with Iob that thou mayest a little bewaile thy dolours push forth thy teares of griefe and make them flowe in abundaunce for laughlng thou descendest to hel but murning thou ascendest to heauen Wilt thou haue Christ dwel with thee mourn Wilt thou haue Christe dwell in thee mourne Wilt thou haue sinne mortified in thee mourn Wilt thou haue grace plentyfull in thee mourne O remember that Peter after hee had bewayled his apostasie found greater grace by his teares than hee lost by his deniall Looke on Dauid the adulterer hee weepeth and is restored Look on Agar the desolate she weepeth and is comforted Looke on weeping Anne she recouereth her barrennesse Looke on mourning and weeping Iob hee ouercommeth his temptations mourning Ieremie prophesieth the mourning Publicane is iustifyed and mourning Ioseph is deliuered Oh teares of great worth working great thinges with GOD. By teares Marie obtayned the pardon of her sinnes by teares shee obtained the resurrection of her deade brother for her teares sake the Angelles came and comforted her for her teares sake our Sauiour first appeared and shewed himselfe vnto her Great is the vertue and power of teares which tie the handes of the omnipotent ouercome the inuincible appease the wrath and indignation of the Iudge and doth change and conuert it into mercie Hee that standeth on a profound and deepe pit sayeth the Philosopher seeth the stars at noonstead where hee that standeth on the face of the earth seeth not one starre in so great a light In like maner he that is placed in the deapth of humilitie teares sighs and tribulation sigheth to heauen and summoneth God by his cries but hee that standeth in the light of this worlde and in the brightnesse of worldlye lasciuiousnesse can see no star or retaine anie grace Shall I teach you how to bewaile Christ First loue him for loue vniteth things together drawing all mans interest from himself and placing it in another when thou art conuerted into Christ then mayest thou truely bewaile him For the losse of things then neerest touch vs when they are best knowee vnto vs. Those that are one in affection are one in passiō one in desires one in teares one in loue one in sorrow one in minde one in martyrdome mockers martyr Christ penitents weep for him blasphemeis crucifie him the sorrowfull are comforted by him O men learne and vnderstand this our Lord suffered of will not of necessitie and hee indured of commiseration we in condition his voluntarie passion therefore is our necessarie consolation that being afflicted as hee was we may be confident as he was Will you know the hunger and thirst of this aduocate Ahlasse hee scarce found one theese on the gallowes whome hee might taft his Apostles are fled from him and hid them in the throng Peter that promised to perseuer till death hath denied him Wherevpon then shall hee feed if all soules flie him Nay howe can hee hope orf loue where none weep for him Oh man thou art made iust by the iustice of God Thou art saued gtatis and not by thy graces thou hast none to flie to but to him in necessities thou hast no life but it proceedeth from him vnder the Sunne thou hast nothing but watching sleeping eating drinking hunger thirst growth weaknes infancy childhood youth age and all these hee gaue thee Aboue the Sunne thou hast inuisible faith inuisible hope inuisible charitie inuisible bountie inuisible feare in holynesse which he willingly offereth thee Oh then giue him teares for his treasures a small interest for so great riches Oh yee sinful race of men what are you but a sacke of necessities Ahlasse what necessities are these Not to knowe anothers heart to thinke ill oftentimes of a faithfull friend to thinke well oftentimes of a dissembling enemie O hard necessitie yet another harder Thou knowest not what thou shalt be tomorow O greatest miserie yet another harder Thou must needes die O harde necessitie not to wyll that which thou canst not escape In this confusion what canst thou man Whether art thou carried How art thou bannished Crie and crie out vnhappie man that I am who shall deliuer mee from these Who shall aunswere thee Who shall helpe thee Not ambition for it is blinde not lust for it hastens death not wrath for it subdueth reason not the infirmities of the world for they are all fraile It must be humble Iesus then that must heal these imperfectious recouer these necessities determine these daungers to whom thou no sooner canst offer teares but he sodainly sendeth remedies Oh what hart can bee so hardned What mind so obdurate What soul so sensles that beholding a prince in his owne kingdome amongst his owne subiects massacred by his owne sonne wil not grieue at it by how much reason then ō you bond slaues of sinne should you be sorrowfull that see a prince not slaughtered in his owne kingdome but vniustly murthred in the world not among his subiectes but his brethien not by his sonnes onely but sonnes seruants and liegemen nay which is more not for his owne offence his owne default his owne errour but for their sinnes onely who persecute him onely Oh wonderful charitie Christ spreadeth his armes to imbrace those that spit at him openeth his woūds to intertain those that will enter offereth his bloud to ran some them that shedde it giueth his flesh to bee eaten to those that mangled it he praieth for theyr offences that fastned him to the crosse he made their sinnes his sinne that hee might make his iustice their iustice Oh if there be anie kindnesse in thee man thinke on these benefits looke looke about thee consider the waight of thy offences which stops the Fathers cares though the sonne crieth Make Christ sweat water and bloud for verie agonie in bearing them make heauen and earth and all creatures breake out in miracles to beholde them Iob vppon the deuils request was lefte to him to bee tempted and after his long patience receiued blessinges two folde but our Lord was whipte and no man helped him foulely spit vppon and no man succoured him lewdly buffetted and no man regarded him crowned with thornes and no man pittied him nailed to the crosse and no man deliuered him hee cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and was not succored Why oh good Iesu whence came these thinges For what cause sufferedst thou all this To what end are all these torments Why cryed the Iewes Crucifie crucifie Why wert thou poured out like water Why were all thy bones dispearsed Why became thy heart like melting wax Why cleaued thy tong to thy roof Why diuided they thy garments cast lots on thy vesture O Christ the sonne of God if thou wouldest not thou shuldest not haue suffred shew vs therfore the fruit of this thy passion It was thy sinne O sinner that caused this it was thy disobedience to God that was punished in Gods sonne to
Prosopopeia CONTAINING THE TEARES OF THE holy blessed and sanctified Marie the Mother of GOD. Luke 2. And moreouer the swoord shall pearce thy soule that the thoughts of many hearts may be opened LONDON Printed for E. White 1596. TO THE RIGHT NOBLE THE MOTHER COVNTESSE COVNTESSE of Darby and the vertuous and deuout Countesse of Cumberland Charitie in life and eternitie after death Right noble Madames and more noble in that deuout I haue made you patronesses of a iust cause the teares of a matchlesse mother shed for a Sauior a sonne If to begin your new yeere you shall but peruse these in deuotion I doubt 〈◊〉 but they wil proue holy motiues of meditation in shedding one teare with Marie you shall confesse with Barnard that you purchase much interest in Iesus I ioyne you in this greatest of your honors not for your births sake for wee may disparage our selues neither your wealth sake for riches are as the deaw in Aprill but for your vertue sake which retaineth this qualitie of the Sunne communicating his beames to all things inriching euerie one without impouerishing himself Good Madames accept these teares in their nature and hold it better to weepe many times with Iesus and Marie than to laugh with Belial and the world for the world hath deceiued you long but pietie will eternize you for euer If you shall but grace what I giue my desires are satisfied if giue what you owe you shall grieue when you reade if as you reade you consider you haue the end of true consideration For to lament sinne is to redeeme sinne Noble Ladies vse not these giftes as the Romane Matrones their puppies spit not in their mouthes to make them waite at your heeles neither cocker them at your breastes least Caesar holde you more careful of your whelpes than your sonnes but vse them as the goldsmith his mettal trie them at the test of your contemplation and so prise them God worke that in your hearts that my deuotion intendeth to your soules and blesse you in giuing mee grace to serue him Your Honors most bounden T. L. To the Readers IT was a custome amongest the Cretans gentle readers when they intended to vse their most bitter and vehementest execratitio to desire that those whom they hated should fixe their whole delights and likings on an inueterate and euill custome This Cretan course I feare me is fallen vppon our age wherein men are so accustomed to vanitie that nothing is pleaseth which is not pleasant nothing is sought after which is not amorous Which lamentable error and sicknes of our time beeing so ordinarie I almost waxe in despaire of the happie issue of my deuotion for some I know will condemn me that iustly for a Galba who begat foul children by night and made fayre pictures by daie To whom I answere that I paint fair things in the light of my meditation who begot the soule forepassed progenie of my thoughts in the night of mine error Some other and they superstitiously ignorant will accuse me for writing these teares desiring rather with Brentius to impaire the honor of the mother of God than with Bernard to inhance it To whom I answer that it is better imitating many holy mens deuotion than cleauing to a few mens foolish and gracelesse contemptes For other that haue wept as Peter his apostasie Marie her losse misse of Christ their teares wrought from them either for repent or loue But these teares of Marie the blessed are not onely ratified by a motherlie compassion a working charitie vnstayned loue but by a manifest prophesie wherein Zacharie tolde her Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius And the sword of sorrow shall pearce thy heart And the reason is anexed To the end that the harts of many may be opened This swoord of griefe sayth Beda is the swoord of sorrow for our Lordes passion Chrisostome and Bernard the sword of loue To good men therefore let this suffice that in imitation of no lesse than fiue twenty ancient holy and Catholique Fathers of the Church I haue enterprised this Prosopopeia to the bad I yeeld no reason at all who wanting deuotion can haue no feeling at all Some there bee that will not onely gybe at this complaint but impaire the person drawing from Maries demerite all that which the fathers in her life helde marueilous to whome beside the speciall testimones of Iohn Damascene and holy Gregory who haue written largely of her dignities I oppose that of Bernards Quod seminae obtemperat humilitas sine exemplo quod faemina Deo principetur sublimitas sine modo Some there be that will accuse the stile as to stirring some the passion as too vehement To the first I will be thankfull if they amend mine errours to the next I wish more iudgment to examine circumstances Some and they too captious will auowe that Scriptures are misapplied fathers mistaken sentences dismembred Whome I admonish and that earnestlie to beware of detraction for it either sheweth meere ignorance or mightie enuie for the detracter first of all sheweth himselfe to be void of charitie and next of all extinguisheth charitie in others To leaue them satisfied therefore let this sussise I haue written nothing without example I build no wares on mine owne abilitie If therefore they hold it mistaken which they haue not read let them acquaint mee wyth their mislikes I will further their readings and establish their iudgements Finally whosoeuer Turke like seeketh to kill mee with reproofes for cherishing him with meditation let him beware of ingratitude least according to the opinion of the Platonikes hee proue Corpus obliuiosum a forgetfull and fantastike bodie Hauing thus preuented the captious I turne to you curteous and vertuous readers to whome I commit and commende these labors wherein if you exercise your selues you shall gouern your senses which as Gregorie witnesseth are certaine windowes whereat the waters of temptation doo enter In meditating with Marie you shall finde Iesus in knowing Christs sufferance you shall be instamed in his loue in hearing his wordes you shal partake his wisdome which who inioteth leaueth the world as transitorie and seeketh after heauen for immortalitie Heereon Augustine exclaimeth Vnhappie is he that knoweth all things knoweth thee not blessed is he that knoweth thee to despise all things If these stirreanie fire of deuotion in you then shal I not greue to see the Baalits my reprouers mangle themselues for shame whilest the fire of Gods intire loue consumeth and drieth the sacrifice Briefly our Lord send a plentifull haruest of teares by this meditation that the deuout heereby may wax more confident the incredulous beleeuing the indifferent more zealous that now at last after I haue wounded the world with too much surfet of vanitie I maye bee by the true Helizeus cleansed from the leprosie of my lewd lines beeing washed in the Iordan of grace imploy my labour to the comfort of
shew the horrour of thy offence power was made desolate Oh stony heart be not so obstinate let teares drop from thine eyes to recompence the bloud pouring from his wounds sigh bitterly with him that praied earnestlye for thee What is this sinne sayest thou that inforceth such a sacrifice That which maketh all men in the world flie from their saluation and runne after theyr owne concupiscences without anie feare that which leadeth men downe to hell that which blindeth the vnderstanding that which maketh men like vnto foolish beastes for as beastes incline themselues to earthly pleasures so sinners betroth themselues to worldly desires that which maketh men seeke onely those things which are of the flesh that which maketh men esteem their belly for their God Sinners are compared to hogs by their detracting for as the hogge deuoureth doung so detracting sinfull men other mens sinnes and filthines For lecherie they are compared vnto a horse for folly and slownesse to an asse for their solicitude worldlie care to an oxe for their curious cōuersations to an ape for their inconsiderate boldnes to a lyon for their crueltie to a beare for their vanitie to libards for their crafte to a foxe Sinne is the trangression of the laws of God and the disobedience of his commandements Sinne is the contrarie to nature sinne draweth vs from the soueraigne good to make vs subiect to brittle fraile and mutable pleasures Sinne diuideth vs from God To conclude as the Ethnike witnesseth the sinner is onely miserable Sinne depriueth man of eternall beatitude banisheth him from heauen confineth him with hell despoileth him of graces exileth him from paradice Briefely it maketh him the most miserable amongest miserable Sinne peruerteth the order of nature impugneth our reason vigeth our sensualitie sin blindeth the spirite darkneth the vnderstanding ordained to contemplate spirituall things Sinne soileth and infecteth the solue depriueth it of her nuptiall garment and maketh it filthie and loathsome according to that of the Prophet Denigrata est super carbones facies eius Sinne after it hath blinded the vnderstanding hardeneth the heart and maketh obstinate in iniquitie whence commeth the habitude of sinne which is the extremitie of sinne and as Philosophers conclude another nature Hee that sinneth whatsoeuer he be either king in his diadem prince in his purple poore in his miserie he is the slaue of sinne who therefore by sinne is giuen ouer as a praie to vices looseth his libertie and cannot resist his vnhappines See sinner see what horror what confusion Look with what foes you are inuironed that you may knowe the greatnes of your deliuerance you are vncurable by sinne Christ healeth you you are separated from God from the Angels from the Patriarkes Prophets Apostles and Martyrs by sin and Iesus restoreth you you are impouerished by sinne and hee inricheth you you are made abhominable and hee blesseth you O if you knewe howe abiecte wretched a sinfull soule is you woulde resist it saieth a father euen vnto the death Waries plagues famine the whips of God sicknesse dishonours and aduersity the tooles of his correction howe light trifles are these in comparison of loathsome sinne Tyrannies iniuries oppressions the fury of the fire the danger of water the contagion of aire the trembling of the earth finally all the complements of euils which persecute man proceed from sinne so that rightlye it maye bee sayde all that which the wretched suffer their sinnes haue deserued it Oh the horrour of sinne oh the terrible issues thereof wretched men take heede and looke about you let your haires stand vpright for verie fright and let your bloud flie to your heart to comfort it in the extremity of your thoughts no punishment can satisfie for it no death can recompence for it but the flames of hell eternall in theyr extremitie extreame in their eternitie Oh harde hearted soules solde and quite giuen ouer to your owne sensualities beholde the issues of your euill liues beholde your martirdomes for crucifying Christ if you reconcile not weep with him you shall haue perpetuall darknesse without light you shall be depriued of Gods presence a greater tormēt to the damned than may be expressed fire shall burne you vnquenchably darknes shall blind you vnseparably conscience shal accuse you incessantly deuills shall persecute you eternally cries cursinges and blasphemies shall hant you continually desolation and discomfort shall detaine you perpetually Finally without remorse in life there is no redemption after death O Iesus my son how rich art thou in compassiō thou onely healest these wounds recouerest these harmes It is thou onely that canst dull the sting of this death thy bloud onely satisfieth for these defaults Ah deare Lord thou art worthie of teares thou deseruest remorse thou hast purchased compassion Oh woful spectacle for men to weepe at for angels to sigh at Oh sacrifice for sinne O attonement for offences oh seale of redemption O contemplation to extort teares to behold innocencie martired with so many and grieuous wounds Oh libertie taken prisoner oh truth accused oh innocencie whipped oh iustice condemned oh glorie discruciate oh life dead and crucified oh highnesse of charitie oh basenesse of humilitie oh greatnes of mercie oh excesse of bountie Thou hast wept for all art bewailed of none thou hast borne many hurts to cure a few hearts thou hast bene a corrosiue to thy mother to be a cordiall to men but men weepe thee not they passe by wagging their heads at my woe hiding their faces least they shuld be inforced to bewaile thee Theyr hearts are become adamants loathing to spende teares themselues they grieue to grace my teares by hearkning to them Ah heauenly father let me consume with sorrow till I see him let my life passe like a tale that is told let my soul that mourneth within me giue a libel of diuorce to this flesh that I in spirit may seeke him out who in the flesh did glorifie me Thou that rainedst vppon the earth fortie daies to reuenge thee on the rebellious open the cloudes of thy compassion ouer mee that they weeping on mee and I with them I may be drowned in them innocencie may be quickned by me All Iudah Israel mourned for Iosiaz shall teares want to bewaile Iesus See my sonne I will beare thy crosse on my shoulders imprint thy passisions in my heart I will beat so long vpon my breast that the eccho therof shall pearce all eares I will sigh so long till the furnace of my charitie steame out my hart and the winged chast affections of my soul soare heauens search earth finde my sonne or forsake my soule Ah my son no Absolon a sinner but Iesus a sauiour The root of my hope is waxed olde and the stocke thereof is dead in the ground When shal these closed eies open to warme him as his sonne When shall thy breath quicken and cheere my