offices The sale of them the ruine of a Kingdome 457 Oliue Why the Hieroglyphicke of Mercy 413 What was typified by the mount of Oliues 412 Order The want of it any where brings all into confusion 441 P Paradise See Heauen Parents MVst be loued of their children 275 They must haue a care of them 226 Partialitie In all things to be auoyded 440 Most of all in Iudgement 472 Passion See Christ. Death Christ glorious in his Passion three manner of wayes 192 Punctuall in discribing it 220 It should be seriously considered ibid. 222 'T is the fountaine of our glory 193 Passion alters all properties to it selfe 532 Patience Christs Patience more staggered the Deuill than all his Miracles 55 The excellency of it 68 Once wounded outragious 356 Patience and Hope the onely meanes to bring vs to Heauen 156 Acceptable to God and profitable to our selues 169 172 A patient Eare shall reape great profit 349 Patience when most to be applauded 533 A patient man whereunto resembled 534 Patience the badge of Christs Diuinity 622 People Nothing fiercer than their furie 314 Persecution Whether Lawfull to flye in time of persecution 551 Persuasions If false the most dangerous inuasions 202 Peter Two opinions concerning his deniall 607 How it may be sayd he lost his Faith ibid. The occasions of his fall 608 His sinne like that of Adam 610 More iniurious to Christ than all his Enemies 612 Why he asked not pardon for his deniall 614 Pittie Hath alwayes a Prayer for them that need it 378 Euer profitable to them that vse it 476 Pharisees and Scribes Their wicked behauiour towards Christ. 113 Their office 112 What they were 210 Physitians Ought to visit the poore 31 Christ the best 171 177 380 Bad Physitians the Butchers of a Common-weale 177 Place Many haue often fared the better for the place in which they were 388 Pleasures Of this life altogether vanitie 186 197 Whereunto compared 410 Power Neuer to be showne but in extremitie 552 Pouerty The whole life of our Sauiour was a patterne for it 636 The poore more respected of God than the rich 30 They haue vsually the nobler minds 189 Forsaken of all 277 As necessary for the rich as the rich for them 374 Praise All the retribution that man can make to God for all that hee receiueth from him is to praise him 401 Precedents More auaileable than Precepts 214 Predestination A speciall marke of it 155 Preachers Priests Prelats Ought to haue but one Wife one Vine one Liuing 254 Their seuerall names in holy Writ 260 How the World vseth them ibid. Hot fiery spirits vnfit for this office 567 The vnworthinesse of the Person no preiudicâ— to the Function 597 Christs preaching powerfull 100 106 The office of a preacher 133 The efficacie of Ionas his preaching 139 141 The best preachers haue not alwaies the most Auditors 141 Priests are to be both Sheep-heards and Christians 196 Three sorts of preachers 213 Those of looser life to what resembled 214 Their maine aime is the glorie of God 215 The honour of priest-hood 448 A Preacher should neuer boast of his parts 468 He must reprooue boldly 471 Preaching and Practise should neuer bee seuered 527 Like Priest like People 540 Kindred the ouerthrow of many Prelats 555 Ignorant and sluggish Prelats the destruction of Gods Vineyard 253 Prayer Prayer and Almes the wings of Faith 22 We must pray for our enemies 52 Reasons and inducements hereunto 53 The excellency of Prayer 114 efficacy 144 Why God sometimes denies vs what we pray for 130 149 Prayer must be our practise in aduersitie 138 Vocall prayer
building Circumstances of Time and Place in Holy Writ of great significancie Ierem. 6. 2. Mac. 1.18 The feast of Fire Leuit. 6.13 Zach. 14 6. God wil helpe those that flie for him but not from him PeniteÌ„ce compared to a Storme Prou. 30. Christ omits no meanes euen to reclaim the Reprobatâ— if it might be Exod. 3. 1. Cor. 15. God did his greatest works always on the Sunday God will haue his Temples honoured Lost is that Common-wealth in which Magistrates and their Ministers are both faulty Luk. 23. God will not suffer his children to fall into the hands of the vngodly Eccl. 21.9 Entry of all sin the worst and hardest to be cared Men are euer ready to vnburthen themselues of their miseries Esay 63. Gen. 3. The subteltie of the Iewes in circumuenting our Sauiour Psal. 19. The Iewes wanted nothing to make them beleeue but a willingnes to beleeue 1. Iohn 5.7 Ioâ— â— 39 Act. 10.43 Mat. 11. Why our Sauiour would prooue his Diuinitie by no other testimonie than his works Mat. â—1 A true Christian glorieth in nothing more than in his sufferings for Christ. Hot fierie Spirits vnfit for the Ministery Gen. 4. Deut. 28.65 66 67. No torture to a guilty conscience Psal. 85. The vngratefulnesse of mans nature Foure faire mothers that euer bring forth foule children Psal. 106. The Circumstances of Maries perdition The sin of dishonestâ—e hath two pâ—operties (1.) It sticks of all others the closest to the Soule Gen. 6. 3. Reg. 11. (2.) It bliâ—â—s the VnderstaÌ„ding The force of Beautie â—osea 7. Adultry compared to a heated Ouen Gods glorie greater in our conuersion than creation Psal. 108. To conuert a sinner is a worke of wondrous difficultie in regard of mans peruersnesse Zachar. 14. The iustification of a sinner set out by diuers apt similitudes Esay 44. Eccles. 3.16 Prou. 30. Woman the hieroglyphike of weaknes Prou. 30. Maries conuersion affordeth hope to the most desperate sinners Osee 2. Of Maries repentance The foulenes of sinne We may dally with the sicknes of the bodiâ— not of the soule The fairenes of vertue Psal. 78. Good occasions must be embraced with speed Cant. 5.4 Ier. 3. Relapses into sin are dangerous God will neuer eâ—e our sins if we wil eye them our selues The way to flie from God is to flie vnto him The office of the Eye Teaâ—es worke two effeâ—â—s Teares sometimes denied vs for our punishment Teares for sin must neuer haue an end Teares the delight of a Penitent Psal. 14â— What is meant by waters aboue the heauens 3. Reg. 10. Deepe sorrow wants a tongue Why Christ should not suffer his Apostles to wash his feet when he had washed theirs Gen. 22. Cont. 9.4 The Haire hurtfull vnto many Maries entertainement of our Sauiour expressed in two things The nature of a Prophet should be rather sweet than sharpâ— True zeale neuer disheartneth but encourageth the weake God in a moment can make of a sinner a Saint The efficacie of penitentiall teares 2. Reg. 19. To Christ they are more sauourie than wine The reason of the demand Christ euer ready to forgiue sinners Sathan can do little without vs. Gal. 5. Esay 67. Iob 41. The wicked haue a league no loue The world consisteth of nothing but opposition Exod. 18. Good counsell a pretious Genâ—me Gal. 2. Ill counsell produceth ill effects Eccl. 2. Exod. 1.8 2 Mac. 4. Psal 2. Exod 17. As the iust hunger and thirst after right so doe the wicked after bloud Sap. 3. Ieremie Caâ—t 2. Sharpe reproofes work sweet effects Wickednes is meere folishnesse Gen. 37. Philip. 3. Esay 53. Dan. 9. Gen. 49. Iud. 5. Ier. 44. Priuat interest must giue way to the generall good Exod. 33. 4. Reg. 10. 1. Reg. 18. Luk. 3. Mat. 26. The same words out of diuers mouths may be diuersly relished Rom. 8. Mat. 26. Act. 19. Iob 10. Preparation against death necessarie Iob 30. God the onely Lord of all Apoc. 19. Deut. 32. Ill Rulers sent by God to punâ—sh the people 3. Reg. 10. Four estates of a child and whereunto alluding The Iewes were murderers of all Gods Saints Esay 59. A twofold madnesse Eccl. 30. To take occasion from good to do ill is hellish malice Osee 2. 4. Reg. 18. Christs death his glorification Abacuc 3. Christ why called a Bull. Deut 33. Psal. 32. Act. 5. Two opinions concernâ—ng Peters deniall Mar. 16. Luk. 22. How Peter may be said to haue lost his faith Of Peters Fall The occasions of it Maâ— 23. 3. Reg. 20. Gen. 31. God not called the God of any man while he liueth Iob 4. Truths seldome heard in Princes Courts 3. Reg. 22. S. Peters sinne like that of Adam Man bya sight of his owne weaknesse is taught to pity an others Reasons why Christ suffered Peter to deny him Mâ—t. 26. Peter more iniurious to Christ than all his enemies Psal. 142. 〈◊〉 â— 12 The power of Christs eyes Psal. 114. The efficacie of Teares Eccl. 3. Cant 1. 1. Cor. 10. Mat. 3. Exod. 32. Dan. 1â— Act 4. Psal. 2. Heb. Esay 43. Iob 58. Iob 38.22 Mat. 24. The nature of Hope and Feaâ—e Gen. 49. Iude. Num. 33. Sathans practise to depriue Iob of Hope Gen. 4. Motiues iuducing the theefe to his conuersion Ioâ— 5. Mar. 15. Patience the badge of Christs Diuinitie The Crosse is heauens Key 3. Reg. 2. Repentance must not be delayed Man is nothing but as God remembers him Two definitiâ—ons of man Gen. 15. Isay 6. Exod. 5. Mat. 17. No more was his Hope Psal. 4. The glorie of the heauenly Paradise Mar 9. Esterâ— His reward exceeds our requests Christ neuer counted any thing his but our happines Esay 55. Gen. 2. No loue like to that of our Sauiour towards vs. Three kinds of friendship Iudas banished out of the world all Vertâ—â— Loue and Feare Loue triumphed euen ouer God himselfe Gen. 41.44 No humilitie like our Sauiours God hath two houses The holy Sacrament not to be receiued but with a great deale of preparation No preparation sufficient for the Holy Supper Christs Humilitie the character of his Loue. Our Sauiours art in gaining of wretched Man Affliction alters the verie forme of Man Cant. 5. Hier. 29. Esay 43. Psal. 21. Châ—â—st on the Crosse the only obâ—ect of Admiâ—ation Iob. 1â— Luke 23. Pilat pronounced the sentence of death against Christ. Pilat a cowardly Iudge Cap. Testes q. 3. Leg. Vaius §. de quaest Testium vltro accusandi non est credendum Feare and Iealousie spurred vp the Iewes to crucifie Christ. Mount Caluarie why so called Christ suffered in the midst of the world Psal. 74.12 Ezech 5. Christs nayling the cruellest part of his Passion Two reasons proouing him more sensible of this torment than any other Zachar. 12. Euery part of Christ affords a sinner confidence Christs Deitie more concealed at his death than any time before Malice is euer it 's own foe Coloss. 2. The difference betwixt our Sauiourâ— triumph and those of Men. Exod. 14. Esay 63.