blessed brethren make you no doubt of it For it is not my opinion or my speech only They are the very words of our Sauiour I came sayes hee that men might haue life a Iohn 10.10 and 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 by the tree of life that aboundantly we might gaine more by the obedience of Christ in his death then euer we lost or could loose by the disobedience of Adam in his life And therefore though that sinne of Adam was so heinous and so horrible that it cast the Image of God out of Paradise that it polluted all the race of mankinde that it condemned the whole world that it defaced the very frame of heauen it selfe yet considering the sequell how not onely the guilt of this sinne but euen the very memory of it is now 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 b O foelix culpa quae talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem Because by this meanes both hee and all we haue found such plentifull redemption such inestimable mercie such superabundant grace such felicitie such eternity such life by Christs death For as honey being found in a dead Lyon the death of the Lyon was the sustenance of Sampson so Christs gall is our hony c Christi fel nostrum mel and the bitter death of Christ by reason of his righteousnesse is the sweete life of man Thus you see that the death of Christ is the death of Death the death of the Diuell the life of Himselfe the life of Man And therfore he saies in this fourth part weepe not too much for my death For me Weepe not for me but weepe for your selues I Perceiue beloued I haue beene somewhat long in this part Therefore I will make more hast in the rest and doe what I can deuise that I may not seeme tedious vnto you Now then to the fifth part For your selues Weepe not too little for your owne life For the life of man is quite contrarie 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 iniquitie and sinne Which euen in Gods deere children saies Bernard is cast downe but not cast out d De iectum non eiectum Therefore though sin cannot sometimes rule ouer vs because it is cast downe yet it will alwayes dwell in vs because it is not cast out For it is so bred in the bone that till our bones be with Iosephs bones carried out of Egypt that is out of the world sinne cannot be carried out of our bones The Irish history telleth vs that the Citie of Waterford giueth this poesie Intacta manet e It continueth vntouched Because since it was first conquered by King Henry the second it was neuer yet attainted no not so much as touched with treason Also that the Isle of Arren in that country hath such a pure aire that it was neuer yet infected with the plague We cannot say thus of the nature of man that it is either so cleare from treason as that Citie or else that it is so cleare from infection as that Island is Nay our very reason is treason and our best affection it is no better then an infection if it bee well sifted in the sight of God Euagrius recordeth f Li. 5. ca. 15. that the Romans got such a victorie ouer Chosroes one of the Persian Kings that this Chosroes made a law that neuer after any King of Persia should moue warre against the Romans Wee cannot possibly subdue sinne in such sort as the Romanes did this Persian King But doe we what we can doe sinne will alwaies be a Iebuzite a false borderer yea a ranke traytor rebelling against the spirit Which makes the life of man first to be sayes Chrysostome a debt as it were owne and due to death g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the diuell is the father of sin and sin is the mother of death Hereupon Saint Iames saith that sinne being finished trauelling in child-birth 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 flesh did not make the soule sinfull but the sinne of our soule did make the flesh corruptible Whereupon Lactantius calleth sinne the reliefe or the foode of death h Pabulian mortis As a fire goeth out when all the fuell is spent but burneth as long as that lasteth so death dieth when sin ceaseth but where sin eboundeth there death rageth The Prophet Abacucke sinning not death was so farre from him that hee was able to flie without wings But King Asa sinning death was so neere to him that hee was not able to stand vpon his feet Nay we may see this in one and the selfe-same man Moses sinning not death could not meet with him in the bottome of the red sea but sinning death did seaze vpon him in the toppe of mount Nebo So that the life of man by reason of his sinne is the life of death It is also the life of the diuell As Emisenus saith Each one hath in him as many diuels aâ— euils i Tot daemonia quot crimina euery seuerall sinne being sufficient to maintaine a seuerall Diuell The godly finding no ioy in the earth haue their conuersation in heauen But Satan finding no ioy in hell hath his conuersation in the earth So that the earth is a hell to vs but a heauen to him Here he hath his liuing as it was said at the first Thou shalt eate the dust of the earth all the dayes of thy life This dust saith Macarius is the diuels diet k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And therefore as a scald Cur waits for a bone so hee that goes about seeking whom he may deuouâ—e watches continually til the godly shake off the dust from their feete that is shake off some sinne which they haue gotten by walking in the world that then hee may licke it vp as one of those Dogs which did licke vp Iezabels bloud This is meate and drinke to him l Dulce diabola peccare not Hila. Enarra in p. 118. He loues it alife to see vs sinne euen as cursed Cham did to see Noâ—hs nakednesse And as flies are alwaies busie about a sore place so saith Theophylact m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In cap. Luc. 16. p. 320. That is a sport or pleasure to Sathan which is a sore or a paine to a man especially if he be a godly mâ—n For this Behemoth the Diuell eateth grasse as an oxe
à fine that there is another fountaine neere Grenoble a Citie in France which although it haue not hot 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 sorrow was stirred sayes he my heart was hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled l Psal. 30.3 When my sorrow was stirred There is the first fountaine My heart was hot within mee 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 sayes fitly Our eies must neither be drowned nor dry m Nec fluant oculi nec â—icci sint Seneca If they want fire they will be drowned If they want water they will be dry Wherefore both weepe not and but weepe both fire and water must goe together that our eyes bee neither drowned nor drye And this is the right moderation wee must keepe in weeping as appeareth in this third part WEEPE NOT BVT WEEPE both together Weepe not for mee but weepe for your selues THe fourth part followeth For Mee 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 innocencie and righteousnesse 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 truth 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 a Mors mortis morti mortem nisi morte dedisset coelestis vitae iâ—nus â—lausa foret Therefore both before his death he threatneth and challengeth death saying b Osee 13.14 O death I will bee thy death and also after his death hee derideth and scorneth death saying c 1 Cor. 15.15 O death thou art but a drone where is now thy sting d Sic Iohannes Pistorius Erasmi Roterodami affinis igni cremandus dixit O mors vbi est tua victoria Aske death any of you I pray and say Death how hast thou lost thy sting how hast thou lost thy strength What is the matter that virgins and very children doe now contemne thee wheras Kings and euen tyrants did before feare thee Death I warrant will answer 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 looseth both sting and life together in like manner death so long as it stung mortall men only which were dead in sin was neuer a whit the worse but when it stung Christ once who is life it selfe by and by it lost both sting and strength Therefore as the brasen serpent was so farre from hurting the Israelites that contrariwise it healed them after the same sort death is now so far from hurting any true Israelite that on the other side if affliction as a fiery serpent sting vs or if any thing else hurt vs presently it is helped and redressed by death Those which will needes play the hob-goblins or the night-walking spirits as we call them all the while they speak vnder a hollow vault or leape forth with an vgly vizard vpon their faces they are so terrible that he which thinks himselfe no small man may perhaps bee affrighted with them But if some lusty fellow chance to steppe into one of these and cudgell him wel-fauouredly and pull the vizard from his face then euery boy laughes him to scorne So is it in this matter Death was a terrible bulbeggar and made euery man afraide of him a great while but Christ dying buckled with this bulbeggar and coniured him as I may say out of his hollow vault when as the dead comming out of the graues were seene in Ierusalem and puld the vizard from his face when as he himselfe rising left the linnen clothes which were the vizard of death behinde him Therefore as that Asse called Cumanus Asinâ—s ietting vp and downe in a Lyons skinne did for a time terrifie his master but afterwards being descried did benefit him very much Semblably death stands now like a silly Asse hauing his Lyons skin pulled ouer his eares and is so farre from terrifying any that it benefits all true Christians because by it they rest from their labour and if they be oppressed with troubles or cares when they come to death they are discharged death as an Asse doth beare these burthens for them O blessed blessed bee our Lord which hath so disarmed death that it cannot do vs any hurt no more then a Bee 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 cannot make vs afraid no more than a scar-bug can which hath no vizard nay rather as an Asse beareth his masters burthens 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 cannot hurt the Sunne He that poureth water vpon Iron which is red hot may well quench the heate but hee cannot hurt the Iron And so Christ the Sun of righteousnesse did driue away the shadow of death and as glowing Iron was too hot and too hard a morsell for death to disgest 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 onely excepted but when it went about to destroy Christ then it was destroyed it selfe Those barbarous people called Cannibals which feed only vpon raw flesh especially of men if they happen to eate a peece of roasted meat commonly they surfeâ— of it and die Euen so the right Canniball the onely deuourer of all mankinde Death I meane tasting of Christs flesh and finding it not to be raw such as it was vsed to eate but wholsome and heauenly meate indeede presently tooke a surfet of it and within three dayes died For euen as when Iudas had receiued a sop at Christs hand anon after his bowels gushed out In like sort death being so saucie as to snatch a sop as it were of Christs flesh and a little bit of his body was by and by like Iudas choaked and strangled with it and faine to yeeld it vp againe when Christ on Easter day reuiued Death I wisse had not beene brought vp so daintily before nor vsed to such manner of meate but alwayes had rauined either with Mithridates daughters vpon the poyson of sin or else with Noahs Crow vpon the
carrion of corruption Wherefore now saith Fulgentius e Mors Christum gustaâ—it sed non deglutiuit death did indeed taste of Christ but could not swallow him vp nor digest him Contrariwise Christ as soone as euer hee had but a little tasted of death f Heb. 2.9 est-soones hee did deuoure death hee did swallovv vp death in victory And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnesse is the death of Death It is also the death of the Diuell As the Apostle saith that by his death he did ouercome not onely death but him also which had the power of death the diuell It is reported that the Libard vseth a strange kinde of policie to kill the Ape Hee lieth downe vpon the ground as though he were starke dead which the Apes seeing come al together and in despite skip vp vpon him This the Libard beareth patiently till he thinks they haue wearied themselues with their sporting then suddenly he likewise leapes vp and catcheth one in his mouth and in each foote one which immediatly hee killeth and deuoureth g Conculcant insultantes ludibrij causa don ec perdalis sentiens illas iam saltando defagitates derepente reuiuiscens aliam dentib aliam vngâ—ab corripit Eras. Prou. Pardi morten ad simulat This was Christs policie He was laid in the dust for dead The diuell then insulted ouer him and trampled vpon him But hee like a liuely Libard starting vp on Easter day astonished the souldiers set to keepe him which were the diuels apes and made them lie like dead men h Math. cap. 28. verse 7. Euen as he told them before by his Prophet saying I will be to them as a very Lyon and as a Lybard in the way of Ashur i Osec 13.17 For as blind Sampson by his death killed the Philistims when they were playing the apes in mocking and mowing at him k Iude 16.25 so Christ by his death destroyed the Diuell Scalagor writeth that the Camelion when he espies a serpent taking shade vnder a tree climbes vp into that tree and le ts downe a threed breathed out of his mouth as small as a spiders threed at the end whereof there is a little drop as cleere as any pearle which falling vpon the serpents head kils him l Exore filum demittit araneorum more in cuius fili extremo guttula est margaritae splendâ—re ea tactus in vertice serpens moritâ—â— ex 196. Christ is this Camelion he climbes vp into the tree of his crosse le ts downe a threed of bloud issuing out of his side like Rahabs red threed hanging out of her window m Signa fidei atque vexilla dominica passionis attollens coccâ—â— in â—enestra legaun Ambr. de fide lib. 5. c. 5. Paulinus Natili 8. Puâ—iâ—to proprium signauit vellere tectum the least drop whereof being so precious and so peerlesse falling vpon the serpents head kils him The wild Bull of all things cannot abide any red colour Therefore the hunter for the nonce standing before a tree puts on a red garment whom when the Bull sees hee runnes at him as hard as he can driue But the Hunter slipping aside the Buls hornes sticke fast in the tree As when Dauid slipped aside Sauls speare stucke fast in the wall n 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 o Esa. 63.1 Therefore the Diuell and his Angels like wilde Buls of Bazan p Psal. 22.12 run at him But hee shifting for himselfe their hornes sticke fast in his crosse As Abrahams Ram by his hornes stuck fast in the briers q Gen. 22.13 Thus is the Diuell caught and killed A dragon indeed kils an Elephant yet so as the Elephant falling down kils the dragon with him An Elephant kils Eleazar yet so as Eleazar falling down kils the Elephant with him r 1. Mach. 6.46 And accordingly to this the Diuell 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 he 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 Diuel dead hee is now risen himselfe from the dead Wherefore as a Lybard killeth the Ape and a Chamelion the serpent and a Hunter the Bull and an Elephant the dragon and Eleazar the Elephant himselfe so Christ the true Eleazar which signifies the helper of God hath by his death killed that mischieuous Ape the diuel that old Serpent the diuel that wild bull the diuell that great dragon the diuell that raging Elephant the Diuell When Mahomet the second of that name besieged Belgrade in Sernia one of his Captaines at length got vp vpon the wall of the Citie with banner displaied A noble Bohemian espying this ranne to the Captaine clapsing him fast about the middle asked one Capistranus standing beneath whether it would be any danger of damnation to his soule if he should cast himselfe downe headlong with that dogge so he termed the Turke to bee slaine with him Capistranus answering that is was no danger at all to his soule the Bohemian forthwith tumbled himselfe down with the Turke in his armes and so by his owne death only saued the life of all the Citie s Zieglerus l. de illustribus viris Germaniae cap. 98. Such an exploit was this of Christ. The Diuell like the great Turk besieged not onely one Citie but euen all mankind Christ alone like this noble Bohemian encountred with him And seeing the case was so that this dog the Diuel could not be killed stark dead except Christ died also therfore he made no reckoning of his life but gaue himselfe to death for vs that he onely dying for all the people by his death our deadly enemy might for euer bee destroyed For so Origen testifieth that there were 2. crucified vpoÌ„ the crosse of Christ Christ himselfe visibly with his will and for a time The Diuell invisibly against his will and for euer t Homil. 8. in Iosua Therefore the crosse is that victorious Chariot in the vpper part whereof Christ sitteth as a triumphaÌ„t conquerour and in the lower part of it the diuell is drawne as a captiue and is made an open spectacle of ignomie and reproch Dâ—uers ancient Fathers note the virgin Marie was married that the diuell might be deceiued For he knew well enough Christ should be borne of a virgin but hee neuer suspected blessed Mary was a virgin considering she was wedded to Ioseph Therefore he did not lie in wait to destroy the seed of the woman so circumspectly as otherwise hee would if he had beene aware or wist any
such things So that the birth of Christ did cosen the diuell but the death of Christ did conquer the Diuell And that much more gloriously when the temple of his body was vpon the pinacle of the crosse then vvhen the body of his crosse vvas vpon the pinacle of the Temple For when he was vpon the temple his breath spake better things then Sathan but when he was vpon the crosse his bloud spake better things then Abel and there his breath came from his lungs 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 throw downe himselfe but here hee skirmished yeelding and humbling himselfe to the death of the Crosse and there the Diuell ascended vp to him vnto the toppe of an high mountain 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 spoyled principalities and powers and slew the great Leuiathan in the very bottome of his owne bottomles pit For the Diuell like a greedy rauenous fish snatching at the bait of Christs body as Damascene speaketh was peirced through and twitcht vp with the hooke of his Deitie u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore both before Christs passion Peter tooke money out of a fishes mouth to pay his tribute and also after Christs passion the Disciples broiled a fish for him to feede vpon Whereby we see that Christ who made a fish pay tribute to Caesar for him made the Diuell also pay tribute to Death for him and on the other side that the Diuel while hee went about to catch this good fish which is Iesus Christ Gods sonne the Sauiour as Methodius and Sibylla proue the letters of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seuerally signifie was himselfe caught yea also killed by Christ. So that all the while Christ was buried in the graue the diuell was broyled in hell Wherefore aâ— it was bootlesse for Goliah to brandish 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 hauing heard Goliah prate and talke his pleasure when they came to the point at the first stroke ouerthrew him so Christ with that very selfe-same speare which gaue him a little venny in comparison or if it be lawfull for me so to speake but a phillip on the side which was soone after recured gaue the diuel a deadly wound in the forehead which with all his pawes hee shall neuer be able to claw off And againe 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 y Sene crux ipsa funda est qua Dauid Goliath borrenoum armis formidabile visu prostrauit humi Cyr. Ioh. l. 8.17 did conquer and subdue the diuel And so the death of Christ by reason of his righteousnes is the death of the Diuel It is on the other side the life of himselfe That which was prophesied in the Psalm is here fulfilled in Christ. z Psa. 92.12 The iust shal flourish as the Palm-tree In the Hebrew it is Tamar which signifies onely a palm-tree But in the Greeke it is Phoinix which signifies not only a palme-tree but also a Phoenix Which translation proueth two things First that Iesus the iust one did most flourish when he was most afflicted For the iust shall flourish as the palm-tree a Chattamar Now the palm-tree though it haue many weights at the top and many snakes at the roote yet still it sayes I am neither oppressed with the weights nor distressed with the snakes b Nec premor nec perimor And so Christ the true palm-tree though all the iudgements of God and all the sinnes of the world like vnsupportable weights were laid vpon him yea though the cursed Iewes stood beneath like venemous snakes hissing and biting at him yet hee was neither so oppressed with them nor so distressed with these but that euen vpon his crosse he did most flourish when he was most afflicted As peny-royal being hung vp in the larder-house yet buds his yellow flower and Noahs oliue tree being drowned vnder the water yet keepes his greene branch and Aarons rod being clung and dry 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 he seemed most to be dead For the iust shall flourish as the Phoenix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the Phoenix though sitting in his nest among the hot spices of Arabia he be burnt to ashes yet still he sayes I die not but old age dieth in mee c Moritur me non moriente senâ—ctus And so Christ the true Phoenix though lying in his graue among the hot spices wherewith Nichodemus emblame him hee was neuer like to rise from death to life againe yet he died not but mortality died in him and immortalitie so liued in him that euen in his sepulcher hee did most liue when hee seemed most to be 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 when his death is neerest d Cantator cygnus funeris ipse sui Martialis lib. 13. Epigr. Epaminondas being sore wounded in fight demanded of his souldiers standing by whether his enemies were ouerthrowne or no They answered yea Then whether his bucklet were whole or no They answrered also I. Nay then sayes hee all is well This is not the end of my life but the beginning of my glory For now your deare Epaminondas dying thus gloriously shall rather bee borne againe then buried e Nunc enim vester Epaminondas nascitur quia sic moritur Christ likewise was sore wounded but his enemies Death and the Diuell were ouerthrowne and spoyled His buckler which was his God-head was whole and vntouched therefore there was no harm done His death was no death but an exaltation vnto greater glory f Ego si exaltatus fuero Iohn 12.32 That noble Eunuch riding in his coach read in Esay that Christ was silent before his death as a lambe before his shearer He saith 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 Christs fleece when he was shorne For Christ taking to himselfe aspunge full of vineger g Ioh. 19.29 that is full of our sharpe and sowre sinnes did giue vs for it purple wooll full of bloud h Heb. 9.19 that is ful of his pure and perfect iustice And indeed the onely liuery which Christ
our Lord and Master giueth vs all that are his faithfull seruants is a coat made of this purple wooll The Psalmist saith 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 show 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 Gideons fleece when it was moist the earth was dry but when it was dry the earth was moist so when Christs fleece was moist as a greene tree then were all wee drye like rotten stickes but when his fleece was dry all the blood and water being wrung out of his pretious side then were we moistened with his grace Wherefore seeing death had not Christs fleece when 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 liuely for shearing so this shearing of death was a kind of quickning to the lambe of God and onely a trimming to him before he ascended to his Father as Ioseph was trimmed and powled before he appeared to Pharaoh For looke how Adam slept so Christ died i 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 Christs water and bloud the Church is built So that the death of Christ is nothing else but the sleepe of Adam For 〈◊〉 he said of the Damsels death The Damsell is not dead but sleepeth so hee saith of his owne death I laid me downe and slept and rose vp againe for the Lord sustained me And in another place when God the Father saith to his Son 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 beasts in it did betoken Christ Christ came downe from heauen to the earth and his story was knit vp by the foure Euangelists and hee hath made Iewes and Gentiles yea all Nations though they were as bad as beasts before yet he hath made them all I say one in himselfe Now saith Cassianus it is worth the noting that the Holy Ghost saith not this vessell was a sheet but was like a sheet k Pulchre â—it Non sintâ—um sed Quasiâ—inteum A sheet may signifie either sleepe 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 sheet neither was Christs body dead though it were lapt in a sheete For wee our selues cannot so properly bee said to liue in our first birth as in our second birth and Christs life when he lay in that new wombe in which neuer any other was conceiued is nothing to his life when hee lay in that new tombe in which neuer any other was buried Wherefore as Iacob trauelling towards Haram when he had laid 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 trauelling towards heauen when hee had slept a little in that stony sepulchre which was hewn out of a rocke liued then most princely after his painfull passion Tell me when did Ionas liue In the hatches of the ship or in the belly 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 belly of the Whale when the mariners were in extreme ieopardy and danger vpon the water and yet Ionas most safe and secure vnder the water this indeede was somewhat who euer saw such a wonder The waters were one while hoisted vp to the highest cloudes another while hurâ—ed downe to the nethermost depth Ionas himselfe being all this vvhile in the very gulfe of destruction and yet not one haire the worse Christs case was the same As Ionas vvas in the belly of the Whale three daies three nights so so long vvas 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 Tel me when did Daniel liue in the Kings court or in the Lions denne In the Kings court why there is no great reason for that Any man might haue liued there But to liue in the Lions den vvhen the mouth of the den vvas shut and the mouths of the Lions open this indeed was the life of an Angell no man What King could euer make Lions attend and wait vpon him Yet here you might haue seene vvorthy Daniel sitting in the midst of many hungry Lions when as the Lions lay downe at his feet couching and crouching before him and adored their owne prey cast vnto them vvhich otherwise they vvould haue vvorried and being beasts became men in humanity toward this Saint seeing men became beasts in cruelty against him The saâ—â—e reason was in Christ. His sepulchre was sealed as well as Daniels den And hee saith also of himselfe in the Psalmes My soule is among Lions These Lions were the terrors of death and the horrors of hell Yet hee tooke no more hurt then 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 righteousnesse is the life of himselfe It is lastly the life of man When Christs speare had opened that way of life which the Cherubins sword had stopt vp Then said our sauiour to the Theefe This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Adam and Eue both in one day were expelled out of Paradise Christ the theefe both in one day were receiued into Paradise yea both in one houre of the day For about Noone when the winde blew Adam and Eue were expelled and so about the sixth houre that is about twelue of clock in the day time Christ and the Theefe were receiued Christ saying to the Theefe while he did draw him vp to Paradise l Ose. cap. 11. I doe draw thee with the cords of a man euen with bands of loue But the Septuagint translate the Hebrew words m Bechauele Adam which signifie with the cords of a man into those Greeke words n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifie with the destruction of a man As if CHRIST should say thus to the Theefe I doe so deerely loue thee that I am content my selfe to be destroyed that thou mayest bee saued
my selfe to die that thou mayest liue I doe draw thee with the destruction of a man euen with bands of loue So that the Theefe who saw his owne wounds and death in Christs body did see also Christs sauing health and life in his owne body As Alcuinus saith writing vpon the sixth of Iohn o Assumpsit vitae mortem vt mors acciperet vitam When â—he liuing Lord died then the dying â—heefe liued Notably saith the Prophet p Lam. 4.21 The breath of our nostrils Christ the Lord is taken in our sinnes to whom we said wee shall liue in thy shadow If Christ be the breath of our nostrils then he is our life And againe if wee liue in his shadow then wee liue in his death For where there is breath in a shadow there there is life in death Now as the ouer-shadowing of the holy Ghost was the life of Christ so the ouer-shadowing of Christ is the life of man And as Peters shadow gaue health to the sicke so Christs shadow giues life to the dead yea a thousand times rather Christs than Peters For as Elias his spirit was doubleâ— vpon Elizeus because Elias being aliue restored some to life but Elizeus as Ierome saith being dead raised vp one from the dead q Mortuus mortuum suscitauit so Peters spirit was doubled vpon Christ because Peter being aliue was a physitian to the liuing but Christ as Chrysostome saith being dead was a Physitian to the dead r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or rather indeede in this comparison there is no comparison But as Peters spirit was a shadow to Christs spirit so Peters shadow was nothing to Christs death Ezekias seeing the shadow of the Sunne goe tenne degrees backe in the Diall was assured by this signe that he should recouer of his sicknesse s Esa. 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 Sunne hath gone ten degrees back in the diall The Sunne of righteousnes Iesus Christ hath for our sake made himselfe lower by maâ—y degrees in the earth My father is greater then â— There hee is gone backe tenne degrees below his Father Thou hast made him lower then the Angels There hee is gone backe ten degrees below the Angels I am a worme and no man There he is gone backe ten degrees below men A liue dogge is better then a dead Lyon t Eccle. 9.4 There he is gone back ten degrees below wormes For hee 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 be our Lord Christ being in the forme of God was buried in the graue and 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 be made higher then wormes yea higher then men yea higher then Angels yea partakers of the same life and kingdome with Christ. Pliny reporteth v L. 36. c. 10. that there was a Diall set in Campus Martius to note the shadowes of the sun which agreeing very well at the first afterwards for thirty yeares together did not agree with the sun All the time of those thirty yea three and thirty yeares that Christ liued in his humiliation here vpon earth you might haue seene such a Diall In which time the shadow 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 fifteene degrees in his life He liued fifteene yeares longer And so the going of this Sunne Iesus Christ ten degrees backeward hath healed all our sicknesse and set vs a thousand degrees forward and infinitely aduanced vs by his death to euerlasting life For Christ is that louing Rachel which dies her selfe in Childe-birth to bring 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 Arke as in a sepulcher saueth all that come to him aliue Christ is that tender Pellican which wounding his owne breast doth with his bloud restore againe 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 among 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 fowler the snare is broken we are deliuered Arnobius vpon these words in the Psalme x Psal. 138. Despise not the worke of thine owne hands writeth thus Wee are the worke of thine owne hands seeing wee are thy workemanshippe y Eph. 2.10 Ipsius summus sactura conditi in Christo. Quantum ad substantiam fecit quantum ad gratiam condidit Tertul. aduer Mar l. 5. non longè à fine Now because the worke of thy hands was destroyed by the work of our hands therefore were thy hands nailed to the crosse for our sinnes That those hands of thine might repaire againe the worke of thy hands by the tree of the crosse which was destroyed by the tree of concupiscence Thus farre Arnobius Whereby we 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 throwne downe the walles of Thebes Phryne a harlot promised that she would at her owne charges repaire them againe so that the Citizens would suffer this title to bee grauen vpon the gate Alexander hath throwne them downe but Phryne hath raised them vp z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plutar. The case is quite contrary here Eue hath ouerthrowne not onely 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 throwne 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 maruell much what I meane to say so And some perhaps will scarce beleeue it is true which I say Neuerthelesse most Christian
n 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 greene and fresh And so the Diuell will be sure to haue his feede of the very finest and best o Esca eius electa Abacuc 1.16 For the Angell of the Lord reioyceth most when one that is a sinner conuerteth He eateth grasse as a sheepe But the Angell of Sathan reioiceth most when one that is a conuert sinneth Hee eateth grasse as an Oxe If the Diuell cannot keepe a man from liuing long then hee will hinder him from liuing well p Aut Imperat mortes aut impetit mores Leo. If hee cannot kill him then hee will corrupt him And indeede hee takes greater pleasure in corrupting one godly man that in killing a hundred wicked He was more delighted when Dauid slew but Vrias then when Saul slew himselfe when Peter did but denie Christ then when Iudas betraied him So that the life of man by reason of his sinne is the delight yea it is the very life of the Diuell It is on the other side the death of himselfe O miserable wretch that I am saith 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 saith he as before for they are al one But Ierome saith farre more excellently They are not all one That is not true For it is one thing to liue in continuall danger of death another thing to die in continuall assurance of life q Aliud viuere moriturum aliud mori victurum Therefore Ecclesiastes saith 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 immortall And we 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 merry at their birth-day as Pharaoh made a feast at his birth-day when his chiefe Baker was hanged r Gen. 40.20 and Herod likewise made a feast at his birth-day when Iohn Baptist was beheaded but they are sorry at their dying day as Iudas was sorry when hee went about to hang himselfe and Caine was afraid euery one would kill him that met him Contrariwise the godly are sorry at their birth-day as Iob Let the day perish wherein I was borne and Ieremie Let not the day wherein my mother bare mee be blessed s Ier. 20.14 But they are merry at their dying day as Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace and Paul I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ. Therefore we also keepe holy dayes and celebrate the memory of the Saints not vpon their birth-daies but vpon their death-dayes to shew that these two are not all one but that the day of our death is better then the day of our birth For whereas there are 2. waies the one hauing in it first a transitory life and then an eternall death the other hauing in it first a transitory death and then an eternall life the wicked chuse to liue here for a time though they die for it hereafter eternally but the godly chuse to haue their life hid with Christ here that they may liue with Christ eternally hereafter Therefore the wicked neuer thinke of death but the godly thinke of nothing else As Alexander the Monarch of the world had all other things saue only a sepulchre to bury him in wheÌ„ 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 in he thought of nothing els We read that Daniel strowed ashes in the teÌ„ple to descry the footsteps of Bels Priests which did eat vp the meat So did Abraham strow ashes in his memory saying I will speake vnto my Lord though I be but dust and ashes So doe all the faithfull remembring they shall one day be turned to dust and ashes That so seeing and marking the foot-steps of death how it continually commeth and steales away their strength as Bels priests did the meat how it daily eateth vp and wasteth and consumeth their life they may be alwayes prepared for it Our first parents made them garments of figge-leaues But God misliking that gaue them garments of skins Therefore Christ in the Gospell cursed the fig-tree which did beare onely figge leaues to couer our sinne but commended the Baptist which did weare skins to discouer our mortalitie For not onely as Austin saith Our whole life is a disease t Vita morbus but also as Bernard saith our whole life is a death u Vita mors The life of man by reason of his sin 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 sinne or a sacrifice for sinne x Asham Esay 53.10 prefigured by all those sin-offerings of the old law Because indeed when Christ was crucified at the first he was broken for our sins According to that of Tertâ—llian y Propter pecâ—atum mori â—ecesse habuit Filius Dei. Vâ—de etiam Aug. Medita ca. 7. vbi doceâ— hâ—minem esse causam passionis Sinne it was which brought the sonne of God to his death The Iewes were onely instruments and accessaries to it sinne was the setter and the principall They cried Crucifie him in the court of Pilate but our sinnes cried Crucifie him in the court of heauen Now as the death of Christ was not efficient to saue the wicked so the sinne of the wicked was not sufficient to condemne Christ. But the Scripture saith of them which either are or at leastwise seeme to be godly They say they know God but by their workes they deny him and Saul Saul why dost thou persecute me And They crucifie again vnto themselues the sonne of God Zachary prophesieth of Christ * Zacha. 13.6 That when one shall say vnto him What are these wounds in thy hands Then he shall answere Thus was I wounded in the house of my friends that is in the house of them which ought to haue bin my friends So that our sins did wound Christs handâ— at the first And now also not the wicked which are no part of his body but wee which are misticall members of his body and therefore should by good reason be his friends we I say doe yet oftentimes by our sinnes deny Christ with Peter nay we persecute Christ with Paul nay we crucifie Christ with the Iewes Yea
absentes non deplorandi vt moâ—tui 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 grant commands vs. Well be it so What then But yet faith forbids vs to weepe for the dead s Pietas plorare iubet fides pro defunctis lugere vetat Isidorus And therefore Paulinus saith t Salua fide pietatis officia pendamus salua pietate fâ—dei gaudia praeferamus Though wee may notwithstanding our faith performe to the dead the duties of loue yet wee must first notwithstanding our loue afford to ourselues the comforts of faith So if wee shed some few teares which run softly like the waters of Silo no force saies Ambrose u Erunt non doloris illices sod indices pietatis They will not bewary in vs any want of faith but onely testifie an aboundance of loue Thus and no otherwise did Abraham weepe for Sara his wife Eleazar for Aaron his father Rebecca for Debora her nurse Ioseph for Iacob his father Bethsheba for Vrias her husband Christ for Lazarus his friend And here in wonderfull wisedome he teacheth vs how sparing we ought to be in weeping for the death of our godly friends 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 think of and so much lament for should now suddenly arise out of the graue and steppe into the Pulpit and preach and say vnto you Weepe not for mee but weepe for your selues You indeed as yet remaine in this vale of misery where you sinne daily and hourely against God where continually you feele afflictions and punishments due to your sins where lastly you are depriued of the glory of God of the society of the Saints of the ioyes of heauen Therefore if you will weepe for your selues but weepe not for me I am in that state of perfection where I neuer sinne but alwayes praise and laud the Lord I am out of the compasse of all calamities not to be touched with any trouble I euermore 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 vvhich so sweetly sleepe in Christ. Certainely either this that hath been spoken will perswade vs oâ— else as our Sauiour saith though one should rise from the dead vvee would not beleeue For if these ancient and holy Fathers Fulgentius Ignatius Cyprian Chrysostome Ierome Isidore Paulinus Ambrosius should now all arise they would I assure you say no other thing but euen as you haue heard them speake alreadie in those sentences and allegations which I haue quoted and cited out of them The summe of al which is this That it is great folly and childishnesse to weepe immoderately for the dead and that it is on the other side a hie point of wisdome to be moderate in this matter considering our Lord going here to his death teacheth his friends not to weepe for him in that he saith weepe not weepe not for mee Thus much for his Wisedome Now for Benignitie he sayes Not you For though the person bee not expressed in the English yet in the Greeke verbe it is implied Weepe not as if it were Weepe not you Which Benignitie 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 Moses death All Egypt for Iosephs death all Israel for Iosâ—as his death all the Church for Stephens death But a million of Mosesses 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 the foot of their dolefull ditty wee weepe for Hector x Hectora flemus Seneca in Troade actu primo How much more then ought these women of Ierusalem to weepe for the death of their captaine Christ Al the widowes lamented 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 lament the death of Christ who made euery one of them a wedding garment wherein he did marry them to himselfe Yee daughters of Israel saith Dauid weepe for Saul vvho cloathed you vvith Scarlet How much more then ought these daughters of Ierusalem to vveepe for Christ vvho clothed euery one of them with Scarlet and with the royall robe of his righteousnesse 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 y Psa. 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 z Amos. 8.9 Then shall the Sun go downe at noone day The Sunne therefore wept for Christ. As Hamons face was couered when hee was condemned to die so the suns face was couered when Christ was condemned to die The temple also wept for Christ. As Dauid rent his garment when hee 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 wheÌ„ he and his subiects were appointed to die so the graues opened and threw vp dust vpon their heads when Christ vvas appointed to die The stones lastly vvept for Christ. As Iob cut his haire vvhen he heard of his childrens death so the stones were cut in peeces and clouen asunder when they heard of Christs death As Asse carrying Christ into Ierusalem the children sung most merrily Christ carrying his crosse out of Ierusalem the women wept most mournfully If those children had held their peace and not sung as our Sauiour their protesteth the very stones would haue sâ—ng 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 weeping because Christ bad them straight wayes the stones fell a weeping before Christ bad them And what heart of man then could here haue refrained from weeping though it had been harder then any stone seeing the hard stones before his eyes thus dissolued and distilled into teares Yet behold the benignity 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 died Yet
in his bed which was so deepely in debt what would he haue said If Christ who was born in his time had bin bred in his hart o Gal. 4.19 I meane if hee had seene by the light of Godâ— word that no debts are comparable to sins And therefore if that poâ—â— Knight could hardly sleepe in his bâ—dde then that seruaÌ„t which oâ—eth his mâ—steâ— ten thousand 〈◊〉 p Math. 18.24 as alas which of vs all beloued if we remember our 〈◊〉 well is not guiltie of so many sinnes caâ— hardly take any rest This if the Emperour had knowne hee would rather 〈◊〉 bought Dauids couch that he might 〈◊〉 haue slept for bewailing his sinnes then this banckrupts bed that hee might haue slept notwithstanding all his caâ—es For these these euen our sinnes these are the debts which so trouble and toâ—mâ—â— the soule that a man 〈◊〉 better haue 〈◊〉 common wealthes in his head yeâ— the caâ—es of all the woâ—ld in his head thâ—◠〈◊〉 disquieted distracted with the 〈…〉 Christians if we be in good health Let vs be thankfull to God 〈◊〉 it let vs account it a special blessing with out which all worldly blessings are 〈◊〉 thing let vs vse it as all other good 〈◊〉 of God to his glory the good of 〈◊〉 other If contrariwise it please the Lord 〈◊〉 any time to visite vs with sicknesse 〈…〉 not in this case despaire neither But 〈◊〉 whatsoeuer other causes we may coceine let vs ingeÌ„iouslie acknowledge one cause of our sicknes to be our sinnes For if we would preuent the iudgemeÌ„ts of god by timelie repentaÌ„ce iudge our selues we should not be iudged of the Lord. But because men wil not wheÌ„ they are in health thinke of him that giueth health therefore oftentimes they are sick now and then also fal asleepe q 1. Cor. 11.30 For euen as maâ—â—facters which wil not by gentle means confesse their heinous crimes are by racking or such like tortures enforced to coÌ„fesse so when grieuous sinners can see no time to repent God in his iustice or rather indeede in his great mercie doth as it were racke them vpoÌ„ their couch with sicknesse bodily pains that they may be constrained to confesse their sinnes so may be freede of two sickenesses their bodies sickenes and their soules sicknes both at once O happie happie men are they which when they are yong remember their Creator before they be old r Eccles. 12.1 when they are in health confesse their sins forsake theÌ„ before they be sick s Prou. 28.13 And yet good louing brother if thou happen to be sick be not in any case as I said before be not altogither discouraged by it But in the next place remeÌ„ber that thy sickenes is nothing els but Gods fatherly visitation to do thee good especially to mooue thee to repentance Listen a little Harken I say Doest thou not heare him rapping aloud and knocking hard at the dore of thy hard hart saying to thee whosoeuer thou art Maiden arise Young man arise Lazarus arise and come forth Awake therfore awake thou that sleepest t Eph. 5.14 and stand vp from death Christ shall giue thee life Say with the spirituall spouse In my bed by night sought him whome my soule loueth u Cant 3.1 Saie with this our Prophet Did I not remember thee vpon my bed meditate of thee in the night season x Psal. 63.7 Looke not still to haue pillowes sowed vnder 〈◊〉 elbowes neither bolster vp thy selfe anâ—â— longer in thy sinnes y Ezec. 13.18 Lie not vpon thy beds of â—â—orie neither stretch thy selfe vpoÌ„ thy couch z Amos. 6.4 but euery night 〈◊〉 thy bed water thy couch with thy tearesâ— Behold saies thy heauenly husband a Reuel 3.20 I stand at the dore and knocke if anie 〈◊〉 heare my voice and open the dore 〈◊〉 come in vnto him wil sâ—p with 〈◊〉 be with me And again b Cant. 2.5 OpeÌ„ 〈◊〉 my sister my loue my doue mine vndefiled for my head is full of dewe and my locks with the drops of the night Wherfore seeing Christ knockes so loud at the dore of my heart for repentance knocke thou as loud at the dore of his mercy for pardon seeing he would so fain haue thee turn vnto him heare his voice be thou as willing to cal vpoÌ„ his name that he may heare thy voice seeing he is so forward to sup with thee by receiuing thy prayers be thou as desirous to sup with him by obtaining the benefit of his passioÌ„ euen the remission of thy sinnes And as he saies to thy soule Open vnto mee my sister my loue my doue mine vndefiled so be thou bold by faith to turn the same words vpoÌ„ him again say Open vnto me my brother my loue my doue mine vndefiled for my head iâ—ful of deâ— my locks with the drops of the night And why is my head fâ—ll of dewe and my locks with the dropâ— of the night Because euery night I wash my bed water my couch c. Then deare christian brother then thy sicknes shall not be vnto death but for the glory of god c Iob. 11.4 For God will turn all thy bed in thy sicknes d Psal. 41.3 And so wheras before it was a bedde of sicknes hee will turne it into a bed of health whereas a bed of paine and griefe into a bed of rest coÌ„fort wheras a bed of teares repeÌ„ntance into a bed of ioifull deliueraÌ„ce RemeÌ„ber thy selfe wel At least wise as well as thou canst well enough what happened to Iob who was sick sore all his body ouer had not â— couch neither to lie on but was â—ain to lie on a dunghil Did not al this turne to his great good when as the Lord did blesse his latter end much more then his beginning e Iob. 42.10 What happened to Ezâ—chiâ—â— who had seÌ„tence of death gon out against himâ— Did not he lying sick in his bed turn him toward the wal weep got the seÌ„teÌ„ce of death reuersed 15 yeares more added to his life f Esa. 38.6 What hapned to the maÌ„ sick of a palsey who was let down through the â—yling bed and al in the midst 〈◊〉 Iesus Did not Christ with one 〈…〉 instant heale him so that he tooke vp his bed departed to his own house praising god g Luk. 5.25 what hapned to the man which had bin sicke 38. yeares and was not able to steppe downe into the poole Did not Christ saying but Rise take vp thy bed walk cure him so that presently he was made whole tooke vp his bed walked h Ioh. 58 9 What hapned to Eâ—câ—s who was sick of the palsey as one of these two that that I spake of last had kept his bed S. yeares as the other of them Did
deuotion of al oâ—ther christian vertues which were but beâ—gun vnperfect in this life putting away of all corruption mortality putting on the royall robe of immortality and blisse For that which hapned to Christ shall happen to thee also because by faith thou art not only in soule but eueÌ„ in body vnseparably vnited and ioyned vnto him being by vertue of this misticall vnion made bone of his bone flesh of his flesh Therefore as he from that agonie wherin he praied with strong crying and teares from that crosse wherein hee commended his spirit into his fathers handes from that graue wherin death for a time seemed to insult to trample vpon him rose vp againe ascended farre aboue all heauens and now sitteth at the right haÌ„d of glory so thy soule shall certainely be in the hand of God thy very body also after it hath a while rested from watering thy couch with thy teares from all other labors of this life shal be raised vp againe caught vp in the clouds shal togither with thy soule for euer raign with Christ in the life to come Which God grant to vs al for the same our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christs sake to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory power and praise dignitie and dominion now and euermore Amen FINIS NINE SERMONS PREACHED By that eloquent Diuine of famous memorie TH. PLAYFERE Doctor in DIVINITIE PROV 10.7 The memoriall of the iust shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rotte Printed by CANTRELL LEGGE Printer to the Vniuersitie of CAMBRIDGE 1621. To Sir REYNALD ARGAL Knight RIGHT Worshipfull and my especiall good friend How desirous I haue been to answer some part of your worthie curtesies at least by laying them open to the world this small remembrance may testifie for me and how vnable I am to equall deseruings the same remembrance testifieth against mee whether I will or no beeing borrowed from the monuments of a dead man the onely glorie of his times while he liued But it was fit that a farre greater gift then mine owne should aspire to bee the instrument of your honour and the testimonie of the dead I tooke to be meeter euen in this regard because that is as vnsuspected aâ— your kindnesse toward my 〈◊〉 beene 〈…〉 no further disturbing the harmonie of your best thoughts as you are wont to account it diminishing the reward which is laid vp for you in heauen by vntimely blazing merits vpon earth I commit this depositum to your sauour and Patronage my selfe also and my endeavours resting alwaies at Your Worships disposition D. C. To the Reader WHAT a losse the Church of God had by the death of D. Playfere I had rather the opinion of the world should determine then my slender pen attempt to expresse If euer those combinations of Vertue and Learning of Knowledge and Vtterance of Wit and Memorie of Reading and Vse of Holesome and delightfull of Schoole and Pulpit of Olde and New or in one word to say of Nature and Industry of humane felicitie and heauenly grace concurred to make a Scribe perfect and absolute to the kingdome of God we may not be so much our owne back-friends though wee detract not from the fortune of places further off nay we may not so impeach the honour of the giuer nor disparage the worth of our friend departed as to doubt but this was principally manifested in M. Playfere Who because he was but lent the world for a time nay because he was redemanded sooner then his time if it were lawfull to controll the heauenly wisedome with that word Sooner Phil. 1. â—4 but I mean in regard of the Churches vse and that same propter voâ— which made the Apostle to demurre I say since he was to be returned backe againe to his Maker and ouer-ripe perfection not to contiâ—â—â— ouerlong it had bin to be wished he had left behinde him some more monuments of his trauailes as wel comfortable to the suruiuers as honourable to himselfe Which whether he in his discretion and because he had so resolued was nice to doe after the example of them that would write nothing though very able or was then a doing most whâ—â— God cal'd him I cannot say This which the good Reader will be loath perhaps to heare I may not conceale that these are the lost of all his labours which are like to be divulged Into so small a compasse is that spirit 〈◊〉 ranged Cornel. apud Propet l. 4. â—leg 12. as to be as she sayes En sum quod digit is quinque leuatur 〈◊〉 or indeede not so much as a iust handfull which lately was not confinable within bounds too great for me to speake of But the summe is this For I lift not to defend his method of preaching against the Methods masters of our age who me thinks should knowe either that of the Apostle Diuersitas donorum est sed vnus spiritus or that of the Prophet Laudate eum in â—uba laudate in cithara or if nothing will please them but what they do themselues we must be faine to say as Crassus did to Scevola Omnium igitur conciones tu conficies vnus omnes ad te sub tempus veniemus c. I say the summe is this that is the Sunne-light is pleasantest toward the set and the skilfull eare finds most store of musicke in the close so this Sun this Swan this sweet singer of Israel for what lesser tearmes can our loue affoard him if any bring were we will not refuse them his last monuments and his last labours that the world may euer hope for shall finde we trust the dearer intertainement A SERMON PREACHED at Winsor before the Kings Maiestie the 11. day of Septem 1604. MATTH 4.4 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God CHRIST our SAVIOVR came into the world to dissolue the workes of the Deuill Now how throughly hee would afterward destroy the deuill and all his workes he gaue a cast as it were in this his first encounter Wherein we may note what great difference there is betweene the first Adam and the second The first Adam was in Paradise a place of all abundance and pleasure the second Adam in the desart a place of all scarcitie and want The first was full and so the lesse needed to eate the forbidden fruit the second fasting and so the easilier drawne to make himselfe meate Yet the first though he were in Paradise and full when his wife intised him to eate the apple tooke it and ate it but the second though he were in the desart and fasting a long time when the deuill enticed him to turne stones into bread would not yeeld to him but said Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Howbeit as Christ herein was contrary to Adam so he
for our owne deserts of merits but for the merit of that crosse which Christ endured of that shame which Christ despised To whom for his crosse be all praise for his shame be all glory together with the Father and the holy Ghost now and euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED before the KINGS Maiesty lying at the Lord SAYES house called Broughton besides Banbâ—ris the 2 day of Septem 1604. ROM 8.31 If God be with vs who can be against vs THese words contain a most magnificent and triumphant conclusion arising out of the former discourse For the Apostle hauing before prooued that man is iustified only by the free grace and mercy of Christ without any merit and desert of good workers at length concludeth in the beginning of this chapter Therfore there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus and so likewise here If God be with vs who can be against vs Maximilian the Emperour â—o admired this sentence Nathan Citraeus in Iteneratio that he caused it to be set in letters of checker worke vpon a table at which he vsed to dine and 〈◊〉 that hauing it so often in his eye hee might alwaies haue it in minde also â— Deus pro nobis quis contranos If God be with vs who can be against vs The truth of it is so apparant that it hath bin made a common watchword not of Christians onely but euen of heathenish souldiers Out word is Immanuel that is Esa. 8.3 by interpretation God with vs. And some of the auncient Romanes vsed likewise in their wartes this watchword Vegetius l. 3. c. 3 Nobisâ—um Deus God with vs. For indeede if we be of the colledge and societie of Immanuel and if God be on our side we shall be sure to preuaile If God be with vs who can be against vs Damascene saith well according to the Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damaâ—câ—n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cyril Mierosol Our God is aboue all Gods And so likewise Cyrill The power of our God is aboue all power Therefore if that power be on our side which is aboue all power and that God which is aboue all Gods nothing can hurt vs If God be with vs who can be against vs S. Austin sheweth out of the verse immediately going before De verbis Apostoli Ser. 16 Deus pro nobis ve praedestinaret noâ— that foure especiall waies God is with vs. God is with vs in that he hath predestinated vs God is with vs in that he hath called vs God is with vs in that he hath iustified vs God is with vs in that he hath glorified vs. Innocentius the third In eo mâ—â—â—n Apostolerunt sermâ— Hostis conta nos inferior homo sheweth out of the words consequently following after that fowre speciall enemies are against vs. The inferiour enemy against vs is man the exteriour enemy against vs is the world the interiour enemy against vs is the flesh the superiour enemy against vs is the Deuil So that whereas the Apostle sai's here If God be with vs who can be against vs It is all one as if hee should haue said If God haue predestinated vs what can man doe against vs If God haue called vs what can the world do against vs If God haue iustified vs what can the flesh doe against vs If God haue glorified vs what can the deuill doe against vs If God be with vs who can be against vs The first enemy against vs is man Homo homidi lupus Aut deus aut damon And an other prouerbe saith Either a god or a deuill For to say nothing that no time is freed so place priuiledged no degree secured no torment vnpractised onely this I will touch that no age is exempted But the crueltie of man rageth not only vpon the old after they are buried but also vpon the young before they are borne Thus saith the Lord For three transgressions and for foure I will not turne vnto Moab because they digged vp the bones of the king of Edom and burnt them to lime The king of Edom was a wicked man yet God detested so this vnnaturall and barbarous cruelty of the Moabits toward the dead that for this especially he would not be reconciled to them The like ensamples haue not wanted in our land almost in our time Tracie two yeares Wickliffe two and fortie yeares after hee was buried was digged vp So euen of late they vsed Martin Bucer and Paulus Phagius in Cambridge and Peter Martyrs wife in Oxford Such cruell mâ—n if they had as great power ouer these holy Martyrs soules as they had ouer their bodies doubtles they would haue puld them out of heauen For as long as they had a finger or a fobre or a bone or a peice of a bone is the graue they neuer left mining and digging till they had rooted it out So that at the least wise we may say of them with the Psalmist The dead bodies of thy seruants Psal. 79.2 O Lord haue they giuen to bee meate to the foules of the aire and the flesh of thy Saints to the beasts of the field Now the crueltie of man against man as it endeth not when life endeth so it beginneth before life beginneth For not onely Esau that cruell and cursed reprobate strugled and wrafâ—led with his brother Iacob in their mothers wombe but also â—â—e Ammonites ript vp the women of â—â—â—lead beeing great with child Amos 1.13 Lamen â— 20 and the Babylonians caused the womâ—n of Ierusalem to eate their owne fruit and their children of a span long And not long agoe in the Isle of Garnsey when a faithful woman whose name need not here to be rehearsed while she was burning at the stake Perotine Massy was deliuered of a goodly man-child some were so hard-hearted to fling him back againe into the fire there to be â—â—rthered as they meant it but in deede martyred with his mother O blessed babe Because there is no roome for him so the inne as soone as hee is borne hee is laide in a maunger Nay because there is no roome for him in any one corner of all the world by and by he is baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire O blessed I say againe blessed babe Before thou art lapped in swadling clothes thou art crowned with martyrdome before thou fully breathest in the breath of life thou happily breathest out thine innocent soule â—â— God But â—ie vpon such beastly and cruell murthers Out vpon such deuillish and fiendish tormentors These Saints these Catholikes who are Soythians if these be Saints who are Canibals if these be Catholikse which holding it as an article of their faith that all children dying without baptisme are damned yet wittingly did put this innocent child to death before he was baptized And therefore as they made the mother suffer the most vntollerable paines of childbirth and martyrdome both together's so they verily
thought and beleeued they flung the infant also body and soule into an earthly fire and into hell fire all at once This is the crueltie of man He would if he could pull some out of heauen after they are buried and thrust some into hel before they are borne But God hath predestinated vs. And not only before we were borne Ephes. 1.4 but also before the world was created hath chosen vs in Christ. Euen as Christ shall say at the last day Come ye blessed of my Father Matth. 25.34 inherit the kingdome of heauen prepared for you before the foundations of the world For looke how carefully parents prouide for their children Primâ—sius in a Tim. â— 1. in illa Ante tempora secularia Arator Doâ—â— prius tempora dedit and put them in their will before they are borne so God giues vs the grace to liue with him before he giue vs time to liue here Euen as the Sonne saith Feare not little â—â—ock for it is your Fathers will to giue you a kingdome And the father himselfe I euen I am he that comfort you who 〈◊〉 thou then that fearest a mortall maâ— who fadeth away as grasse Therefore euery couragious Christian may comfort his heart in God and say with the Prâ—â—â—â—y Prophet The Lord is my light and my saluation whome then shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whoÌ„ then shall I be afraid when the wicked euen mine enemies and my foes come vpon me to eat vp my flesh they stumbled and fell Though an hoast of men were laid against me yet shall not my heart be afraid though there rose vp warre against me yet wil I put my 〈◊〉 in him I will not be afraid of ten thousand of the people that haue set themselues against me round about Yea though I walke thorough the valley of the shadow of death yet will I feare no euill â—or thou O Lord art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me So that I may boldly say The Lord is my helper neither will I feare what 〈◊〉 can doe vnto me The Lord of hoaste with vs the God of Iacob is our refuge And if the Lord of hosts haue predestinated vs vnto life what can man doe against vs what before we liue what while we liue what after we liue If God be with vs who can be against vs The second enemie against vs is the world Which assaileth vs as well by aduersitie Qusd est mundus nisi agon plenus cetraminum as by prosperitie What is the world saith S. Ambrose but a race or a course full of trials troubles It is a field wherein is little corne but much cockle It is a garden wherein are few roses but many thornes Yet these thornes of aduersitie doe not so much oftentimes endanger vs as the baites of prosperitie Mundus peririculosior est blandus quam molâ—stuâ— magis cauendus eunse â—lliâ—â—t diligi qaâ—m cum ad monet cogitqueâ—ontemni Epist. 144. The world is more dangerous saith S. Austin when it flattereth then when it threateneth and is more to be feared when it allureth vs to loue it then when it enforceth vs to contemn it For euen as Iudas by a kisse betrayed his master so the world is a very Iudas It meaneth most falsly when it embraceth most friendly Wherefore the Apostle saith thus of Demas Demas hath forsaken vs and imbraced this present world So that the immoderate embracing of this world is a flat forsaking of Christ and his Gospel Vnskilful swimmers when they begin to sinke if they catch hold of weeds in the bottom Qui mundum amploctuntur similes sunt illis qui submerguntur in aquis Bern. de Adnent setm. 1. the faster they hold the surer they are drowned in like sort they that shake hands with the world and embrace the pleasures and prosperitie thereof most greedily plunge themselues most deeply into destruction But God hath called vs. And therefore neither aduersitie nor prosperitie can hurt vs. Maruell not saith our Saâ—iour though the world hate you It hated me before it hated you If you were of the world the world would loue you but because you are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world therefore doth the world hate you Well as the world hateth vs so weâ— must hate it againe As it contemneth vs so we must contemne it againe According to that of S. Paul The world is crucified to me and I vnto the world I am crucified to the world that is The world contemnes me the world is crucified to mee that is I contemne the world The world contemnes me 〈◊〉 I contemne it Moral senn 10. c. 2. Qui nihil habet in mundo quod appetat nihil est quod de mundo pertimesent Cyprian Quis ei de secullo metus est cui in seculo deus tutor est For as Gregory sayes He that hath nothing that he loues in the world hath nothing to feare of the world And Cyprian What neede he to feare the world who hath God his protector his tutor his defendour in the world He that is of God ouercommeth the world And this is our victorie whereby we ouercome the world euen our faith Whereupon our Sauiour saies Be of good comfort I haue ouercome the world and behold I am with you euen vnto the ende of the world So that the world and the trouble we shall haue in the world shall haue an ende but the comfort we haue in God shall haue no end Behold I am with you saith he And if God be with vs and haue called vs out of the world what can the world doe against vs If God be with vs who can be against vs The third enemie against vs is the flesh Prou. 30.22 Salomon saith this is one thing which maketh the earth euen tremble when a seruant beginneth to beare rule The flesh is and ought to be a seruant Yet it beareth rule in the vnregenerate Yea it striueth to beare rule and beginneth to beare rule euen in the godly A mans enemies are they of his owne house It is mine owne familiar friend that lifteth vp his heele against me This familiar friend was Paul much troubled withal when be said I see an other law in my members Rom. 7. rebelling against my minde and leading mee captiue vnto death And Lot who beeing a iust man that could not be ouercome with all the sinnes of Sodom by immoderate drinking of wine fell to follie And Samson who otherwise impregnable yet yeelded to Dalila Therefore in the 〈◊〉 it lieth which striueth to lay our honour in the dust But God hath iustified vs. And hauing iustified vs in some measure also hath begunne to sanctifie vs. So that the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh in so much as we cannot doe as we would Not onely the flesh against the spirit but
side The Prophet Daniel recordeth that while Balthazar was drinking wine in the golden vessels Dan. 5.6 which he had taken out of the Temple there appeared fingers of a mans hand that wrote vpon the wâ—ll and the King saw the 〈◊〉 of the hand that wrote Then his coâ—â—tenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the 〈◊〉 of his 〈◊〉 were loosed and his knees smote one against an other In this case of Balthazar wee may consider the state of the wicked what it shal be at the last day when they shal see the fingers and the palmes of Christs hands which they haue so pitifully wounded writing down their doome they shall tremble euery ioynâ— of them and be at their wits ends and they shall say to the mountaines â—al on vs and to the rocks Couer vs and hide vs from the presence of him that fitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe Thus these victorious wounds of Christ shall confront and confound his enemies As Saul was astonished when he heard Iesus of Nazareth calling to him as Herod was affrighted when he thought Iohn Baptist was risen againe as the Carthagineans were troubled when they sawe Sciplo's sepulchre as the Saxons were terrified when they saw Cadwallo's Image as the Philistims were afraid wheÌ„ they saw 〈◊〉 sword as the Israelits were appaled when they sawe Aarons rod as the Hungarians were daunted when they saw Zisca's drum as the Romanes were dasht when they saw Caesars robe as Iuda was ashamed when he sawe Thamars signet and staffe as Balthazar was amazed when hee sawe the hand writing vpon the wall So shall Christs enemies be confounded when they shall see his hands and his side As if our Sauiour should say thus to euery one of his enemies Thou enemie of all righteousnesse Many things many times hast thou done against me and hitherto haue I held my tongue but now will I reprooue thee and in before thee the things that thou hast done Thou art the man thou art the man that didst murther me and put me to a most shamefull death Denie it if thou darst Verendum nâ— illan vocem in iudicio suo ad vasa iniquitatis prolaturus sit fer digitum tuum hue Caesar hom 23. Denie it if thou canst These are thy marks which are yet to be seene in my hands This deadly wound is thy doing which is yet to be seene in my side Therefore thine owne eyes shall giue euidence and thine owne conscience shall giue sentence against thee See now whether I say true or no. Look what thou hast done Put thy finger here and see my hands and put forth thy hand and put it into my side and as thou art not faithfull but faithlesse so looke for no mercie at my hands but for shame and euerlasting confusion So much for the third cause which is to confound his enemies The fourth cause why Christ hath his wounds yet to be seene in his body is to comfort his friends Almighty God in the old law appointed cities of refuge whether they which had sinned vnwillingly might flie and be safe Num. 35.23 if they staied in any of them till the death of the high Priest Our high Priest can yet plainly prooue by his hands side that once he died for vs. Whether then should we flie sinnefull soules whether should we flie for succour and comfort but to Christ His wounds only are the cities of refuge wherein we are safe and secure according to that of the Psalmist The high hills are a refuge for the wilde goates and so are the stony rocks for the conies O blessed be these high hills blessed be these stony rocks which protect defend vs yea though we haue willingly sinned not onely against the furie of man and the rage of the world but also against the terrible and dreadfull displeasure of Almighty God Therefore our Sauiour speakes to his Spouse in this sort Can. 2.14 My doue thou art in the holes of the rocke in the secret place of the staires shew me thy sight let me heare thy voice Insinuating that the Church dares neither be seene nor heard of God except she be in the holes of the rocke and in the secret places of the staires The rocke is Christ. The staires also and the ladder whereby Iacob climb's vp to heauen is Christ. So that the doue which is the Church lying hid in the holes of this rocke and in the secret places of these staires dreadeth nothing but with great boldnes why doe I say boldnesse yea with great ioy with great comfort sheweth her selfe to God and speaketh vnto him Here the sparrow findeth her a house and the swallow a nest where shee may lay her young euen thine Altar that is thy wounds whereby thou didst offer vp thy selfe as a sacrifice for our sinnes euen thine altars O Lord of hosts my King and my God When Elias flying from Achab came to Beeâ—sheba he sate downe vnder a iuniper tree and desired that he might die A iuniper tree maketh the hoatest coale Fabiolae Maâ—s 15. and the coolest shadow of any tree The coale is so hot that if it be rackt vp in ashes of the same it continueth vnextinguished by the space of a whole years Therefore whereas we read in the hundred and twentieth Psalme With hot burning coales it is in the Hebrew as S. Hierom noteth with Iuniper coales Which prooueth that Iuniper coales be the most hot burning coales that are Now the coale is not so hot but the shadowe is as coole Insomuch as the only shadow of the Iuniper tree slaieth and killeth serpents Therefore Elias seeking to rest himselfe where he might be safest from serpents and other daungerr sat downe vnder a iuniper tree and desired that hee might die For hee thought he could neuer with the sparrow finde him a house and with the swallow make him a nest in a better place theÌ„ where he was ouershadowed with that Iuniper tree which shadowed out the tree of the Crosse of Christ. Of which the Church sai's Vnder his shadowe had I delight and sat downe and his fruite was sweete vnto my mouth So that if Simeon holding the child in his armes desired to die how much more blessedly then might Elias haue departed now in peace when as beeing wearied with the world he was shadowed with the tree of life and not onely held the child in his armes but also was held himselfe as a child in the wounded and naked armes of Christ. Notably also doth the storie of Noah declare what singular comfort the faithfull finde in Christs woundes For onely Noah saued all onely Christ redeameth all Gen. 6.16 Noah signified rest Christ is our rest and peace Noah saued all by the wood of the Ark Christ redâ—emeth all by the tree of the crosse Noah was tossed vp and downe vpon the waters Christ saith to his father Thou hast brought all thy waues vpon me
held Gods hands that hee could not â—â—ike when he was readie to plague his people Prayer without any other helpe or meanes hath throwne downe the strong walles of Iericho Prayer hath deuided the sea that the floods thereof could not come neere the Israelites In this place it deliuereth the faithfull man from all the dangers of the world Surely in the flood of many waters they shal not come neere him The summe is this That no calamities of this world no troubles of this life no terrours of death no guiltinesse of sinne can be so great but that a godly man by meanes of his faith and felicitie in Christ shall wade out of them well enough For howsoeuer other things goe still he shall haue such a solace in his soule such a comfort in his conscience such a heauen in his heart knowing himselfe reconciled to God and iustified by faith that Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him Which that it may the better appeare I shall desire you to obserue two things The daunger the deliuerance The danger is in these words Iâ— the flood of many waters Where the tribulations that the godly man is subiect to in this life are likened First to waters then to many waters thirdly to a flood of many waters In the flood of many waters The deliuerance is in these words Surely they shall not come neere him Where the deliuerance of the godly man hath three degrees also First they shall not come neare secondly him they shall not come neere him then Surely surely they shall not come neere him Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him First the afflictions of the faithful are likened to waters Fire and water haue no mercy we say But of the two water is the worst For any fire may be quâ—câ—ed with water but the force of water if it begins to be violent cannot by any power of man be resisted Canutus who was King of England Polyd. lib. 7. Scotland Denmarke Norway a great part of Sueâ—iâ— all at once sitting at a low water vpon the Thames shoare commanded the water not to come neare him But notwithstanding his commandement the water returning and flowing againe as 〈◊〉 in Ezekiel which came to the ankles Ezech. 47.2 then to the knees and yet higher to the necke so neuer left rising till it came vp neare him and wet him Then turning about to his noble men that were there attendant on him he said You call me your Soueraigne Lord and Master and yet I cannot command this little channell of water to keep a loofe off from me Whereupon he went immediatly to Westminster and with his owne hands set his Crowne vpon the Crucifix there and could neuer be perswaded after to weare it vpon his owne head This experience that Canutus so mightie a King made doth directly prooue that no man but God onely can set barres and doores against the water and say Iob. 38.11 Hitherto shalt thoâ— come but no further and here shalt thou stay thy proud waues The afflictions of the righteous therefore beeing â—ere compared to waters must needes â—e very violent For thus the Psalmist â—â—ith Thine indignation lyeth hard on me Psal. 88.8 and thou hast vexed mee with all thy waues And God himselfe I will pâ—â—re out my wrath vpon thee as water So that the securitie and felicitie of the faithfull man is inuincible He may be often in daunger of tribulations as of great waues or waters Hos. 5.10 but they shall neuer ouerwhelâ—e him Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him But these our tribulations which are waters are also many waters Our common prouerb is Seldome comes sorrow alone But as waters come rouling and wauing many together so the miseries of this life Ezeck 2.10 The Prophet Ezekiel saw the roule of a booke written within and without and there was written therein Lamentations and singing and woe The booke is written within and without â—o shew that many are the troubles of the righteous both inward and outward And it is two to one if any thing befall vs it is rather an ill happe then a good happe Seeing for one singing there is in the booke a double sorrowing lamentations and woe Or if it be read as some translate it Et scriptura in eo erat lamentarionum lugubâ—isque carminâ—s vae Tremel Lamentations and mourning and woe then it is yet more plaine that in this world many troubles as many waters come one in the neckâ— of an other no earthly ioy 〈◊〉 comfort comming betweene This the good King greatly complaineth of Psal. 4â— 7 One deepe calleth another because of the noyse of the water-pipes all thy floods and stormes haue gone ouer me And Iob Iob. 16.14 hee hath giuen meâ— one wound vpon an other and hee hath runne vpon me as a gyant And Saint Paul Philip. 2.37 though in one place he write God shewed mercie toward him that hee should not haue sorrowe vpon sorrow yet oftentimes elsewhere he speaketh of his owne manifold dangers 2. Cor. 11.26 I suffered thrice shipwracke saies he night and day haue I bin in the deepe sea In iourneying I was often in perills of waters in perills of robbers in perills of mine owne nation in perills among the Gentiles in perills in the citie in perills in the wildernesse in perills in the sea in perills among false brethren Thâ—s we see how many waters the godly mâ—n is subiect to in this life For one thy hee hath at least two sorrowes if hee 〈◊〉 no more one deepe calleth an other one wound bringeth another hee hath sorrow vpon sorrow perils vpon perils Many waters many dangers Neuerthelesse Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him Thirdly the daungers of this life are as a flood The very naming and mentioning of flood must needes â—e very terrible euer since Noahs flood destroyed the whole world For euen as a horse or a mule of whome the Prophet a little after speaketh in this Psalm vers 9. hauing beene once well lashed with a whip doth euer after feare if he heare but the bel which is tied to the whippe so man since the world was so well sâ—oured and scourged with a flood could neuer almost abide either to talke or thinke of it Now though our whole life be nothing else but a flood of many waters yet nothing in the world may more fitly be so called then our going our of the world This indeede bringeth with it a flood of many waters and an Ocean sea of infinite cares Aristotle writeth that nothing is so terrible as death which Antiochus feeling sensibly in himselfe 1. Mac. 6.11 cryeth out thus Oh into what aduersitie am I come and into what floods of miserie am I now fallen He addeth the reason an on after For I must die with great
sorrow in a strange land What speake I of a wicked tyrant Holy men often are in great perplexitie at the time of their departure Hier. in vita â—ius S. HieroÌ„ writeth of Hilarion that beeing ready to giue vp the ghost he said thus to his soule Goe forth my soule why fearest thou goe forth why tremblest thou Thou hast serued Christ almost these threescore and ten yeares and dost thou now feare death Christ himselfe also feeling that hee was compassed about with the sorrowes of death beganne to be afraid and to be in great heauinesse and he said moreouer Mark 14.33 My soule is very heauie euen to the death I know well Christ was afraid without sinne nay with great comfort For hee prayeth thus Not as I will but as thou wilt And againe Into thy hands I commit my spirit This then was his comfort that the Iewes could doe nothing in putting him to death but as S. Peter testifieth that onely which his Father boâ—â— by his counsell and will hath decreed and by his hand hath ordained Hilarion also that holy ancient Father comforteth himselfe with this that hee had sâ—â—â—d Christ almost seauentie yeares Oâ—â—â—â— children of God haue had other comforts and all haue this that both in life and in death they are happy in Christ. Howbeit seeing many holy Christians and euen Christ himselfe feared death it remaineth that death simply and in it selfe considered is a flood of many waters But yet the faithfull man euen in death is out of all danger Surely in the floods of many waters they shall not come neere him Thus much for the first part which is the danger In the flood of many waters The second part followeth which is the deliuerance Surely they shall not come neere him First they shall not come neere They that is The waters shall not come neere The holy Church and euerie member thereof is likened to a house built vpon a rocke Matth. 7. â—5 Vpon which though the winds blow and the floods beate yet it cannot be throwne downe because it is built vpon a rocke So that the floods which shake it can neuer come neere it to ouerthrowe it The sâ—me may be said of the ship couered with waters It might well floaâ—e but it could neuer be drowned For as soon as the Disciples cryed vpon Christ to saue them Matth. 8.24 presently there followed a great calme Therefore Luther when his life was sought of all the world in a manner Psal. 46.1 translated the Psalme Deus noster refugium into dumb meeter and caused it to be sung in all the reformed Churches God is our hope and strength a very present helpe in trouble Therefore will we not feare though the earth be mooued and though the hills be caried into the midst of the sea Though the waues thereof rage and swell and though the mountaâ—â—â—â— shake at the tempest of the same S. Peter the Apostle began to sinke but he sunke not right downe Christ was ready at hand to helpe him For as soone as he sawe himselfe in present perill and danger forthwith he cryed Master saue me Saue me Psal. 69 1. O God for the waters are coâ—â— in euen vnto my soule I sticke fast in the deepe mire where no ground is and 16. I am come into deepe waters so that the floods runne ouer me Take me out of the mire that I sinke not and out of the deepe waters Let not the water 〈◊〉 drowne me neither let the deep swallow me vp let not the pit shut 〈◊〉 mouth vpon me S. Paul likewise suffered shipwrack but lost not by it one haire of his head Act. 17.34 Wherby we may see the absurdity of the Papists They would prooue that iustifying grace may bee lost because some haue made shipwracke of faith but if we should graunt them that the Apostle speaketh of iustifying not of historicall faith 1. Tim. 1.19 yet we haue the help of a second answer To wit that shipwrack is one thing and drowning an other Therefore faith which is wrackt is not by and by drowned For it may happen to suffer shipwracke as S. Paul did and swimme out safe to the shore But this 〈◊〉 but a touch by the way Meane season we see how safe and secure the faithfull man is in Christ. He is a house to which the floods may come neere to shake it but neuer to throwe it downe he is a ship which the waues may come neere to tosse it but neuer to turne it ouer euen as Saint Peter beganne to sinke but still kept vp his head and Saint Paul sâ—ffered shippewracke but was not a haire the worse for it Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him Secondly him They shall not come neere him This word must in no case be omitted It helpeth vs to answer a verie strong obiection For it may bee said Many holy men haue lost their goods haue suffered great torments in their bodie haue beene troubled also in minde how then did not the floods of many waters come neere them The word Him helpes vs to answer The verie Philosophers themselues reckoned their goods pertained no more to them then be it spoken with reuerence and regard the parings of their nayles Zeno hearing newes he had lost all he had by sea Rene facis fortuna cum ad pallium nos compellis said onely thus Thou hast done verie wel Fortune to leaue me nothing but my cloake An other called Anaxarchus whom as Nicocreâ—â— the tyrant commanded he should be 〈◊〉 to death in a morter spake thus to the executioner Beate and bray as long as thou wilt Anaxarchus his bagge or sachell so he called his owne body but Anaxarchus thou cansts not touch Yet these making so smal reckoning of their goods and bodie set their mindâ— notwithstanding at a high rate Mens cuinsque is est quisque The minde of a man is himselfe say they Hence it is that Iulius Caesar when Amyclas the Pilot was greatly afraid of the tempest spake to him thus What meanest thou to feare base fellow doest thou not know thou carriest Caesar with thee As if he should say Caesarem veâ—is Caesars bodie may well bee drowned as any other manâ— may but his minde his magnanimity his valour his fortitude can neuer be drowned Thus farre wâ—nt Philosophie But Diuinitie goeth a degree further For Philosophy defineth Him that is a man by his reason and the morall vertues of the minde But Diuinitie defineth a Christian man by his faith and his coniunction thereby with Christ. Excellently saith Saint Austin Whence com's it that the soule dieth Tract 49 in Iohan. Vnde mors in animâ â— quia non est fides Vnde mors in corporeâ— quia non est ibi anima Ergo animae tuae anima fides est Because faith is not in it Whence that the bodie dieth Because a soule is not in
it Therefore the soule of thy soule is faith So that if we would know what is a faithfull man we must define Him not by his naturall soule as he is resonable but by the soule of his soule which is his faith And when we easily answer the obiection that a flood may come neere a faithfull mans goods neere his bodie neere his reasonable soule but to his faith that is to Him it can neuer come neere For if you speake of the life and essence of him that it is faith the Prophet also witnesseth Abacuck The iust shall liue by faith Gal. 2.20 And the Apostle Now I liue not but Christ liueth in me but that I liue I liue by faith in the sonne of God who loued mee and gaue himselfe for me And he that was wiser then all the Philosophers determineth this point thus The summe of the matter when yee haue heard all is this Eccles. 12.23 Feare God and keepe his commandements for this is all of man All of man what 's that All of man which will hold out against all floods of many waters For the goods of man may be gotten away by forged cauillation the bodie of man may be weakened by sickenesse the soule of man and the faculties thereof as memorie witte and such like may be impaired by age but faith in Christ the feare of God a care to keepe his commaundements is all of man which no floods either in life or in death can ouer-whelme All of man wherein man ought to imploy himselfe while he is aliue and without which man is but vanitie when he is dead but with which man both in life and death is most blessed For if this be the summe of all then of any thing but this there is no reckoning at all to be made Matth. 16.18 I haue praied for thee saith our Sauiour that thy faith should not faile and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against thee For loue is strong as death Can. 8.7 iealousie is cruell as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame Much water cannot quench loue neither can the floods drowne it Euen as Paul also glorieth Rom. 8. that nothing can separate him from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus Wherefore seeing the godly man is so inuincible that neither the gates of hell nor the flood-gates of many waters can preuaile against him Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him In the last place must be considered the asseueration Surely For if both liuing and dying my felicity be most certaine in Christ and yet I knowe not so much what comfort can I gather thereby Now in all aduersities this is my greatest ioy that the fauour of God which is most constant in it selfe is fully assured also to me For I know that my reedeemer liueth And if I be iudged I know I shall be found righteous And I know whome I haue beleeued and I am sure In one word I am Surely perswaded that neither life nor death nor any thing els can separate vs froÌ„ Christ. Nay in all the flood of waters wee shall be more then conquerours Rom. 8.37 They shall not come neere to conquer vs. But rather we shall conquer them Yea that which is strangest of all Surely we shall be more then conquerers ouer them Though an hoast of men were laid against me Psal. â—7 3 yet shall not my heart be afraid and though there rose vp warre against me yet will I put my trust in it Not in him as it is ill translated in the English but in it that is In the verie warre it selfe I will not feare Nay I will be of good hope Yea Surely in the very warre will I hope and trust For euen as a building made arch-wise the more waight is laide vpon it the more strong still it is so the more force and strength is brought against me the greater triumph victorie I shall haue Therefore I will not be afraid of tenne thousand of the people Psal. 3.7 that haue set themselues against me round about For a thousand of them shall fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but they shall not come neere mee The Arke in the flood was not drowned Gen. 7.18 as other things were but floated vpon the waters Yea the higher the waters encreased the higher Surely for that did the Arke still arise Likewise the redde sea did not hinder the Israelites passage Exod. 14.22 but opened an easie way to them Yea Surely it was moreouer as a wall to backe them against all their enemies The words of Saint Iames are verie plaine Iam. 1.2 My brethren count it exceeding ioy when you fall into diuers temptations Tentation of it selfe doth vexe and disquiet a man But to the godly it is a ioy As we read els where That they which are iustified by faith haue peace nay haue easie accesse to God and great ioy in tribulations But the Apostle adding Rom. 5. that this ioy is not common or ordinarie but Surely exceeding ioy raiseth vp the amplification as high as may be Whereunto S. Paul also accordeth We are afflicted on euery side 2. Cor. 4 9. yet we are not in distresse in pouertie but not ouercome of pouertie wee are persecuted but not forsaken cast down but we perish not Here he prooueth directly that the flood commeth not neere the faithfull But where is the Surely It followeth in the same epistle As dying and behold we liue as chastened and yet not killed 2. Cor. 6.20 as sorrowing and yet alwaies reioycing as poore and yet making others rich as hauing nothing and yet possessing all things O the securitie and felicitie of the faithfull For his faith maketh life of death ioy of sorrowe riches of pouertie What shall I say more or what would you haue me say more then as the Apostle saies It makes all things of nothing As hauing nothing saies he and yet possessing all things But the special thing to be noted iâ— this sentence is As dying and behold we liue For they import that death is no death but As it were death an image or a shadowe of death beeing indeede life and Surely a better life and more immortall then we had here Therefore he saies Behold we liue to shewe that by death the faithfull liue a life wherein there is some great specialty and excellencie worthy indeed to be beholded regarded As if he should say Behold we liue Behold we liue a more happie life then euer we liued in our life Saint Augustin often commeÌ„deth the saying of his master S. Ambrose when he was readie to die Speaking to Stilico and others about his bed I haue not liued so among you Non ita vixi inter vos ve me pudeaâ— vinerenet mori timeâ— quia bonum dominumâ—â—o 〈◊〉 Pontius in fine vitae eius saith he
that I am ashamed to liue longer if it please God and yet again I am not afraid to die because we haue a good Lord. He doth not say Mine owne goodnesse puts me out of feare but Gods goodnesse This goodnesse of God makes me quiet in my conscience and secure in soule readie to embrace death whensoeuer it commeth Wherefore Surely is fitly added For afflictions as waters doe not ouercome the faithfull Nay they come not neere him But contraâ—iwise the faithfull conquereth afflictions Yea Surely hee is in them all more then a conquerour In warre he is not afraid Rather he greatly hopeth And Surely euen in the verie warre he hopeth The flood of waters commeth not neere to drowne the Arke but lift it vp And so much the higher Surely the arke still riseth as the flood riseth The sea staieth not the Israelites passage It is a dry land for them to march on As a wall moreouer to backe them Surely against all their enemies Tentation not onely is no matter of sorrowe but also on the other side of ioy Surely of great ioy Death is no death but a life and Surely such a life as only of it we may say Behold we liue So happie both in life and death is the faithfull man Surely in the flood of many waters they shall not come neere him To conclude then No calamitie or aduersitie can possibly disseuer that coniunction which faith maketh of euerie godly man with Christ. For feeling the remission of his sinnes assured and sealed vnto him hee contemneth not onely the workes of the world and dismaiments of his conscience but euen the verie feares and terrours of death This our deare brother M. Edward Liuely who now resteth in the Lord lead a life which in a manner was nothing els but a continuall flood of many waters Neuer out of suits of law neuer-ceasing disquieters of his study His goods distrained and his cattell driuen off his ground as Iobs was His deare wife beeing not so well able to beare so great a flood as he euen for verie sorow presently died A lamentable and ruefull case So many children to hang vpon his hand for which he had neuer maintenance neither yet now had stay his wife being gone Well but that sorrowfull time was blowne ouer He was appointed to be one of the cheifest translators And as soone as it was knowne how farre in this trauaile hee did more then any of the rest hee was very well prouided for in respect of liuing For which my L. his Grace of Canterburie now liuing is much to bee reuerenced and honoured But beeing so well to passe both for himselfe and for his children sodainely he fell sicke He was taken with an ague and a squinsey both together And the more vsual that was the lesse dangerous was this accompted but the euent shewes the contrary For the squinsey beeing both by himselfe and his friends not greatly regarded within foure dayes tooke away his life These were many waters and diuerse tribulations Besides a thousand more which I cannot now stand to repeate Yet he carried himselfe so in life and death as these waters seemed not once to come neere him He was professour of the Hebrewe tongue in this Vniuersitie thirtie yeares As his father in law D. Larkyn had been professor of Physicke fiue or sixe and thirtie yeares Which tongue howsoeuer some account of it yet ought to be preferred before all the rest For it is the auncientest the shortest the plainest of all A great part of wisedome as Plato sheweth In Cratylo is the knowledge of true Etymologies These in other tongues are vncertaine in this taking out of the naturall qualities of euery thing that is named In so much as when any man hath found out the Hebrewe Etymology then he neede seeke no further Besides all the Scripture written before the birth of Christ except a fewe chapters of Daniel and Ezra were written in Hebrewe And the Rabbins themselues though they haue no small number of fables and lies in them yet diuers things they haue notwithstanding fit for the opening of the olde Testament Therefore though a man cannot reade the Rabbins yet vnlesse he can vnderstand handsomely well the Hebrewe text he is compted but a maimed or as it were but halfe a Diuine especially in this learned age Lastly diuerse learned men are of opinion to whome I very willingly assent that the holy tongue which was spoken in Paradise shall be eternally vsed in the heauenly Paradise where the Saints shall euer extoll and praise God But this worthy Professor deceased got him great credit as well by the continuance as by the holinesse of his profession For he was not a Professor for one or two yeares as others are In Itineratio Pag. 444. but full thirty yeares together Nathan Cytraeus writeth that in Prage an Vniuersitie of Bohemia where Iohn Hus and Hierome of Prage professed that they that haue continued Professours for the space of twentie yeares together are created Earles and Dukes both together And therefore their style is to bee called Illustres whereas they which are singly and simply but onely either Earles or Dukes are called Spectabiles Neither maketh it any matter that they haue no reuenewes to maintaine Earldomes or Dukedoms For they haue the title notwithstanding euen as Suffragans haue of Bishoppes Our good Brother hauing no such profit or dignitie propounded vnto him but contenting himselfe with his stipend spent halfe his life in this place For hee was vpon threescore yeares old when he died He wrote a book of Annotations vpon the first fiue small Prophets dedicated to that great patron of learning and learned men Sir Francis Walsingham Wherin diuerse speeches and phrases of the Prophets are compared with the like in Poets and Oratours both Greeke and Latine and many notes neither vnpleasant nor vnprofitable to bee read are set out of the Rabbins But in mine opinion he took greatest pains in his Chronologie which he dedicated to Doctor Iohn Whitgift the reuerend late Archbishop of Canterbury This booke indeede is full of hidden learning and sheweth infinite reading in stories I asked him within this little while whether hee had written no more bookes He told me he had but printed no more because hee had no time to peruse and perfect them for other businesse Now by businesse he meant I weene especially his studie and care to performe well his taske in the translation Wherein how excellently he was imployed all they can witnes who were ioyned with him in that labour For though they be the verie flower of the Vniuersitie for knowledge of the tongues yet they will not be ashamed to confesse that no one man of their companie if not by other respects yet at least wise for long experience and exercise in this kinde was to be compared with him For indeede he was so desirous that this businesse begunne by the commaundement of our most gracious Soueraigne
King Iames should bee brought to a happie ende that oftentimes in many mens hearings hee protested hee had rather die then be any way negligent herein Which as some thinke by all likelihood came indeede so to passe To wit that too earnest study and paines about the translation hastened his death and brought it on sooner Now as he liued so in his profession in his writings in his translating as though all the floods of many waters had neuer comn ' neare him euen so also he died During the short time of his sickenesse hee carried himselfe as alwaies before humbly mildly quietly constantly One of his louing friends standing by his bed and saying M. Liuely I pray God you may haue patience and hope and especially faith vnto the ende He lifting vp his hands said heartily and cheerefully Amen Little he vsed to speake and more he could not say for the paine and impediment of his squinsey Which though it made a speedie ende of him as the apoplexy did of the good Emperour Valentinian yet how could any death be sodaine to him whose whole life was nothing els but a meditation of death and whom the Lord whensoeuer he came might finde doing his dutie Wherefore no reason wee should lament his departure out of this world He liued blessedly he died blessedly in the Lord. Rather you Reuerend and learned Vniuersitie-men lament for this that you haue lost so famous a Professour and so worthy a writer Lament you translatours beeing now depriued of him who no lesse by his owne merit and desert then by the priuiledge of his place was to order and ouersee all your trauailes Lament you poore orphans 〈◊〉 poore children of you which he left 〈◊〉 him as Christ 〈◊〉 left eleuen Disciples bereâ—â—â—â— of your kinde and deare Father destitute of necessaries for your maiâ—â—enance to seeke of all helpe and 〈◊〉 but onely as poore folkes vse to speak such as God and good friends shal proâ—ide Lâ—â—ent lament all of you of the Toâ—ne as well as of the Vâ—â—â—ersitie because our Schoole hath lost sâ—ch a singular ornament of this age because our Churches haue lost such a faithfull and syncere seruant of Christ. Questionlesse as it should seeme by the taking away of this man almightie God is greatly angry with vs all for our sinnes Christ Iesus our Master as though he meant no more to care for vs seemeth to lie fast a sleepe in the ship while we most miserably in the flood of many waters are tormoiled and tossed Wherfore let vs in time crie aloud and awake him with our prayers Or rather indeede he is not a sleepe but awake alreadie We haue awaked him not with our prayers but with our sinnes Our sinnes haue cried vp to heauen And the Lord beeing awaked as a gyant comes forth against vs and as a mighty man refreshed with wine For not onely those are waters which are in the chanell or in the sea but as waters are here vnderstood euen those fires are waters those fires I say which very lately awaked vs at midnight and affrighted vs at noone day which raged on the South-side and anone after on the North-side of the Towne It was but a fewe mens losse but it was all mens warning And what shall we make nothing of this The plague the small pocks and the squinsey that one kind of disease deuoureth vp the Townesmen â—n other the schollers This is now the tenth course of Schollers which within this month hath beene brought foorth to buriall not one of them dying of the plague whereas heretofore if one or two schollers haue died in a whole year out of all Colledges it hath beene accounted a great matter This and such like grieuous iudgements beloued doe plainely declare that the Lord beeing awaked with the cry of our sinnes is greiuously displeased and offended at vs. Wherefore let vs nowe at the length in the name of God rowse vp our selues and awake out of our deadly sinnes Let this that our holy brother did so sodainly in a manner fall asleepe be a loud O yes as it were to awake vs all Let euerie one of vs amend one iudge one accuse one condemne one that we be not all condemned of the Lord. Let euery one of vs I beseech you crie vp to heauen for mercie and say â—ith Dauid I haue sinned and done wickedly Or with Ionas Take me for I know that for my sake this great tempest is vpon you Then our most mercifull father shall blesse vs all as he hath done this holy Saint both in our life and in our death by the pardoning of our offences couering all our sinnes with the bowels and blood of Christ. And though in this world we be euer subiect to a flood of many waters yet hee shall drawe vs still out of many waters as hee did Moses Surely in the floode of many waters no more then they did to Ionas they shall not come neare vs. Neither onely shall we be safe in the flood of death but also in the flood of the day of iudgement For that also is a flood and a terrible fearefull one too To wit not of water but of fire As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be at the comming of the son of man In the first flood they which had not an arke ranne vp to the toppes of houses to the toppes of trees to the toppes of mountaines because they desired to hold vp their heads aboue the still rising raging water In the second they which are not found in Christ shall say to the mountaines Fall vpon vs and to the Caues Cauer vs and hide vs from the wrath of the Lambe Then they shall be glad to creepe into euerie holâ— and corner that they may auoide the bâ—rning of fire But we that confesse our sinnes and forsake the same shall lift our heads to no other mountaine but to Christ from whom commeth our saluation we shall desire to be couered with no other rocke but onely with that out of which came the blood and water of life For neuer did Noahs flood so clean wash away all wicked men from the face of the earth as the blood of Christ shall purge vs from all our sinnes and present vs blamelesse before the face of our father onely if we be faithfull vnto death For then the next thing is felicity and the crowne of life Which God for his mercie sake graunt vs all that as we make no doubt but this our holy brother now triumpheth with Christ so all and euery one of vs after we haue waded through this world as a flood of many waters may inherit that kingdome of glory which our louing Lord Iesus hath purchased for vs with his deare blood to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for euermore Amen FINIS A SERMON PREACHED at Whitehall before the KING on Twesday after Lâ— Sunday 1604. 2. COR. 3.18 But all we
he suffereth these senseles creatures to weep and to haue a liuely feeling of his death though they had no benefit by his death But being 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 sayes he I will beare all the sorrow you shall haue only ioy and though I die and shed my very heart bloud for you yet you shall not so much as weepe or shed the least teare for me Not you weepe not for me Thus much for his Benignitie Lastly for Magnanimitie he sayes Not for mee Strange stoutnesse and courage Especially in him that was otherwise so milde and so meeke a lambe But here the cause quarrell being ours and he fighting for the saluatioÌ„ for our soules there is no rule with him hee plaies he Lion wheresoeuer he goes For holding now in his hand the cup of trembling and being ready to drinke vp the very dregs of it yet neither his hand nor his heart trembleth Ennius the Poet as Tullie testifieth could say thus much Let no man weepe for my death a Nemome lachrymis decoret And Saint Laurence the Martyr as Prudentius witnesseth Doe not weepe for my departure b Desiâ—â—e discessu meo stetum dolentur sundere But as Ennius or any other Pagan could neuer come neere Christians in true magnanimitie So S. Laurence or any other Christian could neuer come neere Christ. The blessed Apostle S. Paul of any that euer I heard of commeth neerest to him going toward IerusaleÌ„ what do you saies he 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 doe you saies he weeping and breaking my heart for I am ready not onely to bee bound but euen to die also for the saluation of man He knew well enough his passion would be a new kind of transfiguration vnto him For at his transfiguration he was accompanied with his deere Disciples Peter Iames and Iohn but at his passion Peter denied him Iames and Iohn forsooke him And there he was vpon mount Tabor which smelled sweetly of hearbs and flowers but here he was vpon mount Caluery 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 embrewed in bloud and he himselfe stript stark naked And there he was betweene two famous Prophets Moses and Elias but here when they thought hee called for Elias to helpe him Elias would not come nay he was betweene 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 but here he screeched most lamentably to his Father from the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet behold behold the Magnanimitie of Christ. Christ knew well enough before hand of all this fearefull and horrible passion prepared for him wherein he was not transfigured as before but disfigured so as neuer was any man Yet nothing could moue him This cowardlinesse of his Disciples this noisomnesse of the place these diuelish buffets vpon his bare face these bloudy wounds vpon his naked body these vile theeues these hideous 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 cries Saue the Man saue the man yet puts out himselfe and standing vpon one legge and striking with one arme fights stil as stoutly as if he had neuer been hurt at all so Christ hauing bin scorned and scourged already when the whole theater of heauen and earth wept for him yea when the powers aboue the heauen came downe and the dead vnder the earth rose vp to mone and pitty him only he himselfe would neither aske any fauour of others nor yet shew any fauour to himselfe but was very angry called him Sathan that gaue him such counsell Yea though all the Saints in heauen and earth did bleed at the very heart c Coelum terra compatiuntur ci Anselmus inspeculo Euangel serm cap. 13. in a manner as much as hee himselfe did vpon the crosse to see so good a man so shamefully despighted yet nothing could stay him but still he went on forward as pleasantly and as cheerefully as to any banket or feast to this most rufull and dreadfull death O sweet Iesus O my deare Lord forgiue me I humbly beseech thee for thy mercy sake forgiue mee 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 do not see thee at this present led as a Lambe to the slaughter yet onely meditating of thy death so many hundred yeares after I cannot possibly refraine from weeping Yea by so much the more do I lament and mourn by how much the more I see thâ—e ioyfull glad Come forth yee daughters of Sion saith hee d Cant. 3.11 and behold King Salomon with the crowne wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his marriage and in the day of the gladnes of his heart As if he should haue said Come forth yee daughters of Ierusalem and behold Iesus Christ with the crowne of thorns wherewith the Synagogue 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 marriage and the day of his death vpon the crosse the day of the gladnesse of his heart Thus you see in this seuenth part the Wisedome the Benignitie the Magnanimitie of Christ in that he saith Not weepe Not you Not for me Weepe not for me Weepe not for me but weepe for your selues THE eighth part which is the last now onely remaineth But weepe for your selues Wherein wee must consider likewise three vertues that ought to be in vs Deuotion Compunction Compassion For Deuotion hee sayth But weepe For Compunction But you For compassion But for your selues But weepe But you But for your selues But weepe for your selues First for Deuotion hee saith But weepe Deuotion generally is a supernaturall dexteritie wrought by the Holy Ghost in the heart of a deuout man whereby hee is made prompt and ready to performe all those duties which appertaine to the seruice of God As a man may bee said to bee deuout in Preaching deuout in hearing deuout in making prayers deuout in giuing Almes But here especially