was beheaded but they are sorie at their dying day as Iudas was sorie when he went about to hang himself and Caine was afraide that euery one that met him in the streetes would haue killed him Contrariwise the godly are sorie at their birth day as Iob was Iob 3. vers 3. Let the day perish wherein I was borne and I eremy sayth Ierem. 20. 14. Let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed but they are merie at their dying day as Simeon was Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and Paul sayth I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ. For wheras there be two wayes the one hauing in it first a transitorie death then an eternall life the wicked chuse rather to liue for a time though they dye for it eternally hereafter but the godly chuse to haue their life hid with Christ here that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter therefore the wicked neuer thinke of death but the godly thinke of nothing else As Alexander the Monarke of the world had all other things saue onely a sepulchre to burie him in when hee was dead hee neuer thought of it But Abraham the heire of the world had no other proper possession but onely a fielde which hee buried his dead in hee thought of nothing els We read that Dantel strowed ashes in the Temple to descry the footsteps of Baals priests which did eate vp their meate so did Abraham he strowed ashes in memory of death saying I will speake vnto my Lorde though I bee but dust and ashes that so continually seeing and marking the footsteps of death how it doth dayly eate and consume their bodies they may bee alwaies prepared for it Our first father made himselfe clothes of figge leaues but God misliking that gaue him garments of skinne Gene. 3. 21. Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the figge tree which did leaue only leaues to couer our sinne but commended the Baptist who did were skinne to discouer our mortalitie For not onely as Augustine sayth Vita morbus our whole life is a disease but also as Bernard sayth Vita mors The life of man by reason of sinne is the death of himselfe It is lastly the death of Christ when Christ was crucified at first he was as the Prophet sayth broken for our sinnes according to that of Tertullian Sinne it was that brought the Son of God to his death the Iewes were only instruments and accessaries to it sinne was the principall they cried crucifie him in Pilates court but our sinnes cried crucifie him in the court of heanē Now as the death of Christ is sufficient to saue the wicked so the sinnes of the wicked were not sufficient to condemne Christ. But the scripture saith of them which either are not or at most would but seeme to bee godly they say they knowe GGD but by their works they deny him and Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And they crucifie vnto themselues againe the Sonne of God therefore our sins did at the first crucifie Christ and now also the wicked which are not of his bodie but wee which are his members we I say do yet oftentimes by our sinnes crucifie Christ with the Iewes Yea I will say more if you will heare mee wee crucifie Christ farre more cruelly then the Iewes did then his bodie was lassible and mortall nowe it is glorified and immortall They knewe not what they did we know well enough they pearced him with a speare we pearce him with reproches they buried him in the earth we burie him in obliuion Wherfore let euery one as soone as hee is tempted to any sinne thinke straightwaye that hee seeth Christ comming towardes him wrapt vp in white linnen clothes as he was buried with a kercher round about his head crying after a gastly and fearefull manner Beware take heed what you doe detest sinne adhorre sinne fie vpon it a shame light on it it did once most vilely and villanously murder me But now seeing my wounds are whole doe not I beseech you do not rub and reuiue them againe with your sinnes to make them bleede afresh Now seeing that the scepter of the kingdome of heauen is put into my hands doe not offer me againe a reede to mocke me Now seeing my head is crowned with pure golde of eternall glorie doe not set a crowne of thornes vpon it againe Now seeing that I am installed on the right hande of the throne of maiestie doe not pull mee out of my throne and throwe me into the graue againe and with your sinnes seale a mighty stone vpon me to presse me and keepe me downe in death This I assure you will be a forcible meanes to afray and terrifie vs from sinnes if we consider that the life of man by reason of sinne is the death of Christ and therefore hee sayth in this fifth parte Not too little for your owne life For your selues The sixt part is next which noteth seeing both the excesse and the want is to bee eschewed therefore the true meane which we must keep between Christ and our selues consisteth in a certaine qualification of these two extremities For me For your selues both together Weepe not too much sayth he for my death which is the death of death weepe not too little for your owne life which is the life of death not too much for my death which is the death of the diuell not too little for your owne life which is the life of the diuell Not too much for my death which is my life not too little for your owne life which is your death not too much for my death which is the life of man not too little for your owne life which is the death of Christ. Saint Paul exhorteth the Corinths to approue themselues by honour and dishonour first by honour then by dishonour teaching thereby that dishonorable honour is better then honorable dishonour Yet to keepe a meane in this matter that we must as well count it our honour sometimes to bee dishonoured with Christ as a dishonour to bee alwaies honored without Christ. Puen so sayth our Sauiour here For me for your selues First for me then for your selues teaching therby that to reioyce for Christ is better then to weepe for our selues yet to keepe a meane betweene both that wee must as well sometimes descend out of Christ as our selues to weepe as alwaies ascend out of our selues into Christ to reioyce For the Apostle sayth Reioyce with them that reioyce so weepe with them that weepe If my friend be alwaies sorrowfull and neuer ioyfull he hath no pleasure by me if he bee alwaies ioyfull and neuer sorrowfull I haue no proofe of him but hee is my deerest friend most delighted in me most approued by me which taketh such part as I doe sometimes reioycing and sometimes weeping reioycing when I reioyce and weeping when I weepe the like is to be seene in this place For me for your selues If
a Christian alwaies thinketh of his owne miserie neuer of Christs mercie he will despaire if he alwaies thinketh of Christs mercie neuer of his owne miserie he wil presume but he is the best christiā so high that he cannot despaire and so low that he cannot presume who inclines aswell to the one as to the other sometimes reioycing and sometimes weeping reioycing for Christ and weeping for himselfe Therefore as in a ballance if there bee any oddes in the scales we take out of that which is in the heauier and put it to that which is in the lighter vntill there be no difference betweene them so here wee must weigh these matters well that we may bee iust weight neither too heauie for our owne miserie nor too light for Gods mercie Dauid sayth Hide me O Lord vnder the shadowe of thy wings not vnder the shadowe of thy wing but of thy wings of thy right wing of mercie by loue and the left wing of thy iudgement by feare As God hath two wings the one of mercie the other of iustice so wee must haue two wings one of ioye for God and the other of despaire for our selues And as the Quaile flying ouer the sea seeing her selfe not able to hold out spreadeth out her wings falleth into the sea and layeth one of her wings vpon the water and lifteth vp the other wing vnto heauē so we must flye with the wings of ioy from ioy in GOD with the wings of despaire vnto despaire in our selues Lest we should presume we must go backwards for feare and yet lest we should despayre wee must goe forwards towards God with loue As God doth couer vs with his two wings the one of iustice the other of loue so wee must couer GOD with our two wings the one of feare the other of ioy We must iumpe forwards vnto God and backwards againe vnto our selues which is Iobs crosse leape The sinne of man is the death of life For me sayth he I am the death of death therfore despayre not For your selues you are the life of death therefore presume not For me I am the death of the diuell therefore despayre not For your selues you are the life of the diuell therefore presume not For me I am the life of my selfe therefore despayre not For your selues you are the death of your selues therfore presume not For mee I am the life of man therefore despayre not For your selues you are the death of Christ therefore presume not For me sayth he death is onely dead and not aliue dead in me and not aliue in you For your selues death is both dead and aliue dead in me aliue in you For me I am onely aliue and not dead aliue in my selfe and not dead in you For me you are onely aliue and not dead aliue in me not dead in your selues For your selues you are both aliue and dead aliue in me and dead in your selues The worst foes that we haue are the diuell and death the best friends wee can haue are Christ and our selues the death of Christ killeth those foes quickeneth those friends the life of man quickeneth those foes and killeth those friends It is much that the death of Christ killeth death more that it killeth the diuell most of all that it killeth himselfe more thē al that it killeth Christ. Wherefore wee must not loose any one of these weights but when wee weigh the reasons why wee must weepe for our selues we shall finde as great cause of ioy in God great cause of sorrowe in our selues farre greater cause of ioy in Christ greater cause of sorrowe in our selues farre greatest cause of ioy in Christ greatest cause of sorow in our selues for that which is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ that is more then all to make vs sorrowfull in our selues The righteousnes of Christ is the death of death great cause of ioy in Christ. Debora reioyced when Barake put Sisera to flight haue not we as great cause to reioyce seeing taht Christ hath put death to flight The sinne of man is the life of death a great cause of sorrowe in our selues If Anna wept for her barrennes haue not wee as great cause to weepe seeing we can conceaue nothing but sorrowe and bring forth iniquitie vnto death The righteousnes of Christ is the death of the diuel great cause of ioy in Christ. If Iudith reioyced when she cut off the head of Holofernes haue not wee greater cause to reioyce seeing Christ hath cut off the head of the diuell The sinne of man is the life of the diuell greater cause of sorrowe in our selues It Thamar wept being defloured by her brother haue not we greater cause to weepe committing daily spirituall adulterie with the diuell The righteousnes of Christ is the life of himselfe greatest cause of ioye in Christ. If Sarah laughed when shee should haue a quick child in her dead wombe is not this the greatest cause of laughter that cā be to vs that Christ liued in death and could not see corruption in the graue The sinne of man is the death of himselfe greatest cause of sorrowe in himselfe If Agar wept being pulled out of Abrahams house is not this the greatest cause of weeping that can be vnto vs that we are here pilgrimes and strangers from our fathers house in heauen The righteousnes of Christ is the life of man this is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ. If Queene Hester did reioyce as Queene Elizabeth doth at this day whom God long saue and preserue because she deliuered her people from thraldome and destructiō can any thing in the world then make vs more ioyfull then this that we being cursed in our selues are blessed in Christ being embased in our selues are exalted in Christ being condemned in our selues are iustified in Christ being dead in our selues are aliue in Christ. The sinne of man is the death of Christ this is more then all to make vs sorrowfull in our selues If the Virgine Mary wept so sore for the death of her son Iesus as it her soule had been pearced thorowe with a sword as Simeon speaketh can any thing in the world then make vs more sorrowfull then this that Christ being blessed in himselfe was cursed for vs being exalted in himselfe was abased for vs being iustified in himselfe was condemned for vs being aliue in himselfe was dead for vs. Oh deare brother if thou bee sorrowfull at any time remember what Christ hath done for thee and thou wilt soone be glad if thou bee ioyfull at any time remember what thou hast done against Christ thou wilt soone be sorrowfull so shall we neuer suffer shipwrack of faith either by too much sorow as Esau did who sought the blessing with teares weeping for himselfe not reioycing in Christ or els by too much ioye as Herod did who heard Iohn gladlie reioycing for Christ not weeping for himselfe But as a ship being neither too
graues but for vs men and for our sinnes he dyed yet he suffereth those dead and senceles creatures to weepe and to haue a liuely feeling of his death though they had no benefit of his death But being content himselfe to shed his own heart bloud for vs yet will not suffer vs in recompence to shed so much as one little teare for him in that he sayth Weepe not for me Thirdly and lastly his magnanimitie in that he sayth Not for me appeared in that holding now in his hand the cup of trembling and being readie to drinke of the verie dregges of it yet neither his hand nor his heart trembled Ennius the poet could say Nemo me lachrymis decoret nec funera fletu Let no man weep for my death and Saint Laurence the Martyr as Prudentius testifieth sayth Desinite discessu meo fletus dolenter fundere Do not weepe for my departure but as Ennius or any other Pagan could neuer come neere Christians in true magnanimitie so Saint Laurence or any christian could neuer come neere Christ. Paul of any I heard of commeth neerest him going towardes Ierusalem what doe ye sayth he weeping and breaking my heart for I am readie not onely to bee bound but to dye for the name of the Lorde Iesus Christ. Euen so sayth Christ here or rather indeede not so but a thousand times more couragiously going out of Ierusalem what doe you sayth he weeping and breaking my heart for I am readie not to bee bound but to dye for the saluation of man Hee knewe well enough that his passion would be a new kind of transfiguration vnto him for at his transfiguration hee was accompanied with his Disciples Peter Iames and Iohn but at his passion Peter denied him Iames and Iohn forsooke him there he was vpon mount Tabor which smelled sweetly of hearbes and flowers but here hee was vpon mount Caluarie which smelled lothsomely of bones and dead mens sculles and there his face did shine as the sunne but here his face was buffeted and spit vpon then his garments were white as the light but here his garments were parted and hee himselfe whipped starke naked and there he was between two famous Prophets Moses and Elias but here hee was betweene two theeues the one on his right hand the other vpon his left and there his Father spake ioyfully to him from heauen This is my beloued sonne but here hee schriched lamentably vnto his Father from the crosse My God my GOD why hast thou forsaken mee Yet beholde the magnanimitie of Christ Christ knew well enough before hande of this whole passion prepared for him whē as hee was not transfigured as before bt disgraced so as neuer was any man yet nothing could moue him Oh worthy resolution the like whereof was neuer hearde of before This fearefulnes of his Disciples this noysomenes of the place the buffets the nakednes those theeues those schriches could not a whit daunt his heroycal hart but euen as a noble chāpion hauing alreadie had a legge and an arme slasht off when all the stage in admiration of his valoure and manhoode cries saue the man saue the man yet puts out himselfe and standing vpon one leg and striking with one arme fighteth still as stoutly as if he had not beene hurt at all so Christ hauing beene scourged and scorned alreadie when the whole centre of heauen and earth wept for him yea when the powers aboue the heauens came downe and the dead vnder the the earth rose vp to moane and pittie him onely hee himselfe would aske no fauour of others nor shew fauour to himselfe but was very angrie with them that gaue him such counsell And though all the Saintes in heauen and earth did bleede at the very heart in a manner euen as much as hee himselfe did being vpon the crosse to see so good a man to be despised yet nothing would stay him but still he went on forwarde as pleasantly and cheerefully as to any banquet or feast to that most ruthfull and dreadfull death Thus you see in this seuenth part the wisedome the benignitie magnanimitie of Christ in that he sayth VVeepe not for me The eight parte which is the last now onely remaineth But weepe for your selues wherein we must consider likewise three vertues that ought to be in vs First deuotion secondly compunction thirdly compassion First deuotion in weeping for this life secondly compunction in weeping at the heart thirdly compassion in weeping for our owne life First for deuotion A man may be sayd to be deuout in prayer to be deuout in speaking to be deuout in meditating deuout in thanksgiuing but we vnderstād that deuotiō which causeth vs to breake forth into teares and in weeping for our selues we must be deuout wee must perswade our selues that we are out of our own coūtry that the heauēs which we possesse not yet is the coūtrie which we shuld desire If Christ wish thē of Ierusalē here to weep for themselues and did himselfe elsewhere weepe for Ierusalem saying Oh Ierusalē Ierusalē how oft would I c. but you would not how much more thē ought we to weep for this life They of Ierusalē which were caried captiue into Babylon endured threescore and tenne yeares nowe iust so long lasteth our life as the Psalmist sayth And so by this account our whole life is nothing else but the captiuitie of Babylon therefore wee may well say By the waters of Babylon we sate downe and wept when we remembred thee Oh Sion and Psalm 42. My teares haue been my meate day and night while they sayd to me where is nowe thy GOD And in another place VVoe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech to haue my habitation among the tents of Kedar Ierusalem was once finally sackt by Titus and Vespasian whereas besides an infinite number that were otherwise spoyled ten hundred thousand men tenne hundred thousande men I say were slaine downe altogether as Iosephus a Greeke writer Egesipphus an Hebrue writer testifieth But that which happened once to thē happeneth dayly to vs wee dye dayly our whole life is nothing else but such a fooyle and sackage among all the miseries of this life nothing is more miserable then this life it selfe So that the onely happines wee can haue in this life is a true and a godly bewayling of our vnhappines which made our Sauiour say VVoe be vnto you which laugh now for you shal weep but on the other side Blessed are they that mourne for they shall bee comforted Therefore Iob desired God to spare him a little and let him liue a while longer Wherefore that hee might laugh and that hee might bee merrie No sayth he but Vt plangam delorem meū that I might weepe for my wo grief he thought that a mā could not haue time enough in this life though it were neuer so long to lament rue the miseries of this life though
cōsumed and licked vp the water of the Altar And assuredly our sorrowfull spirit will be a most acceptable sacrifice to God as Elias his sacrifice was if we haue both the fire of Aetna the water of Nylus so that the ardent fire of faith will well nigh consume and almost burne vp the flowing streame of loue Augustine in his 21. booke De ciuit ate Dei cap. 5. writeth that there is a fountaine in Epirus which not onely putteth foorth torches that are lighten but also lighteth torches that are put out Fulgentius likewise doth report that there is an other fountaine in France with boyling much casteth vp flames of fire The fountaine of teares which is in our eyes must bee like to these two fountaines as we may see Psal. 39. 2. and 3. VVhen my sorrow was stirred my heart was hot within me there is the torch lightened And while I was musing the fire kindled VVhen my sorowe was stirred there is the first foūtaine my heart was hot within me there is the torch lightened and while I was musing there is the other fountaine the fire kindled there is the flame burning Whereupon one sayth fitly Nec fluant oculi nec siccent Our eyes must neither bee drowned nor drie if they want fire they will bee drowned if they want water they will be drie Therfore weepe not but weepe fire and water must goe together that our eyes be neither drowned nor drie And this is the right moderation which we must keepe in weeping as appeareth in this third part VVeepe not but weepe both together The fourth part followeth for me 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 and the life of mankind the reason of all this is innocencie and righteousnes which maketh first that as the life of Christ is the life of life so the death of Christ is the death of death Therfore both before his death he chalengeth and threatneth death saying Oh death I will be thy death and also after his death hee derideth scorneth death Oh death thou art a drone where is now thy sting Aske death any of you I pray you and say death howe hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy strength what is the matter that very children doe now contemne thee whereas Kings euen tyrants did before feare thee Death will answere that the onely cause of this is the death of Christ. When a Bee stingeth a dead bodie hee taketh no hurt nor loseth his sting but stinging aliue bodie oftentimes loseth both his sting and his life too so death stinginge vs had no harme but kept his sting still and tooke hart of grace therby but when Christ the life of vs all had been once stinged the sting and strength of the diuel was taken cleane away Oh blessed king and Lord of all who hast so disarmed death that it can doe vs no harme Before death was much like a Bugbegger which they fray childrē with who being masked iettes it about vp and downe and makes all the people afraid of him vntill such time as some one lustie fellowe amongst the rest steps to him and takes a good staffe cudgelleth him well fauouredly puls his vizarde frō his face makes him knowne to the whole world and then whereas before lustie and tawle men were afraide of him now euery childe mockes him and laugheth him to scorne and stand pointing at him Oh Blessed Christ who by thy death hast thus dismasked death Christ was layd in the dust for starke dead and the diuell trampled vpon him but hee vpon Easter daie started vp and like a lyon of the tribe of Iuda he trampled the souldiers the diuels apes vnder his seete as apes at the first play with the lyon and the libard still thinking them to bee asleepe vntill they trample and treade him vnder their feete As the Chameleon spying a serpent sitting vnder a tree getteth vp into the same tree and letteth downe a fine thread out of his mouth smaller then the spiders thread with a drop of blood at the bottome more cleere then any pearle which falling on the serpent killeth him So Christ like a Chameleon climeth vp into the tree of his crosse and seeing the diuell that olde serpent sitting vnder the tree lets downe a threade with blood at the bottome thereof more cleerer then any pearle the least drop whereof straight way killeth the diuell Christ standing afore at the tree of his crosse cloathed himselfe in a blood red garment whō when the diuell saw he ranne swiftly against Christ with his hornes Christ perceiued him steppeth aside and so the diuell runneth his hornes into Christ his crosse and there they stick fast A dragon for a time may triumph ouer the Elephant but at the last the Elephant bringeth downe the Dragon with him so the diuell that ancient dragon may for a time bee doing with Christ but at the last hee killeth him He that felleth a tree vpon which the sunne shineth may wel cut the tree but hee cannot hurt the sunne He that powreth water vpon an iron that is red hotte may well quench the heate but cannot hurt the iron so the diuell could not hurt the sonne of righteousnes Christ Iesus and hot iron is too hard a morfell for the diuell to digest Those barbarous people called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which feede onely vpon rawe flesh especially of men if they eate a peece of rosted meate they surfet of it and dye and so the right 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the only deuourer of all mankind death I meane tasting of Christs flesh by finding it not to bee rawe but wholsome and heauenly meate indeed presently tooke a surfet of it and within three dayes dyed For euen as when Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hands anon after his bowels gushed out In like sort death being so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christs flesh and a little bitte of his bodie was by and by like Iudas choaked and strangled with it and faine to yeelde it vp againe when Christ on Easter day reuiued Death I wisse had not been brought vp so daintilie before nor vsed to such manner of meates but alwaies had his pray either with Methridates daughters vpon the poyson of sinne or els with Noahs crow vpō the carrion of corruption Wherefore now saith Fulgentius death did indeed taste of Christ but could not swallow him vp digest it Contrariwise Christ as soone as hee had but a little taste of death eftsoone did deuoure death so the deat of Christ by reason of righteousnes is the death of death It is also the death of the diuell as the Apostle sayth By his death he did not onely ouercome death but him which had the power of death that is the diuell Diuers ancient Fathers note that the Virgin Mary was maried that the diuell
heauily burdened not too lightly ballased feareth neither windes nor waues but saileth safely to the hauen so wee being neither too heauie for our selues nor too light for Christ but reioycing For me for your selues both together shall neither bee drowned in the waues of desperation nor puffed vp with the windes of presumption but we shall liue safelie in the Arke of Noah vpon the sea of this world vntill we arriue at the hauen of all happines in heauen And this is the right moderation which wee must keepe betweene Christ our selues as appeareth in this sixt part For me for your selues both together The seuenth part followeth Weepe not for me wherein wee must consider three things that is three vertues that were in Christ First his wisedome VVeepe not secondly his benignitie Not you thirdly his magnanimitie Not for me Wisedome in his instruction appeareth in that he teacheth vs how we should bee affected towardes the dead for if wee must not weepe inordinately for the death of Christ then wee must not trouble our selues greatly for the death of any Christian. Indeed wee may weepe for the wicked not onely when they are dead but euen when they are aliue but wee must reioyce for the godly not onely when they are aliue but when they are dead and why because the wicked being aliue are dead but the godly being dead are aliue Therefore Dauid when his sonne Absolon dyed whom he knew to bee a wicked man wept for him saying Absolon my sonne O my sonne Absolon would to God I had dyed for thee but when his young sonne dyed whom he knew to be an innocent he was well apaid and rose from the ground and anoynted his face and sayd I shall goe to him he cannot returne to me wherby he warranteth that of Fulgentius who sayth that the godly deceased are not amissi but praemissi not lost for euer but left for a time not gone away froÌ„ vs but seÌ„t to God before vs. For if it be true which Ignatius sayth that life without Christ is death then this is true also that death which is in Christ is life and what need we then weare blacke mourning clothes in signe of sorrow seeing they weare long white robes in token of triumph The Athenians had a lawe giuen them by Solon which did forbid mourning weeping at funerals sayth Chrysostme it beseemeth vs rather to reioyce then to weepe for the departure of the righteous and Ierome sayth we may weepe for them because they are not with vs but wee must not weepe for them because they are with God For Isidorus sayth Charitas plorare iubet sed piet as lugere vetat Though loue commands vs yet faith forbids vs to weepe for the dead therefore Paulinus sayth Salua fide though wee may notwithstanding our faith performe al dueties of loue yet wee must first notwithstanding our loue enioy the comforts of faith So if we shed some few teares which runne softly like the waters of Silo no force sayth Ambrose they will not bewray in vs any want of faith but onely testifie abundance of loue thus and no otherwise did Abraham weepe for Sarai his wife Rebecca for Debora her nurse Berseba for Vrias her huskand Christ for Lazarus his friend Augustine sayth that Christ hanging vpon the crosse taught vs a many of excellent lessons and one amongst the rest was how wee should behaue our selues towardes our brethren that are departed out of this life and it is amplified out of the Hebrues and also shewed by the Romanes and the Ephesians and declared out of Elias that the dead must not bee carried to the graue with mourning but with singing herein wonderfull wisedome he sheweth how sparing we ought to be in weeping for the death of our godly frieÌ„ds considering their good happe and our good hope In that hee sayth VVeepe not for me 2. his benignitie not you All his intollerable troubles nothing troubled him so much as that his friends were troubled for his troubles and yet as it should seeme they had great reason thus to be grieued All the people wept for Moyses death all Egypt for Iosephs death all Israel for Iosias death all the Church for Steuens death but a million of Moyses of Iosephs of Iosias of Steuens are not comparable to Christ. The women of Troy lamented the death of worthy Hâ—ctor making this the foote of their dolefull dittie Hectora flemus howe much more then might these women of Ierusalem lameÌ„t the death of their captaine Christ Al the widdowes lamented the death of Dorcas because in her life time she had made theÌ„ such fine clothes garments and had not these women then farre greater cause to lament the death of Christ who made euery one of them a wedding garment wherein hee did marrie them to himselfe Ye daughters of Israell sayth Dauid weepe for Saul who hath clothed you with scarlet how much more then ought these daughters of Ierusalem to weepe for Christ who clothed euery one of them with the royall robe of righteousnes yea and gaue his owne deare self for them that they might put on the Lord Iesus When Christ was borne the night was turned into day as it was prophecied Psal. 139. 12. Then shall the night shine as the day But when Christ was crucified the day was turned into night as it was prophecied Amos 8. 7 Then shall the sun goe downe at noone day The sunne therefore wept for Christ. As Hamons face was couered when he was condemned to dye so the sunnes face was couered when Christ was condemned to dye The temple also wept for Christ. As Dauid rent his garment when he heard of Ionathans death so the temple rent his vayle when it heard of Christs death The graues like wise wept for Christ as the King of Niniue threw vp dust vpon his head when the citie was appoynted to dye so the graues threw vp dust vpon their heads wheÌ„ Christ was appoynted to dye Lastly the stones wept for Christ as Iob cut off his haire when hee heard of his childrens death so the stones were cut in peeces and cloue asunder when they heard of Christs death An asse carrying Christ to IerusaleÌ„ the children cryed Hosanna Christ carrying his crosse out of Ierusalem the womeÌ„ cryed Halaluiah so if these children had held their peace and not sung the very stones would haue sung out the praises of Christ If these women had held their peace and not cried the very stones would haue cryed for the death of Christ or rather indeede as soone as euer these women lest crying because Christ bad them the stones straight waies fell a crying before Christ bad them And what hart of man could then haue refrayned froÌ„ weeping though it had bin harder then any stone seeing the hard stones before his eyes dissolued and distilled into teares Yet behold the louing kindnes of Christ Christ dyed not for the stones not for the temple nor for the