RIght Honorable, right Wor­shipfull, and most Christian and blessed brethren; foure sortes of people were about Christ, when Christ was about his passi­on. Of the first sorte were executioners, which tormented him. Of the second sorte were Iewes which mock't him. Of the third sorte were lookers-on, which mark't him. Of the fourth sorte were wel-willers, which lamented him. Now al­though it be very likely, that amōg these [Page] [...] [Page 1] [...] [Page 2]his wel-willers, diuers godly men wept for him, as Saint Iohn the Euangelist, Io­seph of Arimathia, Gamaliell, Nico­demus, and such like; yet it is certaine, both that more women wept then men, and that the women more wept then the men. More women: more weeping. More women wept then men, partly by the per­mission of men, who thought that the womens weeping came rather from weaknes in themselues, then from kind­nes towards Christ. Partly by the proui­dence of God, who suffered more women to weepe then men, that the women, which bewailed Christes death, might condemne the men, which procured it. Now the women also more wept then the men, either of a naturall affection, or els of a voluntary disposition. Naturally sayth S. Peter, the woman is the weaker vessel, [...]. Theophylact. in Iohan. ca. 20. pag. 571. soone moued to weepe, and sub­iect to many, either affectionate passions or els passionate affections. But touching these women, that which was otherwise naturall to them, was here voluntary in them. For the sinne of a woman, was the ruine of man. Therefore these women willingly wept the more. That though a [Page 3]woman did most in the second death of the first Adam; yet these might doe least in the first death of the second Adam. For it was Eue a woman which betrayed the first Adam with an apple, & caused him to sin; but it was Iudas a man which be­trayed the second Adam with a kisse, and caused him to die. And indeed you shal generally obserue, that notwithstanding at the first, the woman went before the man in transgression and disobedience, neuerthelesse since to make amends for that fault, the blessed Virgine Mary, and diuers other women haue farre excelled all men, or at the least wise, most men, in true deuotion and godlines. Wherefore principally Christ here speaketh to the women, because both more women wept then men; & the women also more wept then the men; more womē; more weeping; but yet in them he speaketh (as wel as to them) indifferētly to al his deere friends, both men and women, VVEEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES.

In which sentence wee may obserue, as many wordes so many partes. Eyght words: eight partes. The first, VVEEPE NOT: the second, BVT VVEEPE: the [Page 4]third, VVEEPE NOT, BVT VVEEPE: the fourth, FOR MEE: the fift, FOR YOVR SELVES: the sixt, FOR ME, FOR YOVR SELVES. The seuenth, VVEEPE NOT FOR ME; the eight, BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES. God grant all our hearts may be so affe­cted with the consideration of these ex­cellent matters, as may make most for the increase of our comfort in him, and his glory in vs. And I humbly beseech you also most christian brethren, to doe God this honor, and me this fauour. First that you would not prescribe mee anie methode, or order, how I should handle this text, but that you would giue mee leaue to follow mine own methode, and order, wherein I perswade my selfe, and I hope also truly, I haue bin directed by y ^e spirit of God. Secondly, that you would not run before me, in your swift conceit, & earnest expectation, but that it would please you to goe on along easily all the way with me, till happily at the length, by Gods gracious assistance, and your gentle acceptance, I come to the end of my Sermon. And then if I haue omitted any thing, which you would haue had [Page 5]me sayd, spare mee not, but blame me hardly for it, as you shall thinke best. VVEEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe first part is, VVEEPE NOT. When lairus the ruler of the sinagogue wept bitterly for the death of his daughter; Christ said vnto him, Luk. c. 8.52. weepe not. When Rachel wept, and would not be comfor­ted, seeing neither her sonne Beniamin, nor almost any true Beniamite left aliue; God sayd vnto her, Ier. c. 31.16. weepe not. When a poore widow wept sore for the death of her onely sonne, Christ sayde vnto her, Luk. 7.15. weep not, And so here, Christ seeing ma­ny Iairusses, many Rachels, many wi­dowes, weepe for the death of the onely sonne of God, sayeth vnto them, weepe not. Forbidding thereby immoderate weeping, which is condemned, in na­ture; in reason; in religion. In nature, the earth when it reioyceth, as in the summer time then it is couered with corne, Psal. 65.12. but when it hath to too forlorne, & sorrow­full a countenance, as in the winter time, then it is fruitlesse, and barren. The water when it is quiet, and calme, bringeth in [Page 6]all maner of marchandise, but when the sea stormes, and roares too much, then the very shippes do houle and crie Esay. 23.1. The ayre looking cleerely, and cheerefully re­fresheth all thinges, but weeping too much, that is, rayning too much, as in Noahs floude, it drownes the whole world. The fire being but a little sprīkled with water burneth more brightly, but being too much ouerwhelmed, it giues neither heate, nor light. The eye it selfe (as Anatomists write) Vide Vesa­lium. lib. 7. c. 14 & Toletum in lib. secund. Aristotelis de anima. hath twise as many drie skins, like sluces, to dam vp the course of the teares, as it hath moyst humours, like channels, to let them flow forth. For it hath sixe of them, and but three of those. If al the body were an eye, and there were no eares in it: where were then the hearing? If all the eye were a moyst humour, and there were no drye skins in it, where were then the seeing? Seeing then too much weeping is; in the earth barrennes; in the water ship wrack; in the aire an inundation; in the fire cold­nes; in the eye blindnes; certainely if, the earth, the water, the ayre, the fire, the eie, could speak, they would altogether with one concent sing a ioyfull song of fiue [Page 7]parts, and euery one seuerally say vnto vs, That we must not weepe too much.

Now reason seeth yet more, Ne quid nimit. That too much of a thing is nought. Etiāmel, si ni­miū ingratū. Which is translated thus, Prouer. 25.27 It is not good to eate too much honie. If it bee not good eating too much honie; then sure it is not good eating too much wormewood. The Egyptians when they would describe teares, they paint those gems, which we call vnions, whereupon Suidas sayth, [...]. Vnions hierogyphically do signifie the shedding of teares. For as vnions haue their name in latine, because they are found one by one, & neuer more at once: so teares must be shed easily one by one, and neuer bee powred out all at once. Seneca sayeth, that which we must do dayly, we must do moderately. Ther­fore though we can not quite stop the bloudy issue of our teares, at the leastwise we must be sparing, & weep so to day, as we may weepe to morrow, & keep some teares awaies in store, reseruing Si non finire lachrymas, at certè reseruare debemus. l. de consolatio. ad Polybiū c. 23. them to another occasiō afterward. For we reade that Heraclitus when he had sook't and sowst himselfe in sorrow all his lise long, at length dyed of a dropsie, and so (as I [Page 8]may say) drowned himselfe in his owne teares. Yea Niobe by ouermuch wee­ping was turnde into a stone; euen as Lots wife by turning backe, was turnde into salt. It was one of Pythagoras poe­sies, [...]. not to eate y ^e hart; which is expoū ­ded thus, Prou. 25.20. As a moath freateth the gar­ment, and a worme eateth the wood: so heauines hurteth mās hart. Now if we may not teare the hart of any otherthing with our teeth, then much lesse may we teare our owne hart, with our teares. So that euē blind reason, such as the heathen haue had, doth yet plainely see this, That we must not weepe too much.

But religion goeth yet further. For whē God at the first placed mā in the garden of Eden, which is the garden of pleasure, he did indeede there prouide all thinges for him, which might pleasure him. His wife which was equall to him: all other creatures that were inferiour to him: the hearbes which hee did eate: the flowers that he did smell: the pearles which hee did look vpon: the gold that he did tread vpon: all these serude for his delight and ioy. Afterward when sentence had pro­ceeded against the man, that hee should [Page 9]haue sorrow about the fruit of the earth, against the woman, that she should haue sorrowe about the fruite of the wombe, yet it pleased God to asswage and swee­ten these our sorrowes with diuerse sin­gular comforts. As first, we haue the ho­ly spirit, who is the only comforter. Next a good conscience, which is a continuall feast. Then the holy scripture, which is (as it were) an other paradise. Lastly, an vn­fained faith by which wee haue peace with GOD. Therefore Athenagoras [...]. l. de resur. mor. sayes well, I count that they haue no spi­rite, no conscience, no scripture, no faith in them which yeeld to too much griefe. And Hierome yet more vehemently, Detest andae sunt istae la­chrymae quae nō habent modū. I doe from my hart detest al excessiue sor­row, seeing it is a very hell vpon earth, and an entrance euen in this life into that wofull place where there is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth. Where­fore immoderate weeping is condem­ned, in nature, which teacheth al things: in reason, which teacheth all men: in re­ligion, which teacheth al christians, That wee must not weepe too much. Thus much of weeping too much, which is the first part, VVEEPE NOT. WEEPE [Page 10]NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES.

NOwe a little of weeping too little which is the second parte, BVT VVEEPE. They to whom Christ heere speaketh, offended in th'excesse. There­fore he beginneth thus, weepe not. But I may wel shift the words, and begin thus, But weepe. For wee offend, commonly in the wāt of weeping, seldome in th'xe­cesse. The reason is, because wee lacke loue, which being three folde; towardes our selues: towards our neighbour: to­wards God; the greatest worke of loue; towards our selues is repentance: towards our neighbour is preaching: towardes God is praier. And al these require some teares. So that if we weepe so little as that we weepe not at all, we weepe too little. Which we must not doe. For first, tou­ching repentance one sayes truely, Hoc ipso sunt maiores tumo­res, quò mino­ris dolores. The lesser our sorrowes are, the greater are our sinnes. But on th' other side, the heads of dragons are brokē in the waters Psalm. 74.13. that is, very strong and vile sinnes are weake­ned and washt away with teares. That obligation which was against vs Collos. 2.14. be­fore [Page 11]it had beene fastned to the croste of Christ was engrossed in parchmēt. Now it is but scribled in paper. So that if wee blur it dayly with weeping vpon it, our teares wil be like aqua fortis, to take out the hand-writing quite and cleane, that God shall neither reade nor see our sins. When Alexander had reade a long and tedious Epistle written to him by Anti­pater, wherein were diuers accusations against his mother Olympias, What, saies he, me thinkes Antipater knoweth not, that one little teare of a mother will easily blot out many Epistles. Ignorare videtur Anti­pater quòd vna matris lachry­ma multas de­lebit epistolas. And certainely the teares not onely of Gods mother, but euen of euery child of God will much more easily blot out the me­morie of many sinnes, though they were before, like the sinnes of Iuda, written with a pen of yron, and grauen with the point of a diamond Iere. 17.1. Therefore sayth Alcuinus, Lauandum est cor poeni­tentiae lachry­mis. we must wash our hearts in the troubled poole of Bethesda Iohn. 5.2. in the troubled teares of repentance. For as in a well, except there be some water in it we can not easily see the baggage that li­eth in the bottome: so in the depth of the heart without teares we can not see our [Page 12]sinnes. Teares make our sinnes not seene, and seene. Not seene to God, and seene to vs. God not seeing them forgiues them, and we seeing them amend them. Pliny writeth that the teares of vine­branches doe cure the leprosie. l. 23. initio. And so the teares of those vine branches which are grafted into the true vine, doe cure the leprosie of sinne. S. Austin witnesseth that the Eagle feeling his wings heauie, plungeth thē in a fountaine, & so renew­eth his strength Commen. in Psal. 103.: After the same sort, a Christian feeling the heauie burthen of his sins, batheth himselfe in a fountaine of teares, and so washing of the olde man, which is the body of sinne, is made young againe, and lustie as an eagle. That sinfull woman Luk. 7.44. because shee lo­ued much, therefore she washt Christes feete with her teares. A strange sight. I haue oftentimes seene the heauen wash the earth. But I neuer before sawe the earth wash the heauen: yet here I see it. An earthly and a sinfull woman washeth the heauenly feete of Christ. But because shee washt Christs feete with her teares, therefore Christ crowned her head with his mercies. The prodigall childe had [Page 13]no sooner returned home by weeping crosse (as we say) and cryed peccaui, but straightwaies he was receiued. Loe yee whatforce there is in three sillables. Quantum valent tres sil­labae? Ambro­sius. For God hearing a sinner in trew contrition vtter but this one word of three sillables, peccaui, I haue sinned, [...] &c. Chrysost. Hom. [...]. is so in a maner charmed and inchaunted with it, that he hath no power ouer himselfe, he cannot but grant remission. Saint Peter likewise though he were an old man in yeares, yet he was a very child, and a prodigall child in weeping. And as his faith was so great that he lept into a sea of waters to come to Christ: so his repentance was so great that he lept into a sea of teares when hee went from Christ. He wept so bitterly (as Clemens Romanus testifieth) that there were gutters and furrowes in his face, made with those teares which trickled downe his cheekes. And therefore sayes Cyril, Locum flendo recepit quem negando perdi­derat. In Leui­ticum. lib. 16. hee recouered that place by be­wayling his offence which hee had lost by denying his master. For sayth Nazi­anzen, [...]. God is more merciful, then man can bee sinfull, if hee will bee sorrowfull. Wherefore we may see by these exam­ples, of the sinfull woman: of the prodi­gall [Page 14]childe: of Saint Peter, that weeping doth especially recommend our repen­tance, that we may purchase our pardon.

Touching preaching, the voyce of a preacher ought to be the voyce 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 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 Esay 60.8.: so the sincere preacher hath no other refuge to flie vnto, but onely to his [Page 15]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 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 [Page 16]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 Plus gemiti­bus, quàm ser­monibus, plus fletu quàm af­fatu.. And Prosper saith, that a preacher must seeke not his owne praise, but the peo­ples profit in sorrowing for their sinnes Non plausum sed planctum.. And Ierome sayes, that the preacher is most highly commended, not when the people 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, Psal. 147.18. Hee sen­deth [Page 17]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 Psalm. 42.4., I power o­uer my soule within mee. According to that of Austin 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 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 [Page 18]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, [...]. 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 [...].. And Cpyrian sayes, when the spirite of man sendeth out sighes in prayer, then the spi­rit of God giues grace 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 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 [Page 19]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 Gen. 32.28.. But the Prophet Osee sheweth, that his wrestling was by weeping, and his preuailing was by pray­ing 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. That I vnderstande well enough. But J haue heard thy teares. What should bee the meaning of this, trow you? Haue teares tongues, I marueile, or can they speake, that they may be heard? yea surely I dare bee bolde to say it. The cloud-cleauing thunder of th'almightie can not make such a ratling sound, and such a roaring noyse in the eares of man, as our teares doe in the eares of God. Therefore Da­uid [Page 20]both before he had prayed, Psal. 141.1. desireth God to heare the voice of his crying, and also after he had praied, Psal. 192.10. thanketh God because hee had heard the voice of his weeping. For indeede hee himselfe also sayes of himselfe, Psal. 192.10. I mingled my drink with weeping. And where was this drink of his, but in that cup of which he sayes in an other place, Psal. 1 [...]6.13 I will take the cup of saluation, (or of prayer, & thanksgiuing) and call vpon the name of the Lord. So that Dauid mingling his drinke with weeping, mingled his prayer with wee­ping. Wherefore as Elizeus did cast salt into the waters of Iericho, to make them sweete: so must wee salt and season our prayers with teares, to make them sauo­rie and delightsome to God. A man can neuer loue himselfe aright, that doth not sometimes weepe in repentance: nor his neighbour (if he be a preacher) that doth not sometimes weepe in preaching: nor God, that doth not sometimes weepe in prayer. So that we must not bee like the Stoikes which were neuer at all moued. Then we shal weepe too little. As is pro­ued in this second part, BVT VVEEPE. VVEEP NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEPE [Page 21]FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe third part is next, VVEEPE NOT, BVT VVEEPE. Which noteth, see­ing both the excesse and the want are to bee eschewed, that therefore the true meane, which wee must keepe in wee­ping, consisteth in an equall enterming­ling of these two extremities, VVEEPE NOT BVT VVEEPE both together. VVEEPE NOT, sayes he, Too much is contrary to nature. BVT VVEEPE, too little is contrary to repentance. VVEEPE NOT, too much is contrary to reason. BVT VVEEPE, too little is contrarie to preaching. VVEEPE NOT, too much is contrarie to religion. BVT VVEEPE, too little is contrary to prayer. S. Paul char­geth Timothie to be instant, in season, & out of season. First in season, then out of season. Teaching thereby that vnseaso­nable opportunitie, is better then seaso­nable importunity. Yet to keep a meane in exhorting, that wee must as well vse importunitie sometimes, so it bee in sea­son, as take an opportunitie alwaies, though it be out of season. Euen so, sayes our Sauiour here, VVEEPE NOT, BVT [Page 22]VVEEPE. First weepe not, then but weep. Teaching thereby that not to weepe is better then to weep, yet to keep a meane in weeping, that we must, as well some­times in not weeping weepe, as alwaies in weeping not weepe. For th'apostle saith, That they which reioyce must bee as though they reioyced not, and they which weepe must be as though they wept not. They which reioyce must bee as though they reioyced not, because, sayes Gregorie, Gaudium huius vitae, vua acerba. In c. 28. Iobi. Al the ioye the godly haue in this life is as a sower grape gathered out of time. And Ambrose, Non solum dolor, sed et lae­titia habet su­as lachrymas. The children of God not onely in sorrow, but euen in ioye also sometimes shed teares. They reioyce as though they reioyced not. And they which weepe must be as though they wept not, because, saies Macarius, [...]. Homil. 15. Euen teares are a comforte to the righteous. And Ambrose againe, Est pijs affec­tib quaedam c­ [...]am flendi vo­luptas. De obi­tu Valentiani. [...]. 449. To them that are well affected, weeping is a very great delight. They weepe as though they wept not. Wherefore as certaine leauen apples haue a sowrish sweetnes, and some olde wines haue a sweetish sowrenes; so both our sorrow must bee ioyfull, and our ioye must be sorrowfull. Our sorrow must bee ioyfull; as Christ did weepe vpon Palme [Page 23]sunday. Christ did weepe. There is sor­row. Vpon Palme sunday. There is ioy. And our ioy must be sorowful; as the Isra­elites did eat the sweet Easter lambe with sower hearbs. The sweete Easter lambe. There is ioy. VVEEPE NOT. With sower hearbs. There is sorow. BVT VVEEP. VVEEP NOT. This is a fiery speech, as whē S. Iohn saies, y ^e Christs eies are as a flame of fire Reuel. 19.12., that is, subiect now to no weeping. BVT VVEEPE. This is a watry speech, as when Dauid saies, I water my couch with my teares. So that if we would recōcile these speeches together, we must reconcile fire and water together. Gregory obserueth, that in the raine-bow there are two co­lours, red which resembleth fire, & blew which resembleth water In arcu eo­dem color ignis & aquae simul ostenditur: quia exparte est caeruleus, ex parte rubicun­dus: vt vtrius­que iudicij te­stis sit, vnius videlicet faci­endi, & alteri­us sacti. Homil. 8. in Ezec.. Red, that we might not weepe, beholding the fire which shal burne whē Christ shall iudge the worlde: and blewe that wee might weepe, beholding the water which did flow when God did drowne the worlde. Therefore as there bee two colours, red and blew in one raine-bowe: So there must be two affections, ioye and sorrowe in one heart. This the wisedome of our auncestors seemeth to insinuate, euen in [Page 24]the apparell which they haue appointed to be worn at this solemnitie. For y ^e chief magistrates of the citie, this day weare scarlet gownes which is a kind of red like fire, but to morrowe they weare violet gownes which is a kind of blew like wa­ter. Wherefore the colours of the raine­bow, which we see in your attire, doe ad­monish you and vs all, that ioy and sor­row haue such an entercourse in this life, that though this day we VVEEPE NOT, yet to morrow perhaps we can not BVT VVEEPE. This day wee read Salomons songs, to morrow peraduenture we may read Ieremies lamentations. Now in E­lias his sacrifice, there were not only the colours of fire and water, but euen fire and water indeede. 1. Reg. 18.38 In so much as the fire of the Lord consumed & licked the water of the aulter. And assuredly our sorrowfull soule will be a most accepta­ble sacrifice to God, as Elias his sacrifice was, if we haue both the fire of Aetna, & the water of Nilus, so as the ardent fire of faith, well nie cōsume & almost burn vp, the flowing streame of loue. In Epiro sacer fons est frigidus vltra onmes a­quas, & spec­tatae diuer sita­tis. Nam si in eum ardentem demergas fa­cem, extinguit, si procul ac sine igne admoueas suopte ingenio inflammat, So­linus. Poly. cap. Austin re­porteth, that there is a foūtaine in Epirus, which not onely putteth out torches that [Page 25]are lighted, but also lighteth torches that are put out De ciuitate Dei lib 25. c. 3.. Fulgosus likewise repor­teth, Mirum son­tem dicere de­bemus, apud Gratianopolin Gallicam vr­ [...]ens. Nam quamuis calē ­tes aquas non hab [...]at, tamen simul cum ipsis aquis, flammas persaepe emit­tit. Fulgosus lib. 1. non longe à fine. that there is an other fountaine neere Grenoble a citie in France, which although it haue not hotte waters as a bath, yet oftentimes together with bub­bles of water it casteth vp flames of fire. The fountaine of teares that is in our eies must be like these two fountaines. As the Psalmist witnesseth, When my sorow was stirred (sayes he) my hart was hot with­in mee, and while I was musing the fire kindled Psal. 30. v. 3.. When my sorrow was stirred. There is the first fountaine. My hart was hot within me. There is the torch ligh­ted. And while I was musing. There is the other fountaine. The fire kindled. There is the flame burning. Whereupon one saies fitly, Our eies must neither bee drowned, nor drie Nec fluant oculi, nec sicci sint. Seneca.. If they wāt fire, they will bee drowned. If they want water, they wilbe drie. Wherfore, both VVEEPE NOT, and BVT VVEEPE: both fire, and water, must goe together, that our eyes be neither drowned, nor drie. And this is the right moderatiō we must keep in weeping, as appeareth in this third part, VVEEPE NOT, BVT VVEEPE [Page 26]both together. VVEEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe fourth part followeth, FOR ME. Weepe not too much for my death: For the death of Christ; is the death of death: the death of the diuell: the life of himselfe: the life of man. The reason of all this, is his innocency and righteous­nes, which makes first that as the life of Christ is the life of life: so the death of Christ is the death of death. Put the case how you please, this is a most certaine trueth, that the gate of life had neuer bin opened vnto vs, if Christ who is the death of death had not by his death o­uercome death Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte de­disset, Caelestis vitae ianna clausa foret.. Therefore both be­fore his death he threatneth and chalen­geth death saying, Ose 13.14. O death I will bee thy death: and also after his death he de­rideth and scorneth death, saying, 1. Cor. 15.55. O death thou art but a drone, where is now thy sting sic Iohan­nes Pistorius Erasms Rote­rodami affinis, igni creman­dus dixit, O mors vbiest tua victoria?? Aske death any of you (I pray) and say, death how hast thou lost thy sting? how hast thou lost thy strēgth? What is the matter that virgins and very children do now contemne thee, wheras kinges and euen tyrants did before feare [Page 27]thee? Death (I warrant) wil answere you, that the only cause of this is the death of Christ. Euen as a bee stinging a dead body takes no hurt, but stinging a liue body many times loseth both sting & life together; in like maner death, so long as it stung mortal men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse, but when it stunge Christ once, who is life it selfe, by and by it lost both stinge and strength. Therefore as the brasen ser­pent was so farre from hurting the Isra­elites that contratiwise it healed them: after the same sort death is now so far frō hutting any true Israelite, that on the o­ther side, if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs, or if any thing els hurt vs, pre­sently it is helped & redressed by death. Those which will needs play the hob­goblins or the nightewalkinge spirites (as we call them) al the while they speak vnder a hollow vault, or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpō their faces, they are so terrible that he which thinkes himselfe nosmall man may perhaps be affrighted with them. But if some lusty fellowe chaunce to steppe into one of these and cudgle him well fauoredly, and pull the [Page 28]vizarde from his face, then euery boye laughes him to scorne. So is it in this matter. Death was a terrible bulbegger, and made euery man afraide of him a great while, but Christ dying buckled with this bulbegger, and coniured him (as I may say) out of his hollowe vault, when as the dead comminge out of the graues were seene in lerusalem: and puld the vizard from his face, when as he him­selfe risinge, left the linnē clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him. Therefore as that asse called Cumanus asinus ietting vp and downe in a lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his maister, but afterwards being discried did bene­fit him very much: semblably death stands nowe like a silly asse, hauing his lyons skinne puld ouer his eares, and is so farre from terrifying any, that it bene­fits all true christians, because by it they rest from their laboures, and if they bee oppressed with troubles or cares, when they come to death they are discharged; death as an asse doth beare these burdens for them. Oblessed, blessed be our lord, which hath so disarmed death that it can not doe vs any hurt, no more then a bee [Page 29]can which hath no sting; nay rather it doth vs much good, as the brasen serpent did the Israelites: which hath so dismas­ked death that it can not make vs afraid, no more then a scarbug can which hath novizard, nay rather as an asse beareth his masters burdens, so death easeth and refresheth vs. This hath Christ done by his death. Hee that felleth a tree vpon which the sun shineth, may well cut the tree, but can not hurt the sunne He that poweeth water vpon yron which is red botte, may well quench the heate, but he cannot hurt the yron. And so Christ the sunne of righteousnes did driue away the shadowe of death: and as glowinge yon was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to digest. All the while Adam did eate any other fruit which God gaue him leaue to eate, he was nourished by it▪ but when he had tasted of the forbid­den tree he perished. Right so death had free leaue to deuoure any other man, Christ only excepted, but when it went about to destroy Christ, then it was de­stroyed it selfe. Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon rawe flesh, especially of men, if they hap­pen [Page 30]to eate a peece of rosted meate, commonly they surset of it and die E­uen so the right Canniball the only de­uourer of all mankinde, death I meane, tasting of Christes fleshe, and finding it not to bee rawe (such as it was vsed to eate) but wholsome and heauenly meat indeede, presently tooke a surfet of it, & within three dayes dyed. For euen as whē Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand, anon after his bowels gushed out: in like sort death beinge so saucie as to snatch a sop (as it were) of Christes flesh, and a little bit of his body, was by & by like Iudas choked and strangled with it, and faine to yeeld it vp againe, when Christ on Easter day reuiued. Death I wisse, had not bin brought vp so dainti­ly before, nor vsed to such manner of meat, but alwaies had rauened either with Mithridates daughters vpon the poison of sinne, or else with Noahs crow vpon the carrion of corruption. Where­fore nowe saies Fulgentius, Mors Chri­stum gustauit, sed non deglu­tiuit. death did indeede taste of Christe, but could not swallow him vp, nor digest him. Con­trariwise Christ as soone as euer he had but a little tasted of death Hebr. cap. 2. ver. 9. eftsones hee [Page 31]did deuoure death, he did swallowe vp death in victory. And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the death of death.

It is also the death of the diuell. As the Apostle saies that by his death he did ouercome not only death, but him also which had the power of death, the diuel. It is reported that the Libard vseth a shaunge kinde of pollicy to kill the ape. Hee lyeth downe vpon the grounde as though he were starke dead: which the apes seeing come all together, & in de­spight skip vp vpon him. This the Libard beareth patiently till he thinks they haue wearied themselues with their sporting. Then sodainly hee likewise leaps vp and catches one in his mouth, and in each foote one, which immediatly he killeth & deuoureth Concul [...]ant insultantes lu­dibrij causae donec pardalis sentiens illas iam saltando defatigatas de repente reui­uiscens aliam dentib. aliam vnguib. corri­pit. Eras. Prou. Pardi mortem adsimulat.. This was Christs polli­cy. He was layd in the dust for dead. The diuel then insulted ouer him and tram­pled vpon him. But he like a liuely Ly­bard startinge vp on Easter day astoni­sheth the souldiers set to keep him which were the diuels apes, & made them lye like dead men Math. cap. 28. ver. 7.. Euen as he tolde them before by his prophet, saying. I will be [Page 32]to them as a very Lyon, and as a Lybard in the way of Ashur Ose. cap. 13. ver. 7.. For as blind Samson by his death killed the Philistins, when they were playinge the apes in mocking and mowinge at him Iudicum 10. ver. 25.: so Christ by his death destroied the diuell. Scaliger writeth that the Chameleon when hee espies a serpent taking shade vnder a tree, climes vp into that tree and lets downe a threed, breathed out of his mouth as small as a spiders threed, at the end wherof there is a little drop as cleare as any pearle, which fallinge vpon the serpēts head kils him Ex ore filum demittit ara­neorum more: in cuius fili ex­tremo guttula est margarttae splendore, ea tactus in ver­tice serpens moritur. Ex. 190.. Christ is this Cha­meleon. He climes vp into the tree of his crosse and lets downe a threed of bloud, issuing out of his side, like Rahabs red threed hanging out of her window Signa fi­dei at (que) vexilla dominicae pas­sionis attollens coccum in fene­stra ligauit. Ambro. de fide libro 5. cap. 5. & Paulinus Natali. 8. Pu­niceo proprium signauit velle­re tectum., the least drop wherof beeing so precious and so peereles falling vpon the serpents head kils him. The wilde bull of al things can not abide any red coloure. There­fore the hunter for the nonce standinge before a tree, puts on a redde garment. Whom when the bull sees, he runnes at him as hard as he can driue. But the hun­ter slipping a side the buls hornes sticke fast in the tree. As when Dauid slipped [Page 33]aside Sauls speare stuck fast in the wall 1. Sam. 19.10. Such a hunter is Christ. Christ stan­ding before the tree of his crosse, puts on a red garment dipt and died in his owne bloud, as one that commeth with redde garments from Bozra Esa. cap. 63.1.. Therfore the diuell and his angels like wilde bulles of Bazan Psalm. 22.12. ran at him. But he shifting for himselfe, their hornes sticke fast in his crosse. As Abrahams ram by his hornes stuck fast in the briers Genesis. 22.13.. Thus is the di­uell caught and killed. A Dragon indeed kils an Elephant: yet so as the Elephant falling downe kils the dragon hith him. An Elephant kils Elezar: yet so as Ele­azar falling down kils the Elephāt with him 1. Mach. 6.46.. And accordingly to this, the diuel killing Christ was killed by Christ. Yea as an Elephant is stronger then the Dra­gon, and Eleazar is stronger then the E­lephant: so Christ is stronger then them both. For the Elephant doth not liue af­ter hee hath killed the Dragon, neither doth Eleazar liue after he hath killed the Elephant: but Christ liueth after he hath destroyed the diuell. Leauing the diuell dead, he is nowe risen himselfe from the dead. Wherfore as a Lybard killeth the [Page 34]ape: and a Chameleon the serpent: and a hunter the bull: and an Elephant the dragon: & Eleazar the Elephāt himselfe: so Christ the true Eleazar, which sig­nifies the helpe of God, hath by his death killed, that mischeeuous ape the diuell: that olde serpent the diuell: that wilde bull the deuill: that great dragon the de­uill: that raginge elephant the deuill. Whē Mahomet, the secōd of that name, beseeged Belgrade in Seruia, one of his captaines at length got vp vpon the wall of the city with banner displayed. A no­ble Bohemian espying this ranne to the captaine, & clasping him fast about the middle, asked one Capistranus standing beneath, whether it would be any dan­ger of damnatiō to his soule, if he should cast himselfe downe headlong with that dogge (so he tearmed the turke,) to bee slaine with him? Capistranus answering that it was no daunger at all to his soule, the Bohemian foorthwith tumbled him­selfe downe with the Turke in his armes, and so by his owne death only saued the life of all the city Zieglerus. de illustribus viris [...]erma­ [...]tae cap. 98.. Such an exploit was this of Christ. The diuell like the great Turke besieging not only one city, but [Page 35]euen all mankinde, Christ alone like this noble Bohemian encountred with him. And seeing the case was so, that this dog the diuel, could not be killed starke dead except Christ died also; therfore he made no reckoninge of his life, but gaue him­selfe to death for vs, that hee only dying for all the people, by his death our deadly enemy might for euer be destroyed. For so Origen testifieth that there were two crucified vpō the crosse of Christ. Christ himselfe, visibly: with his will: and for a time. The diuell, inuisibly: against his will: and for euer Homi. 8. in Iosua.. Therfore the crosse is that victorious chariot in the vpper part wherof Christ sitteth as a triumphāt conqueror, and in the lower part of it the diuell is drawen as a captiue, and is made an open spectacle of ignominy & reproch. Diuerse auncient fathers note the virgin Mary was maried that the di­uell might be deceiued. For he knewe well enough Christ should be borne of a virgin. But he neuer suspected blessed Mary was a virgin, considering she was wedded to Ioseph. Therfore he did not lye in wait to destroy the seed of the wo­man so circumspectly as otherwise hee [Page 36]would if he had bin aware or wist any such thing. So that the birth of Christ did cosen the diuel. But the death of Christ did conquer the diuell. And that much more gloriously when the temple of his body was vpō the pinnacle of the crosse, then when the body of his crosse was vpon the pinnacle of the temple. For when he was vpon the temple his breath spake better thinges then Sathan: but when he was vpon the crosse his bloud spake better things then Abell: and there his breath came from his lunges out of his mouth, but here his bloud came from his heart out of his side: and there hee fought standing stoutly to it, and with­standing Sathan hee would not in any wise throwe down himselfe, but here he skirmished yeelding and humbling him­selfe to the death of the crosse: and there the diuill ascended vp to him vnto the toppe of an high mountaine, and so (as I may say) bad him base at his own goale, but here he himselfe descended down to the diuell into the neathermost hell, and so spoiled principalities and powers, and slewe the great Leuiathan in the very bottome of his own bottomles pit. For [Page 37]the diuell like a greedy rauenous fishe snatching at the baite of Christs body (as Damascene speaketh) was pearced through and twicht vp with the hooke of his Deity [...].. Therefore both before Christes passion, Peter tooke mony out of a fishes mouth to pay his tribute: and also after Christes passion, the disciples broyled a fishe for him to feede vpon. Whereby we see, that Christ, who made a fishe pay tribute to Caesar for him, made the diuell also pay tribute to death for him: and on the other side that the diuell while he went about to catch this good fishe, which is Iesus Christ Gods sonne the sauiour (as Methodius and Sy­billa proue the letters of [...], [...]. seue­rally signifie) was himselfe caught, yea also killed by Christ. So that all the while Christ was buried in the graue, the diuel was broyled in hell. Wherefore as it was booteles for Golias to brandishe his speare against Dauid: so it little auailed the diuell to shake his speare likewise in the hand of the souldier against the heart of Christ. For as Dauid hauinge heard Golias prate & talke his pleasure, when they came to the poynt at the first stroke [Page 38]ouerthrew him: so Christ with that very selfe same speare which gaue him a little venny in cōparison, or (if it be lawful for me so to speake) but a phillip on the side, which was soone after recured, gaue the diuell a deadly wound in the forehead, which with all his pawes hee shall neuer be able to claw off. And again, as Dauid onely with his sling wrought this feate: so Christ onely by his death, and by the power of his crosse, which is the sling of Dauid Sanè crux ipsa funda est, qua Dauid Go­liath horren­dum armis & formidabilem visu prostrauit hunet. Cyr. Ioh. l. 8.17. did conquer & subdue the de­uil. And so the death of Christ by reasō of his righteousnes is the death of the deuil.

It is on the other side the life of him­selfe. That which was prophecied in the Psalme is here fulfilled in christ. Psal. 92.12. The iust shal flourish as the palme tree. In the he­brew it is Tamar, which signifies only a palme tree. But in the greek it is Phoinix which signifies not only a palme tree, but also a Phenix. Which translation proueth two thinges. First, that Iesus the iust one did most florish when he was most affli­cted. For the iust shall flourish as the palme tree Chattamar.. Now the palme tree, though it haue many waights at the top, and ma­ny snakes at the roote, yet still it saies, I [Page 39]am neither oppressed with the waights, nor distressed with the snakes Nec premor, nec perimor.. And so Christ the true palme tree, though all the iudgements of God, and all the sinnes of the worlde, like vnsupportable waightes were laide vpon him, yea though the cur­sed Iewes stoode beneath like venemous snakes hissing and byting at him, yet he was, neither so oppressed with them, nor so distressed with these, but that euen vp­on his crosse he did most florish, when he was most afflicted. As peny royall being hung vp in the larder house, yet buds his yellow flower: and Noahs oliue tree be­ing drownde vnder the water, yet keepes his greene braunch: and Aarons rod be­ing clunge and drie, yet brings forth ripe almonds: and Moses bramble bush be­ing set on fire, yet shines and is not con­sumed. Secondly, that Iesus the iust one did most liue, when hee seem'de most to be dead. For the iust shall flourish as the phenix [...].. Now the phenix though sitting in his nest among the holy spices of Ara­bia he be burnt to ashes, yet still he sayes, I die not but olde age dieth in me Moritur me non moriente senectus.. And so Christ the true phenix, though lying in his graue among the hot spices wher­with [Page 40]with Nichodemus embalmde him, hee was neuer like to rise from death to life a­gaine, yet he dyed not but mortalitie di­ed in him, and immortalitie so liued in him, that euen in his sepulchre hee did most liue, when hee seemde most to bee dead. As the Laurell is greenest in the foulest winter: and the lime is hottest in the coldest water: and the glow-worme shineth brightest when the night is dar­kest: and the swan singeth sweetest whē his death is neerest Cantator cygnus funeris ipse sui. Mart [...] alis lib. 13. E­pigr.. Epaminondas be­ing sore wounded in fight, demaunded of his souldiers standing by, whether his enemies were ouerthrowne or no? They answered yea. Then whether his buck­ler were whole or no? They answered al­so I. Nay then (sayes he) all is well. This is not the ende of my life, but the begin­ning of my glory. For now your deere Epaminondas dying thus gloriously shal rather be borne agayne then buried Nunc enim vester Epami­nondas nasci­tur, quia sic moritur. Christ likewise was sore wounded. But his enemies death and the deuill were o­uerthrowne and spoyled. His buckler, which was his Godhead, was whole and vntouched. Therfore there was no harme done. His death was no death, but an ex­altation [Page 41]vnto greater glory Ego si exal­tatus suero. Ioh. 12.32.. That no­ble Eunuch riding in his cooch read in Esay, that Christ was silent before his death, as a lambe before the shearer. He sayes not, before the butcher, but, before the shearer. Insinuating that death did not kill Christ, but onely sheare him a little. Neither yet had death Christes fleece when hee was shorne. For Christ taking to himselfe a spoungefull of vine­gar Ioh. ca. 19.29, that is, ful of our sharpe and sower sinnes, did giue vs for it purple wool full of bloud, Heb. c. 9.19. that is, full of his pure and per­fect iustice. And indeed the onely liuery which Christ our Lorde and master gi­ueth all vs that are his faithfull seruants, is a coate made of this purple wooll. The Psal mist sayes, that God giueth his snow like wooll. But here wee may turne the sentence, and say, that Christ giueth his wooll like snow. For as snow couereth the ground when it is ragged and defor­med: so Christs wooll which is his coate without seame, couereth our sinnes, and though they were as crimson, yet maketh them white as snow. And as Gedeons fleece when it was moist, the earth was drie, but when it was drie the earth was [Page 42]moist: So when Christs fleece was moist as a greene tree, then were all wee drie like rotten stickes, but when his fleece was drie, all the bloud and water being wrung out of his precious side, then were we moist'ned with his grace. Wherefore seeing death had not Christes fleece whē he was shorne, but we haue it which be­leeue in him, it followeth that neither death was the better nor christ the worse. But as a lamb is much more nimble and liuely for shearing: so this shearing of death was a kinde of quickening to the lambe of God, and onely a trimming to him before he ascended to his father, as Ioseph was trim'd and poul'd before hee appeared to Pharaoh. For looke how A­dam slept: so Christ died Dormit A­dam, moritur Christus. Pro­sper.. When Adam slept, his side was opened: when Christ died, his side was opened. Adams side being opened, flesh and bone were ta­ken out: Christs side being opened, wa­ter and bloud were taken out. Of Adams flesh and bone the woman was built: of Christes water and bloud the Church is built. So that the death of Christ is no­thing else but the sleepe of Adam. For as he sayes of the damsels death, The dam­sell [Page 43]is not dead but sleepeth; so hee sayes of his owne death, I laid me downe and slept, and rose vp againe for the Lord su­stained me. And in an other place, when God the father sayth to his sonne, Awake my glory, awake my lute and harpe: God the sonne answeres to his father, I will awake right early. That vessel which Peter sawe in a traunce, which came down from heauen to the earth, and was knit at the foure corners, and had all ma­ner of beastes in it, did betoken Christ. Christ came downe from heauen to the earth: and his storie is knit vp by the foure Euangelistes: and hee hath made Iewes and Gentiles, yea all nations, though they were as bad as beastes be­fore, yet he hath made them all, I say, one in himselfe. Nowe saies Cassianus, it is worth the noting, that the holy Ghost saies not, this vessel was a sheete, but was like a sheete Pulchrè ait, Non linteum sed, Quasi lin­teum.. A sheete may signifie ei­ther sleep or death. Because there is both a sleeping sheete, and a winding sheete. But neither was Peters vessell a sleepe, though it were like a sheete: neither was Christs bodie dead, though it were lapt in a sheete. For we our selues canne not [Page 44]so properly bee saide to liue in our first birth, as in our second birth: and Christs life when hee lay in that new wombe, in which neuer any other was conceiued, is nothing to his life, when hee laye in that newe tombe, in which neuer any other was buried. Wherefore as Iacob trauai­ling towards Haram, when he had layde an heape of stones vnder his head, and taken a nap by the way, was much reui­ued with it after his tedious iourney: so Christ trauailing towardes heauen, when he had slept a little in that stony se­pulchre which was hewen out of a rock, liued then most princely after his painfull passion. Tell me when did Ionas liue? in the hatches of the ship, or in the bellie of the whale? In the hatches of the shippe? why? I am sure you will not say so. That was nothing. But to liue in the bellie of the whale when the marriners were in extreme ieopardie and daunger vpon the water, and yet Ionas most safe and secure vnder the water, this indeede was some­what. Who euer saw such a wonder? The waues were one while hoisted vp to the highest clowdes, an other while hurled downe to the nethermost depth, Ionas [Page 45]selfe being all this while in the very gulfe of destruction, and yet not one haire the worse. Christs case was the same. As Io­nas was in the bellie of the whale three daies and three nightes: so and so long was the sonne of man in the bowels of the earth. Yet he had no more hurt then Ionas had. But liued better vnder the earth then we can vpon the earth, better in death then we can in life. Tell me whē did Daniell liue? In the kings court? or in the lyons denne? In the kinges court? why? there is no great reason for that. A­ny man might haue liued there. But to liue in the lions den, when the mouth of the den was shut, and the mouths of the lyons open, this indeed was the life of an angel & no man. What king could euer make lyons attend, and waite vpon him? Yet here you might haue seene worthie Daniel sitting in the midst of many hun­gry lyons, when as the lions lay downe at his feete couching and crouching be­fore him, and adored their owne pray cast vnto them, which otherwise they would haue werried, and being beastes became men in humanitie towarde this saint, seeing men became beastes in cru­elty [Page 46]against him. The same reason was in Christ. His sepulchre was sealed as wel as Daniels den. And hee saies also of him­selfe in the Psalme, My soule is among lyons. These lyons were the terrours of death, and the horrours of hell. Yet hee tooke no more hurt thē Daniel did. But brake the chaines of death into fitters, and the gates of hell into shiuers, and then most gloriously triumphed. And so the death of Christ by reason of his righ­teousnes is the life of himselfe.

It is lastly the life of man. Whē Christs speare had opened that way of life which the Cherubins sword had stopt vp, then saies our Sauiour to the theefe, This day shalt thou be with me in para­dice. Adam and Eue both in one day were expelled out of paradice. Christ & the theefe both in one day were receiued into paradice. Yea both in one houre of the day. For about noone when the winde blewe Adam and Eue were ex­pelled. And so about the sixt houre, that is about twelue a clocke in the day time, Christ and the theefe were receiued. Christ saying to the theefe while he did draw him vp into paradice Ose cap. 11. I do draw [Page 47]thee with the cordes of a man euen with bands of loue. But the septuaginte translate the hebrewe words Bechauele adam. which signifie, with the cordes of a man, into those greeke words [...]. which signifie with the destruction of a man. As if Christ should say thus to the theefe. I do so dearely loue thee that I am content, my selfe to bee destroied that thou mai­est bee saued, my selfe to dye that thou maiest liue. I doe drawe thee with the destruction of a man, euen with bandes of loue. So that the theefe who sawe his owne woundes and death in Christs bo­dy, did see also Christes sauing health & life in his owne body. As Alcuinus sayes writing vpon the sixt of Iohn Assumpsit vita mortem, vt mors accipe­ret vitam,; when the liuinge Lord dyed, then the dyinge theefe liued. Notably sayes the prophet Lamen. 4. ver. 21., The breath of our nostrels, Christ the Lord is taken in our sins, to whom wee sayd wee shall liue in thy shadowe. If Christ be the breath of our nostrels, then he is our life. And againe, if we liue in his shadowe, then we liue in his death. For where there is breath in a shadowe, there there is life in death. Nowe as the ouershadowing of the holy Ghost was [Page 48]the life of Christ; so the ouershadowing of Christe, is the life of man. And as Pe­ters shadowe gaue health to the sicke: so Christes shadowe giueth life to the dead. yea a thousand times rather Christs then Peters. For as Elias his spirit was doubled vpon Elizeus, because Elias be­ing aliue restored some to life, but Elize­us, as Ierom sayes, being dead raised vp one from the dead Mortuus mortuum sus­citauit. so Peters spirit was doubled vpon Christ, because Peter be­ing aliue was a phisition to the liuinge, but Christ as Chrysostome saith, beinge dead was a phisition to the dead [...]. Or rather indeed in this comparison there is no comparison. But as Peters spirit was a shadowe to Christs spirit: so Peters shadowe was nothing to Christs death. Ezechias seeing the shadow of the sunne goe ten degrees backe in the diall, was assured by this signe, that he should re­couer of his sicknes Esay. cap. 38.8. Sick Ezechias may signifie all mankinde which is sicke by reason of sinne. But this is an vnfallible signe we shall recouer, because the sun hath gone ten degrees backe in the dyal. The sun of righteousnes Iesus Christ hath for our sake made him-selfe lower by [Page 49]many degrees in the earth. My father is greater then I. There hee is gone backe tenne degrees belowe his father. Thou hast made him lower then the angels. There hee is gone backe ten degrees be­lowe the angels. I am a worme and no man. There he is gone back ten degrees belowe men. A liue dogge is better then a dead lyon Eccles. 9. ver. 4. There he is gone backe ten degrees below wormes. For he was not counted so good as a liue worme, but was buried in the earth as a dead ly­on to be meate for the wormes, if it had bin possible for this holy one to see cor­ruption. But blessed, O blessed bee our Lord! Christ beeinge in the forme of God was buried in the graue, & so was made lower then his father; nay lower then angels; nay lower then men; nay lower then wormes: that we being now no better then wormes might be crow­ned in heauen, and so might bee made higher then wormes; yea higher then men; yea higher then angels; yea parta­kers of the same life and kingdome with Christ. Pliny reporteth L. 36. cap. 10. that there was a diall set in Campus martius to note the shadowes of the sun which agreeing [Page 50]very well at the first, afterwards for thir­ty yeers together did not agree with the sun. All the time of those thirty yea three and thirty yeeres that Christ liued in his humiliation here vpon earth, you might haue seene such a diall. In which time the shadowe of the diall did not agree with the shining of the sun. But thankes be to God, all the better for vs. When the sunne went backward ten degrees in the diall, then Ezechias went forward fifteen degrees in his life. He liued fifteene yeers longer. And so the going of this sunne Iesus Christ ten degrees backward, hath healed all our sicknes, and set vs a thow­sand degrees forward, and infinitely ad­uanced vs by his death to euerlastinge life. For Christ is that louinge Rachell, which dyes her selfe in childbirth to bringe forth her sonne Beniamin aliue; Christ is that righteous Adam which by the bloudy sweat of his browes hath earned for vs the bread of life; Christ is that iust Noah, which shutting vp him­selfe in his Arcke as in a sepulchre saueth all that come to him aliue: Christ is that tender Pellican which woundinge his own brest, doth with his bloud restore a­gaine [Page 51]his yong ones to life. And euen as when many birds are caught in a net, if a Pellican, or any other great bird that is a­monge them get out, all the rest that are little ones follow after: semblably Christ as a great bird hauing broken through the net of death, all we escape with him: So that wee may say with the Psalmist, Our soule is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fouler, the snare is broken & we are deliuered. Arnobius vpon these wordes in the psalme Psalm. 138.8., Despise not the worke of thine own hands, writeth thus, We are the worke of thine own handes, seeing wee are thy workmanshippe Eph. 2.10. lysius sumus factura conditi in Christo. Quantum ad substātiam fe­cit, quātum ad gratiam condi­dit. Tertull. aduer. Mar. l. 5. non longe a fine.. Now because the worke of thy handes was destroied by the worke of our hands, therfore were thy handes nayled to the crosse for our sinnes. That those handes of thine might repaire againe the worke of thy handes by the tree of the crosse, which was destroyed by the tree of con­cupiscence. Thus far Arnobius. Where­by wee may gather that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and euill is e­uill, that is death, but the fruit of the tree of life, that is of the crosse of Christ, is life. When Alexander had throwen downe [Page 52]the walles of the Thebes, Phryne a har­lot promised that she would at her own charges repaire them againe, so that the citizens would suffer this title to bee gra­uen vpon the gate, Alexander hath throwen them downe, but Phryne hath raised them vp A [...]. Plutar.. The case is quite con­trary here. Eue hath ouerthrowene not only Thebes, but euen all mankinde. Christ hath at his owne cost and charges repaired and built vs vp againe. There­fore wee must graue this title vpon the crosse of Christ, Eue hath throwne vs downe, But Christ hath raised vs vp. Eues tree of knowledge of good and euill hath throwen vs downe, but Christs tree of life hath raised vs vp. Nay I will be bold to say yet more. What is that? Marry this, That as far as the tree of life excelleth the tree of knowledge of good and euill, so farre the crosse of Christ ex­celleth the tree of life. I know well many will muse & maruel much what I meane to say so. And some perhaps will scarce beleeue it is true which I say. Neuerthe­les, most christian and blessed brethren, make you no doubt of it. For it is not my opinion or my speech only. They are the [Page 53]very words of our sauiour. I came, saies he, that men might haue life Iohn chap. 10.10., & that they might haue it more aboundantly. More aboundantly? What is that? That aboundantly wee might haue more life by the crosse of Christ, then euer wee could haue had by the tree of life: that a­boundātly we might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death, then e­uer wee lost or could lose by the disobe­dience of Adam in his life. And there­fore though that sinne of Adam was so haynous and so horrible; that it cast the image of God out of Paradise; that it polluted all the race of mankind; that it condemned the whole world; that it de­faced the very frame of heauen it selfe; yet considering the sequele, how not on­ly the guilt of this sinne, but euen the ve­ry memory of it is nowe vtterly aboli­shed by the bloud of Christ, S. Gregory is not afraid to say, O happy, happy, hap­py man was Adam that euer hee so sin­ned and transgressed against God O foelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meru­it habere re­demptorem.. Because by this meanes both hee and all wee haue found; such plentifull redemp­tion; such vnestimable mercy; such su­perabundant grace; such selicity; such e­ternity; [Page 54]such life by Christs death. For as hony beeinge found in a dead lyon, the death of the lyon was the sustenance of Sampson; so Christs gall is our hony Christifel nostrum mel., & the bitter death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the sweet life of man. Thus you see that the death of Christ is, the death of death; the death of the diuel; the life of himselfe; the life of man. And therefore he saies in this fourth part, weep not too much for my death, FOR MEE. VVEEP NOT FOR MEE BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES.

I Perceiue beloued I haue bin some­what long in this part. Therefore I will make more hast in the rest, and do what I can deuise that I may not seeme tedi­ous vnto you. Now then to the fift part. FOR YOVR SELVES. Weepe not too little for your owne life. For the life of man is quite contrary. The life of man is the life of death: the life of the diuell: the death of himselfe: the death of Christ. The reason of all this is his iniquity and sinne. Which euen in gods deare chil­dren, saies Barnard, is cast downe, but not cast out Deiectum, non [...]ectum.. Therfore though sin can [Page 55]not sometimes rule ouer vs, because it is cast downe, yet it will alwaies dwell in vs, because it is not cast out. For it is so bred in the bone, that till our bones bee with Iosephs bones caried out of Aegypt, that is out of the world, sin can not bee carried out of our bones. The irish histo­ry telleth vs that the city of Waterford giueth this posey Intacta manet It continu­eth vntouched.. Be­cause since it was first conquered by king Henry the second, it was neuer yet attaynted, no not so much as touched with treason. Also that the yle of Arren in that country hath such a pure ayre, that it was neuer yet infected with the plague. Wee can not say thus of the nature of man, That either it is so cleere from trea­son, as that city is, or els that it is so cleare from infection, as that Iland is. Nay our very reason is treason, and our best affe­ction is no better then an infection, if it be well sifted in the sight of God. Eua­grius recordeth libr. 5. ca. 15., that the Romanes got such a victory ouer Chosroes, one of the Persian kings, that this Chosroes made a lawe, that neuer after any king of Per­sia should moue warre against the Ro­manes. We cannot possibly subdue sin [Page 56]in such sort, as the Romanes did this Per­sian king. But do wee what we can do, sinne will alwayes be a Iebuzite, a false borderer, yea a ranck traytor rebelling against the spirit. Which makes the life of man first to bee, saies Chrysostom, a debt (as it were) owne & due to death [...].. For the diuell is the father of sin, and sin is the mother of death. Hereupon Sainct Iames saies, that sin beeing finished tra­uailing in childbyrth like a mother brin­geth forth death. And Dauid in the ninth psalme calleth sin the gate of death. Be­cause as a man comes into a house by the gate: so death came into the world by sinne. The corruption of our fleshe did not make the soule sinfull: but the sinne of our soule did make the flesh corrupti­ble. Wherupon Lactantius calleth sin the reliefe or the foode of death Pabulum mortis.. As a fier goeth out, when all the fuell is spent, but burneth, as long as that lasteth: so death dieth when sin ceaseth, but where sin aboundeth there death rageth. The Prophet Abacucke sinning not, death was so far from him that he was able to flie without winges: but king Asa sin­ning, death was so neere to him that he [Page 57]was not able to stand vpon his feet. Nay wee may see this in one & the selfesame mā. Moyses sinning not death could not meet with him in the bottome of the red sea: but sinninge death did seaze vpon him in the top of mount Nebo. So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the life of death.

It is also the life of the deuill. As Emi­senus sayes, Each one hath in him as ma­ny deuils as euils Tot daemo­nia quot cri­mina.: euery seuerall sinne being sufficient to maintaine a seuerall deuill. The godly finding no ioy in the earth, haue their conuersation in heauen. But Sathan finding no ioy in hell, hath his conuersation in the earth. So that y ^e earth is a hell to vs; but a heauen to him. Here hee hath his liuing. As it was said at the first, Thou shalt eate the dust of the earth all the daies of thy life. This dust, sayes Macarius, is the deuils dyet [...].. And ther­fore as a scadle curre waites for a bone: so hee that goes about seeking whom he may deuour, watches continually till the godly shake off the dust from their feet, that is, shake off some sinne which they haue gotten by walking in the worlde, that then hee may licke it vp as one of [Page 58]those dogs, which did licke vp Iezabels bloud. This is meate and drinke to him Dulce diabolo peccare nos. Hila. Enarra. in p. 118.. He loues it a life to see vs sinne, euen as cursed Cham did to see Noahs nakednes. And as flies are alwaies busie about a sore place: so, sayes Theophilact [...]. In cap. Luk. 16. p. 320., That is a sport or a pleasure to Sathan, which is a sore or a paine to man. Especially if he be a godly man. For this Behemoth the deuill eateth grasse as an oxe Iob. 40.10.. Where­upon Gregory noteth, that a sheepe or a­ny such other beast will eate any manner of grasse, though it be trampled and stai­ned neuer so much: but an oxe will eate no kind of grasse but that which is green and fresh. And so the deuill will be sure to haue his feede of the very finest and best Esca eius e­lecta. Abacuc. 1.16.. For the angell of the Lord reioi­ceth most when one that is a sinner con­uerteth. He eateth grasse as a sheepe. But the angel of sathan reioyceth most, when one that is a conuert sinneth. Hee eateth grasse as an oxe. If the deuill can not keepe a man from liuing long, then hee will hinder him from liuing well Aut impetrat mortes aut im­petit mores. Leo.. If hee can not kill him, then hee will corrupt him. And indeede hee takes greater pleasure in corrupting one god­ly [Page 59]man, then in killing a hundred wic­ked. He was more delighted when Da­uid slew but Vrias, then when Saul slew himselfe: whē Peter did but deny Christ, then when Iudas betrayed him. So that the life of man by reason of his sin is the delight, yea it is the very life of the De­uill.

It is on th'other side the death of him­selfe. O miserable wretch that I am (saies one) who shall deliuer me from this bo­dy of death? The life of the godly is a ve­ry body of death. But their death is one­ly a shadow of death. Thales a Philoso­pher being demaunded what difference there is betweene life and death? Answe­red, They are all one. Then being asked againe, if he had not rather liue, then die? No, saies he, as before, for they are al one. But Ierome saies farre more excellently, They are not all one. That is not true. For it is one thing to liue in continuall daun­ger of death: an other thing to die in con­tinuall assurance of life Aliud viuere moriturū: ali­ud mori victu­rum.. Therefore Ec­clesiastes saies, that the day of our death is better then the day of our birth. For when we are borne we are mortall: but when we are dead we are immortal. And [Page 60]wee are aliue in the wombe to die in the world: but wee are dead in the graue to liue in heauen. Hence it is that the wic­ked are merrie at their birth day, as Pha­raoh made a feast at his birth day, when his chiefe baker was hanged Gen. 40.20. and He­rod likewise made a feast at his birth day whē Iohn Baptist was beheaded: but they are sory at their dying day, as Iudas was sorie when he went about to hang him­selfe: & Cain was afraid euery one would kill him that met him. Contrariwise the godly are sory at their birth day, as Iob, Let the day perish wherein I was borne: and Ieremie, Let not the day wherin my mother bare me be blessed Ierem. 20.14. But they are merrie at their dying day, as Simeō, Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace: & Paul, I desire to be dissolued & to be with Christ. Therfore we also keep holy daies, and celebrate the memorie of the Saints not vpon their birth-daies, but vpō their death-daies, to shew that these two are not all one, but y ^t the day of our death is better then the day of our birth. For whereas there are two waies, the one hauing in it, first a trāsitory life, & thē an eternall death, the other hauing in it first [Page 61]a transitory death, & then an eternall life: the wicked choose to liue here for a time, though they die for it hereafter eternally, but the godly choose to haue their life hid with Christ here, that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter. Therefore the wicked neuer think of death; but the god­ly think of nothing els. As Alexander the monarch of y ^e world had al other things, saue only a sepulchre to bury him in whē he was dead; he neuer thought of that. But Abraham the heire of the world had no other possession of his own, but only a field which he bought to bury his dead [...]; he thought of nothing else. We read that Daniel strowed ashes in the temple to descrie the footesteps of Bels priests, which did eate vp the meate. So did A­braham strow ashes in his memorie, say­ing, I will speake vnto my Lord though I bee but dust and ashes. So doe all the faithfull remembring they shall one day be turnde to dust and ashes. That so see­ing and marking the footesteps of death how it continually commeth and stea­leth away their strength (as Bels priests did the meate) how it dayly eateth vp & wasteth and consumeth their life, they [Page 62]may be alwaies prepared for it. Our first parents made them garments of figge leaues. But God misliking that gaue thē garmentes of skinnes. Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the fig tree which did beare onely fig leaues to couer our sinne: but cōmended the Baptist which did weare skins to discouer our mortali­tie. For not onely, as Austin sayth, Our whole life is a disease Vita morbus.: but also as Ber­nard saith, Our whole life is a death Vita mors.. The life of man by reason of his sinne is a con­tinuall disease, yea it is the very death of himselfe.

It is lastly the death of Christ. The pro­phet Esay calleth Christ a sin, or a sacri­fice for sinne Asham. Esay 53.10., prefigured by all those sin-offerings of the old lawe. Because in­deede when Christ was crucified at the first, he was broken for our sinnes. Accor­ding to that of Tertullian, Propter pec­catum mori necesse habuit filius dei. Vide etiam Aug. Medita. cap. 7. vbi docet hominem esse causam passio­nis. Sinne it was which brought the sonne of God to his death. The Iewes were only instrumēts and accessaries to it: sinne was the setler and the principall. They cryed, Crucifie him in the courte of Pilate: but our sins cryed, Crucifie him in the court of hea­uen. Now as the death of Christ was not [Page 63]efficient to saue the wicked: so the sinne of the wicked was not sufficient to con­demne Christ. But the scripture sayth of them which either are, or at least wise seeme to bee godly, They say they know God, but by their works they deny him: and, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? and, They crucifie again vnto them­selues the sonne of God. Zacharie pro­phecieth of Christ, Zach. 13.6. That when one shall say vnto him, what are these wounds in thy hands? Then he shall answere, Thus was I woūded in the house of my frends. That is, in the house of thē which ought to haue bin my friends. So that our sins did wound Christes bandes at the first. And now also not the wicked, which are no part of his bodie, but wee which are mystical members of his bodie, & there­fore shuld by good reason be his frends: we I say, do yet oftentimes by our sinnes deny Christ with Peter: nay wee perse­cute Christ with Paul: nay wee crucifie Christ with the Iews. Yea (if it wil please you to heare me) I will say yet more, we crucifie Christ farre more cruelly then the Iews did. Then his body was passible and mortall, now it is glorified and im­mortall; [Page 64]they knew not what they did, we doe ill enough, yet wee knowe what we doe well enough: they pearced him with a speare, we pearce him with repro­ches; they buried him in the earth, wee burie him in obliuion; then he rose again the third day: but we so burie Christ, that not once in three dayes, no not once in three weekes he ariseth or shineth in our hearts. Nay, that which I am ashamed to speake, though some are not ashamed to doe it, there are in the world which haue no time, not once in three moneths, not once in three yeeres, no not once search in their whole life to thinke of Christ, but burie him in the perpetuall forgerfulnes of their careles conscience, as in a barren land, where all good things are forgotten. Wherefore let euery one as soone as hee is tempted to any sinne, thinke straightwaies that he sees Christ comming towards him, wrapt vp in white linnen cloathes as he was buried, with a kercher bound about his head, and crying after a gastly and fearefull sort, Beware, Take heede what you doe, Detest sinne, abhorre sin, Fie vpon it, A shame light on it, It once did most vilely [Page 65]and vilanouslie murther mee: but now seeing my woundes are whole againe, do not (I beseech you) do not rubbe and reuiue them with your sinnes to make them bleed afresh: now seeing the scep­ter of the kingdome of heauen is put in­to my hand, doe not offer mee a reede a­gaine to mocke mee: now seeing my head is crowned with the pure golde of eternall glorie, doe not set a crowne of thornes vpon it againe: now seeing I my selfe am enstalled in the throne of the right hand of maiestie, doe not pull me out of my throne, and throw mee into the graue againe, and with your sinnes seale a mightie great stone vpon mee, to stiffle me, and presse me, and holde mee down in death. O beloued, good beloued at his instance be perswaded, by whose bloud you are redeemed. Haue pit­tie, haue pitie vpon poore Iesus. Once he voluntarily yea euen ioyfully dyed for vs, and if that one death had not bin suffici­ent, he would haue bin content then to haue dyed a thousande deaths more. Now he protesteth, that the least sinne of any one Christian, doth more vex him euen at the very heart, then all his dolo­rous [Page 66]paynes vpon the crosse. Our sinnes are those souldiers which take him, those tormentors which whippe him, those thorns which gore his head, those nayles which pearce his feete, that speare which sheds his bloud, that crosse which takes away his life. And yet if to greeue him thus continually would do vs any good, then hee would bee most glad to prefer our good, though neuer so little, before his owne griefe, though neuer so great. But it is not so. That one death which he willingly suffered, was for our saluation. These diuers deaths which wee without sinnes so often put him to against his wil, do make for our greater dānatiō. There­fore he beseecheth vs, & I also being pro­strate at the very feet of euery one of you heartely in his name exhorte you, if wee will haue no pity of him, yet for the ten­der loue wee beare to our owne deare soules, that we would not alwaies keepe him vppon the racke, and euery daye vex this iust Lot with our vnlawfull deedes, that we would not any more shead his precious bloud, and tread it and tram­ple it vnder our feete. This I assure you (blessed Christians) will be a most forci­ble [Page 67]meanes, not only to terrifie and fraye vs from sin which we may commit here­after, but also to mollifie and melt our harts for sin which we haue committed heretofore, if we consider, that the life of man by reason of his sin is the death of Christ. Thus you see that the life of man, is the life of death: the life of the di­uill: the death of himselfe: the death of Christ. And therefore he saith in this fift part, weepe not too little for your owne life, FOR YOVR SELVES, WEEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe sixt part is next, FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES. Which noteth, seeing both the excesse and the want are to bee eschewed, that therefore the true meane which wee must keepe betweene Christ and our selues, consisteth in a cer­tayne qualification of these two extre­mities, FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together. Weepe not too much, saith he, for my death, which is the death of death: weep not too little for your own life, which is the life of death. Not too to much for my death, which is the death [Page 68]of the diuell: not too little for your owne life, which is the life of the diuell. Not too much for my death, which is my life: not too little for your owne life, which is your death. Not too much for my death, which is the life of man: not too little for your owne life, which is the death of Christ. Saint Paul willeth the Corinthi­ans to approue themselues by honor and dishonor. First by honour, then by disho­nour. Teaching thereby that dishonora­ble honor is better then honorable disho­nour. Yet to keepe a meane in this mat­ter, that we must as well count it an ho­nor, to bee sometimes dishonored with Christ, as a dishonor to bee alwaies ho­nored without Christ. Euen so sayes our Sauiour here FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES. First FOR ME, then FOR YOVR SELVES. Teaching thereby that to reioyce for Christ is better then to weepe for our selues. Yet to keepe a meane betwixt both, that we must aswel sometimes descend out of Christ into our selues to weepe, as alwaies ascend out of our selues into Christ to reioyce. For the Apostle sayes, that we must re­ioyce with them that reioyce and weepe [Page 69]with them that weepe. If my friend bee alwaies sorowfull and neuer ioyfull, hee hath no pleasure by me, if he be alwayes ioyful & neuer sorowful, I haue no proofe of him, but he is my dearest friend, most delighted in mee, best approued by me, that takes such part as I doe, sometimes reioysing, and sometymes weepinge, reioysing when I reioyce, and weeping when I weepe. The like is to bee seene in this place. FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES. If a Christian alwaies thinke of his owne miserie and neuer 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 [Page 70]as in a ballance, if there be any ods in the scales we take out of that which is y ^e 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 [Page 71]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 [Page 72]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 Saltum habet transuer sum. Right so a christians feete must be like hines feete. He must iumpe [Page 73]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 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 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 [Page 74]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 [Page 75]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 wee are here pilgrimes and strangers exiled and ba­nished out of our fathers house in hea­uen? The righteousnes of Christ is the life of man. This is more then all to make vs ioyfull in Christ. If Queene Ester did reioyce, as Queene Elizabeth doth at this daye (whom God for his mercies sake euer saue and preserue, and let al the people say Amē) because she deliuered her people from thraldome and destruc­tion, can anye thing in the world then make vs more ioyfull then this, that we being cursed in our selues are blessed in Christ, being embased in our selues are exalted in Christ, being condemned in [Page 76]our selues are iustified in Christ, being dead in our selues are aliue in Christ? The sinne of man is the death of Christ. This is more then all to make vs sorrow­full in our selues. If the virgine Mary wept so sore for the death of her sonne Iesus, as though her tender heart had bin stabde and pearst thorough with a sharp sworde (as Simeon speaketh) can any thing in the worlde then make vs more sorrowfull, then this, that Christ being blessed in himselfe, was cursed for vs, be­ing exalted in himselfe was embased for vs, being iustified in himselfe, was con­demned for vs, being aliue in himselfe, was dead for vs? O deare brother, bles­sed Christian, whosoeuer thou art, if thou bee too sorrowfull at any time, re­member what Christ hath done for thee; how louingly; how kindely he hath dealt with thee, and thou wilt soone be glad: if thou bee too ioyefull at any time, re­member what thou hast done against Christ; how vngratefully; how wret­chedly thou hast dealt with him, & thou wilt soone be sorry. So shall wee neuer suffer shipwrack of fayth, either by too much sorrowe, as Esau did, who sought [Page 77]the blessing with teares, weeping for himselfe, not reioycing for Christ: or els by too much ioye as Herod did, who heard the Baptist gladly, reioycing for Christ, not weeping for himselfe. But e­uen as a ship being neither too heauily burdened, not too lightly balanced, sea­teth neither waues nor windes, but say­leth safely to the heauen: so we being nei­ther too heauy for our own miserie, nor too light for Christs mercy, but ioyning FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together, shal neither be drowned with y ^e waues of desperatiō, nor puffed vp with the winds of presumption, but we shall sayle safely in the arke of Noah vpon the fea of this world till wee ariue at the hauen of all happines in heauen. And this is the right moderation wee must keepe betwene Christ and our selues, as appeareth in this sixt part, FOR ME FOR YOVR SELVES both together, VVEEPE NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe seuēth part followeth, VVEEP NOT FOR MEE. Wherin we must condsider three vertues that were in Christ. Wis­dome; [Page 78]benignity; magnanimity. For wis­dome he sayth, VVEEPE NOT: for benig­nty, NOT YOV; for magnanimity, NOT FOR ME. Not weepe: not you: not for me. VVEEPE NOT FOR ME. First for wisdome he saith VVEEPE NOT. S. Au­stin hath a very excellent sentence. And it is this Crux Christi pendentis, ca­thedra fuit docentis. Christ vpon his crosse did read vs a lecture, like a doctor in his chaire. Indeed in that learned lecture of his hee deliuered vnto vs many notable poynts of wisdome. And one especially wee haue here. Whereby wee are instructed how we should be affected towards the dead. For if we must not weepe immo­deratly for the death of Christ, then wee must not greeue our selues greatly for the death of any christian. The ancient Italians vsed to mourne for their dead ten monthes: the Egiptians seauēty two daies: the Ethiopyans fourty dayes: the auncient Germaines thirty daies: the La­cedemonians a leuen daies Iohannes Bahemus de morib. Gen. But the Athenians & the Romanes, which were in their time coumpted the wisest men in the world, were much more moderat. For the Athenians had a law giuen them by Solon their lawgiuer, which did for­bid [Page 79]mourning at burials. The Romanes likewise had a law in their twelue tables, which did forbid to make any exclama­tions or outcries at funerals Lessum ha­bere funeris ergô.. Yea the third counsel holden at Toledo in spaine the one & twentieth canon of the coun­cel flatly decreeth, that christians should bee brought to their graues only with singing & reioycing Cum canti­cis solummodo & psallent iūvocib.. Because, quoth the councel, the apostle to the Thessa­lonians saies, I wil not haue you ignorant brethren concerning them which are isleepe that you sorro we not, euen as o­thers which haue no hope. Therfore Cut­bertus, who was Archbishop of Can­ter bury longe before the conquest Floruit regnante Eg­berto. Anno Domini. 747. [...] his death charged that no lamentati­on should be made for him. And Ierom writeth, that when the dead body of Paul the Eremite was brought forth, ho­ly Anthony did sing hymnes & psalmes according to the christian Prolato fo­ras corpore Hymnos & Psalmos de christiana tra­ditione decan­tabat. In vita Pauli Erems. tradition. And that when Paula a deuout widowe was Pontifices choros psallen­tium ducebāt. In Epitaphio Paulae. buried the bishops did bring her forth with singing. And that when Fabiola was buried, psalmes were song & Haleluiah was chaunted out so loud, that it did shake the seelinge of the [Page 80]church Sonabant psalmi & au­rata templo­rum reboans in sublime quatiebat Ha­leluia. In Epi­taphio Fabiolae. Vide praeterea Sulpitium in vita Martini Ariopag. Et Eub. Hie­rare. eccles­cap. 7.. Igraunt indeed we may sor­rowe and weep for the wicked not only when they are dead, but euen when they are aliue. But wee must sing and reioyce for the godly not only when they are a­liue, but euen when they are dead. And why? Because they beeinge aliue are dead: but these beeing dead are aliue. According to that saying of the hebrew Rabbins Tsaddikim bemetham caijm &c. The godly euen in their death are aliue: but the wicked euen in their life, are dead. Therfore Dauid whē his son Absalon died, whom he knew to bee a wicked man wept for him, saying, Absalon my son, O my sonne Absolon! would to God I had died for thee. But when his yong son died, whom he knew to be an innocent babe, hee was well a­payd, and arose from the ground, and annoynted his face, and looked cheere­fully, and sayd, I shall goe to him, he can not returne to me. Wherby he warran­teth that of Fulgentius who sayth, That the godly deceased are Non amissi sed praemissi. not lost for euer but left for a time, not gone away from vs, but sent to God before vs. For if that bee true which Ignatius saies. That life without Christ is death [...]. thē this is true [Page 81]also which I shall say, That death with and in Christ is life. The deathes of the saints are no funerals but triumphes Exercitia suntasta non funera. Cypr.. So that in respect of vs which are aliue it is a very charitable custome, yea it is a ve­ry honorable custome to giue mourning cloakes or gownes. But in respect of them that are dead it is altogether need­les. For what neede wee weare black mourning cloakes in signe of forrowe, seeing (as it is in the Reuelation) they weare white long roabes in token of try­umph. Therfore Chrysostome saith [...]., It becommeth vs that are christians at the death of christians, rather to reioyce as at a triumph, then to weep as at a tra­gedy. For, saies Ierom Desiderandi sunt vt absen­tes non deplo­randi vt mor­tui. We may indeed wish for them, because they are not with vs; but we must not weepe for them be­cause they are with God. Loue, I graunt cōmaunds vs. Well. Be it so. What then? But yet faith forbids vs to weepe for the dead Pietas plora­re iubet, sides pro defunctis lugere vetat Isidorus.. And therfore Paulinus saith Salua fide pi­etatis officia pendamus, sal­ua pietate fidei gaudia praefe­ramus., Though wee may notwithstanding our faith, performe to the dead the dueties of loue, yet wee must first notwithstan­ding our loue, affoord to our selues the comforts of faith. So, if we shead some [Page 82]fewe teares which run softly like the wa­ters of Sylo, no force saies Ambrose Erunt non doloris illices sed indices pie­tatis., They will not bewray in vs any want of faith, but only testifie an abundance of loue. Thus and no otherwise did Abra­ham weep for Sara his wife: Eleazar for Aarō his father: Rebecca for Debora her nurse: Ioseph for Iacob his father: Ber­shaba for Vrias her husband: Christ for Lazarus his friend. And here in wonder­full wisdome he teacheh vs howe sparing we ought to be in weeping for the death of our godly friendes, considering our good hope that are aliue, and their good happe that are dead. As if the very dead body whom some of you perhaps euen at this present so seriously thinke of, & so much lament for, should nowe sodain­ly arise out of the graue, and step into the pulpit, and preach and say vnto you, VVEEP NOT FOR ME BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. You indeed as yet remaine in this vale of misery, where you sin daily and howerly against God: where continually you feele afflictions & punishmēts dew to your sins: where last­ly you are depriued of the glory of God: of the society of the saintes: of the ioyes of [Page 83]heauen. Therefore (if you will) VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES, BVT VVEEPE NOT FOR MEE. I am in that state of perfection, where I neuer sin but alwaies prayse and laud the Lord. I am out of the compas of all calamities, not to be touched with any trouble. Ie­uermore behold the amiable and the lo­uing countenance of Christ: and though I come not very neere him, yet so farre forth I see him as this sight alone is suffi­cient to make mee euery way a happy man. Thus would the very dead, if they should rise againe, speake vnto vs. But wee will not any longer disquiet the dead, or disturbe them which so sweetly sleep in Christ. Certainly either this that hath bin spoken will perswade vs, or els (as our sauiour saith) though one should rise stom the dead, wee would not be­leeue. For if these aunciēt & holy fathers Fulgentius, Ignatius, Cyprian, Chryso­stome, Ierom, Isidore, Paulinus, Ambro­sius, should now all arise, they would (I assure you) say no other thing, but euen as you haue heard them speake already in those sentences and allegations which I haue quoted & cited out of them. The [Page 84]sum of all which is this, That it is great folly and childishnes to weep immode­ratly for the dead, and that it is on the o­ther side a hie point of wisdome to bee moderate in this matter. Cōsidering our Lord going here to his death, teacheth his friends not to weepe for him, in that hee saies, VVEEP NOT, VVEEP NOT FOR MEE. Thus much for his wisdome.

Nowe for benignity hee saies, NOT YOV. For though the person bee not ex­pressed in the englishe, yet in the greek verbe it is implyed. Weepe not, as if it were, weepe NOT YOV. Which be­nignity appeared in that among all his vntollerable troubles, nothing troubled him so much, as that his friends were troubled for his troubles. And yet (as it should seeme) they of all other had grea­test cause thus to bee grieued. All the people wept for Moyses death: all Ae­gypt for Iosephs death: all Israel for Iosi­as his death: all the Church for Stephens death. But a million of Moysesses: of Io­sephs: of Iosiasses: of Stephens are not comparable to Christ. The women of Troy wept for the death of worthy He­ctor their valiant captaine, making this [Page 85]the foot of their doleful ditty, we weep for Hector Hectora fle­mus Seneca in Troade. actu primo,. Howe much more then ought these women of Ierusalem to weepe for the death of their captaine Christ? Al the widowes lamēted the death of Dorcas, because in her life time shee made them coates and garments. And had not these women then far greater reason to lamēt the death of Christ who made euery one of them a wedding garment, wherin hee did marry them to himselfe? Ye daugh­ters of Israel saith Dauid, weep for Saul who clothed you with Scarlet. Howe much more then ought these daughters of Ierusalem to weepe for Christ who cloathed euery one of them with scarlet, and with the royall robe of his righte­ousnes, yea and gaue his owne deare selfe vnto them, that they might put on the Lord Iesus? When Christ was borne the night was turned into day, as it was prophesied Psalm. 139.12., Then shall the night shine as the day. But when Christ was cruci­fied the day was turned into night, as it was prophesied Amos cap. 8. ver. 9., Then shall the sun go downe at noone day. The sunne ther­fore wept for Christ. As Hammons face was couered when he was condemned [Page 86]to die: so the suns face was couered, whē Christ was condemned to die. The tem­ple also wept for Christ. As Dauid rent his garment when he heard of Ionathans death: so the temple rent his vaile when it heard of Christs death. The graues likewise wept for Christ. As the king of Niniue threw vp dust vpon his head whē hee and his subiects were appointed to die: so the graues opened and threwe vp dust vpon their heads when Christ was appoynted to die. The stones lastly wept for Christ. As Iob cut his haire when hee heard of his childrens death: so the stones were cut in peeces and clouen asunder when they heard of Christes death. An asse carying Christ into Ierusalem, the children sung most merely: Christ cary­ing his crosse out of Ierusalem, the wo­men wept most mournfully. If those children had held their peace and not sung (as our sauiour there protesteth) the very stones would haue sunge out the praise of Christ. If these women had held their peace, & not cried, the very stones would haue cried for the death of Christ. Or rather indeed as soone as euer these women left weepinge, because Christ [Page 87]bad them, straightwaies the stones fell a weeping, before Christ bad them. And what heart of man then could here haue refrayned from weeping, though it had bin harder then any stone, seeing the hard stones before his eies thus dissolued and distilled into teares? Yet behold the benignity and louing kindnes of Christ. Christ died, not for the sunne: not for the temple: not for the graues: not for the stones: but for vs men and for our saluati­on he dyed. Yet he suffereth these sence­les creatures to weep and to haue a liue­ly feeling of his death, though they had no benefit by his death. But beeing con­tent himselfe to shed his dearest and his best bloud for vs: yet will not suffer vs in recompence to shed so much as one lit­tle teare for him. No no, saies he, I will beare all the sorrow, you shall haue only ioy: and though I dye and shed my ve­ry heart bloud for you, yet you shall not so much as weepe, or shed the least teare for mee. NOT YOV, VVEEPE NOT FOR ME. Thus much for his benignity.

Lastly for magnanimity he saies, NOT FOR MEE. Straunge stoutnes and cou­rage. Especially in him that was other­wise [Page 88]so mild and so meeke a lambe. But here the cause & quarell beeing ours, & he fighting for the saluation of our souls, there is no rule with him, hee plaies the lyon whersoeuer hee goes. For holding nowe in his hand the cup of trembling, and beeing ready to drinke vp the very dregs of it, yet neither his hand nor his heart trembleth. Ennius the poet, as Tul­ly testifieth, could say thus much, Let no man weep for my death Nemo me lacrymis deco­ret.. And S. Lau­rence the martyr, as Prudentius witnes­seth, Doe not weep for my departure Desiste dis­cessu meo fle­tum dolenter fundere.. But as Ennius or any other pagan could neuer come neere christians in true magnanimity: so S. Laurence or any other christiā could neuer come neere Christ. The blessed Apostle S. Paul of any that euer I heard of, commeth neerest to him. Going toward Ierusalem, what do you, saies hee, weeping & breaking my heart, for I am ready not only to be bound but euen to die also for the name of the Lord Iesus? Euen so saith Christ here, or ra­ther indeed not so, but a thousand times more couragiously. Going out of Ieru­salem, what do you (saies hee) weeping and breakinge my heart, for I am ready [Page 89]not only to bee bound, but euen to dye also for the saluation of man? He knewe well enough his passion would be a new kind of transfiguration vnto him. For at his transfiguration he was accompanied with his deare disciples, Peter, Iames, and Iohn: but at his passiō Peter denied him, Iames & Iohn forsooke him. And there he was vpon mount Tabor which smel­led sweetly of hearbs and flowers: but here he was vpon mount Caluary which smelled loathsomly of bones and dead mens sculs. And there his face did shine as the sun: but here his face was couered, nay it was buffeted and spit vpon. And there his garments were white as the light: but here his garments were parted, nay they were like Iosephs coate all em­brued in bloud, and hee himselfe stript starke naked. And there he was between two famous prophets Moises & Elias: but here when they thought hee called for Elias to help him, Elias would not come, nay he was between two theeues, the one at his right hand, the other at his left. And there his father spake most ioyfully to him from heauen, This is my beloued sonne in whom only I am plea­sed; [Page 90]but here hee screeched most lamen­tably to his father from the crosse, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Yet behold, behold the magna­nimity of Christ. Christ knewe well e­nough before hand of all this fearefull & horrible passion prepared for him, wher­in he was not transfigured as before, but disfigured so as neuer was any man. Yet nothing could moue him. This coward­lynes of his disciples: this noysomnes of the place: these diuelishe buffets vpon his bare face: these bloudy wounds vp­on his naked body: these vile theeues: these hydeous screeches, could not one whit daunt his heroicall heart. But euen as a noble champion hauing already had a legge and an arme slasht off, when all the stage in admiration of his valour and manhood cryes, saue the man, saue the man, yet puts out himselfe, and standing vpon one legge, and strikinge with one arme fights still as stoutly as if he had ne­uer bin hurt at all: so Christ hauinge bin scorned and scourged already, when the whole theater of heauen and earth wept for him, yea when the powers aboue the heauen came down, and the dead vnder [Page 91]the earth rose vp to moue and pitty him, only he himselfe would neither aske any fauour of others, nor yet shewe any fa­uour to himselfe, but was very angry & called him Sathan that gaue him such counsell; Yea though all the saincts in heauen and earth did bleed at the very heart Caelum & terra compati­untur ei. An­selmus in spe­culo Euangel. sermonis cap. 13. in a manner as much as he him­selfe did vpon the crosse, to see so good [...] man so shamefully despited, yet no­thing could stay him but still he went on forward as pleasantly and as cheerefully is to any banket or feast, to this most ru­ [...]ull and dreadfull death. O sweet Iesus, O my deare Lord, forgiue me, I humbly beseech thee, for thy mercy sake, forgiue me this one fault. Thou wilt neither weep thy selfe, nor yet suffer me to weep for thy death. But I am contrariwise af­fected. Though I doe not see thee at this present led as a lambe to the slaughter, yet only meditating of thy death so ma­ny hundred yeeres after, I can not possi­bly refraine from weepinge. Yea by so much the more do I lamēnt and mourn, by how much the more I see thee ioyfull & glad. Come forth ye daughters of Siō, saies he Canticae. 3.11., and behold king Salomō with [Page 92]the crown wherewith his mother crow­ned him in the day of his mariage in the day of the gladnes of his heart. As if hee should haue sayd, come forth yee daughters of Ierusalem and be­hold Iesus Christ, with the crowne of thornes, wherwith the sinagogue of the Iewes crowned him in the day of his pas­sion, and in the day of his death vpon the crosse. He calleth the day of his passion the day of his mariage, and the day of his death vpon the crosse the day of the glad­nes of his heart. Thus you see in this sea­uenth part the wisdome; the benignity: the magnanimity of Christ, in that hee sayth, Not weep: not you: not for mee; VVEEP NOT FOR ME. VVEEP NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES.

THe eyght part, which is the last, now only remaineth. BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES: wherein wee must cōsider likewise three virtues that ought to bee in vs. Deuotion: compunction: compassion. For deuotion, he sayes, BVT VVEEPE. For compunction, BVT YOV. For compassion, BVT FOR YOVR SELVES. But weepe: but you: but for [Page 93]your selues. BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. First for deuotion he saith, BVT VVEEPE. Deuotion generally is a super-naturall dexteritie, wrought by the holy Ghost in the heart of a deuoute man, whereby hee is made prompt and ready to performe all those dewties, which ap­pertaine to the seruice of God. As a man may be sayd to be deuout in preaching: deuoute in hearing: deuoute in making prayers: deuoute in giuing almes. But here especially by deuotion I vnderstand a certaine softnes and tendernes of the heart, which oftentimes is resolued into teares, considering the mischiefes and miseries of this world. For if Christ in this place wisht them of Ierusalem to weepe for themselues, and did himselfe else where weepe for Ierusalem, saying, O Ierusalem, Ierusatem, how oftē would I, but you would not? How much more then ought wee to weepe for the wret­chednes of this world? They of Ierusa­lem were caryed captiue into Babylon. That captiuitie of Babylon endured se­uenty yeres, or threescore and ten yeres. Now iust so long lasteth our life. As the Psalmist sayes, The dayes of our life are [Page 94]threescore yeeres and ten. So that by this account, our whole time in this world, is nothing else but the captiuitie of Baby­lon. Therefore we may well say, By the waters of Babylon we sate downe and wept, when wee remembred thee O Si­on: And, My teares haue been my meate day and night, while they sayd vnto me, where is now thy God? And, Woe is me that I am constrayned to dwell in Me­shek, and to haue my habitation among the tents of Cedar. We reade that King Edward the third, hauing the King of Scots and the French King his prisoners here in England both together at one time, held royall iusts in Smythfield. The iusts being ended, hee feasted both the Kings most sumptuously at supper. Af­ter supper perceiuing the French King to be sad and pensiue, hee desired him to be merry as others were. To whome the French King answered Quomodo cantabimus cantica in ter­ra aliena?, How shall wee sing songs in a strange land? If the French King after all this princely pa­stime, and stately intertainement, tooke it so heauily to heart, that hee was kept prisoner out of his owne countrey: how much more then ought wee to mourne [Page 95]for our captiuitie? Especially seeing, nei­ther we haue such welcome in the world as he had in England, neither yet is Eng­land so far frō France, as heauē is distant from them both. Ierusalem was once fi­nally sacked by Titus and Vespasian, whereas besides an infinite number which were otherwise spoyled, ten hun­dred thousand men, ten hundred thou­sand men (I say) were slaine down right altogether, as Iosephus a greeke writer, and Iosippus an hebrew author testifie. But that which happened once to them, happeneth euery day to vs. We dye day­ly 1. Cor. 15.31.. Our whole life is nothing else but such a spoyle and sackage. And among all the miseries of this life, nothing is more miserable then this life it selfe. For euen those things which might be most comfortable vnto vs, as we vse them, do breede vs much sorrow. Learning and knowledge a great delight. Yet Salo­mon saith, Hee that addeth knowledge addeth sorrowe. Wealth and riches a good complement. Yet Saint Iames sayes, Goe too now you riche men, weep and houle for the miseries which shall come vpon you. So that the onely hap­pines [Page 96]we can haue in this life is a deuoute and a godly bewailing of our vnhappi­nes. Which made our Sauiour say, woe be to you that laugh now, for you shall waile and weepe. But on the other side, Blessed are they that mourne now, for they shall bee comforted. Therefore holy Iob desireth God to spare him a lit­tle, and let him liue a while longer. Wherefore? That he might laugh? That he might be merry? No Vt plangam delorem me­um., but, sayes hee, That I may weepe for my woe and griefe. Hee thought a man could not haue time enough in this life, though it were neuer so long, to lament and rue the miseries of this life, though it were neuer so short. For if euery creature doe sigh & grone in it selfe Rom. 8.22. ; if the very earth which wee treade vnder our feete doe mourne and pine away in sorrow, for the heauie burthen of our sinnes wherewith it is almost wayed and pressed downe to hell, how much more then ought we, ha­uing the first fruites of the spirit to haue also true deuotion in weeping for our miserable estate in this world, according to this, BVT VVEEP, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. Thus much for our deuotion.

[Page 97] Now for compunction he sayes, BVT YOV. The person is implyed in the greeke word, which signifies to weepe as they doe which haue a broken and a contrite heart [...] frango.. Which weeping at the very heart is commanded in the fourth Psalme. For whereas we commonly reade it, be still in your chambers, the Septuagint inter­pret it, haue compunction in your cham­bers. Now the hebrew word which they translate, haue compunctiō, doth signifie to be prickt to the quicke, till the bloud follow againe Dommu à Dam sanguis.. And by chambers our hearts are ment. As, when thou prayest enter into thy chamber, that is, into the silence and secrecy of thine hart. So that, Haue compunction in your chambers, is as much as if he should haue said, Bleed you inwardly at the heart. Our teares must not be crocodiles teares. For as is praying from the teeth outward; so is weeping from the eyes outwarde. But saith Bernard, we must be let bloud, and haue a vayne opened with the launce of compunction Scindatur & aperiatur vena ferro compun­ctionis. Ber. in serm. p. 133.. And this vayne also must not be the liuer vaine, or any other vaine, but the heart vaine onely Non corpo­ris sed cordis. Fulgen.. Whereupon Dauid saith, I roared for the very griefe [Page 98]of my heart Psalm. 38.8.. And againe, My heart droppeth for heauines Psal. 119.28.. Not that his heart dropt in deede. But because the teares which he shed, were not droppes of water, running from the eyes which may be soone forced with onions or such like, but drops of blood issuing from the heart, such as Christ did sweate in the garden. For these no doubte are trew teares, which are the blood of a woun­ded heart Sanguis vul­nerati cordis. Aug. Epistola. 199.. So that the heart must first bee rent and deeply wounded before the eye canne vnfaynedly weepe. But in case our sinnes fall vpon vs like theeues, and wounde vs at the very heart, & leaue vs halfe dead, and make vs powre out the bloud of true teares, then by and by will Christ powre in the wine & oyle of gladnes. Therefore sayes a good father Malo sentire compunctio­nem quàm scire defimito­nem. I had rather feele the touch of cōpunc­tion, then know the truth of a definition. For the heart of a Christian being a while cast downe in sorrow is soone after ray­sed vp in ioye, and taketh his former com­punction not as a punnishment, but as a preferment, and is right glad to bee af­flicted, because he sees, that as the more the waters did rise the higher the arke [Page 99]was lifted vp; after the same sorte y ^e more his sorrows encrease, the higher his heart is lifted vp to God Cum per fle­tum mens ad summa rapi­tur, compunc­tionis suae paenā gaudons mira­tur, & libet affligi, quia af­flictione sua conspicit se ad alta subleua­ri. Gregor.. Wherupō Ierom af­firmeth that this compunctiō doth supple and soften our heartes, when it pierceth and afflicteth them Dum pungit, vngit.. Which we may see playnely in Saint Paule. All the while his heart was hardened & seared with a hot yron, he playd the wilde colt (as I may say) without any remorse or griefe kic­king against the pricks. But when it plea­sed God to take out of his brest that hart of stone (to vse the prophets words) and to giue him a heart of flesh for it, then he did not any more kick against the prickes, but onely one stimulus carnis, the angell of sathan, was sufficient to bri­dle him, and tame him, and rule him a­right. For euen as a bladder if it be prickt al the wind and emptines voydeth out of it: semblably Saint Paules holy heart be­ing prickt, and bleeding in wardly for his sinnes was freed of all vanitie and pride, of all conceitednes and folly. Wherfore as the man of Iudea and Ierusalem were pricked in their hearts Actorum. 2.37.: so must we haue true compunction in bleeding and weep­ing at the heart, according to this, BVT [Page 100]YOV, BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES. Thus much for our compunc­tion.

Lastly for compassion he sayes BVT FOR YOVR SELVES. It is good to pitie others and to wipe awaye the very teares from their eyes with the spunge of com­passion [...]. Chrys.. So sayes Iob Iob. 30.25., Did I not weepe with him that was in trouble, and was not mine hart in heauines for the poore? But yet the greatest compassion is to shew pity towards thy selfe. As Ecclesiasticus sayes, Miserere ae­nimae tuae pla­cens deo. c. 30. v. 29. Haue compassion on thine owne soule, if thou minde to please God. Thus did the publicane. Being most desirous to please God, when he did pray to God, he sayd, Lord be mercifull vnto me a sin­ner. The Pharisie was very sory for the Publican, and sayd, Lord I thanke thee, I am not as this Publicane. But the Publi­can was sory for himselfe. Euen as the high priest in the lawe did offer first for his owne sinnes, and then for the sinnes of the people Hebr. 5.3.: after the same fashion this Publican did first offer the sacrifice of prayer for his owne sinnes, and then afterward he prayed for others. Therfore hee that durst not lift vp his eyes to hea­uen, [Page 101]did yet draw downe heauen to his eyes: and did enforce God also to haue compassion on him, because hee had first compassion on himselfe. For looke how Peters cocke did clap his own sides with his wings, and wakened himselfe before he wakened Peter: in like manner thou must smite thine owne brest with the Publican, and clap thine own sides with the cocke, before thou crie or crowe to others. Abrahams seruant did drinke himselfe, before hee gaue his Camels drinke Gen. 24.19.: right so the wise man aduiseth thee Prouer. 5.15., first for thy selfe, To drinke the waters of thy cesterne, and the riuers in the middest of thine owne well; then for thy Camels, To let thy fountaines flowe forth, & thy riuers of water in the streets. Thou must first pledge Christ in his cup, and drinke one hearty draught of teares for thy selfe, and then thou maist drinke to others afterward. For if thine eye bee single, all thy bodie is full of light. But if thou haue a beame in thine owne eye, and yet wouldest take a mote out of thy brothers eye, all thy body is full of darke­nes. Whereas the way were first to weep out, and washe out that great beame [Page 102]which is in thine owne eye, that so thine eye being more single, thou maist see cleerely to take a little mote out of thy brothers eye. Otherwise thou shalt bee like those hagges or fayries (called in la­tine Lamiae) which we haue heard of in olde time, who (as they saye) could see well enough abroad, but when they came home, vsed to put vp their eyes in a boxe. And then Christ will say to thee, as he did to one elsewhere, Goe to thine owne house Abi in domū tuam. Mar. 5.29.. Doe not prye into other mens faultes abroad, and put vp thine eyes in a boxe when thou art at home: but rather shut thine eyes abroad, and o­pen them at home. Bee not like Crates Thebanus, who was called a doore-ope­ner [...]. Laertius., because hee vsed to rush into euery other mans house; & there to finde faulte with whatsoeuer was amisse: but rather looke to thine own house, looke to thine own hart, weep for thine own life, weep for thine owne selfe. Many doe turne Christs, sed vos pro vobis, into Virgils, sic vos nō vobis. They can stūble at a strawe, and leape ouer a blocke. They can swal­low a Camell, & strayne a gnat. Though their owne backes be surcharged and o­uerloaden [Page 103]with ill fauoured lumpes of sinne, like Camels bunches, yet their backes are broade enough to beare all that, they neuer feele it, they make no bones of it, they can swallowe it downe very well without any drinke of teares. But if they see no more then a little gnat sitting vpon their brothers coate, by and by they finde a hole in his coate, they must needes (for sooth) weepe for it, and alwaies vrge it, and presse it very sore, and strayne it thorough their teares. Such are the wicked ignorant Brow­nists, and other like factious Nouices of this age. They tell vs they weepe daylie for the ruine of Sion, & for the desolati­on of our Church. But our Church an­swereth them, as shee hath heard her spouse Iesus Christ saye in a like case, VVEEP NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. I, sais our Church, was neuer more glorious in this realme of England heretofore Foxus in prima conside­ratione ad Pro­testantes praesi­xa Actis. Et in prima persecu­tione primiti­ [...]ae ecclesie p. 32, neuer am like to bee hereafter, then I am at this daye. And there is no one poynte of doctrine or discipline which I maintaine, that hath not beene within this fortie yeares confirmed, and besprinkled, and euen [Page 104]enamuled with the very blood of as bles­sed saints, our owne deare countrymen, as holy martyrs as euer did holde vp in­nocent hands to God. Therfore VVEEPE NOT FOR ME. BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. You in deede haue departed, not onely from this Church, of which you make so light: but also from the Primitiue Church, of which you talke so much. The order of the Primitiue Church is set downe in the Actes Actorum. ca. 2. v. 46.. They continued daylie with one accorde in the temple, and breaking bread at home, did eate their meate together with glad­nes and singlenes of heart. So then in the Primitiue Church they continued daylie with one accord in the temple: you run out of the temple, and refuse to praye with vs. In the Primitiue Church, they did breake breade at home: you breake peace abroad. In the Primitiue Church they did eate their meate together with gladnes and singlenes of heart: you haue turnde all singlenes into singularitie. You (sayes our Church to the Brownists) you are those Donatists of whom Saint Austin speaketh Qui nobis e­tiam oratio­nem domini­cam impijs di­sput ationibus conantur au­fe [...]re. E [...]i 92. ad lanuarium., who by their impious arguments would take away from vs e­uen [Page 105]the Lordes prayer. So woulde the Brownists. You are those Nestorians of whome Cassianus speaketh Qui quia es­se nolunt quod omnes sunt, cu­piunt omnes es­se quod ipsi vo­lunt. De incar­natione. l. 6. c. 4, who be­cause they will not bee as all men are, therefore would haue all men be as they are. So would the Brownists. You are those Sectaries of whome Nazianzen speaketh [...]. Apol. p. 28, who make a stirre about matters of no importance very vnlear­nedly, and yet very impudently. So doe the Brownists. You are those schisma­tikes of whom Ireneus speaketh Qui propter modicas & quaslibet cau­sas magnum & gloriosum Christi corpus conscindunt. l. 4 c. 62., who for light and trifling quarrels, rent and teare the great and glorious body of Christ. So doe the Brownists. You are those Luciferians of whome Saint Ie­rome speaketh Quibus fami­liare est dicere factum de ec­clesia lupanar. Dialo. contra. Luciferianos prope initium., who make it a common worde in their mouthes to saye that the Church is now become a stewes. So saye the Brownists. You are those heretikes of whom Bernard speaketh Qui omnes qui de ecclesia sunt, canes censent & por­cos. Epistola. 65, who saye that all wee, or at the least wise the most part of vs which are of the Church, are no better then dogges or hogges. So say the Brownists. You are those Audians of whome Epiphanius speaketh [...]. Anchora, p. 475, who be­ing busie-bodies themselues, and Bi­shops in other mens dioces, yet thinke [Page 106]much that reuerend and learned Bi­shops shoulde beare rule in their owne dioces. So doe the Brownists. You are those murmurers against Moyses of whome Optatus speaketh Qui ante sunt sepulti quàm mortui. Contra. Par­me. l. 1., who were buried before they were dead, because they wepte for others before they wepte for themselues. So doe the Brownists. But to leaue these now, as they leaue the Churche, and to returne to our selues againe: wee that are Christes louing friendes, and louing friendes also to his holy Churche, must weepe for none o­ther so much as for our selues. That so we may continually practise, true deuo­tion; true compunction; true compassion; according to this, But weepe; but you; but for your selues; BVT VVEEPE FOR YOVR SELVES. VVEEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES.

THus haue I gone ouer all the eight partes of this text. Now if I were as happy as Salomon was, that I might haue what so euer I would aske, I would, I assure you (beloued) desire no greater gift of God at this time, then that wee might so meditate of this which hath bin [Page 107]spoken, as our whole life and all our af­fections, especially these affections of ioy and sorrowe, which rule all the rest, might therby be ordered and directed a­right. For weeping, or not weeping, are things indifferent, simply of themselues neither good nor bad, but thereafter as according to circumstances and occur­rences, they are either well or ill vsed. E­uen as glorying: or laboring: or fearing: or [...]uing. For glorying it is sayd, Let not the wise mā glory in his wisdom, but let him that glorieth glory in this y ^t he knoweth the Lord: For labouring it is sayd, labour not for y ^e meat which perishth, but for y ^e the meat which abideth for euer. For fea­ring it is sayd, Feare not him that can kill the body only, but feare him who is able to destroy both body & soule. For louing [...] is sayd, Loue not the world, nor the things of this world, if any man loue the world y ^e loue of God is not in him. Now then, glory not, but glory. Not in the wis­dom of the world, but in the knowledge of God. Labour not, but labour. Not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which abideth for euer. Feare not, but feare. Not him that can kill the body [Page 108]only, but him y ^t can destroy both body & soule. Loue not, but loue. Not the world, but God. And so here, Weepe not, but weepe. Not for me, but for your selues. VVEPE NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. To weep is lawfull: to weepe without not weeping is vnlawfull. Not to weep is lawfull: not to weep without weeping is vnlawful. Again, To weep for your selues is lawfull: to weep immode­ratly for Christ is vnlawfull. Not to weep for Christ is lawfull: not to weep mode­rately for your selues is vnlawfull. Wher­as without any vnlawfulnes in either, both weeping and not weeping wilbee lawfull. If your weeping be alwaies ioy­ned with not weeping; & your not wee­pinge bee sometimes ioyned with wee­ping. If your weeping be for your selues, not for Christ; and your not weeping be for Christ, not for your selues. Therefore wee must marke well, what our sauiour sayth. He saith not thus, weep not for me, & weep not for your selues. That's too much ioy, & too little sorrowe. Neither thus, Weep for me & weep for your selues. That's too much sorrowe, and too little ioy. Neither thus, weep not for your selues, [Page 109]but weep for mee. That's presumptuous desperation. Neither thus, weepe for me, but weep not for your selues. That's des­perate presumption. Only he saies thus, VVEEP NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES. As if he should haue sayd, weep not too much: weepe not too much for my death: weep not much for my death. Nay, weepe little for my death: consi­dering, my wisdome; my benignity; my magnanimity; weepe little for my death. But weep not too little: but weepe not too little for your owne life: but weepe not little for your owne life. Nay, weepe much for your owne life: consideringe, your deuotion; your compunction; your compassion; weep much for your owne [...]se. Weepe little for 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 shalbee to all [Page 110]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 vpō the crosse. This Crosse is his kingdome, that he carrieth vpon his shoulder Esa cap. 9. ver. 6., which is a greater glory and credit to Christ then was the creation of the whole world [...]. 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, [Page 111]and to bee more then conquerours 2 Corin. cap. 2. ver. 4., when as the goodnes & the sweetnes of Christ did triumph ouer all impiety and malice 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 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 [Page 112]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 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 Gen. 32.10., then much more nowe ought wee to lift vp our hearts in great ioy to [Page 113]God and say, O Lord we are not worthy of the least of all thy mercyes: for our [...]essed redeemer went ouer Iordan, with nothing but his crosse, which is [...] Iacobs staffe [...]. 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 y ^e other ftock is the triūphant church in heauen. With whom we must continually reioyce for the victory and the saluation which Christ hath shewed [...]s this day. For though on good friday towards euening the sky was red all o­ [...]er coloured & distained with the bloud of Christ 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 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 opiniō [Page 114]of the city of Rhodes, that golde rained downe vpon it [...] 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 A­thēs was called y ^e Greece of Greece [...]. 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 [Page 115]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 it is not so. Cer­tainly all amōg vs, all are not pure corne, there are many tares: all are not good fi­shes, there are many bad: all are not wise virgins, there are many foolish: all are not sheep, there are many goates. Yet to [...]ueigh particularly against y ^e sins of this citie, which shuld make vs weep for our selues, I thinke it not greatly conuenient at this time. Only I beseech you that we may trie and examine our selues: that wee may enter into our owne conscien­ces; euery one of vs humbly bowing the knees of his heart, and saying in this sort, O Lord Iesus, how haue I bestowed all those talents of gold which thou hast gi­uen mee? how haue I requited thee for all thy kindnes towards me? what hath my whole life been els but a continuall warring against thee? what hath it been els but a daily renewing of all thy blou­die torments, and of thy whole passion? Ah vile wretch that I am, how oftē haue I like Iudas himselfe betrayed thee, and [Page 116]sold thee for a little worldly pleasure, or for a little luker and gaine? how often haue I bound thy hands, and euen most despitefully spit in thy face, by refusing those gifts which thou wouldest haue giuen me, and by killing the comforts of thy Spirit? Woe is me, alacke for pitie, I am that cursed Cain which haue mur­dered innocent Abel my brother, whose bloud doth now cry out for vengeance against me, because, that bloud by my sinnes onely is polluted, by which the sinnes of all the world besides are pur­ged. For this will I weepe day and night, yea though I had as many eyes in my head as there are starres in the skye, yet I would weepe them out euery one In sontem frontem, atque in flumina lu­mina vertam., to thinke that I should bee such an vn­worthie wretch, as by my sinnes to cru­cifie Christ so often, and to put him to so many deaths, who hath been vnto me so kinde and so louing a Lord. O deare A­bell, deare Abell! O my good brethren that I could possibly deuise what to say or what to doe, to obtaine thus much of you, or rather of God for you, that you would weepe, though it were neuer so little for your sinnes. But alas, I can doe no more now, but commit and com­mend all that hath been spoken to the [Page 117]effectuall working of the holy Ghost in you, and to the faithfull obedience of your good hearts to God. Blessed bee God, I am yet very much reuiued (being otherwise almost quite spent with spea­king so long) when I look about me and beholde euery one that is present. For I see no place in this great auditory, where there are not very many readie to weep, the water standing in their eyes, & some alreadie weeping right-out, in true re­morse and sorrow for their sinnes. You make me remēber that which we reade in the booke of Iudges, when the Angel of the Lord found fault with the Israe­lites for their disobedience, they lifted vp their voyces and wept, and called the name of that place Bochim, and offered vp sacrifices there vnto the Lord Iudg. 2.5.. This place also may bee now called Bochim, that is, the place of weeping, wherein you haue offered vp as many sacrifices to the Lord, as you haue shead teares for your selues. O what an acceptable sa­crifice to God is this your sorrowful spi­rit? I warrant you, you shall neuer repent you of this repentance: you shall neuer be sorrie for this sorrowe. This sorrow­full spirit of yours makes God haue a [Page 118]ioyfull spirit, and greatly pleases and de­lights the holy Ghost. Wherefore now that we haue once made the good spirit of God reioyce and take pleasure in vs, let vs not in any case hereafter, let vs not hereafter grieue the same spirit of God, whereby wee are now sealed vp to the day of redemption. The holy Ghost is grieued when we are not grieued, but if we bee thus grieued for our sinnes, then is the holy Ghost delighted. Yea such griefe and sorrow will not onely bee to the holy Ghost a great pleasure and de­light, but also it wil be to vs the very seed or the interest and loane of euerlasting life [...]. Bas. Hom. [...] 144.. For look how a father pitieth his owne childe, and if he see him crye, doth what he can to still him, and takes out his handkercher, and wipes the infants eyes himselfe: after the same fashion God our heauenly father will with his owne holy finger wipe away all teares from our eyes, and take vs most louingly by the hand, and lead vs out of the house of mourning into the house of mirth. Then though wee haue sowne in teares, yet wee shall reape in ioy Tum breuibus lachrymis gau­dia long a me­tam. Paulinus.. Yea though wee haue sowne but a very few teares, which God hath in a small bottle, yet we [Page 119]shall reape all the infinite ioyes which God hath in heauen. Then though wee haue wanted wine a little while, yet in the ende Christ shall turne all our water into wine, all our sadnes into gladnes, all our musing into musicke, al our sigh­ing into singing. Then though wee haue been a long time married to wee­ping blear-eyd Leah, yet at length wee shall enioy the loue of cheerfull & beau­tifull Rachell. Then shall Abraham that good mower bind vs vp into sheaues as pure corne, and fill his bosome full with vs, and carrie vs into the Lords barne to make a ioyfull haruest in heauen. Then shall wee with the wise virgins hauing store of teares in our eyes, which are as oyle in our lampes, go out of this vale of teares, which floweth with woe & wee­ping, & enter into the celestiall Canaan, which floweth with milke and honey. Then shall Christ say vnto vs, not as it is here, VVEEP NOT FOR ME, BVT VVEEP FOR YOVR SELVES: but hee shall saye, Weepe not for me, and weepe not for your selues. For that which would be too much ioy in this life, shall not be ioy enough in the life to come. Therefore he shall not only say vnto vs, Weepe not for mee, and weepe [Page 120]not for your selues: but he shall also say, Reioyce for mee, and reioyce for your selues. Reioyce for mee, because I was once lower then the Angels, but now I am crowned with honour and glorie: and reioyce for your selues, because you were once as sheepe going astray, but now you are returned to the shepheard and bishop of your soules. Reioyce. for me, because I am your brother Ioseph, whom once you solde into Egypt, but now all power is giuen me in heauen & in earth: and reioyce for your selues, be­cause you are the true children of Israel, which once dwelt in a land of famine, but now you are brought by triumphāt fierie chariots into the land of Goshen, which is the kingdome of glorie. To the which kingdome of glorie, and ioy of all hands, ioy for Christ, ioy for our selues, we beseech thee, O good Lord, to bring vs, after the miserie of this wofull and wretched world, not for our owne de­serts or merits, but for the most glorious passion, and most ioyfull resurrection of Iesus Christ, to whom, with the Father & the holy Ghost, bee all honour and glorie, power & praise, dignitie and dominion, now and euermore, Amen.