of a cryer which should not pype to make the people daunce but mourne to make them weepe Hence it is that in the olde lawe e Leuit. 21.20 none that was blinde or had any blemish in his eye might serue at the aulter There are many reasons of this lawe Among many this may be one because for that impediment in his eye hee could not well shew his inward sorrowing by his outward weeping And when they offered vp to the Lorde their first borne who was ordinarily in euery familie their priest or their preacher they offered also with him a paire of turtle doues or two yong pigeons That paire of turtle doues did signifie a paire of mournefull eies These two yong pigeons did signify likewise two weeping eyes And at that offering they praied for their first born that afterward he might haue such eyes himselfe For as pigeons flie to their windowes f Esay 60.8 so the sincere preacher hath no other refuge to flie vnto but onely to his windowes that is to his eyes which are glazed with teares when they weepe for the sins of the people Christ Iesus is much delighted in such kinde of eyes saying so oftē to his spouse Thine eies are pigeons eyes The holy Ghost also descending himselfe in the forme of doue And the Prophets like doues vpon the waters which are washt with milke remaine by the ful vessels (g) Cant. 5.12 vsually receiued their prophecies beside riuers As Ezechiel beside the riuer Cobar Daniel beside the riuer Tigris the Baptist beside the riuer lordane Yea also they preached their prophecies not so much with wordes as with riuers of teares The prophet Dauid was so valiant that he ouercame a mightie huge giant and tare a Beare in peeces as easily as if it had beene a Kyd slew a fierce lyon with no other weapon but onely with his naked handes and diuerse other times like a violent whirlewinde bare downe all before him Yet when he came to preach hee was so soft-hearted and so tender-ey'd that he said Mine eies gush out riuers of water because men keepe not thy law O that my head were full of water sayes Ieremie mine eies a fountaine of teares I protest sayes Paule that for these three yeares I haue not ceased to warne euery one of you with teares day and night For indeede as Austin witnesseth there is more good to be done with sighing then with speaking with weeping then with wordes h Plus gemitibus quà m sermonibus plus fletu quà m affatu And Prosper saith that a preacher must seeke not his owne praise but the peoples profit in sorrowing for their sinnes i Non plausum sed planctum And Ierome sayes that the preacher is most highly commended not when the people k Sint eorum lachrymae tuae laudes clap their hands but when they knocke their breasts Wherefore as it is an Idol and no God which hath eies and seeth not So hee is rather an Idoll shepheard then a godly pastour which hath eies and weepeth not more or lesse one time or other in preaching to the people Touching prayer Saint Iames sayes the prayer of a iust man preuaileth much if it be feruent For a feruent prayer commeth from a feruent spirit which is wholy inspired with that holy spirit who maketh request in vs and for vs with sighes and grones which cannot be expressed As it is in one of the Psalmes l Psal 147.18 Hee sendeth forth his word and melteth them he bretheth forth his spirite and the waters flowe Hee sendeth forth his worde and breatheth forth his spirit when the holy Ghost moueth vs to praye he melteth them and the waters flow when teares trickle downe from our eyes For as a seething pot runneth ouer so sayes a holy heart seething as it were like a pot and boyling in feruent prayer m Psalm 42.4 I power ouer my soule within mee According to that of Austin n Quo quisque sanctior eò eius in orando fletus vberior The more holy and deuout a man is the more will he be sure to weepe in his prayer And no maruaile that hee doth weepe in praying which doth pray for weeping Grant O Lorde sayes the same father that I may haue a fountaine of teares then especially when I offer vp to thee my prayers and supplications o Da mihi lachrymarum fontem tum praecipuè cùm preces orationes tibi offero Manualis cap. 11. For the oliue tree is most aboundant in fruite when it distilleth And so a Christian is most plentifull powrefull in prayer when he weepeth Hereupon King Dauid saith I am as a greene oliue tree in the house of the Lord. And our Sauiour himselfe whent often to the mount of Oliues where hee offered vp prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares And therefore he willeth vs also to haue fayth as a grayme of mustard seede Now mustard seede hath his name in Greeke p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it makes the eyes weepe So that hee which in prayer hath fayth as a grayne of mustard seede hath such a fayth as makes his eyes weepe And then Christ sayes to him Thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes If with one then much more with both For as Synesius testifieth weeping is more pearcing and more forcible to perswade God and euen to wound his heart then all the eloquence then all the rhetorick in the world q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Cpyrian sayes when the spirite of man sendeth out sighes in prayer then the spirit of God giues grace r Cum spiritus hominis suspirat spiritus Dei aspirat And Ambrose God looketh when wee praye that wee should power out our teares that hee might poure out his mercies ſ Expectat lachrymas nostras vt profundat pietatem suam De paenit l. c. 4. As for example Anna Samuels mother in the bitternes of her soule wept sore when shee prayed Looke how salte vapours arise out of the sea which afterward are turned into a pleasant shower so out of the sea of her sorrowfull soule did arise sobs and sighes like salt vapours which immediatly were turned into asweet shower of teares Therefore God heard her prayer and sent her a sonne The rather because this weeping the more bitter it was to her the more sweete it was to God So Iacob wrestled with God and preuayled against God t Gen. 32.28 But the Prophet Osee sheweth that his wrestling was by weeping and his preuailing was by praying u Ose c. 12. v. 4. So Ezechias being sicke prayed praying turn'd him toward the wall and wept And then with weeping as with gunshot he battered downe that partition wall of his sinnes which kept Gods louing countenance from him Therefore sayes the Lord to him I haue heard thy prayers and thy teares A strange speech I haue heard thy prayers
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
my death but weep much for your owne life VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES Wherfore holy brethren if wee haue any teares nowe let vs shed them if we haue any psalmes now let vs sing them The whole gospel is nothing els but ioyfull newes the sum wherof is comprised in that Euangelicall Angelicall message to the shepherds I bring you glad tidings of great ioy which shal bee to all people But then Christ was borne in his mothers armes Now he holdeth vp the Angels that they fall not and lifteth vp men which are fallen with his owne armes stretched out vpoÌ„ the crosse This Crosse is his kingdome that he carrieth vpon his shoulder (p) Esa cap. 9. ver 6. which is a greater glory and credit to Christ then was the creation of the whole world (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecume in cap. 2. ad Heb. For if God had created a thousand worlds man had defaced them euery one with his sin But to saue if it be but one poore soule and to redeeme it from the pit of hell this indeede is the omnipotent power of the crosse of Christ Sweet sauiour I humbly imbrace and kisse the woundes of thy handes and feet I esteeme more of thine hysope thy reede thy spunge thy speare then of any princely diadem I boast my selfe am more proud of thy thornes and nailes then of all pearles and iewels I account thy crosse more splendent and glorious then any royall crowne tush what talke I of a crowne then the very golden sun beames in their greatest beauty and brightnes This is that triumph wherby Christ caused vs to triumph in himselfe and to bee more then conquerours (r) 2 Corin. cap. 2. ver 4. when as the goodnes the sweetnes of Christ did triumph ouer all impiety and malice Å¿ Cum de impietate malitia suauitas piet asque tryumphauit Cypr. And therfore if the women mette Dauid playing and singing Saule hath slaine his thousand but Dauid his ten thousand howe much more then ought all the sonnes and daughters of Ierusalem all christian men and women to meete Christ playing vpon the harpe and singing that newe song to the lamb with the foure and twenty elders Thou art worthy to receiue glory and honor and power because thou wast killed yet thou hast killed and slaine not only a thousand or ten thousand but euen all thine and our enemies and hast redeemed vs thy friends to God by thy bloud There is a time to weepe and a time to laugh a time to mourne and a time to daunce (t) Ecclesiastes 3. ver 4. Why art thou then so heauy O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within me What man Plucke vp a good heart trust in God thinke vpon the honorable passion and gladsome resurrection of Christ And then though thou wert neuer so much afflicted yet euen in the fiery furnace of affliction reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable and glorious Daunce now not as Herodias did but as Dauid did Leap vp in affection as high as heauen Where thou shalt heare one rapt vp to the third heauen saying to himselfe God forbid that I shoulde reioyce reioyce in any thinge but in the crosse of Christ and to vs Reioyce in the Lord alwaies and againe I say reioyce And againe and againe I say reioyce and reioyce alwaies in the Lord. Especially at this time For if when the matter was in doubt no man almost knewe to what passe these troubles would sort in the end and very fewe in the church no not the Apostles but only the virgin Mary did vnderstand beleeue the resurrection of Christ yet then our Sauiour sayd VVEEP NOT FOR ME how much more now ought wee not to weepe but to reioyce seeing our Lord hath so mightely declared himselfe to be the sonne of God (u) Rom. 1.4 by raising vp his owne selfe from the dead And if wee might not weep when Iacob went ouer Iordan with nothing but his staffe in his hand (x) Gen. 32.10 then much more nowe ought wee to lift vp our hearts in great ioy to God and say O Lord we are not worthy of the least of all thy mercyes for our â—â—â—essed redeemer went ouer Iordan with nothing but his crosse which is 〈◊〉 Iacobs staffe (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damascen l 4. cap. 88. vpon his shoulder but now hee is returned again with two greate troupes O what a great troupe what a goodly flock is here wee with all the militant church are one flocke of Christ And the other ftock is the triuÌ„phant church in heauen With whom we must continually reioyce for the victory and the saluation which Christ hath shewed â—s this day For though on good friday towards euening the sky was red all oâ—er coloured distained with the bloud of Christ (y) Mat. 16.2 yet laudes be to our Lord O praysed bee God that was a good signe this day it is fayre weather The winter is nowe past the raine is chaunged and gone the flowers appeare in the earth the time of the singing of birdes is come and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land (z) Cant. 2.11 And what saies the Turtle Euen as it is here VVEEP NOT FOR MEE VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES Pindarus reporteth there was an opinioÌ„ of the city of Rhodes that golde rained downe vpon it (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ode 7. If euer gold did raine downe from heauen vpon any city I thinke it is rather this city then Rhodes Not only for aboundance of gold and worldly riches wherewith it is replenished but also much more for infinit spirituall gifts and golden graces of God O London London excellent excellent thinges are spoken of thee O thou city of God! It is spoken of thee that thou employest a great part of thy wealth to the reliefe of poore orphanes of poore souldiers of poore schollers It is spoken of thee that thou doest reuerence religion loue the trueth more then any part of this realme doth besides It is spoken of thee that none are more obedient none more readie then thou art both with bodie goods to defend the state It is spoken of thee that thou art so famous in all foraine countries that as AtheÌ„s was called the Greece of Greece (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athenaeus lib. 1. so London is called the England of England And wee may almost as well say that al England is in London as that all London is in England These are excellent things I assure you beloued excellent things indeede Wherefore wee which haue receiued so many singular graces of God should aboue al other be thankfull for them And not only one or some few but euen al of vs should bring forth good fruites answerable to such great mercies Well would to God it were so But certainly