healing holy poole by the fourthe yron gate for satisfying or escaping temporall punishments in this life you must needes haue either the key of penall good workes or of Indulgences which vpon some good consideration may commute these penances And lastly for them who dye before they haue satisfyed sufficiently for all their temporall punishments these to be altogether clensed in the vertue of that poolâ— must passe it by the boate fiery gate of purgatory which they passe the more spedily hauing the helpe of holy masses indulgences or prayers offred by others in their behalfe 4. This poole I say is the precious founteyn of our Sauiours bloud vnto which all thâ—se gates and keyes doo directe and without which all these can doo nothing But as oâ—â— lord Iesus is only the foundation of all our redemption and yet we vse the hâ—lpe of his sacramentes to communicate vnto vs the benefite of his merites which we doo confesse they doo communicate without any derogation or dishonor to our Sauiour himselfe So good workes and purgatory and those Sacramentalls of holy water c. they doo wish helpe vs in the vertue only of his precious bloud not diminishing but applying the maruelous fruite therof which by so manifolde diuerse meanes is ready at hand to profite vs. 5. A weake body apte to faynte or sounde had need of many helpes to holde or recall life among the rest it is vsed to sprinkle colde water in the face â—hervpoÌ„ Plautus said Sparsisti aquaÌ„ iam redijt animus thou hast tolde me so good tydinges that being ready to sâ—unde for feare now thou hast sprinkled water vpon me I am come agayne to life O blessed Iesu my sinnes and my doubtes had so reuolued turmoyled my conscience that vntill I bleeued thy catholique truthe which thou louest and vntill thou diddest manifest vnto me the secrets of thy mysteries hidden in the wisdome of thy catholique churche I was euer doubtfull fearfull and often ready to sounde at the bare name of death But now thou haste sprinkled water in my face by the precious hysope of thee my Sauiour I may say with Iacob when he heard of his sonne Iosephes wellfare my spirite is reuiued for now my doubtes are dissolued my sinnes are absolued my feare is expelled and my harte is setled in courage O proceede deare Sauiour to giue yet more ioye and gladnes to my hearing that my humbled bones may reioye and that thy promise by Ezechâ—el may be fullfiled to powre 〈…〉 cleane water by which we shal be clensed from all our iniquitâ—es for as S. Paul collecteth if the bloud of goates sprinkled did sanctâ—fâ—e the polluted how much more the bloud of Christe which shall cleanse our conscience from dead workes and thus I hope o lorde thou wilte sprinkle me with hysope and I shall be cleansed THE WONDERFVLL EFFICACYE OF OVR Sauiours bloud and of the signe of the Crosse which was be sprinkled therewith Sect. 3. 1. O most precious and miraculous bloud which doost not spotte steyne vs as any other bloud vseth to doo Thou doost rather cleanse vs wâ—sh vs and make vs white aboue snowe As the Sayntes washed their stoles and whited theÌ„ in the bloud of the lambe not their persons only but allso their garments And as in Dyars arte out of one the same Dyefatte they will make diuerse colors according to the disposition or aptenes of the color put into it as white will become blew yelowe will become greene blew will become red only blacke will take no color but come out rather more blacke So a fowle blacke deadly sinner not repenting truly thoughe he beleeue our Sauiors passion or neuer so often frequent the sacramentes so long as he continues still in his fowle sinne his blacke soule will take no other color rather for his abuse he comes away worser and of such the prophet asked can a blackmore change his skinne But a true penitent or he that is in state of grace according to the preparation of his harte and his deuoute disposition in which he applyes to himselfe the bloud of our Sauior so he euer receiues therefrom a perfiter color Wherfore S. Augustin speakes vnto the catholique church in these wordes O happy and heauenly mother among thy flowres neither wante lilyes nor Roses let euery one indeuour to attayne the colors which he can eyther by virginity a crowne of white lillyes or by martyrdome a crowne of purple Roses In the contemplation of our hopes we may haue a fresh greene or in the burning of charity a perfect flame color in one word all the beautifull colours in the world may be obtayned by this one admirable Tincture or Dye of our Sauiours bloud therfore herein o lord sprinkle me with hysope and I shal be cleansed in beauty 2. Many herbes beastes fishes other creatures haue wonderfull effectes of nature But the vertues of all gathered into one are not so strange nor so stronge as this one effecte of our Sauiours bloud To cleanse and make white the polluted blacke soule of a contrite sinner Not the herbe Guila which S. Ambrose saith the Turtles vse about then nestes to driue away by his smell the hungry wolnes from deuouring her yong ones Not the leaues of the plane tree by which the storke driues away from her neste the owles or nighte Battes least they touching her egges should make then rotten Not the Panâ—her which by his sweete smelling skinne drawes other beastes to him then deuours then and yet he himselfe so soone as he sees the Hyaena he runnes to lye downe at his feete and by him is torne in peeces Not the little fish Remora that sticking to a shippe vnder sayle presently hinders her course Nor the Torpedo which from the hooke by the Anglestringe the Rodde so benummes the fishers hande that he cannot drawe him out of the water Not the Indâ—an haematites which so stoppes the course of bloud that whiles it toucheth any parte of your body thoughe you receiue neuer so many woundes yet not one will bleed Not these nor a thousand more strange propertyes of all creatures can be comparable to the admirable effectes of one drop of his bloud who was the Creator of all these the Redeemer of the whole worlde 3. Saint Peters shadowe did worke miracles but it was in vertue of this bloud What miracles may the shadowe of the bloud it selfe doo wherfore now a figure or shadowe of this bloud since it was really shed for vs can be no lesse forcible then those figures which did but signifye it should be shed afterward As this Type of hysope sprinkling the bloud of legall sacrifices what vertues had it May not therfore now the sprinkeling of holy water in a better memory haue more efficacy 4. As for the signe of the crosse which touched was besprinkled with his bloud what miraâ—les what force
hath it had and hath stil euery day wonderfull effectes froÌ„ the vertue of our Lordes death and the effusion of his bloud shed thervpon Euen the wood of the yong mans Coffen said S. Ambrose after Iesus had touched it began to avayle vnto raysing him to life much more the wood of his crosse it selfe which when it was found by S. Helena both reuiued the sicke raysed the dead And only the signe of the crosse somtime without faith and deuotion yet hath wroughte maruelous effectes which doth shew the dignity that our lorde giueth vnto the signe for the excellency of the thing it selfe which he sanctifyed by his death As that christian who wickedly purposing to poyson himselfe came to Iew a Doctor of physicke for some strong poyson the Iew glad to kill a Christian gaue him a violent poysonous potion Before he dronke it he made the signe of the crosse ouer it as he vsed to doo commonly before he did eat or drinke It did him no harme he complaynes to the Iew that his poyson was not strong enoughe The Iew coulde giue him none stronger but the encreaseth the quantity of the same As before he takes it making the signe of the crosse The poyson preuayles not He is angry at the Iew and the Iew is madde to see him still aliue he doubtes the Christian had not taken it or had mixte or done somewhat else to it The Christian sweares he had done nothing to it only he remembers he had made the signe of the crosse as alwayes he vsed The Iew giues a little to a dogge which presently burste The Christian signing it with the crosse agayne takes a great deale more of the same poyson in the sighte of the Iew and yet feeles no harme whervpon he repentes the Iew is conuerted both of them aske God mercy and become honest deuout men 5. A blessed signe made holy and most glorious by touching the body and being sprinkled with the bloud of our Sauiour who was God and man he hallowed it with his death sanctifyed it by his merites honored it with his person and as it representeth his passion so it deriueth vertue from his merites The â—resâ—e before times was a detestable torment for malefectors now it is a royall ornament in the crownes of Kinges and Emperors honored of all Catholique Christians scorned or abhorred of none but Pagans Iewes Heretiques and Diuells And as the wonted shame therof is turned into honor so the former curse therof is changed into blessing O sacred signe which as the Royall standarde of the lambe shall come before him to iudgment A terror to the diuels and such as shalle damned a conforte to all Angells Sayntes and such as are to be saued thou arte the key of Dauid vnlocking Limbo and Purgatory to let out soules vnto liberty and opening heauen and Paradise to giue them entrance into rest and glory Thou arte the hysope of Dauid which helpeth to sprinkle sinners with the bloud of our Sauiour to be cleansed washed made white aboue snow Or as Origen said thou arte Tendiculum magni Fullonis the Tenter of our great Fuller who clenseth vs with his owne bloud instead of soape and in place of our weake rotten clothe suffered his diuine body to be stretched for vs vpon this Tenter of the crosse THERE ARE SVNDRY DEGREES OF WAShing cleansing and whyting of sinne Sect. 4. 1. O Blessed Sauiour washe me from the filthynes of vice and in the beauty of vertue make me white aboue snowe By thy mercie cleanse me and make me white by thy grace If I be white as snowe in inwarde deuotion for my selfe make me more white aboue snowe in externall exercise of good workes towardes others 2. Or thou o my soule take comforte from hence that not only an innocent but euen a penitent may attayne to estate of most perfect purity As S. Peter S. Paul S. Mary Magdalene and holy Dauid in this place by vertue of Christes merites hoped after repentance to be restored to perfection and purity aboue snowe Wherfore if we haue bene great sinners let vs labour so much more to become great Sayntes that as the prophet saith In the caues where dwelte dragoÌ„s there may spring vp greene rushes which as Eusebius expoundes it is instead of venimous filthy sinne to haue pleasant florishing vertue Neither let it seeme strange that as a notable saynte may become a notorious sinner so a lothsome sinner may become a glorious saynte for a garment which hath bene torne did you neuer see it drawne vp with such skill that no rent could be discerned and if vpon this occasion the same garment were all embrodered and the rent place couered with golde lace or set with pearle would it not be both a necessary mending of the rent and a better decking of the garment much better can our Lord Iesus repayre adorne the deformed beauty of a polluted soule he can sprinkle it cleanse it wash it and white it aboue snowe 3. O sprinkle me with hysope as a Begimner in goodnes to haue at firste some dewe droppes of grace O washe me next with some more plenty of this water that I may proceede from grace to grace And to the end I may be perfecte make me white aboue snowe Among earthly creatures there is nothing whyter then snowe but aboue this doo the Sayntes in heauen shyne as the â—unne I beseech thee O Sauiour sprinkle me with thy hysope and wash me with thy bloud that when this corruption shall put on incorruption and when this mortall shal be cloathed with immortality then I may be made white aboue snowe and shyne as the Sunne in eternall glory IT IS BETTER TO CONFESSE THEN to excuse to heare then to speake and of sundry kindes of ioye and gladnes Sect. 5. AFter my pardon I will rejoyce But a soule that is in sinne how should it haue mirth I will reioyce o lorde by hearing thy comfortes not in pleading for my selfe excuses Rather let me heare thy ioye speaking absolution to mine eares then any way delighte in my tongue pleasantly extenuating or wittily auoyding my faultes Wouldest thou after sinne fayne plead for thy reputation rather heare thy conscience and listen to repentance Be sorye for it confesse it then shalte thou heare ioye in thy harte and no terror at thyne eare 2. In generall we knowe it is better to heare then to speake And in spirituall contemplation excepte we first heare what God saith to our harte how can we hartily speake to him with our mouthe according as in nature wee see him that is borne deafe to be euer dumbe Allso among men he that heares as a good scholler practiseth Silence Beleefe Humilitie and obedience but he that is speaking as a paynful Teacher must labor with his voyce he must be carefull that he speake to good purpose for others without falsehood or flattery and he must be heedfull to himselfe
doth more respecte the intention of the minde then the worke of the hande In that lawe were more earthly temporall promises then heauenly and euerlasting but in ours there are more eternall spirituall promises then corporall transitory In both lawes there are indeede both eternall temporall promises and both doo require obedience of harte of hande for loue for feare for vnder both lawes there are some perfect men some imperfect But vnder the lawe of Christe there is more perfection so more loue then feare yet some feare more promises eternall then temporall and yet some temporall these temporall promises this feare in the lawe of Christe are for the imperfecte And on the other side for those which were perfect in the lawe of Moyses some did obey for loue with a good harte and for such it had some promises spirituall but these were fewer much inferior vnto them of the Gospell SOME OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWENE the Lawe the Gospell Sect. 2. 1. BVT the principall difference is that Moyses lawe did not iustifye ex opere operato nor did the sacrifices ceremonyes therof conteyne grace in themselues For the mysterye of our Sauiours incarnation passioÌ„ not being really accoÌ„plished they could not really conteyne vertue of that which yet was not only ex opere operantis if the partyes offering were in state of grace had faith in the expected Messias then did those sacrifices iustifye not as conferring grace of themselues causally but only as signes accidentally It is true the sacramentes of our lawe in like sorte require faith deuotion but moreouer in themselues they are more then signes and doo conteyne confer grace not corporally abiding in them for so can nothing meerely spirituall be conteyned in a bodily substance But instrumentally really remayning in them and so virtually intended to passe be conueyed by them For our sacraments effect grace cheifly as instrumentall causes and that as instrumentes mediate separate such as is a staffe not as an instrument coniuncte immediate such as a hande And so the principall efficient cause of grace is God himselfe the humanity of our Sauiour Christe as an instrument coniuncte and as separate instrumentes and causes of grace are our sacramentes both satisfactions for sinne and meritorious of fauour 2. Wherfore thoughe the sacrifices of the olde lawe iustifyed as signes testifying the faith obedieÌ„ce of the offerer yet this was only ex opere operâ—Ì„tis by the obedience faith of the partyes applying the merites of our Sauiour Christe by that faith as only by an inwarde acte of the minde in the offerer which inward action of faith thoughe alwayes it be necessary yet furthermore we haue the vertue of our Sauiours passion applyed vnto vs allso by the outwarde vse of externall sacraments which is a priuiledge of more fauor a prerogatiue of more grace 3. And thus is the lawe of Christe more perfect more abundant in grace then was the law of Moyses for what the Leuiticall law did but promise signifye our EuaÌ„gelicall law doth exhite performe as S. Augustin said significando causat gratiaÌ„ in signifying doth allso cause grace in vs. Wherfore thoughe the lawe of the gospell propound more temporall afflictions and lesse store of worldly prosperity yet doth it affoarde a more speedy passage to heauen so much greater rewarde of eternall glory thirs was generally for a more carnall sensuall people more imperfect but ours is especially for men more perfect more spirituall which as it requires more perfection so it doth enable vs with more grace and so it is a much easyer yoke because it doth endue vs with farre greater strengthe 4. If you consider them both by the bare outward letter yet as S. Augustin said the lawe had the gospell hiddenlie inuolued and the gospell hath the lawe plainlie reuealed the lawe did foreshew our Sauiour as one a farre of dimly sene and the gospell doth manifest him clearly as one present And in respecte of their commandements admonitions other instructions let them be alike in this poynte of their letter that in both of theÌ„ the letter doth kill because when the letter of the lawe or gospells commandement is not fulfilled it is accidentally or improperly said to be the occasion of sinne so to kill yet seing it is the spirite which giueth life and considering that the lawe of Moyses was a dead lawe working wrathe requiring obedience not enabling to obey and considering that in the lawe of Christe beside the outward letter commandements writteÌ„ in paper there is allso abundaÌ„ce of grace inwardly shed into all good Christians hartes not only prescribing what we are to doo but assisting vs euer in the doing this is an excellent difference and a confortable encoragement 5. Wherfore S. Augustin said In the olde testament the lawe was established outwardlie by which vniust men shoulde be terrifyed but in the new it is inwardlie giuen by which they mighte be iustifyed And so the lawe was made by Moyses but grace truthe was giuen by Iesus Christe and therfore the Apostle saith their lawe was giuen in tables of stone but ours is written in the fleshye tables of our hartes and calleth their lawes a ministration of death condemnation but ours he nameth a ministratioÌ„ of the spirite of iustice because with ours we receiue inwarde grace helping to be saued but theirs had only the outward letter which accused 6. In this respecte Dauid mighte say that our lorde would not be delighted with the sacrifices of Moyses lawe althoughe he had so strictely commaÌ„ded them he exacteth them and yet refuseth them they were commanded therby to shew the faith obedience of the Offerers and yet he refused them in regarde of any value in the sacrifice it selfe they were exacted because of that which they did signifye but he did not regarde them for any worthe or vertue in themselues As when the Poste or other messenger bringes vs a letter whose cariage must coste vs deare Sir here is a letter for you pay me for the portage If we desire firste to read it he will say no if he suspecte we will returne it him vnpayde for he knowes we care not for the bulke of the letter but for the meaning of the wordes and that the paper of it selfe is nothing nere worthe the price which he demandes so the sacrifices of the olde lawe were required for signification of the Messias and were accepted according to the faith of the offerers not for any value which of it selfe was in the bloud of beastes or in the swetenes of fruites 7. Thus S. Ierome and others note of Abel that our Lorde more respected the person offering then the sacrifice offered And so S. Augustin obserueth in Abel 3. primarye vertues vidz he was the firste preist the firste virgin
whiles it was open you saw no other picture but that of the brasen serpent yet so soone as the curtayne was drawne you mighte playnly see in the glasse not a reflection of the serpent but a liuely representation of our Sauiour on the crosse with our blessed lady S. Ihon S. Mary Magdalen standing at the foote therof for as those other double pictures are made by cutting paynting the Table sidewayes so this was done crossewayes in which as it downewarde represented nothing but the serpent which was a type of our Sauiour and vpwarde reflected on the glasse the thing signifyed which was his exaltation on the crosse so shoulde we from the inferior resemblance of all ceremonyes by opening the Curtayn lifte vp our minds to beholde and lay holde on their signifyed substâ—Ì„ce for good thinges are figured to be remembred and they are remembred to be apprehended And so whiles we remember hysope sprinkling the bloud of sacrifices let vs by faith good workes of deuotion labour to apply the sacrifice of our Sauiours bloud passion 3. Allso hysope we knowe is a lowe herbe medicinable which naturally desires to fasten his roote about stones so doo thou fasten the roote of thy loue on Christe our rocke and by imitation of his humility he will cleanse thee And as hysope is good to purge the swelling of the lunges so haue we need of the humble vertue hereof to purge our Brestes puffed vp in malice or pride As Saul went towardes Damascus breathing out hotte bigge crueltyes against the christians but being once humbled and caste downe vpon the earthe his swelling hâ—nges were purged his vnsauory breath was sweetned 4. These propertyes allso are written of hysope in twoo verses Parua calens pâ—ctus purgans petrosa screatrix Ius sapidat pleuri congrua spargit aquam It is little and hotte purging the breast stony and spitting it relisheth broathe helps a pleurisy serues for water sprinkling Allso which doo well agree with a penitent for thou must be little and lowly in thine owne eyes and so thou shalte be exalted and great in the eyes of allmighty God Thou must be hotte and feruent in charity which is the loue of God aboue all and of our neighebor as our selues for his sake By sorrowe contrition thou must purge thy harte from sinne spitte out this sinne by coÌ„fession and by stony and stedfaste satisfaction take roote in Christe our rocke These foresaid religious exercises doo relishe and giue good taste to all our prayers deuotions they heale and take away all payne punishment due to sinne and lastly they sprinkle refresh vs with the dewe droppes of all heauenly grace O come my soule to this medicinable herbe of hysope that being therwith sprinkled we may be cleansed and being washed in these vertues hereof we may be made white aboue snowe We haue neede of all these for sinne is a deepe pollution hardly cleansed whither it be a priuation or haue oughte in it positiue or negatiue whither it be directly in the soule or a crooked relation to the iustice of God sure it is of all men called a deadly â—eformity and a detestable blotte whose guilte remayneth still in the soule after the acte is passed It is a poysonous spotte a venimous leprosy o what shall we doo to be cleansed washed made white aboue snowâ— A dangerous disease requireth precious remedyes when he physicians prescribe Bezar stone or Confection of pearles then we knowe the patient is in a weake wofull estate And no lesse may we vnderstand our selues to haue bene in a wretched case when by no other meanes we coulde he cured speaking of Gods ordinary power but by this rare excellent hysope sprinkled with the precious bloud of our Sauiour Iesus OF DIVERSE CEREMONYES IN THE Catholique Church made profitable by the sprinkling vertue of our Sauiours precious bloud which is compared to the water of the Poole of Bethesda Sect 2. 1. IN this precious sprinkling I shall finde a double cleansing First I shal be cleansed from veniall faultes and allso if thou wash me I shalle made white aboue snowe from mortall sinnes for mortall crimes are remitted by washing of Baptisme or repentance veniall offences by diuerse other meanes of which some are expressed in these verses Confiteor Tundor Respergor Conteror Oro Signor Edo â—ono per quae venialia pono By Contrition Confession Knocking the Breast Sprinkling with holy water Prayer By blessing ourselues with the signe of the Crosse By receiuing the blessed sacrament By eating holy bread By Agnus Dei holy graynes Indulgences c. by giuing almes and by forgiuing iniuryes By all or any one of these euer ioyned with some contrition or displicence for our faultes in generall or particular we may be washed from our veniall faultes yet euery one all these are vnprofitable excepte they be referred grounded vpon the merites and vertue of our Sauiour Christes bloud wherin the hysopâ— must euer be dipped or else these sprinklinges will doo no good but being therin moystened our holy mother the Churche hath appoynted diuersity of hysope branches that euer some mighte be at hande and who wanted occasion or affection concerning one might readily find more easily stirre vp his deuotion by another 2. Because allso it is necessary we doo make vse and benefite of this precious bloud therfore diuerse meanes are assigned by which we may applye his excellent vertue The water of the Poole mentioned in the gospell healed all maladyes yet excepte they entred into it to be washed it cured none so it is most true that without the bloud of our L. Iesus no sinne is cleansed nor any by this except we do enter into this founteyne Wherfore as to that poole which was a figure of our Sauiours pretious bloud seing the water is so necessary if there were certeyn gates by which we must enter were it not willfull slothfullnes or idle madnes not to enter those gates which may be diuided into fiue sortes as there be fiue kindes of sinnes 1. Originall 2. mortall 3. venial 4. such as haue the Guilte erernall paynes remitted but are subiect to temporall punishments in this worlde 5. or such of these laste who dye before they haue here satisfyed all those temporall punishments which therfore they must suffer in Purgatory 3. The first kinde must enter this sacred poole by the large water gate of Baptisme which cleanseth originall sinne The second must passe into the same precious poole by the narrow roughe ston y gate of penitence opening his three hard lockes of contrition confession satisfaction which giue entrance to deadly sinners The thirde for veniall offendors is a playne free stone gate more easily opened hauing alwayes the master key of contrition by any on other key of those good workes Sacraments Sacramentalls or Indulgences as is before mentioned To enter this
and first martyr wherfore our lorde firste respected him and then his sacrifice And peraduenture Dauid here considering his owne vnworthynes by his sinnes so fowly committed durste not presume to offer any sacrifice because it may be doubting he had not sufficiently repented he feared his person yet to be lothsome therfore his sacrifices woulde not be accepted So let vs take heede vnto our selues O my soule that we approache not to the Altar of God whiles we haue a lothsome conscience vncleansed from sinne for vnto such Esay threatneth he that offereth an oxe is as one who killeth a man and he that sacrificeth a beast is as one who beateth out the braynes of a dogge For when a wicked wretche without repentance whiles his person is vnholy yet dare meddle with holy thinges he doth not pacifye but prouoke the wrathe of God against him because he doth prophane and abuse diuine mysteryes which if we vse them well are heauenly remedyes So he that celebrateth or heareth masse abiding in mortall sinne without remorse he is as Iudas who boughte solde our Sauiour Christe yet supped with him And like the Iewes he crucifyeth agayne our lorde of life who remayning in deadly sinne doth receiue vnworthily the moste blessed body of our Sauiour or in like sorte prophaneth any other holy sacrament O let vs not as Iewes so kill such a man nor so make our selues like vnto Iudas that dogge who as he was hanged deserued allso to haue his braynes beaten out as well as he had his belly burste so that his bowells gushed out OVR LORD DOTH MORE REGARDE THE harte then the gifte and the deuotion more then the sacrifice Sect. 3. 1. OR these wordes may haue reference to the bare outwarde figure of Mosaycall Ceremonyes not to the inwarde truthe by them figured Our lord will not haue the shadowe of the sacrifices without the substance of the Messias And so the Iewes lawe was promised to be eternall in regarde of the substance figured not in regarde of their ceremonyes figures shadowes which when Christe fulfilled they were finished And so he came not to dissolue the inwarde truthe of the lawe but to fulfill it to continue it for euer as eternall according as he dyed only in his body not in his soule for so the outwarde parte of their sacrifices signes are ceased they dyed with our Sauiours consummatum est and by the Apostles were buryed by little little with honor but their inwarde truthe is still aliue The worke of our redemption is accomplished and the fruite of our Sauiours sacrifice passion is now in force and shall remayne eternall for euer more 2. O let vs likewise offer our sacrifices with inwarde sincerity and truthe not only bring swete smelling frankinsence for outwarde smoke but especially an humbled and a contrite harte with secret flames of deuotion not to seeke beastes or birdes to kill them in sacrifice thou hast inwardly in thy selfe O my soule many appetites and faultes which should be mortifyed Our lord doth not so much require the giftes or riches of men as the man himselfe If we offer our selues together with our giftes he takes any thing in good parte but without our inwarde true harte he will accepte nothing whatsoeuer Holocaustis non delectabitur He will not be pleased which whole burnte offeringes which were the best sacrifices nor with all the best outwarde oblations Wherfore let vs exhibite our bodyes a liuing sacrifice not hartles for without the harte it is dead nor a sacrifice nor a harte defiled with sinnes but holy and pleasing to God And all this according to discretion which is our reasonable obedience Non holocaustis not in such whole burnte sacrifices where to destroye some offence or naturall infirmity we doo consume allso our very naturall substance for almighty God doth not exacte any thing too much at our handes nor will be content with any thinges too little But as it were too little thoughe we shoulde giue all our Gods in almes or suffer our bodyes to be burnte not hauing in vs the true loue of God so neither doth he require that voluntarily we shoulde too much hurte our selues with pretence of his loue or in desire of dooing penance for this were to hinder and not to further his seruice And in this sense Lycurgus and Socrates ordeyned that the people should offer small sacrifices vnto their Gods the one said because they shoulde so offer to daye and this yeare that still they mighte haue somewhat to offer the nexte yeare and to morowe the other said because God hauing no neede of our giftes he did rather regarde the harte of the giuer then the greatnes of the gifte 3. In this sense I say their ordinance was good Otherwise Dauid here refuteth them both especially as some interprete the worde Zebab a thousand sacrifices because it beginnes with the Hebrew letter Zain which in their accomptes doth stand for seauen and so by a certein number they say is often signifyed an exceeding great number as if he should say I would willingly if thou o God wouldest demande them yeild the 1000. or 1000000. sacrifices yea all that I am or haue or can haue euen all this all at once for when our lord doth require it nothing can be too much or too great or too deare or too good for his seruice or to testifye our obedience and loue vnto him And then it doth appeare that he doth require them when either he takes such thinges from vs by his prouidence or by his holy inspirations he doth mooue vs to leaue all the worlde to enter into religion And in these cases he that giues the whole orcharde or Gardeyn all at once doubtles his gifte is much more and farre better then if he should continue euery day to giue some flowers of that Gardeyn or some fruites of that orcharde And althoughe the Goates hayre giuen by poore people to the building of Moyses tabernacle and the poore widdowes mite in the Gospell were no lesse acceptable to God then was the Golde and great Giftes of rich men because if the willingnes of their hartes be equall their rewarde shall be equall yet all sortes must testifye their willingnes according to their abilityes for of him that hath many talentes there is more encrease required and if a riche woman should giue but a mite or if Goates hayre should come from the hande of a wealthy man surely of such we mighte say He or shee that being able to doo much performes but a little out of question little is their willingnes 4. The schoolmen dispute If a man being sicke cannot be cured but by a medicine which must coste all the wealthe which he hath whether with a â—afe conscience he may rather suffer himselfe to dye of that disease then so to spend all that he possesseth In some cases some are of opinion That he may Except he be such