lighteth torches that are put out i De ciuitate Dei lib 25. c. 3. Fulgosus likewise reporteth k Mirum sontem dicere debemus apud Gratianopolin Gallicam vrâ—ens Nam quamuis caleÌ„tes aquas non habâ—at tamen simul cum ipsis aquis flammas persaepe emittit Fulgosus lib. 1. non longe à fine that there is an other fountaine neere Grenoble a citie in France which although it haue not hotte waters as a bath yet oftentimes together with bubbles of water it casteth vp flames of fire The fountaine of teares that is in our eies must be like these two fountaines As the Psalmist witnesseth When my sorow was stirred sayes he my hart was hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled l Psal 30. v. 3. When my sorrow was stirred There is the first fountaine My hart was hot within me There is the torch lighted And while I was musing There is the other fountaine The fire kindled There is the flame burning Whereupon one saies fitly Our eies must neither bee drowned nor drie m Nec fluant oculi nec sicci sint Seneca If they waÌ„t fire they will bee drowned If they want water they wil be drie Wherfore both VVEEPE NOT and BVT VVEEPE both fire and water must goe together that our eyes be neither drowned nor drie And this is the right moderatioÌ„ we must keep in weeping as appeareth in this third part VVEEPE NOT BVT VVEEPE both together VVEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES THe fourth part followeth FOR ME. Weepe not too much for my death For the death of Christ is the death of death the death of the diuell the life of himselfe the life of man The reason of all this is his innocency and righteousnes which makes first that as the life of Christ is the life of life so the death of Christ is the death of death Put the case how you please this is a most certaine trueth that the gate of life had neuer bin opened vnto vs if Christ who is the death of death had not by his death ouercome death a Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset Caelestis vitae ianna clausa foret Therefore both before his death he threatneth and chalengeth death saying (b) Ose 13.14 O death I will bee thy death and also after his death he derideth and scorneth death saying (c) 1. Cor. 15.55 O death thou art but a drone where is now thy sting (d) sic Iohannes Pistorius Erasms Roterodami affinis igni cremandus dixit O mors vbiest tua victoria Aske death any of you I pray and say death how hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy streÌ„gth What is the matter that virgins and very children do now contemne thee wheras kinges and euen tyrants did before feare thee Death I warrant wil answere you that the only cause of this is the death of Christ Euen as a bee stinging a dead body takes no hurt but stinging a liue body many times loseth both sting life together in like maner death so long as it stung mortal men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse but when it stunge Christ once who is life it selfe by and by it lost both stinge and strength Therefore as the brasen serpent was so farre from hurting the Israelites that contratiwise it healed them after the same sort death is now so far froÌ„ hutting any true Israelite that on the other side if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs or if any thing els hurt vs presently it is helped redressed by death Those which will needs play the hobgoblins or the nightewalkinge spirites as we call them al the while they speak vnder a hollow vault or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpoÌ„ their faces they are so terrible that he which thinkes himselfe nosmall man may perhaps be affrighted with them But if some lusty fellowe chaunce to steppe into one of these and cudgle him well fauoredly and pull the vizarde from his face then euery boye laughes him to scorne So is it in this matter Death was a terrible bulbegger and made euery man afraide of him a great while but Christ dying buckled with this bulbegger and coniured him as I may say out of his hollowe vault when as the dead comminge out of the graues were seene in lerusalem and puld the vizard from his face when as he himselfe risinge left the linneÌ„ clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him Therefore as that asse called Cumanus asinus ietting vp and downe in a lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his maister but afterwards being discried did benefit him very much semblably death stands nowe like a silly asse hauing his lyons skinne puld ouer his eares and is so farre from terrifying any that it benefits all true christians because by it they rest from their laboures and if they bee oppressed with troubles or cares when they come to death they are discharged death as an asse doth beare these burdens for them Oblessed blessed be our lord which hath so disarmed death that it can not doe vs any hurt no more then a bee can which hath no sting nay rather it doth vs much good as the brasen serpent did the Israelites which hath so dismasked death that it can not make vs afraid no more then a scarbug can which hath novizard nay rather as an asse beareth his masters burdens so death easeth and refresheth vs. This hath Christ done by his death Hee that felleth a tree vpon which the sun shineth may well cut the tree but can not hurt the sunne He that poweeth water vpon yron which is red botte may well quench the heate but he cannot hurt the yron And so Christ the sunne of righteousnes did driue away the shadowe of death and as glowinge yon was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to digest All the while Adam did eate any other fruit which God gaue him leaue to eate he was nourished by it but when he had tasted of the forbidden tree he perished Right so death had free leaue to deuoure any other man Christ only excepted but when it went about to destroy Christ then it was destroyed it selfe Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon rawe flesh especially of men if they happen to eate a peece of rosted meate commonly they surset of it and die Euen so the right Canniball the only deuourer of all mankinde death I meane tasting of Christes fleshe and finding it not to bee rawe such as it was vsed to eate but wholsome and heauenly meat indeede presently tooke a surfet of it within three dayes dyed For euen as wheÌ„ Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand anon after his bowels gushed out in like sort death beinge so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christes flesh and a little bit of his body was by
it is not so Certainly all amoÌ„g vs all are not pure corne there are many tares all are not good fishes there are many bad all are not wise virgins there are many foolish all are not sheep there are many goates Yet to â—â—ueigh particularly against the sins of this citie which shuld make vs weep for our selues I thinke it not greatly conuenient at this time Only I beseech you that we may trie and examine our selues that wee may enter into our owne consciences euery one of vs humbly bowing the knees of his heart and saying in this sort O Lord Iesus how haue I bestowed all those talents of gold which thou hast giuen mee how haue I requited thee for all thy kindnes towards me what hath my whole life been els but a continuall warring against thee what hath it been els but a daily renewing of all thy bloudie torments and of thy whole passion Ah vile wretch that I am how ofteÌ„ haue I like Iudas himselfe betrayed thee and sold thee for a little worldly pleasure or for a little luker and gaine how often haue I bound thy hands and euen most despitefully spit in thy face by refusing those gifts which thou wouldest haue giuen me and by killing the comforts of thy Spirit Woe is me alacke for pitie I am that cursed Cain which haue murdered innocent Abel my brother whose bloud doth now cry out for vengeance against me because that bloud by my sinnes onely is polluted by which the sinnes of all the world besides are purged For this will I weepe day and night yea though I had as many eyes in my head as there are starres in the skye yet I would weepe them out euery one (c) In sontem frontem atque in flumina lumina vertam to thinke that I should bee such an vnworthie wretch as by my sinnes to crucifie Christ so often and to put him to so many deaths who hath been vnto me so kinde and so louing a Lord. O deare Abell deare Abell O my good brethren that I could possibly deuise what to say or what to doe to obtaine thus much of you or rather of God for you that you would weepe though it were neuer so little for your sinnes But alas I can doe no more now but commit and commend all that hath been spoken to the effectuall working of the holy Ghost in you and to the faithfull obedience of your good hearts to God Blessed bee God I am yet very much reuiued being otherwise almost quite spent with speaking so long when I look about me and beholde euery one that is present For I see no place in this great auditory where there are not very many readie to weep the water standing in their eyes some alreadie weeping right-out in true remorse and sorrow for their sinnes You make me remeÌ„ber that which we reade in the booke of Iudges when the Angel of the Lord found fault with the Israelites for their disobedience they lifted vp their voyces and wept and called the name of that place Bochim and offered vp sacrifices there vnto the Lord (d) Iudg. 2.5 This place also may bee now called Bochim that is the place of weeping wherein you haue offered vp as many sacrifices to the Lord as you haue shead teares for your selues O what an acceptable sacrifice to God is this your sorrowful spirit I warrant you you shall neuer repent you of this repentance you shall neuer be sorrie for this sorrowe This sorrowfull spirit of yours makes God haue a ioyfull spirit and greatly pleases and delights the holy Ghost Wherefore now that we haue once made the good spirit of God reioyce and take pleasure in vs let vs not in any case hereafter let vs not hereafter grieue the same spirit of God whereby wee are now sealed vp to the day of redemption The holy Ghost is grieued when we are not grieued but if we bee thus grieued for our sinnes then is the holy Ghost delighted Yea such griefe and sorrow will not onely bee to the holy Ghost a great pleasure and delight but also it wil be to vs the very seed or the interest and loane of euerlasting life (e) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bas Hom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 144. For look how a father pitieth his owne childe and if he see him crye doth what he can to still him and takes out his handkercher and wipes the infants eyes himselfe after the same fashion God our heauenly father will with his owne holy finger wipe away all teares from our eyes and take vs most louingly by the hand and lead vs out of the house of mourning into the house of mirth Then though wee haue sowne in teares yet wee shall reape in ioy f Tum breuibus lachrymis gaudia long a metam Paulinus Yea though wee haue sowne but a very few teares which God hath in a small bottle yet we shall reape all the infinite ioyes which God hath in heauen Then though wee haue wanted wine a little while yet in the ende Christ shall turne all our water into wine all our sadnes into gladnes all our musing into musicke al our sighing into singing Then though wee haue been a long time married to weeping blear-eyd Leah yet at length wee shall enioy the loue of cheerfull beautifull Rachell Then shall Abraham that good mower bind vs vp into sheaues as pure corne and fill his bosome full with vs and carrie vs into the Lords barne to make a ioyfull haruest in heauen Then shall wee with the wise virgins hauing store of teares in our eyes which are as oyle in our lampes go out of this vale of teares which floweth with woe weeping enter into the celestiall Canaan which floweth with milke and honey Then shall Christ say vnto vs not as it is here VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES but hee shall saye Weepe not for me and weepe not for your selues For that which would be too much ioy in this life shall not be ioy enough in the life to come Therefore he shall not only say vnto vs Weepe not for mee and weepe not for your selues but he shall also say Reioyce for mee and reioyce for your selues Reioyce for mee because I was once lower then the Angels but now I am crowned with honour and glorie and reioyce for your selues because you were once as sheepe going astray but now you are returned to the shepheard and bishop of your soules Reioyce for me because I am your brother Ioseph whom once you solde into Egypt but now all power is giuen me in heauen in earth and reioyce for your selues because you are the true children of Israel which once dwelt in a land of famine but now you are brought by triumphaÌ„t fierie chariots into the land of Goshen which is the kingdome of glorie To the which kingdome of glorie and ioy of all hands ioy for Christ ioy for our selues we beseech thee O good Lord to bring vs after the miserie of this wofull and wretched world not for our owne deserts or merits but for the most glorious passion and most ioyfull resurrection of Iesus Christ to whom with the Father the holy Ghost bee all honour and glorie power praise dignitie and dominion now and euermore Amen
but before the shearer Insinuating that death did not kill Christ but onely sheare him a little Neither yet had death Christes fleece when hee was shorne For Christ taking to himselfe a spoungefull of vinegar g Ioh. ca. 19.29 that is ful of our sharpe and sower sinnes did giue vs for it purple wool full of bloud h Heb. c. 9.19 that is full of his pure and perfect iustice And indeed the onely liuery which Christ our Lorde and master giueth all vs that are his faithfull seruants is a coate made of this purple wooll The Psal mist sayes that God giueth his snow like wooll But here wee may turne the sentence and say that Christ giueth his wooll like snow For as snow couereth the ground when it is ragged and deformed so Christs wooll which is his coate without seame couereth our sinnes and though they were as crimson yet maketh them white as snow And as Gedeons fleece when it was moist the earth was drie but when it was drie the earth was moist So when Christs fleece was moist as a greene tree then were all wee drie like rotten stickes but when his fleece was drie all the bloud and water being wrung out of his precious side then were we moist'ned with his grace Wherefore seeing death had not Christes fleece whē he was shorne but we haue it which beleeue in him it followeth that neither death was the better nor christ the worse But as a lamb is much more nimble and liuely for shearing so this shearing of death was a kinde of quickening to the lambe of God and onely a trimming to him before he ascended to his father as Ioseph was trim'd and poul'd before hee appeared to Pharaoh For looke how Adam slept so Christ died i Dormit Adam moritur Christus Prosper When Adam slept his side was opened when Christ died his side was opened Adams side being opened flesh and bone were taken out Christs side being opened water and bloud were taken out Of Adams flesh and bone the woman was built of Christes water and bloud the Church is built So that the death of Christ is nothing else but the sleepe of Adam For as he sayes of the damsels death The damsell is not dead but sleepeth so hee sayes of his owne death I laid me downe and slept and rose vp againe for the Lord sustained me And in an other place when God the father sayth to his sonne Awake my glory awake my lute and harpe God the sonne answeres to his father I will awake right early That vessel which Peter sawe in a traunce which came down from heauen to the earth and was knit at the foure corners and had all maner of beastes in it did betoken Christ Christ came downe from heauen to the earth and his storie is knit vp by the foure Euangelistes and hee hath made Iewes and Gentiles yea all nations though they were as bad as beastes before yet he hath made them all I say one in himselfe Nowe saies Cassianus it is worth the noting that the holy Ghost saies not this vessel was a sheete but was like a sheete k Pulchrè ait Non linteum sed Quasi linteum A sheete may signifie either sleep or death Because there is both a sleeping sheete and a winding sheete But neither was Peters vessell a sleepe though it were like a sheete neither was Christs bodie dead though it were lapt in a sheete For we our selues canne not so properly bee saide to liue in our first birth as in our second birth and Christs life when hee lay in that new wombe in which neuer any other was conceiued is nothing to his life when hee laye in that newe tombe in which neuer any other was buried Wherefore as Iacob trauailing towards Haram when he had layde an heape of stones vnder his head and taken a nap by the way was much reuiued with it after his tedious iourney so Christ trauailing towardes heauen when he had slept a little in that stony sepulchre which was hewen out of a rock liued then most princely after his painfull passion Tell me when did Ionas liue in the hatches of the ship or in the bellie of the whale In the hatches of the shippe why I am sure you will not say so That was nothing But to liue in the bellie of the whale when the marriners were in extreme ieopardie and daunger vpon the water and yet Ionas most safe and secure vnder the water this indeede was somewhat Who euer saw such a wonder The waues were one while hoisted vp to the highest clowdes an other while hurled downe to the nethermost depth Ionas selfe being all this while in the very gulfe of destruction and yet not one haire the worse Christs case was the same As Ionas was in the bellie of the whale three daies and three nightes so and so long was the sonne of man in the bowels of the earth Yet he had no more hurt then Ionas had But liued better vnder the earth then we can vpon the earth better in death then we can in life Tell me whē did Daniell liue In the kings court or in the lyons denne In the kinges court why there is no great reason for that Any man might haue liued there But to liue in the lions den when the mouth of the den was shut and the mouths of the lyons open this indeed was the life of an angel no man What king could euer make lyons attend and waite vpon him Yet here you might haue seene worthie Daniel sitting in the midst of many hungry lyons when as the lions lay downe at his feete couching and crouching before him and adored their owne pray cast vnto them which otherwise they would haue werried and being beastes became men in humanitie towarde this saint seeing men became beastes in cruelty against him The same reason was in Christ His sepulchre was sealed as wel as Daniels den And hee saies also of himselfe in the Psalme My soule is among lyons These lyons were the terrours of death and the horrours of hell Yet hee tooke no more hurt thē Daniel did But brake the chaines of death into fitters and the gates of hell into shiuers and then most gloriously triumphed And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the life of himselfe It is lastly the life of man Whē Christs speare had opened that way of life which the Cherubins sword had stopt vp then saies our Sauiour to the theefe This day shalt thou be with me in paradice Adam and Eue both in one day were expelled out of paradice Christ the theefe both in one day were receiued into paradice Yea both in one houre of the day For about noone when the winde blewe Adam and Eue were expelled And so about the sixt houre that is about twelue a clocke in the day time Christ and the theefe were receiued Christ saying to the theefe while he did draw him vp
peace not cried the very stones would haue cried for the death of Christ Or rather indeed as soone as euer these women left weepinge because Christ bad them straightwaies the stones fell a weeping before Christ bad them And what heart of man then could here haue refrayned from weeping though it had bin harder then any stone seeing the hard stones before his eies thus dissolued and distilled into teares Yet behold the benignity and louing kindnes of Christ Christ died not for the sunne not for the temple not for the graues not for the stones but for vs men and for our saluation he dyed Yet he suffereth these senceles creatures to weep and to haue a liuely feeling of his death though they had no benefit by his death But beeing content himselfe to shed his dearest and his best bloud for vs yet will not suffer vs in recompence to shed so much as one little teare for him No no saies he I will beare all the sorrow you shall haue only ioy and though I dye and shed my very heart bloud for you yet you shall not so much as weepe or shed the least teare for mee NOT YOV VVEEPE NOT FOR ME. Thus much for his benignity Lastly for magnanimity he saies NOT FOR MEE Straunge stoutnes and courage Especially in him that was otherwise so mild and so meeke a lambe But here the cause quarell beeing ours he fighting for the saluation of our souls there is no rule with him hee plaies the lyon whersoeuer hee goes For holding nowe in his hand the cup of trembling and beeing ready to drinke vp the very dregs of it yet neither his hand nor his heart trembleth Ennius the poet as Tully testifieth could say thus much Let no man weep for my death a Nemo me lacrymis decoret And S. Laurence the martyr as Prudentius witnesseth Doe not weep for my departure b Desiste discessu meo fletum dolenter fundere But as Ennius or any other pagan could neuer come neere christians in true magnanimity so S. Laurence or any other christiaÌ„ could neuer come neere Christ The blessed Apostle S. Paul of any that euer I heard of commeth neerest to him Going toward Ierusalem what do you saies hee weeping breaking my heart for I am ready not only to be bound but euen to die also for the name of the Lord Iesus Euen so saith Christ here or rather indeed not so but a thousand times more couragiously Going out of Ierusalem what do you saies hee weeping and breakinge my heart for I am ready not only to bee bound but euen to dye also for the saluation of man He knewe well enough his passion would be a new kind of transfiguration vnto him For at his transfiguration he was accompanied with his deare disciples Peter Iames and Iohn but at his passioÌ„ Peter denied him Iames Iohn forsooke him And there he was vpon mount Tabor which smelled sweetly of hearbs and flowers but here he was vpon mount Caluary which smelled loathsomly of bones and dead mens sculs And there his face did shine as the sun but here his face was couered nay it was buffeted and spit vpon And there his garments were white as the light but here his garments were parted nay they were like Iosephs coate all embrued in bloud and hee himselfe stript starke naked And there he was between two famous prophets Moises Elias but here when they thought hee called for Elias to help him Elias would not come nay he was between two theeues the one at his right hand the other at his left And there his father spake most ioyfully to him from heauen This is my beloued sonne in whom only I am pleased but here hee screeched most lamentably to his father from the crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet behold behold the magnanimity of Christ Christ knewe well enough before hand of all this fearefull horrible passion prepared for him wherin he was not transfigured as before but disfigured so as neuer was any man Yet nothing could moue him This cowardlynes of his disciples this noysomnes of the place these diuelishe buffets vpon his bare face these bloudy wounds vpon his naked body these vile theeues these hydeous screeches could not one whit daunt his heroicall heart But euen as a noble champion hauing already had a legge and an arme slasht off when all the stage in admiration of his valour and manhood cryes saue the man saue the man yet puts out himselfe and standing vpon one legge and strikinge with one arme fights still as stoutly as if he had neuer bin hurt at all so Christ hauinge bin scorned and scourged already when the whole theater of heauen and earth wept for him yea when the powers aboue the heauen came down and the dead vnder the earth rose vp to moue and pitty him only he himselfe would neither aske any fauour of others nor yet shewe any fauour to himselfe but was very angry called him Sathan that gaue him such counsell Yea though all the saincts in heauen and earth did bleed at the very heart (c) Caelum terra compatiuntur ei Anselmus in speculo Euangel sermonis cap. 13. in a manner as much as he himselfe did vpon the crosse to see so good 〈◊〉 man so shamefully despited yet nothing could stay him but still he went on forward as pleasantly and as cheerefully is to any banket or feast to this most ruâ—â—ull and dreadfull death O sweet Iesus O my deare Lord forgiue me I humbly beseech thee for thy mercy sake forgiue me this one fault Thou wilt neither weep thy selfe nor yet suffer me to weep for thy death But I am contrariwise affected Though I doe not see thee at this present led as a lambe to the slaughter yet only meditating of thy death so many hundred yeeres after I can not possibly refraine from weepinge Yea by so much the more do I lameÌ„nt and mourn by how much the more I see thee ioyfull glad Come forth ye daughters of SioÌ„ saies he d Canticae 3.11 and behold king SalomoÌ„ with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his mariage in the day of the gladnes of his heart As if hee should haue sayd come forth yee daughters of Ierusalem and behold Iesus Christ with the crowne of thornes wherwith the sinagogue of the Iewes crowned him in the day of his passion and in the day of his death vpon the crosse He calleth the day of his passion the day of his mariage and the day of his death vpon the crosse the day of the gladnes of his heart Thus you see in this seauenth part the wisdome the benignity the magnanimity of Christ in that hee sayth Not weep not you not for mee VVEEP NOT FOR ME. VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES THe eyght part which is the last now only remaineth BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES wherein
by like Iudas choked and strangled with it and faine to yeeld it vp againe when Christ on Easter day reuiued Death I wisse had not bin brought vp so daintily before nor vsed to such manner of meat but alwaies had rauened either with Mithridates daughters vpon the poison of sinne or else with Noahs crow vpon the carrion of corruption Wherefore nowe saies Fulgentius e Mors Christum gustauit sed non deglutiuit death did indeede taste of Christe but could not swallow him vp nor digest him Contrariwise Christ as soone as euer he had but a little tasted of death f Hebr. cap. 2. ver 9. eftsones hee did deuoure death he did swallowe vp death in victory And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the death of death It is also the death of the diuell As the Apostle saies that by his death he did ouercome not only death but him also which had the power of death the diuel It is reported that the Libard vseth a shaunge kinde of pollicy to kill the ape Hee lyeth downe vpon the grounde as though he were starke dead which the apes seeing come all together in despight skip vp vpon him This the Libard beareth patiently till he thinks they haue wearied themselues with their sporting Then sodainly hee likewise leaps vp and catches one in his mouth and in each foote one which immediatly he killeth deuoureth (g) Conculâ—ant insultantes ludibrij causae donec pardalis sentiens illas iam saltando defatigatas de repente reuiuiscens aliam dentib aliam vnguib corripit Eras Prou. Pardi mortem adsimulat This was Christs pollicy He was layd in the dust for dead The diuel then insulted ouer him and trampled vpon him But he like a liuely Lybard startinge vp on Easter day astonisheth the souldiers set to keep him which were the diuels apes made them lye like dead men h Math. cap. 28. ver 7. Euen as he tolde them before by his prophet saying I will be to them as a very Lyon and as a Lybard in the way of Ashur i Ose cap. 13. ver 7. For as blind Samson by his death killed the Philistins when they were playinge the apes in mocking and mowinge at him (k) Iudicum 10. ver 25. so Christ by his death destroied the diuell Scaliger writeth that the Chameleon when hee espies a serpent taking shade vnder a tree climes vp into that tree and lets downe a threed breathed out of his mouth as small as a spiders threed at the end wherof there is a little drop as cleare as any pearle which fallinge vpon the serpeÌ„ts head kils him (l) Ex ore filum demittit araneorum more in cuius fili extremo guttula est margarttae splendore ea tactus in vertice serpens moritur Ex. 190. Christ is this Chameleon He climes vp into the tree of his crosse and le ts downe a threed of bloud issuing out of his side like Rahabs red threed hanging out of her window (m) Signa fidei atque vexilla dominicae passionis attollens coccum in fenestra ligauit Ambro. de fide libro 5. cap. 5. Paulinus Natali 8. Puniceo proprium signauit vellere tectum the least drop wherof beeing so precious and so peereles falling vpon the serpents head kils him The wilde bull of al things can not abide any red coloure Therefore the hunter for the nonce standinge before a tree puts on a redde garment Whom when the bull sees he runnes at him as hard as he can driue But the hunter slipping a side the buls hornes sticke fast in the tree As when Dauid slipped aside Sauls speare stuck fast in the wall (n) 1. Sam. 19.10 Such a hunter is Christ Christ standing before the tree of his crosse puts on a red garment dipt and died in his owne bloud as one that commeth with redde garments from Bozra (o) Esa cap. 63.1 Therfore the diuell and his angels like wilde bulles of Bazan (p) Psalm 22.12 ran at him But he shifting for himselfe their hornes sticke fast in his crosse As Abrahams ram by his hornes stuck fast in the briers (q) Genesis 22.13 Thus is the diuell caught and killed A Dragon indeed kils an Elephant yet so as the Elephant falling downe kils the dragon hith him An Elephant kils Elezar yet so as Eleazar falling down kils the ElephaÌ„t with him r 1. Mach. 6.46 And accordingly to this the diuel killing Christ was killed by Christ Yea as an Elephant is stronger then the Dragon and Eleazar is stronger then the Elephant so Christ is stronger then them both For the Elephant doth not liue after hee hath killed the Dragon neither doth Eleazar liue after he hath killed the Elephant but Christ liueth after he hath destroyed the diuell Leauing the diuell dead he is nowe risen himselfe from the dead Wherfore as a Lybard killeth the ape and a Chameleon the serpent and a hunter the bull and an Elephant the dragon Eleazar the ElephaÌ„t himselfe so Christ the true Eleazar which signifies the helpe of God hath by his death killed that mischeeuous ape the diuell that olde serpent the diuell that wilde bull the deuill that great dragon the deuill that raginge elephant the deuill WheÌ„ Mahomet the secoÌ„d of that name beseeged Belgrade in Seruia one of his captaines at length got vp vpon the wall of the city with banner displayed A noble Bohemian espying this ranne to the captaine clasping him fast about the middle asked one Capistranus standing beneath whether it would be any danger of damnatioÌ„ to his soule if he should cast himselfe downe headlong with that dogge so he tearmed the turke to bee slaine with him Capistranus answering that it was no daunger at all to his soule the Bohemian foorthwith tumbled himselfe downe with the Turke in his armes and so by his owne death only saued the life of all the city (Å¿) Zieglerus de illustribus viris â—ermaâ—â—tae cap. 98. Such an exploit was this of Christ The diuell like the great Turke besieging not only one city but euen all mankinde Christ alone like this noble Bohemian encountred with him And seeing the case was so that this dog the diuel could not be killed starke dead except Christ died also therfore he made no reckoninge of his life but gaue himselfe to death for vs that hee only dying for all the people by his death our deadly enemy might for euer be destroyed For so Origen testifieth that there were two crucified vpoÌ„ the crosse of Christ Christ himselfe visibly with his will and for a time The diuell inuisibly against his will and for euer (r) Homi. 8. in Iosua Therfore the crosse is that victorious chariot in the vpper part wherof Christ sitteth as a triumphaÌ„t conqueror and in the lower part of it the diuell is drawen as a captiue and is made an open spectacle of ignominy
into paradice l Ose cap. 11. I do draw thee with the cordes of a man euen with bands of loue But the septuaginte translate the hebrewe words m Bechauele adam which signifie with the cordes of a man into those greeke words n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie with the destruction of a man As if Christ should say thus to the theefe I do so dearely loue thee that I am content my selfe to bee destroied that thou maiest bee saued my selfe to dye that thou maiest liue I doe drawe thee with the destruction of a man euen with bandes of loue So that the theefe who sawe his owne woundes and death in Christs body did see also Christes sauing health life in his owne body As Alcuinus sayes writing vpon the sixt of Iohn o Assumpsit vita mortem vt mors acciperet vitam when the liuinge Lord dyed then the dyinge theefe liued Notably sayes the prophet p Lamen 4. ver 21. The breath of our nostrels Christ the Lord is taken in our sins to whom wee sayd wee shall liue in thy shadowe If Christ be the breath of our nostrels then he is our life And againe if we liue in his shadowe then we liue in his death For where there is breath in a shadowe there there is life in death Nowe as the ouershadowing of the holy Ghost was the life of Christ so the ouershadowing of Christe is the life of man And as Peters shadowe gaue health to the sicke so Christes shadowe giueth life to the dead yea a thousand times rather Christs then Peters For as Elias his spirit was doubled vpon Elizeus because Elias being aliue restored some to life but Elizeus as Ierom sayes being dead raised vp one from the dead q Mortuus mortuum suscitauit so Peters spirit was doubled vpon Christ because Peter being aliue was a phisition to the liuinge but Christ as Chrysostome saith beinge dead was a phisition to the dead r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or rather indeed in this comparison there is no comparison But as Peters spirit was a shadowe to Christs spirit so Peters shadowe was nothing to Christs death Ezechias seeing the shadow of the sunne goe ten degrees backe in the diall was assured by this signe that he should recouer of his sicknes f Esay cap. 38.8 Sick Ezechias may signifie all mankinde which is sicke by reason of sinne But this is an vnfallible signe we shall recouer because the sun hath gone ten degrees backe in the dyal The sun of righteousnes Iesus Christ hath for our sake made him-selfe lower by many degrees in the earth My father is greater then I. There hee is gone backe tenne degrees belowe his father Thou hast made him lower then the angels There hee is gone backe ten degrees belowe the angels I am a worme and no man There he is gone back ten degrees belowe men A liue dogge is better then a dead lyon (t) Eccles 9. ver 4. There he is gone backe ten degrees below wormes For he was not counted so good as a liue worme but was buried in the earth as a dead lyon to be meate for the wormes if it had bin possible for this holy one to see corruption But blessed O blessed bee our Lord Christ beeinge in the forme of God was buried in the graue so was made lower then his father nay lower then angels nay lower then men nay lower then wormes that we being now no better then wormes might be crowned in heauen and so might bee made higher then wormes yea higher then men yea higher then angels yea partakers of the same life and kingdome with Christ Pliny reporteth u L. 36. cap. 10. that there was a diall set in Campus martius to note the shadowes of the sun which agreeing very well at the first afterwards for thirty yeers together did not agree with the sun All the time of those thirty yea three and thirty yeeres that Christ liued in his humiliation here vpon earth you might haue seene such a diall In which time the shadowe of the diall did not agree with the shining of the sun But thankes be to God all the better for vs. When the sunne went backward ten degrees in the diall then Ezechias went forward fifteen degrees in his life He liued fifteene yeers longer And so the going of this sunne Iesus Christ ten degrees backward hath healed all our sicknes and set vs a thowsand degrees forward and infinitely aduanced vs by his death to euerlastinge life For Christ is that louinge Rachell which dyes her selfe in childbirth to bringe forth her sonne Beniamin aliue Christ is that righteous Adam which by the bloudy sweat of his browes hath earned for vs the bread of life Christ is that iust Noah which shutting vp himselfe in his Arcke as in a sepulchre saueth all that come to him aliue Christ is that tender Pellican which woundinge his own brest doth with his bloud restore againe his yong ones to life And euen as when many birds are caught in a net if a Pellican or any other great bird that is amonge them get out all the rest that are little ones follow after semblably Christ as a great bird hauing broken through the net of death all we escape with him So that wee may say with the Psalmist Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fouler the snare is broken we are deliuered Arnobius vpon these wordes in the psalme x Psalm 138.8 Despise not the worke of thine own hands writeth thus We are the worke of thine own handes seeing wee are thy workmanshippe (y) Eph. 2.10 lysius sumus factura conditi in Christo Quantum ad substātiam fecit quātum ad gratiam condidit Tertull. aduer Mar. l. 5. non longe a fine Now because the worke of thy handes was destroied by the worke of our hands therfore were thy handes nayled to the crosse for our sinnes That those handes of thine might repaire againe the worke of thy handes by the tree of the crosse which was destroyed by the tree of concupiscence Thus far Arnobius Whereby wee may gather that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill is euill that is death but the fruit of the tree of life that is of the crosse of Christ is life When Alexander had throwen downe the walles of the Thebes Phryne a harlot promised that she would at her own charges repaire them againe so that the citizens would suffer this title to bee grauen vpon the gate Alexander hath throwen them downe but Phryne hath raised them vp (z) A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutar. The case is quite contrary here Eue hath ouerthrowene not only Thebes but euen all mankinde Christ hath at his owne cost and charges repaired and built vs vp againe Therefore wee must graue this title vpon the crosse of Christ Eue hath throwne vs downe But Christ hath
Iezabels bloud This is meate and drinke to him l Dulce diabolo peccare nos Hila. Enarra in p. 118. He loues it a life to see vs sinne euen as cursed Cham did to see Noahs nakednes And as flies are alwaies busie about a sore place so sayes Theophilact m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In cap. Luk. 16. p. 320. That is a sport or a pleasure to Sathan which is a sore or a paine to man Especially if he be a godly man For this Behemoth the deuill eateth grasse as an oxe n Iob. 40.10 Whereupon Gregory noteth that a sheepe or any such other beast will eate any manner of grasse though it be trampled and stained neuer so much but an oxe will eate no kind of grasse but that which is green and fresh And so the deuill will be sure to haue his feede of the very finest and best o Esca eius electa Abacuc 1.16 For the angell of the Lord reioiceth most when one that is a sinner conuerteth He eateth grasse as a sheepe But the angel of sathan reioyceth most when one that is a conuert sinneth Hee eateth grasse as an oxe If the deuill can not keepe a man from liuing long then hee will hinder him from liuing well p Aut impetrat mortes aut impetit mores Leo. If hee can not kill him then hee will corrupt him And indeede hee takes greater pleasure in corrupting one godly man then in killing a hundred wicked He was more delighted when Dauid slew but Vrias then when Saul slew himselfe whē Peter did but deny Christ then when Iudas betrayed him So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the delight yea it is the very life of the Deuill It is on th' other side the death of himselfe O miserable wretch that I am saies one who shall deliuer me from this body of death The life of the godly is a very body of death But their death is onely a shadow of death Thales a Philosopher being demaunded what difference there is betweene life and death Answered They are all one Then being asked againe if he had not rather liue then die No saies he as before for they are al one But Ierome saies farre more excellently They are not all one That is not true For it is one thing to liue in continuall daunger of death an other thing to die in continuall assurance of life q Aliud viuere moriturū aliud mori victurum Therefore Ecclesiastes saies that the day of our death is better then the day of our birth For when we are borne we are mortall but when we are dead we are immortal And wee are aliue in the wombe to die in the world but wee are dead in the graue to liue in heauen Hence it is that the wicked are merrie at their birth day as Pharaoh made a feast at his birth day when his chiefe baker was hanged r Gen. 40.20 and Herod likewise made a feast at his birth day whē Iohn Baptist was beheaded but they are sory at their dying day as Iudas was sorie when he went about to hang himselfe Cain was afraid euery one would kill him that met him Contrariwise the godly are sory at their birth day as Iob Let the day perish wherein I was borne and Ieremie Let not the day wherin my mother bare me be blessed ſ Ierem. 20.14 But they are merrie at their dying day as Simeō Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Paul I desire to be dissolued to be with Christ Therfore we also keep holy daies and celebrate the memorie of the Saints not vpon their birth-birth-daies but vpō their death-death-daies to shew that these two are not all one but that the day of our death is better then the day of our birth For whereas there are two waies the one hauing in it first a trāsitory life thē an eternall death the other hauing in it first a transitory death then an eternall life the wicked choose to liue here for a time though they die for it hereafter eternally but the godly choose to haue their life hid with Christ here that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter Therefore the wicked neuer think of death but the godly think of nothing els As Alexander the monarch of the world had al other things saue only a sepulchre to bury him in whē he was dead he neuer thought of that But Abraham the heire of the world had no other possession of his own but only a field which he bought to bury his dead 〈◊〉 he thought of nothing else We read that Daniel strowed ashes in the temple to descrie the footesteps of Bels priests which did eate vp the meate So did Abraham strow ashes in his memorie saying I will speake vnto my Lord though I bee but dust and ashes So doe all the faithfull remembring they shall one day be turnde to dust and ashes That so seeing and marking the footesteps of death how it continually commeth and stealeth away their strength as Bels priests did the meate how it dayly eateth vp wasteth and consumeth their life they may be alwaies prepared for it Our first parents made them garments of figge leaues But God misliking that gaue thē garmentes of skinnes Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the fig tree which did beare onely fig leaues to couer our sinne but cōmended the Baptist which did weare skins to discouer our mortalitie For not onely as Austin sayth Our whole life is a disease t Vita morbus but also as Bernard saith Our whole life is a death u Vita mors The life of man by reason of his sinne is a continuall disease yea it is the very death of himselfe It is lastly the death of Christ The prophet Esay calleth Christ a sin or a sacrifice for sinne x Asham Esay 53.10 prefigured by all those sin-offerings of the old lawe Because indeede when Christ was crucified at the first he was broken for our sinnes According to that of Tertullian y Propter peccatum mori necesse habuit filius dei Vide etiam Aug. Medita cap. 7. vbi docet hominem esse causam passionis Sinne it was which brought the sonne of God to his death The Iewes were only instrumēts and accessaries to it sinne was the setler and the principall They cryed Crucifie him in the courte of Pilate but our sins cryed Crucifie him in the court of heauen Now as the death of Christ was not efficient to saue the wicked so the sinne of the wicked was not sufficient to condemne Christ But the scripture sayth of them which either are or at least wise seeme to bee godly They say they know God but by their works they deny him and Saul Saul why dost thou persecute me and They crucifie again vnto themselues the sonne of God Zacharie prophecieth of Christ * Zach. 13.6 That when one shall
in respect of vs which are aliue it is a very charitable custome yea it is a very honorable custome to giue mourning cloakes or gownes But in respect of them that are dead it is altogether needles For what neede wee weare black mourning cloakes in signe of forrowe seeing as it is in the Reuelation they weare white long roabes in token of tryumph Therfore Chrysostome saith q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It becommeth vs that are christians at the death of christians rather to reioyce as at a triumph then to weep as at a tragedy For saies Ierom r Desiderandi sunt vt absentes non deplorandi vt mortui We may indeed wish for them because they are not with vs but we must not weepe for them because they are with God Loue I graunt cōmaunds vs. Well Be it so What then But yet faith forbids vs to weepe for the dead ſ Pietas plorare iubet sides pro defunctis lugere vetat Isidorus And therfore Paulinus saith t Salua fide pietatis officia pendamus salua pietate fidei gaudia praeferamus Though wee may notwithstanding our faith performe to the dead the dueties of loue yet wee must first notwithstanding our loue affoord to our selues the comforts of faith So if we shead some fewe teares which run softly like the waters of Sylo no force saies Ambrose u Erunt non doloris illices sed indices pietatis They will not bewray in vs any want of faith but only testifie an abundance of loue Thus and no otherwise did Abraham weep for Sara his wife Eleazar for Aarō his father Rebecca for Debora her nurse Ioseph for Iacob his father Bershaba for Vrias her husband Christ for Lazarus his friend And here in wonderfull wisdome he teacheh vs howe sparing we ought to be in weeping for the death of our godly friendes considering our good hope that are aliue and their good happe that are dead As if the very dead body whom some of you perhaps euen at this present so seriously thinke of so much lament for should nowe sodainly arise out of the graue and step into the pulpit and preach and say vnto you VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES You indeed as yet remaine in this vale of misery where you sin daily and howerly against God where continually you feele afflictions punishmēts dew to your sins where lastly you are depriued of the glory of God of the society of the saintes of the ioyes of heauen Therefore if you will VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES BVT VVEEPE NOT FOR MEE I am in that state of perfection where I neuer sin but alwaies prayse and laud the Lord. I am out of the compas of all calamities not to be touched with any trouble Ieuermore behold the amiable and the louing countenance of Christ and though I come not very neere him yet so farre forth I see him as this sight alone is sufficient to make mee euery way a happy man Thus would the very dead if they should rise againe speake vnto vs. But wee will not any longer disquiet the dead or disturbe them which so sweetly sleep in Christ Certainly either this that hath bin spoken will perswade vs or els as our sauiour saith though one should rise stom the dead wee would not beleeue For if these aunciēt holy fathers Fulgentius Ignatius Cyprian Chrysostome Ierom Isidore Paulinus Ambrosius should now all arise they would I assure you say no other thing but euen as you haue heard them speake already in those sentences and allegations which I haue quoted cited out of them The sum of all which is this That it is great folly and childishnes to weep immoderatly for the dead and that it is on the other side a hie point of wisdome to bee moderate in this matter Cōsidering our Lord going here to his death teacheth his friends not to weepe for him in that hee saies VVEEP NOT VVEEP NOT FOR MEE Thus much for his wisdome Nowe for benignity hee saies NOT YOV For though the person bee not expressed in the englishe yet in the greek verbe it is implyed Weepe not as if it were weepe NOT YOV Which benignity appeared in that among all his vntollerable troubles nothing troubled him so much as that his friends were troubled for his troubles And yet as it should seeme they of all other had greatest cause thus to bee grieued All the people wept for Moyses death all Aegypt for Iosephs death all Israel for Iosias his death all the Church for Stephens death But a million of Moysesses of Iosephs of Iosiasses of Stephens are not comparable to Christ The women of Troy wept for the death of worthy Hector their valiant captaine making this the foot of their doleful ditty we weep for Hector x Hectora flemus Seneca in Troade actu primo Howe much more then ought these women of Ierusalem to weepe for the death of their captaine Christ Al the widowes lamēted the death of Dorcas because in her life time shee made them coates and garments And had not these women then far greater reason to lamēt the death of Christ who made euery one of them a wedding garment wherin hee did marry them to himselfe Ye daughters of Israel saith Dauid weep for Saul who clothed you with Scarlet Howe much more then ought these daughters of Ierusalem to weepe for Christ who cloathed euery one of them with scarlet and with the royall robe of his righteousnes yea and gaue his owne deare selfe vnto them that they might put on the Lord Iesus When Christ was borne the night was turned into day as it was prophesied y Psalm 139.12 Then shall the night shine as the day But when Christ was crucified the day was turned into night as it was prophesied z Amos cap. 8. ver 9. Then shall the sun go downe at noone day The sunne therfore wept for Christ As Hammons face was couered when he was condemned to die so the suns face was couered whē Christ was condemned to die The temple also wept for Christ As Dauid rent his garment when he heard of Ionathans death so the temple rent his vaile when it heard of Christs death The graues likewise wept for Christ As the king of Niniue threw vp dust vpon his head whē hee and his subiects were appointed to die so the graues opened and threwe vp dust vpon their heads when Christ was appoynted to die The stones lastly wept for Christ As Iob cut his haire when hee heard of his childrens death so the stones were cut in peeces and clouen asunder when they heard of Christes death An asse carying Christ into Ierusalem the children sung most merely Christ carying his crosse out of Ierusalem the women wept most mournfully If those children had held their peace and not sung as our sauiour there protesteth the very stones would haue sunge out the praise of Christ If these women had held their