thy bed and walke cure him so that presently he was made whole and tooke vp his bed and walked What happeed to Eneas who was sick of the palsey as one of these two that I spake of last and had kept his bed eyght yeares as the other of them Did not S. Peter saying but thus vnto him Eneas Iesus Christ maketh thee whole arise and trusse vp thy couch so restore him that immediately he arose What happened to S. Paul who was pressed out of measure passing strength so that he altogether doubted euen of life Did not the Lord when he had receiued the sentence of death in himselfe deliuer him from this great daunger What happened to S. Pauls fellow-souldier Epaphroditus who was sick and no doubt sick very neare vnto death Did not the Lord shew mercie on him and giue him health againe to the great ioy of the Philippians and generall good of all the church What happened to holy Dauid in this place who saith of himselfe O Lord I am weake my bones are vexed my soule also is sore troubled I am weary of my gronings euery night I wash my bed and water my couch with my teares Did not the Lord finding him in this miserable pickle and plight deliuer his soule from death his eyes from teares and his feet from falling So that in thankfull and ioyfull manner he triumpheth and saith the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping the Lord hath heard my petition the Lord will receiue my praier Euen as S. Paul saith He hath deliuered vs from so great a death and doth deliuer vs in whom also we trust that yet he will deliuer vs O faithfull and deare louing Lord He hath deliuered he doth deliuer he will deliuer He neuer yet hath forsaken he neuer doth forsake he neuer will forsake those that put their trust in him For tell mee my good Brother if thou canst tell any thing tell mee did Christ so miraculously restore Iob restore Ezechias restore the man sick of the palsey restore the bedred man restore Eneas restore S. Paul restore Epaphroditus restore king Dauid to their former health and can hee not restore thee Did he restore the most of these when he was crucified vpon earth and can he not restore thee now hee is crowned in heauen Is his arme now shorter his power lesser then it was then Where I maruel where is the Centurions faith Christ said then I haue not found so great faith in all Israel now if he were among vs he might say I haue not found so great faith in all the world The Centurion beleued though Christ came not vnder the roofe of his house but spake the word only his seruant might be healed well enough and doest thou thinke Christ cannot heale thee except he come in person stand by thy bed side and take thee by the hand and raise thee vp For shame away with such infidelitie This is a thousand times worse then all the sicknes of thy body Nay rather assure thy selfe if god say but the word thou shalt soone recouer and haue thy health better then euer thou hadest and liue many happie and ioyfull daies after Therefore mind thou only that which belongeth to thee that which belongeth to God meddle not with it but leaue it wholly vnto him It is thy part to bewaile thy former sinnes and in bewailing them to water thy couch with thy teares to crie to the Lord for mercie and forgiuenes to resolue with thy selfe stedfastly hereafter if it please God to giue thee thy health againe to lead a new life This belongs to thee and therefore this thou must meditate of and employ thy selfe about day and night but whether thou shalt recouer or not recouer that belongeth to God That rests altogether in Gods pleasure and will If thou doest recouer thou hast thy desire Or rather perhaps thou hast not thy desire Seeing the holiest and best men of all incline neither this way nor that way but wholly resigne thēselues as in all other things so especially in this case to Gods will Or if they determinately desire any thing it is for the most part to be dissolued and to be with Christ But suppose thou desire to recouer and recouer indeede Then as thou obtainest thy desire so thou must performe thy promise The promise which thou madst when thy bodie was grieued with sicknes and paine when thy soule was oppressed with heauines when thou wateredst thy couch with thy teares And what was that promise Namely as I said before that if it pleased god to giue thee health againe thou wouldst loue him more sincerely serue him more obediently tender his glory more dearly follow thy calling more faithfully then thou hast done If thou haue offended him with pride to humble thy selfe heareafter if with dissolutenes to be sober heareafter if with couetuousnes to be liberall heareafter if with conuersing with the vngodly to abandon their company heareafter to say as it is in this Psalme Depart from me ye workers of iniquitie for the lord hath heard the voice of my weeping This if thou conscionably constantly performe then in a good hower as we say and in a happy time thou didst recouer But suppose thou desire to recouer and yet neyther thy self see any liklihood nor god see it good thou shouldst recouer Then harty repentance watering thy couch with thy teares is most of all necessary That the feare of death may not affright thee but being truly penitent at thy departure thou mayst be sure to depart in peace And so God graunting not thy will but his will may indeede graunt both thy will and his will Thy will which is not simply to recouer but conditionally if god will and his will which is not to haue thee lye languishing any longer in this warfare but to triumph for euer in heauen O blessed teares are these which are recompensed with such high happines and such inestimable commodities As namely fredome from all sinnes past present and to come deliuerance from all the miseries and troubles of this wofull world consūmation of holines of humblenes of purity of deuotion of all other christian vertues which were but begun and vnperfect in this life putting away of all corruption and mortalitie putting on the royall robe of immortality blisse For that which happened to Christ shall happen to thee also because by faith thou art not only in soule but euen in body vnseparably vnited and ioyned vnto him being by vertue of this mysticall vnion made bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Therefore as he from that agony wherein hee praied with strong crying and teares from that crosse wherein he commended his spirit into his fathers hands from that graue wherein death for a time seemed to insult and to trample vpon him rose vp againe and ascended farre aboue all heauens and now sitteth at the right
hand of glory so thy soule shall certainly be in the hand of God and thy very body also after it hath a while rested from watering thy couch with thy teares and from all other labours of this life shall be raised vp again and caught vp in the cloudes and shall together with thy soule for euer raigne with Christ in the life to come Which God graunt to vs all for the same our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christs sake to whome with the Father the holy Ghost be all honour and glory power and praise dignitie and dominion now and euer more Amen FINIS Errata In the Epistle for euen since read euer since pag. 19. lin 20 for vp himselfe read vp to himselfe pag. 35. lin 25. for Iosep h whom read Ioseph whom pag. 37. lin 22. for dayes The read daies The a 1. Ioh. 5.3 b Matth. 11.30 c Non emam tanti poenitere Demosth. d Rom. 6.21 e Exod. 5.14 f Esa. 57.20 g Epist. Iud. 13. h 1. Tim. 6.9 1 Reuel 14.11 i Sapien. 1.11 k Matth. 10.20 2 Ier. 9.5 l Hereupon I entitle this sermon The sicke-mans couch m In the sermon entitled The meane in mourning 3 Cant. 4.2 n Gen. 30.38 o Psal. 119. vlt. p 1. Reg. 7.38 q Rom. 12.1 4 Askch. 5 1 Reg. 7.47 r Iohn 3.5 s 1. Cor. 3.6 t 1 Peter 3.21 u Iohn 19 34. 6 Gen. 2.10 x Psal. 119.130 y Pomponius Mela. z Ierem. 9.1 a Psal. 16.7 7 Amseh b Bucerus Tremellius alii c Psal. 22.14 8 Iob. 9.30 9 Laborauiin gemitu meo 10 Stratum meum rigabâ— vulg a Psal. 107.42 b Mat. 22.12 c Kaphetzah Hebr. Ithcassemath Chald. Omnis iniquilas contrahit os suum Muscul. Oppilabit in margine Oppilauit Vulg. d Vers. 17. e Vers. 11. f Vers. 34. 14 de Poenitentiâ In fine 15 Omnium notarum peccator 16 Et nulli rei nisi poenitentiae natus 17 In Psal. 135. Quod peccandum semper sit vâ—semper siâ— confitendum 18 Sed quia peccati veteris antiqui vtilis sit indâ—fâ—ssa coâ—fessio e 2 Pet. 1.10 19 Psalm 32.5 Notum faciaÌ„ non abscondi f Nostra iustitia tanta est in hac vitâ vt poâ—ius Peccatorum remissione consâ—â—t quà m perfecâ—ione Virtutum August de Ciuit. Dei l. 19. c. 27 20 Rom. 7.19 g Acts. 9.15 21 Act. 24.16 22 Nihil mihi conscius sum h 1. Cor. 4.4 23 Act. 11.23 i Hebr. 12.1 k 1. Cor. 7.35 l Psalm 73.28 24 112. Vers. 25 57. Vers. 26 106. Vers. 27 Floridus lectulus Can. 1.15 m Psal. 127.3 n Psal. 139.12 28 Iob. 7.15 o Psal. 88.9 p 2. Sam. 4.5 q 2 Sam. 11.2 r Can 3.10 29 Recli atâ—rium aâ—râ—um Asceâ—sus purpureus s Psal. 132.3 30 Non asiendam in lectum strati mâ—i t Psal. 133.2 u Luc. 7 38. 31 Luc. 22.44 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 32 Iosua 15.19 Irriguum superius irriguii inferius 33 Exod. 35.22 34 Luc. 19.8 35 Luc. 7.38 y See Master Fox his booke of Mâ—rtyrs z 2. Cor. 7.11 a Rom. 6.19 b Eusebius Histo Eccles. l. 6. cap. 8. c Marc. 9.47 d Iâ—a euemit vt cúm aliquid vbi non oportet adhibetur illic vbi oportet negligatur Tertul. libro de Poeniten initio e Gen. 39.10 36 In Apolog. c. 45. Democritus excoecando scipsum incontinentiam emeÌ„datione prófitetur 37 At Christianus salvis oculis â—oeminá vidâ—t animo aduersus libidines caecus est f Rom. 6.12 g Luc. 11.39 h 2. Pet. 2.8 i Iob. 31.1 38 Ego mâ—rgâ— vos ne ipse mergar à vobiâ— 39 Institut l. 3. c. 23. Si tantus pecuâ—iae contemptus est fac illam beneficium fachumanitatem largire pauperibus 40 Potesâ— hoc quod perditurus es multis succurrere nefame aut siti aut nuditate moriantur k Super aequas Ecclesiastes 11.1 l Genes 18.1 m Luc. 16.9 n Noctium Attica l. 19. cap. 13. Homo miser vites suas sibi omnes detruncat o 1. Timo. 6.23 Modico vino vtcre Vulg. p Omnes rum ex quâ— monachisumu infirmum stomâ—chum habemus taÌ„ necessari Apostoli de vtendo vino coÌ„silium meritò non negligimus modico tamen quod ille praemisit nescio cur praetermisso In Apologia ad Gulielmum Abbatem 〈◊〉 sus finem â—â—csi diâ—cret vinuÌ„ Apostolus admittit monachus immittit modicuÌ„ Apostolus praemittit monachus praetermittit q Psal. 16.13 r Est lacryma pingue holocaustum virtutum mater culparuÌ„ lauacrum Angelorum vinum Iohan. Climacus 41 Cantic 2.12 42 Turtur gemit non caniâ— 43 Leuit. 1.15 44 Sâ—deo intâ—r susâ—iria lachrymas t 1. Reg. 18.44 u Eccles. 1.7 x Lament 2.13 45 Confess l. 8. cap. 12. 46 Vbi alta coÌ„sideratio coÌ„gessit totam misâ—riam meam in conspectu cordis mei 47 oborta est procella ingens ferens ingenâ—è imbrem lachrymarum 48 Ego sub quadam fici arbore straâ—ime dimisi habenas lachrymis 49 proruperunt flumina oculorum meorum 50 Perque sinus lacrymae fluminis instar eunt y Psal. 29.12 51 Luc. 17.4 z Ezech 18.21 52 2. Reg. 5.10 a Pro. 24.16 b Luc. 8.2 53 Reuel 2.5 54 2. Cor. 5.20 c Gal. 6.1 d 1. Iohn 2.1 e Psalm 16.2 55 2. Sam. 12.13 56 Psal. 32.5 f 2 Sam. ii 4 15. g Rom. 8.1 h Gen. 9.23 i Iob. 7.20 k Psal. 44.24 l Gen. 42.7 m Psal. 89.33 n Iob. 13.26 o Psal. 51.12 p 1. Thes. 5.19 q Rom. 11.29 r Hebr. 6.6 s Rom. 2 4. t 2. Tim. 1.6 u Esa. 1.17 x Act. 27.44 y 1. Tim. 4.2 z Eph. 4.19 a Consueâ—udo peccandi tollit sensum peccati Aug. b Heb. 5.14 c Celandine d Ditany e 2. Reg. 20.15 f Esa. 38.14 15. g Iob. 6.4 h Iob. 42.6 i Rom. 8.14 k 2 Cor. 4.13 Eundem spiritum l Gal. â— 17 m Iob. 32.19 n Psal. 39.3 o 1. Iohn 3.9 p Hebr. 12.5 vobis vt filiis q 2. Cor. 5.5 r Eph. 4.30 s Diligenti deuÌ„ sufficit ci placere quem diligit quia nulla maior expetenda est remuneratio quam ipsa dilectio Leo Magnus serm 7. de Ieiunio t Rom. 5.10 u Eph. 1.6 x 1. Pet. 2.16 y Luc. 1.74 Liberamur vâ— serviamus ei z Rom. 6.15 a Rom. 6.1 b Rom. 6.11 c Tit. 2.11 d Rom. 5. â—0 e Vide Bellar. de Poenitentia libro 2. c. 11. f Gen. 37.34 g De tota hâc Alegoria vide Aug. ser. 44. de Verbis Domini Tract 49. in IohaÌ„nem Erasâ—um etiam in contione de Misericordia dei Ferum in Iohan c. 1â— Hanc approbat Calvinus in Lu. c. 7. vers 11. his verbis Scimus inucnem hunc quem Christus à morte suscitauit specie esse spiritualis vitae quam nobis restituit 57 Mark 5.38
with a knife but with a holy and a mortified life Therfore Origen was iustly punished by vsing too litle diligence where there was great neede because he vsed to great diligence where there was little neede How much better did Ioseph who beeing assaulted by Putiphars wife did not any way maime himselfe but still kept his bodie vndefiled as the temple of the holy ghost And so pleased God as well then in chast single-single-life as in chast matrimonie afterwardes What should I say of Democritus who was blinded before he was blind Tertullian writeth thus of him Democritus putting out his owne eyes doth by that very remedie which he vseth against incontinencie professe the greatest incontinencie of all But a Christian neede not put out his eyes for feare of seeing a woman for howsoeuer his bodily eye see yet still his heart is blind against all vnlawfull desires Here Tertullian vseth two very pithie and graue reasons One is this The putting out of the eyes is not a bridle to restraine incontinencie but rather a marke to descrie it For he that doth so in a manner openly confesseth concupiscence so raigneth in him that he can by no kinde of meanes resist it but by a violent boaring out of his owne eyes The other is this The fault is not in the eye but in the heart Therefore to put out the eye is to make cleane but the outside of the platter For if the affection of the heart be well ordered the sight of the eye neede not be feared Iust Lot euery day seeing the vnlawful deeds of the Sodomites was grieued with it but not endaungered by it For he saide no doubt with holy Iob I haue made a couenant with mine eyes not to looke vpon a maide Now Crates The banus was not well aduised neither who did cast his money into the sea saying Nay sure I will drowne you first in the sea rather then you should drowne in me in couetousnes care Lactantius reasoneth with him thus If thou contemne money so much then doe good with it shewe thy liberalitie by it bestowe it on the poore This money that thou art readie to cast into the sea might releeue a great many that they perish not by hunger or thirst or nakednes The summe of his argument is this Euery Crates must not looke to be Polycrates Or so happily to get his money againe as he got his ring againe Therefore that man cares not for money not which flings it away but which spends it well not which imploies it to no vse but which imploies it to a good vse not which casts it into the waters where he is like neuer to see it again but which casts it vpon the waters where the poore shall finde it For so Abraham beeing very rich laid out his substance for the most part in hospitality He vsed to sit at his tent doore vnder the oke of Mambre iust about dinner time to see what strangers passed by that he might bring them in with him to his table Thus must wee most Honourable and blessed Christian brethren thus must wee I say make vs friends of the vnrighteous Mammon that euery way we may glorifie God with our soules with our bodies with our substance and goods Lastly Thracius of whome Aulus Gellius writeth was for any thing that I can see euen at that time most of all drunken when he cut downe all his vines least he should be drunken For he that so foolishly did cut downe all his owne vines by the same reason if all the vines in the world had bin his owne would haue cut them all downe Howbeit if euery thing must be taken away that may be abused then away with the name of God away with the word of God away with all good things that are Therefore we can not allow this deuise of Thracius but wee must disallow S. Pauls aduise to Timothie Vse a litle wine for thy stomacks sake and thine often infirmities For if all vines were cut downe where should Timothie get a litle wine Wherefore he holdeth a good meane betweene two extremities To be drunken is one extremitie to cut downe all the vines is another extremitie But Timothy keeping the right meane vseth wine least all the vines should bee cut downe and yet but a little wine least he should be drunken He vseth wine to helpe his infirmitie and yet but a little wine to auoid superfluitie And he puts the modicum before the vinum the little before the wine as S. Bernard noteth Because of two extremities drunkennes and drynes that he knowes to be the greater this to be the lesser Therefore he is not so desirous to drinke wine that his stomack may be strengthned as he is carefull to drinke but a little wine least his head should be weakened To conclude then Dauid dealeth not so with his couch as Origen did with his bodie as Democritus did with his eyes as Crates did with his mony as Thracius did with his vines No such matter but contrariwise Euen as Ioseph with that same bodie did raise vp himselfe a holy seede wherewith others commit vncleannes and Lot with those same eyes did lament the sinnes of his people wherewith others allure and are allured to lightnes and Abraham with that same mony did entertaine strangers wherewith others are cast away when they haue cast it away about nothing and Timothie with those same wines did helpe his disgestion wherewith others ouerwhelme their nature so Dauid in that very same couch wherein many committ folly and wherein once he himself also had bin as much ouerseen as any other doth now offer vp the sacrifice of his sorrowfull soule and contrite spirit to God So that he cuts not off any member from his body but praies that he himselfe as he had well deserued might not be cut off as a dead member from the body of Christ he puts not out his owne eyes but almost weeps them out he drownes not his couch in the sea but in his teares he auoides drunkennes not by cutting downe all his vines but by taking the cup of saluation and calling vpon the name of the Lord and drinking-vp this cup full of vinum Angelorum the teares of which he saies here I water my couch with my teares The third and last amplification is in the last worde with my teares Not onely with my groanings but also with my teares The church militant here on earth is resembled to a turtle The voyce of the turtle is heard in our land Because the voice of the turtle is not cheerfull or merry but groaning or mourning Now in sacrificing the turtle among many other ceremonies the Priest was appointed to wring the head of it backward Dauid also cleapeth himselfe a turtle when he saies O deliuer not the soule of thy turtle-doue into the hands of
steadfast resolution is I hope I am sure ought to be to the contrary For after our first cōuersion vnfeyned repētance as we can neuer satisfie god so we must neuer satisfie our selues Seeing the best thing that is in vs is no great performance of any good god wot but only a ready will to doe good a studious indeavour to haue a cleare conscience a purpose of the heart to cleaue vnto the lord an applying of the heart to fulfill gods statutes a setled determination to keepe gods words a steadfast resolution to keepe gods righteous iudgments As wee may see in this place Laboraui I haue bene weary of my gronings That 's true I but I purpose to doe much more hereafter Lauabo and Rigabo I will wash my bed and I will water my couch I water my couche with my teares The second amplification is in the word my couche Not only my bed but also my couche The bed is a place of rest Especially that florishing bed wherein the heauenly husband giueth his well-beloued sleepe Yet as the darkenes is no darknes to god but day and night are both alike to him so the bed is no bed to Dauid but in it and out of it to him are all one Therefore he may well complaine with poore afflicted Iob when I say my couche shall releiue me and my bed shall bring comfort in my meditation then fearest thou me with dreames and astonishest me with visions Now the fearfulst vision of all which most astonishes him and holds his eies waking and enforces him to wash his bed with his teares is the horrible sight greiuous remēbrance of his sinnes Neuerthelesse the amplification is much enlarged by that he saies Not onely my bed but also my couch For there is as I take it a double difference betwene these two First a bed is to sleep in by night a couch is to sleep vpon in the day time As Mephibosheth at noone in the heate of the day slept vpon a couch And Dauid in the aftern-noone rose from sleeping on his couch when he first sawe Vriah's wife Then againe a bed is standing hygher a couch is like a pallet either vpon the bare flower or els very neare it As in Salomons bed-chamber the bed was of gold the couch whereby he stept vp to his bed of purple Dauid also saith I will not climbe vp into the bed of my couch as much to say as into that bed to which I ascend by a pallet or couch So that his soule no question was sore troubled when as lying sicke in bed he wept so aboundantly that with his teares not only he washt his bed wherein he himselfe lay but watred his couch also which couch lay beneath or beside his bed That pretious oyntment was sure very liquid which did runn downe from Aarons head to the skirts of his garments That current of teares was very swift which streaming from Mary Magdalens face was sufficient to wash Christs feete That bloodie sweate was very painfull which bathed our Lords body all ouer and besides trickled downe x to the ground Axa requested her father Caleb to giue her a blessing For saith she thou hast giuen me the south countrey giue me also springs of water And he gaue her the springs aboue and the springs beneath This same blessing and gift Dauid likewise had here obtayned of God For his washt bed was a spring aboue and his watred couch a spring beneath Euen as the oyntment vpon Aarons head was a spring aboue vpon the skirts of his garments a spring beneath and the teares vpon Maries face were a spring aboue vpon Christs feet a spring beneath and the sweate vpon our Lords body was a spring aboue vpon the groūd a spring beneath So here I say is irriguum superius and irriguum inferius a spring aboue and a spring beneath I wash my bed and water my couch with my teares Hence we may learne one very excellent good lesson That we ought in the same kind and sort as we haue sinned if it be possible to make some part of amends for our sinne Dauid had haynously transgressed against God vpon his couch where he committed adultery Therefore that in the selfe same place where before he had bin ouercome by the deuill he might erect an eternall monument of his victorie and triumph ouer the deuill he saies here I water my couch with my teares In the very same couch God is as highly now honored as he was before offended Because Dauid did before pollute it by adultery but now he doth sanctifie it by repentance So the Israelites once pluckt off their earings to make a golden calfe but anon after repenting them they offered their earings to the building of the temple And so with the same Iewels wherewith they did erect Idolatrie now they maintaine Gods seruice Zacheus beeing a Publican no doubt got much of his goods by plaine briberie and extortion but not long after he restored all againe foure-fold and spent of his wealth very frankly and bountifully to giue Christ a friendly welcome and kind entertainment in his house That sinnefull woman of whome I spake euen now neuer tooke halfe so much delight in entising her louers with her beautifull lockes as now shee is glad with all her heart to wipe the very feete of our Sauiour with them A worthie example of this we haue in our owne stories Archbishop Cranmer of blessed memorie could neuer satisfie his conscience after his recantation till he had burnt that hand to ashes which subscribed And so he tooke a holy reuenge of himselfe as S. Paul willeth vs by suffering in a manner two martyrdomes one after the other One which he put himselfe to by burning first his right hand the other which the Papists put him to by burning afterward his whole bodie And so that constant and faithfull right-hand of his neuer so much dishonoured God by his subscription with inke to the bill as it did honour God by his inscription with blood in the fire The Apostles wordes are generall As you haue giuen your members seruants to vncleannes to commit iniquitie so now giue your members seruants vnto righteousnes in holines Euen as the Israelites gaue their Iewels and Zacheus gaue his goods and Marie gaue her haite and Cranmer gaue his hand Yet we read that Origen made himselfe an Eunuch Democritus put out his owne eyes Crates cast his mony into the sea Thracius cut downe all his vines Dauid did not so He kept the same couch still and onely changd his mind As for Origen strange it is that peruerting so many other places by allegories onely he should peruert one place by not admitting an allegorie For our Lord commanding to cut off the foote or any part of the bodie which offendeth vs doth not meane we should cut it off