say vnto him what are these wounds in thy hands Then he shall answere Thus was I woūded in the house of my frends That is in the house of thē which ought to haue bin my friends So that our sins did wound Christes bandes at the first And now also not the wicked which are no part of his bodie but wee which are mystical members of his bodie therefore shuld by good reason be his frends we I say do yet oftentimes by our sinnes deny Christ with Peter nay wee persecute Christ with Paul nay wee crucifie Christ with the Iews Yea if it wil please you to heare me I will say yet more we crucifie Christ farre more cruelly then the Iews did Then his body was passible and mortall now it is glorified and immortall they knew not what they did we doe ill enough yet wee knowe what we doe well enough they pearced him with a speare we pearce him with reproches they buried him in the earth wee burie him in obliuion then he rose again the third day but we so burie Christ that not once in three dayes no not once in three weekes he ariseth or shineth in our hearts Nay that which I am ashamed to speake though some are not ashamed to doe it there are in the world which haue no time not once in three moneths not once in three yeeres no not once search in their whole life to thinke of Christ but burie him in the perpetuall forgerfulnes of their careles conscience as in a barren land where all good things are forgotten Wherefore let euery one as soone as hee is tempted to any sinne thinke straightwaies that he sees Christ comming towards him wrapt vp in white linnen cloathes as he was buried with a kercher bound about his head and crying after a gastly and fearefull sort Beware Take heede what you doe Detest sinne abhorre sin Fie vpon it A shame light on it It once did most vilely and vilanouslie murther mee but now seeing my woundes are whole againe do not I beseech you do not rubbe and reuiue them with your sinnes to make them bleed afresh now seeing the scepter of the kingdome of heauen is put into my hand doe not offer mee a reede againe to mocke mee now seeing my head is crowned with the pure golde of eternall glorie doe not set a crowne of thornes vpon it againe now seeing I my selfe am enstalled in the throne of the right hand of maiestie doe not pull me out of my throne and throw mee into the graue againe and with your sinnes seale a mightie great stone vpon mee to stiffle me and presse me and holde mee down in death O beloued good beloued at his instance be perswaded by whose bloud you are redeemed Haue pittie haue pitie vpon poore Iesus Once he voluntarily yea euen ioyfully dyed for vs and if that one death had not bin sufficient he would haue bin content then to haue dyed a thousande deaths more Now he protesteth that the least sinne of any one Christian doth more vex him euen at the very heart then all his dolorous paynes vpon the crosse Our sinnes are those souldiers which take him those tormentors which whippe him those thorns which gore his head those nayles which pearce his feete that speare which sheds his bloud that crosse which takes away his life And yet if to greeue him thus continually would do vs any good then hee would bee most glad to prefer our good though neuer so little before his owne griefe though neuer so great But it is not so That one death which he willingly suffered was for our saluation These diuers deaths which wee without sinnes so often put him to against his wil do make for our greater dānatiō Therefore he beseecheth vs I also being prostrate at the very feet of euery one of you heartely in his name exhorte you if wee will haue no pity of him yet for the tender loue wee beare to our owne deare soules that we would not alwaies keepe him vppon the racke and euery daye vex this iust Lot with our vnlawfull deedes that we would not any more shead his precious bloud and tread it and trample it vnder our feete This I assure you blessed Christians will be a most forcible meanes not only to terrifie and fraye vs from sin which we may commit hereafter but also to mollifie and melt our harts for sin which we haue committed heretofore if we consider that the life of man by reason of his sin is the death of Christ Thus you see that the life of man is the life of death the life of the diuill the death of himselfe the death of Christ And therefore he saith in this fift part weepe not too little for your owne life FOR YOVR SELVES WEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES THe sixt part is next FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES Which noteth seeing both the excesse and the want are to bee eschewed that therefore the true meane which wee must keepe betweene Christ and our selues consisteth in a certayne qualification of these two extremities FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together Weepe not too much saith he for my death which is the death of death weep not too little for your own life which is the life of death Not too to 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 willeth the Corinthians to approue themselues by honor and dishonor First by honour then by dishonour Teaching thereby that dishonorable honor is better then honorable dishonour Yet to keepe a meane in this matter that we must as well count it an honor to bee sometimes dishonored with Christ as a dishonor to bee alwaies honored without Christ Euen so sayes our Sauiour here FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES First FOR ME then FOR YOVR SELVES Teaching thereby that to reioyce for Christ is better then to weepe for our selues Yet to keepe a meane betwixt both that we must aswel sometimes descend out of Christ into our selues to weepe as alwaies ascend out of our selues into Christ to reioyce For the Apostle sayes that we must reioyce with them that reioyce and weepe with them that weepe If my friend bee alwaies sorowfull and neuer ioyfull hee hath no pleasure by me if he be alwayes ioyful neuer sorowful I haue no proofe of him but he is my dearest friend most delighted in mee best approued by me that takes such part as I doe sometimes reioysing and sometymes weepinge reioysing when I reioyce and weeping when I weepe The like is to bee seene in this place FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES If a Christian alwaies thinke of his owne miserie and neuer
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
raised vs vp Eues tree of knowledge of good and euill hath throwen vs downe but Christs tree of life hath raised vs vp Nay I will be bold to say yet more What is that Marry this That as far as the tree of life excelleth the tree of knowledge of good and euill so farre the crosse of Christ excelleth the tree of life I know well many will muse maruel much what I meane to say so And some perhaps will scarce beleeue it is true which I say Neuertheles most christian and blessed brethren make you no doubt of it For it is not my opinion or my speech only They are the very words of our sauiour I came saies he that men might haue life (a) Iohn chap. 10.10 that they might haue it more aboundantly More aboundantly What is that That aboundantly wee might haue more life by the crosse of Christ then euer wee could haue had by the tree of life that aboundaÌ„tly we might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer wee lost or could lose by the disobedience of Adam in his life And therefore though that sinne of Adam was so haynous and so horrible that it cast the image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankind that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet considering the sequele how not only the guilt of this sinne but euen the very memory of it is nowe vtterly abolished by the bloud of Christ S. Gregory is not afraid to say O happy happy happy man was Adam that euer hee so sinned and transgressed against God b O foelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem Because by this meanes both hee and all wee haue found such plentifull redemption such vnestimable mercy such superabundant grace such selicity such eternity such life by Christs death For as hony beeinge found in a dead lyon the death of the lyon was the sustenance of Sampson so Christs gall is our hony c Christifel nostrum mel the bitter death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the sweet life of man Thus you see that the death of Christ is the death of death the death of the diuel the life of himselfe the life of man And therefore he saies in this fourth part weep not too much for my death FOR MEE VVEEP NOT FOR MEE BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES I Perceiue beloued I haue bin somewhat long in this part Therefore I will make more hast in the rest and do what I can deuise that I may not seeme tedious vnto you Now then to the fift part FOR YOVR SELVES Weepe not too little for your owne life For the life of man is quite contrary The life of man is the life of death the life of the diuell the death of himselfe the death of Christ The reason of all this is his iniquity and sinne Which euen in gods deare children saies Barnard is cast downe but not cast out d Deiectum non â—â—ectum Therfore though sin can not sometimes rule ouer vs because it is cast downe yet it will alwaies dwell in vs because it is not cast out For it is so bred in the bone that till our bones bee with Iosephs bones caried out of Aegypt that is out of the world sin can not bee carried out of our bones The irish history telleth vs that the city of Waterford giueth this posey Intacta manet (e) It continueth vntouched Because since it was first conquered by king Henry the second it was neuer yet attaynted no not so much as touched with treason Also that the yle of Arren in that country hath such a pure ayre that it was neuer yet infected with the plague Wee can not say thus of the nature of man That either it is so cleere from treason as that city is or els that it is so cleare from infection as that Iland is Nay our very reason is treason and our best affection is no better then an infection if it be well sifted in the sight of God Euagrius recordeth f libr. 5. ca. 15. that the Romanes got such a victory ouer Chosroes one of the Persian kings that this Chosroes made a lawe that neuer after any king of Persia should moue warre against the Romanes We cannot possibly subdue sin in such sort as the Romanes did this Persian king But do wee what we can do sinne will alwayes be a Iebuzite a false borderer yea a ranck traytor rebelling against the spirit Which makes the life of man first to bee saies Chrysostom a debt as it were owne due to death g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the diuell is the father of sin and sin is the mother of death Hereupon Sainct Iames saies that sin beeing finished trauailing in childbyrth like a mother bringeth forth death And Dauid in the ninth psalme calleth sin the gate of death Because as a man comes into a house by the gate so death came into the world by sinne The corruption of our fleshe did not make the soule sinfull but the sinne of our soule did make the flesh corruptible Wherupon Lactantius calleth sin the reliefe or the foode of death h Pabulum mortis As a fier goeth out when all the fuell is spent but burneth as long as that lasteth so death dieth when sin ceaseth but where sin aboundeth there death rageth The Prophet Abacucke sinning not death was so far from him that he was able to flie without winges but king Asa sinning death was so neere to him that he was not able to stand vpon his feet Nay wee may see this in one the selfesame maÌ„ Moyses sinning not death could not meet with him in the bottome of the red sea but sinninge death did seaze vpon him in the top of mount Nebo So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the life of death It is also the life of the deuill As Emisenus sayes Each one hath in him as many deuils as euils i Tot daemonia quot crimina euery seuerall sinne being sufficient to maintaine a seuerall deuill The godly finding no ioy in the earth haue their conuersation in heauen But Sathan finding no ioy in hell hath his conuersation in the earth So that the earth is a hell to vs but a heauen to him Here hee hath his liuing As it was said at the first Thou shalt eate the dust of the earth all the daies of thy life This dust sayes Macarius is the deuils dyet k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therfore as a scadle curre waites for a bone so hee that goes about seeking whom he may deuour watches continually till the godly shake off the dust from their feet that is shake off some sinne which they haue gotten by walking in the worlde that then hee may licke it vp as one of those dogs which did licke vp
of Christs mercie hee will despayre if hee alwayes thinke of Christs mercy and neuer of his owne misery hee will presume But hee is the best Christian so hye that he cannot despayre so low that he cannot presume which inclines aswell to the one as to the other sometimes reioysing and sometimes weeping reioysing for Christ and weeping for himselfe A man cannot weepe too little for Christ if he presume not a man cannot weepe too much for himselfe if he despayre not But he may easily despayre that weeps too much for Christ and he may easely presume that weeps too little for himselfe Wherefore as in a ballance if there be any ods in the scales we take out of that which is the heauier put into that which is the lighter til there be no difference betwixt thē So here we must waye these matters well that wee our selues may be iust waight neither too heauie for our owne miserie nor too light for Christs mercy Thus did Dauid when he sayd to God Hyde mee vnder the shadowe of thy winges What are Gods wings His mercy his iustice What is the shadowe of his winges Our loue and our feare Our loue is the shadow of his mercie which is his right winge Our feare is the shadowe of his iustice which is his left wing Now seeing he that is hid vnder the right winge only maye presume because hee hath no feare and hee that is hid vnder the left winge only may despayre because hee hath no loue therefore saieth Dauid Hide me O Lord vnder the shadowe not of one winge but of both thy winges That I maye neuer despayre while I alwaies loue thy mercy and reioyce for Christ that I may neuer presume while I alwaies feare thy iustice and weepe for my selfe A Quaile the very same bird which was the Israelites meate in the wildernes as he flyes ouer the sea feeling himselfe begin to be wearie lightes by the way into the sea Then lying at one side hee layes downe one wing vpon the water and holdes vp the other wing towards heauen Least hee should presume to take too long a flight at the first he wets one wing Least hee should despayre of taking a new flight afterwardes hee keepes the other wing drye Thus must a christian man doe When he layes downe the wing of feare vpon the water to weepe for himselfe then he must holde vp the wing of loue towards heauen to reioyce for Christ That his two wings may be answerable to Gods two wings That as God hath two wings the one of mercy the other of iustice so hee may haue two wings the one of ioy for Christ the other of sorrow for himselfe Shem and Iapheth Noah godly and dewtifull children when they sawe their father otherwise then hee should be went backeward and couered him They went backeward that they might not see him themselues they couered him that others might not see him Christ hanging naked vpon the crosse was the shame of men the outcast of the people Therefore we that are the children of God must goe backeward by abhorring them that crucified Christ and yet we must couer him and hide him euen in our very hearts by remembring and honoring his death and resurrection Least we should presume wee must goe backeward for feare and yet least wee should despayre wee must couer him for loue That as God hideth vs vnder the shadow of his wings which are loue and feare loue the shadow of his mercie and feare the shadowe of his iustice so wee may hide God vnder the shadowe of our wings which are ioye and sorrow ioy the shadow of our loue and sorrow the shadowe of our feare ioy for Christ and sorrow for our selues To this strange kinde of going backward the Psalmist alludeth when hee saith to God Thou hast made my feete like hines feete A hine goeth not still forward in one way but as an auncient father speaketh hee iumpes crosse out of one way into another z Saltum habet transuer sum Right so a christians feete must be like hines feete He must iumpe crosse from himselfe to Christ and then backe againe from Christ to himselfe Would you see such a hine Then marke how Iob footes it That he might not despayre he iumpes crosse from himselfe to Christ and sayes a Chap. 33.9 I am cleare without sinne I am innocent and there is none iniquitie in mee Here is the mercie of Christ But that hee might not presume bee iumpes backe againe from Christ to himselfe and sayes b Chap. 6.2 O that my griefe were well wayed and that my miseries were laide together in the ballance Here is the misery of man Thus must we way the mercy of Christ and the miserie of man together in the ballance and be sure as I sayde before wee make the scales euen and when wee waie the reasons why wee should not weepe for Christ then wee must way the reasons also why we should weepe for our selues So wee shal finde for great cause of ioy in Christ great cause of sorrow in our selues for greater cause of ioye in Christ greater cause of sorrow in our selues for greatest cause of ioye in Christ greatest cause of sorrow in our selues for that which is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ that which is more then all to make vs sorrowfull in our selues The righteousnes of Christ is the death of death Great cause of ioye in Christ If Debora reioyced when Barack put Sisera to flight haue not we as great cause to reioyce seeing Christ hath put death to flight The sinne of man is the life of death Great cause of sorrowe in our selues If Anna wept for her barrennes haue not we as great cause to weepe seeing wee can conceiue nothing but sorrowe bring forth iniquity vnto death The righteousnes of Christ is the death of the diuell Greater cause of ioy in Christ If Iudith reioyced when shee did 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 If Thamar wept being defloured by her brother haue not wee greater cause to weepe seeing wee commit spirituall incest and adulterie daylie with the diuell The righteousnes of Christ is the life of himselfe Greatest cause of ioye in Christ If Sara laught when shee hearde shee should haue a quicke childe in her dead wombe is not this the greatest cause of laughter which can bee vnto vs that Christ liued in death and was most free among the dead and could not see corruption in the graue The sinne of man is the death of himselfe Greatest cause of sorrowe in our selues If Agar wept being turnde out of Abrahams house is not this the greatest cause of weeping which can be vnto vs that our life is no life because wee neuer cease from sinning while
reproch Diuerse auncient fathers note the virgin Mary was maried that the diuell might be deceiued For he knewe well enough Christ should be borne of a virgin But he neuer suspected blessed Mary was a virgin considering she was wedded to Ioseph Therfore he did not lye in wait to destroy the seed of the woman so circumspectly as otherwise hee would if he had bin aware or wist any such thing So that the birth of Christ did cosen the diuel But the death of Christ did conquer the diuell And that much more gloriously when the temple of his body was vpō the pinnacle of the crosse then when the body of his crosse was vpon the pinnacle of the temple For when he was vpon the temple his breath spake better thinges then Sathan but when he was vpon the crosse his bloud spake better things then Abell and there his breath came from his lunges out of his mouth but here his bloud came from his heart out of his side and there hee fought standing stoutly to it and withstanding Sathan hee would not in any wise throwe down himselfe but here he skirmished yeelding and humbling himselfe to the death of the crosse and there the diuill ascended vp to him vnto the toppe of an high mountaine and so as I may say bad him base at his own goale but here he himselfe descended down to the diuell into the neathermost hell and so spoiled principalities and powers and slewe the great Leuiathan in the very bottome of his own bottomles pit For the diuell like a greedy rauenous fishe snatching at the baite of Christs body as Damascene speaketh was pearced through and twicht vp with the hooke of his Deity u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore both before Christes passion Peter tooke mony out of a fishes mouth to pay his tribute and also after Christes passion the disciples broyled a fishe for him to feede vpon Whereby we see that Christ who made a fishe pay tribute to Caesar for him made the diuell also pay tribute to death for him and on the other side that the diuell while he went about to catch this good fishe which is Iesus Christ Gods sonne the sauiour as Methodius and Sybilla proue the letters of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seuerally signifie was himselfe caught yea also killed by Christ So that all the while Christ was buried in the graue the diuel was broyled in hell Wherefore as it was booteles for Golias to brandishe his speare against Dauid so it little auailed the diuell to shake his speare likewise in the hand of the souldier against the heart of Christ For as Dauid hauinge heard Golias prate talke his pleasure when they came to the poynt at the first stroke ouerthrew him so Christ with that very selfe same speare which gaue him a little venny in cōparison or if it be lawful for me so to speake but a phillip on the side which was soone after recured gaue the diuell a deadly wound in the forehead which with all his pawes hee shall neuer be able to claw off And again as Dauid onely with his sling wrought this feate so Christ onely by his death and by the power of his crosse which is the sling of Dauid (y) Sanè crux ipsa funda est qua Dauid Goliath horrendum armis formidabilem visu prostrauit hunet Cyr. Ioh. l. 8.17 did conquer subdue the deuil And so the death of Christ by reasō of his righteousnes is the death of the deuil It is on the other side the life of himselfe That which was prophecied in the Psalme is here fulfilled in christ z Psal 92.12 The iust shal flourish as the palme tree In the hebrew it is Tamar which signifies only a palme tree But in the greek it is Phoinix which signifies not only a palme tree but also a Phenix Which translation proueth two thinges First that Iesus the iust one did most florish when he was most afflicted For the iust shall flourish as the palme tree a Chattamar Now the palme tree though it haue many waights at the top and many snakes at the roote yet still it saies I am neither oppressed with the waights nor distressed with the snakes b Nec premor nec perimor And so Christ the true palme tree though all the iudgements of God and all the sinnes of the worlde like vnsupportable waightes were laide vpon him yea though the cursed Iewes stoode beneath like venemous snakes hissing and byting at him yet he was neither so oppressed with them nor so distressed with these but that euen vpon his crosse he did most florish when he was most afflicted As peny royall being hung vp in the larder house yet buds his yellow flower and Noahs oliue tree being drownde vnder the water yet keepes his greene braunch and Aarons rod being clunge and drie yet brings forth ripe almonds and Moses bramble bush being set on fire yet shines and is not consumed Secondly that Iesus the iust one did most liue when hee seem'de most to be dead For the iust shall flourish as the phenix * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the phenix though sitting in his nest among the holy spices of Arabia he be burnt to ashes yet still he sayes I die not but olde age dieth in me c Moritur me non moriente senectus And so Christ the true phenix though lying in his graue among the hot spices wherwith with Nichodemus embalmde him hee was neuer like to rise from death to life againe yet he dyed not but mortalitie died in him and immortalitie so liued in him that euen in his sepulchre hee did most liue when hee seemde most to bee dead As the Laurell is greenest in the foulest winter and the lime is hottest in the coldest water and the glow-worme shineth brightest when the night is darkest and the swan singeth sweetest whē his death is neerest (d) Cantator cygnus funeris ipse sui Mart◠alis lib. 13. Epigr Epaminondas being sore wounded in fight demaunded of his souldiers standing by whether his enemies were ouerthrowne or no They answered yea Then whether his buckler were whole or no They answered also I. Nay then sayes he all is well This is not the ende of my life but the beginning of my glory For now your deere Epaminondas dying thus gloriously shal rather be borne agayne then buried (e) Nunc enim vester Epaminondas nascitur quia sic moritur Christ likewise was sore wounded But his enemies death and the deuill were ouerthrowne and spoyled His buckler which was his Godhead was whole and vntouched Therfore there was no harme done His death was no death but an exaltation vnto greater glory (f) Ego si exaltatus suero Ioh. 12.32 That noble Eunuch riding in his cooch read in Esay that Christ was silent before his death as a lambe before the shearer He sayes not before the butcher
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