measure with that pure and holy knowledge that the Lord hath of them it would make them take some more labour for his love and acquaintance which seeing they doe not they fulfill the Lords threatning to their shame seeing they are foretolde of it and care not to prevent it Christ foretolde us that hee who confessed him Matth 10 32. Marke 10.38 hee would acknowledge him before his Father and the Angels but he that would be ashamed of him hee would deny him Loe now he maketh it good for he professeth openly I know you not What meaneth to confesse or to be ashamed of Christ In this life our Saviour calleth for our friendship and acquaintance in his faire offer of salvation if we will thinke it an honour for us that Christ was once in misery and poverty for our sake and account this our greatest glory he sendeth his messengers the poore and distressed who are his brethren Fratres vocat omnes simpliciter pauperes Omnis enim pauper frater est Christi quandoquidē Christus in egestate vixit Theophylact. in Mat. 25.40 to be acquainted with us in his name to see how wee would like of their friendship or how we would entertaine Christ if he himselfe came to us in that fashion as indeede once he did If we rejoyce to be thus acquainted with Christ and confesse him in this life then shall he openly acknowledge us and to our glory pronounce before God and all that shall be gathered in the great judgement how we loved and respected him and his messengers He that is ashamed of the poverty of Christ the misery and tribulation of a Christian or the distresse of the poore or to professe love and acquaintance to them they shal be rewarded accordingly Idem in Iuc 9.26 As he that hath an evil servant is ashamed to call him his servant so Christ shall deny them and say I know you not Happy is the soule that hath a part in the commendation and prayer of Paul for Onesiphorus whose service and confession he prayeth the Lord to remember in the great day in these words The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus 1 Tim. 1.16 17 18. for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chaine but when hee was at Rome he sought me out very diligently and found me the Lord grant unto him that he may finde mercy with the Lord in that day and in how many things he hath ministred unto mee at Ephesus thou knowest very well Lastly these words I know you not shew us that not onely Christ shall take away his compassion from them but shall be their enemy to be avenged on them Theophilact in Marc. 8.34 He that denieth another if it be his familiar friend his brother or father although he see him whipt or killed he taketh no notice he laments not he hath no compassion or suffering with him being once estranged from him so when Christ hath denyed the reprobate they must looke for no compassion but which is worse they must expect punishment When some of the Levites were killing of their owne kindred for their idolatry of Levi it is said in their name Hee said unto his father and mother Deut. 33 9. I have not seene you neither knew he his brethren nor knew he his owne children So when the date of acquaintance and mercy is past with Christ then there is nothing to be expected but the execution of vengeance for hee will not know one more than another When his wrath is kindled Psal 2.12 it will be knowne how happy they are that put their trust in him Now there is a question to be answered Seeing Christ both exhorteth and promiseth Knock and it shall be open unto you how is it that hee saith he will deny them that both knocke and call upon him in the day of judgement I answer they defraud themselves of the benefite of this promise Two things to be observed by all that would knocke at heavens gate for obtaining whereof two conditions are required of us First that wee knocke and call while it is the time and day of salvation which day is the time of our life because that life and time is given unto us to this end that wee may labour for the life that never hath an end August in Ioh. 6 Ad hoc debet prodesse unicuique vivere ut detur ei semper vivere And indeede life is onely a benefit to every man that he may thereby obtaine the benefit of living eternally Secondly we must in requisite manner call and knocke some onely knocke with words and honour God with their lippes Esay 29 13◠but their hearts are farre from him yea and will aske of God with teares yet they aske not aright because it is not with heart word and deed of which they want two for their hearts call not to him for love of him or of eternall life but other by-respects are cause of their complaints neither doe their deedes concurre to knocke and move the Lord. These who would enter into life must open their hearts to let the Lord in and dwell in them Psal 24.7 according as David exhorteth Lift up your heads you gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting dores and the King of glory shall come in Psal 118.20 for this is the gate of the Lord onely the righteous shall enter into it who onely may truely say Verse 19. Open mee the gates of righteousnesse that I may goe into them and praise the Lord for ever no uncleane or wicked person dare say this their deedes can neither knocke nor enter Acts 10 4. Cornelius prayer appeared in Gods presence but his fasting and almes went up to heaven heaven cannot be purchased with bare words we must make friends of worldly riches to gaine everlasting habitations and make treasures in heaven yea and have our hearts there also or else our calling cannot be taken notice of nor be able to unlocke the inaccessible place of glory VERSE 13. Watch therefore for yee know neither the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come THese words are the 3. part of this Parable containing the application of it Wherin our Saviour sheweth plainly the great love and care he hath to his servants and his abundant mercy which he hath on all men that he desireh not the death of a sinner but rather that he should turne from his wickednesse and live giveth a generall cry forewarning their danger and preventing their destruction but in such particular manner that it is sufficient to move the most senseles heart to retreate Two times already as I said in the beginning hath Christ in this same Sermon given the same warning Now because the danger is great even the damnation of every soule that labours not to prevent it and men are carelesse and fearelesse of unseene and unfelt dangers therfore he preacheth it
common-wealth florished Iansenius in hunc locum Mat. 1. that the parties to be maried were by promise and oath bound each to the other as we reade that Ioseph and Mary were betrothed and the Mariage at more convenient time to be solemnized which was done most in the night the fittest time for mirth and banketting as St. Paule saith Rom. 13.12.13 Now while the Bridegrome was at hand the Bryde with a company of virgins met him with lamps torches who all entred into the mariage-house with the Bride Brydgrome Whē David prophesieth of the mariage betweene Christ and his Church he describeth it in the foresaid manner saying Psal 45.14.15 The Bryde shall be brought unto the King in rayment of needle worke the Virgins that follow after her and her companions shall be brought unto thee with joy gladnes shall they be brought and shall enter into the Kings Pallace Thus much for Historie In which we are to consider the Bridgrome the Virgins their lampes their oyle their going out and meeting the Bridgrome of which particulars some appertaine to the second part of the Parable But for the comparison obserue that Christ saith it shall be likened In Math 22.2 he saith it is like unto a wedding where servants were sent out to invite guests in this Parable he saith It shà ll be so likened in this there is no diversitie Gods Kingdome according to diverse states and times may have severall comparisons in this life God is preparing these things for vs This life is only for preparing our selves and by his word and servants inviting vs vnto this Mariage but in the life to come it shall be like unto another comparison to a mariage in the solemnizing that is all time and meanes of preparation shall be past that they who lose this day of Salvation shall be as foolish virgins and said unto that the Lord knowes them not The Bridgrome and Virgins Who is the Bridgrome SAint Iohn Baptist sheweth vs who is the Brydgrome in these words He is the Brydgrome that hath the Bryde the friend of the Bridgrome is he who heareth his voyce Iohn 3.29 and rejoyceth greatly But who is this that hath the Bride St. Paul tells the Corinthians 2 Cor. 11.2 I have betrothed you to one man to present you a pure virgine unto Christ. And by the other marke Christ is the Bridegrome for all his servants shall rejoyce to heare his voyce at the great day at which Iohn 5.28 Who is the Bride the dead shall come out of their graves The Bride must bee these Virgins that go out to meete him Observe by the way that where certaine virgins did present themselves in one company to the Bridgrome that mariage is then most honorable in the fight of God and men When is mariage truely honourable when it is of such as have beene Virgins that is to say have for their actions ben honest Heb. 13.4 for their cariage modest and shamefast Paul saith that mariage is honourable among all and the bed undefiled but whooremongers and adulterers God will judge besides the weight of this judgement of God the mariage is greatly dishonoured when it is of shamelesse unhonest persons And although mariage be a preventing from sinnes of that kinde to come therefore in that case is honourable among all yet it is not a pardon for wickednes past before mariage but as Iacob said of his sonne Reuben for this fault so doth God esteeme of others that fall in the like Gen. 49.4 that their dignitie and excellencie is gone because they darken the honour of their mariage-day The Divell who is a lyar from the beginning hath blinded the eyes of many young persons to esteeme these trickes of their youth which by God are condemned and by all civill and honest men abhorred and it hath so prevailed that the men cannot be securely received into mariage who have not approved their abilitie in begetting Bastards Whooremongers and adulterers God will judge O when God shall either judge or punish this no Crosse can prevent it no Priests Commission absolve it nor holy water is able to wash it away Remember Christs Spouse is a Virgin If you demand why these that are to meete Christ are called Virgins I answer because this is a comparison of Marriage in which onely Virgins chosen and appointed went out to meet the Bridegroome But if you aske which of all them that shall meete Christ is his Spouse I answer Who is the Spouse of Christ Every soule that hath in this life washed himselfe from sinne by repentance and calling on the name of the Lord and prepared himselfe with a confidence in the sweete love and mercy of God shall be the spouse of Iesus Christ But to speake as the Scripture doth all the Elect servants of God who agree in unity of one faith and love to Iesus Christ are his one and undivided Spouse from which notwithstanding we may not conceive an equality of dignity and love to be in the Church to be worthy the uniting unto the glorious God who for worth is Lord of heaven and earth and of love beyond all comparison Ioh 15 13. for no man can shew greater love for his friend than to give his life for him Christ shewed greater Rom. 5.10 in giving his life for his enemies And though all the faithfull cannot bee sufficiently meet for to be his Spouse yet are they counted worthy Philip. 3 9. when they are considered as joyned to Christ and one with him and are seene of God not with their owne righteousnesse but cloathed and overshadowed with the worth and righteousnesse of Christ We are to observe two things 1 Christs servants called Virgins that the faithfull soule is called a Virgin Christ a Virgin the Sonne of a Virgin will have a Virgin to his Spouse But what kinde of Virgin Hieron in Epist Virginis definitio est sanctam esse corpore mente A Virgin is one that is holy both in minde and body in minde because the Lord doth in this Parable condemne the corrupted mindes of the foolish Virgins whose bodies were not corrupted in body 1 Cor 6.15.19 because an uncleane body cannot be the Temple of the holy Ghost nor member of Christ But if wee consider why Gods Church was called a Virgin wee shall the better understand what is here meant by a Virgin God from the beginning ever shewed himselfe unto the people that were his as if he had beene their husband or spouse unto the Iewes he shewed himselfe as a husband unto the Christian Church he shewed himselfe a spouse the Iewes he tooke to him when their fathers were Idolaters Iosh 24.2 and themselves too hee married himselfe to them who by Idolatry had lost their Virginity who notwithstanding after they came to serve God fell to Idolatry many times againe provoked him to wrath
their greater griefe and shame August de Verb. Dom. Ser. 23. Non est consulentium sed irridentium est ista responsio This answer is not to give counsell but to mocke them and this is all they get for helpe or pitty To us therefore doth our Saviour speak these words to forewarne us that wee never cast our count so as to thinke that which wee have to be too little for our selves nor thus to answer the distressed lest the shame be shamefully cast in our teeth when wee hope for a more mercifull answere in judgement This reason of the covetous sheweth us what is the cause which maketh men so unwilling to helpe others who are in necessity because they cannot beleeve that ever they can have enough for themselves This is one of the greatest plagues that can fall upon a man to be insatiable in affecting a thing that is farre inferiour to the worth of himselfe The causes of covetousnesse uncharity This Covetice proceedeth from a great blindnesse of the minde which as it seemeth doth build it selfe upon these or the like divelish and darkened conceits First that it cannot possibly stand with his owne felicity that he should love any other or care to helpe him Secondly that there is no meanes to give his minde contentment or to make him happy except it be with worldly pelfe Thirdly that he must needs live many yeares as the rich man in the Gospell concluded and that therefore all he can get cannot be too much Luke 12 19 Fourthly he doth doubt that God will not be carefull to provide for him because he conceiveth that God is disposed as he himselfe is and not much carefull for others or if God were in disposing of goods that he would not be so just as to give him so much as were enough for him It is no wonder where ignorance and unbeliefe prevaileth so farre to bring a man to these conceites that hee presently bends all his wits to scrape together all he can possibly snatch to suffice for use and to satisfie his desire which indeede can never be satisfied No wonder therefore it is that the Lord abhorreth the covetous and cruell man Psal 10 3. and him that speaketh good of him Therefore if we would be mercifull to others and save our selves from the wrath to come man Ephes 4.7 even as he pleaseth and according to what measure hee will So that wee are hereby taught to whom we shall have recourse in all our spirituall necessities even to our blessed Saviour In whom dwelleth all the treasures of grace bodily Col. 2.9 who is able to bestowe this Oyle of his Spirit to enlighten our sinfull soules and bodies and to prepare us for his comming Now if Gods word in the aboue named places be true the works of supererogation cannot be found in any or though it were so Colos 1 19. none is communicable unto another except from Christ in whom onely it hath pleased God that all fulnesse should dwell 1 Cor. 1.30 Act. 4.12 and who only is made our Righteousnes and in whom only we have hope of salvation Goe ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selues In appliyng of these words we finde them to be a bitter mocke of the reprobate to bidde them in the day of account to goe and buy Some take the Kingdome of heaven by violence others steale it some begge it others buy it or provide grace for themselves for then there are no sellers nor meanes to be found We have in these words two things to be considered buying and selling how either of them can be applyed to our labour for salvation For buying It is to us that have meanes and time to provide for that fearefull account that our Saviour speaketh these wordes of seasonable counsell as he did to the Laodiceans to buy and store themselves with the treasures of spirituall life Revel 3.18 The summ of the counsell is that we vse traffique for salvation As there are diverse meanes used some lawfull some unlawfull to mainteyne this mortall life so doth the word of God use the comparison of them to exhort us unto all labour and diligence 2. Peter 1 10. Quis expedivit Psittacosuum Chaiâ—e Magister artis ingeniique largitor venter Persent Ecclesiast 6 7. Bernard in libro sententiarum to make our calling and election sure and to purchase an immortall life The belly saith a Poet makes Master of Art both gives cunning industry for satisfiyng wherof some robbe others steale some begg others buy all as Salomon saith is to content backe belly In like manner Gods servants if we looke unto their life and workes some robbe and take the kingdome of heaven by violence others steale it some begge it others goe to those that sell and buy it for themselves Christ told the Iewes Math. 11 12. that from that time Iohn Baptist began to teach the Kingdome of heaven suffered violence and the violent tooke it by force these are they whose breasts are inflamed with zeale and who either for feare of Gods anger or for love of his mercyes turne suddenly to the Lord The Publicans and sinners by this meanes wonne heaven who flocked about Iohn Baptist Luk. 3 10 12. Act. 2 37. Luk 19 6. and cryed Master what shall we doe and the hearers of Peters Sermon upon Whitsontide and Zaccheus who came downe from the tree quickly and received Christ joyfully and St. Augustine who in his conversion Lib. 8 Conf. cap. 3. sect 1. cryed unto God why shall I be converted to morrow why not to day unlearned men get up and take heaven by violence and we with our diversity of learning doe wallow in flesh and bloud And all whosoever turne with hast and fervency unto the Lord may be sayd to take heaven violently Grandis c. It is a great violence 〈…〉 11. to be borne on earth and to enter into heaven and to obtaine that by strength which wee cannot have by nature Theophylact. in Mat 11. or what greater violence can be than on a sodaine to forsake father and mother to quite all pleasure the world can give yea and contemne life it selfe rather than to want Gods favour or be disappointed of eternall life Horum figuraÌ„ tenuit mulier patiens fluxum sanguinis quae cogitavit intra se dicens si c Mar 5 28. Bernard ibid. 1 Kings 19 18. Others in a manner take heaven by stealth these are they that labour for heaven and yet so secretly that they are not espied by the common multitude they are farre from hypocrisie they have their oyle in their vessells as were the seven thousand in Eliah's time who worshipped the Lord so secretly that the Prophet could not espie them and I doubt not but every age hath of this kinde Iohn 3 2. that with Nicodemus come to the Lord in the night Some
begge heaven these are they who are earnest in prayer and usually with sighes and petitions prostrate themselves unto God untill he be pleased to bestow it upon them David Daniel Cornelius and the like obtaine heaven by petition and this is a most sure way to obtaine it for as Christ saith our heavenly Father cannot choose but give good things to them that aske him Matth. 7.11 Others buy heaven who are charitable to the poore and distressed to feede the hungry to cloathe the naked lodge the stranger visite the sicke and prisoner and the like and for this cause doe bestow their goods to relieve others these have treasures in heaven and their mercifull deedes ascend before the Lord Acts 10.4 and declare that howsoever their state be in this world yet they lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.18 19 for obtaining of eternall life By all these meanes God would have us labor to obtaine spirituall grace Art thou rich Christ exhorts thee to buy heaven Give to the poore Luke 18 22. and thou shalt have treasure in heaven art thou strong in thy affections fervent in thy actions Ecclesiasticus 5.7 Take heaven by violence and make no delay by turning to the Lord Art thou slowe in thy faculties of soule body then use cunning steale heaven and in humility and quietnesse Heb. 10 22. approach neerer and neerer unto the Lord. But if thou neither have goods to buy it strength of spirit to take it by force nor the wisdome to take it secretly Psal 95 6. then be not ashamed to fall lowly before the Lords footstoole and begge of his Majesty what otherwayes thou canst not obtaine if thou canst not buy heaven with riches yet buy it with poverty and begging if thou wantest silver redeeme it with teares as Peter who said Acts 3 6. Silver and golde have I none when hee was to redeeme his Masters favour againe Mat. 26.75 he went out and wept bitterly yea even in begging be diligent and thy labour shall buy heaven as Christ both in Parables and plaine words hath promised us Luke 18 5. for as the widow asked justice against her adversary untill it was given her Luke 15.9 another sought a lost peece of silver untill she found it Luke 11.8 9. a man knocked at his friends doore for bread in the night untill he mandements though the Pharise blinded with ignorance thought so yet in stead therof do as Peter said Lord Matth 19 27 we have forsaken all and followed thee count nothing so deare unto you but that you be content to quite it to doe your soule good What haue you euer suffered in this world The Christian Iewes scattered abroad Heb 10 33 34 Christi sub nomine probra placebunt Et laus hic contempta redit mihi iudice Christo Paulinus Epist 1. ad Auson commonly lost all their goods some their blood many their liues if you haue not had the like occasions be thankfull to God and yet resolue your selfe if God so will to suffer whatsoeuer hee please If you haue not shewen your charity according as you saw others necessitie yet amend and buy heauen so long as you haue time and he that is poore and unable to helpe the distressed yet let him remember that Christ hath promised to reward the giuing of a cup of cold water Mark 9 41. to encourage him that if hee bee neuer so poore yet hee may get so much treasure as may buy the kingdome of heauen Who are the sellers Now we come to the sellers and to consider who they are This sale is onely to be had of God and the poore or distressed The Lord exposeth the treasure of his riches by the Prophet saying Esay 55 1. Every one that thirsteth come to the waters and ye that have no silver come buy and eate buy wine and milke without silver and without money so that the poorest may buy sufficient Christ counselleth the Laodiceans Revel 3. whom he calleth naked and blinde to buy golde rayment and eye-salve from him As for the poore they are sellers Quinam vendunt qui pauperie premuntur Who are they saith Chrysostome who sell Euen they who are oppressed with pouerty yet I count them not so much the sellers as receiuers of the price the poore receiue the almes but the Lord doth value it according to the heart of him that giueth it and he giueth that grace which the buyer desires to haue Luke 10. The Samaritan friendly and charitably powred oyle into the wounds of the traveller but it was the Lord that filled his lampes with oyle or his soule with grace euen whilest he was doing his charity Hee therefore that would buy grace let him have recourse to the Lord who calleth us in his mercy and to the distressed who calleth because of his misery If thou have sorrow for sinne a petition for mercy a thanksgiving for a benefit received an humble heart an obedient desire come lay them downe before the Lord and offer them for an inheritance in heaven if thou have an almes and power and desire to help a comfort a good counsel repaire to the poore or otherwise distressed distribute among them what thou hast and thou shalt not want thy reward If you consider these things A question why is eternall life the gift of God if c. you may aske how is eternall life the free gift of God seeing we buy it and purchase it with hardnes I answer Answ 1 1. That notwithstanding all our paines taken the Lord gives all his blessings freely Cant 8 7. for if love be of such value that all the goods a man hath is not able to requite it what can we thinke it can bee worth that can buy an eternall kingdome And therefore the Lord bids us buy it freely Esay 55 1. Quid autem est emere sine argento et sine commutatione Bernard de Resurr Dom serm 2. Non talis est emptio apud amatores huius seculi sed apud autorem seculi alia esse non potest What meaneth this to buy without money or exchange Indeed the lovers of this world can have no selling without money or exchange but with the Creator of the world there can be no other sale but this Baradius in Evang Concord Tom. 3. lib. 10. cap. 19. I thinke he borroweth these from Bernard who saith Gratia gratis datur etiam cum emitur gratis datur quia quod datur pro ea nobis melius retinetur Bernard ser 2 de Resurr Domini that what he gives must be freely bestowed for hee can have no neede of our goods But we are said to buy these spirituall blessings because without labour and paines we cannot have them Gratia gratis datur etiamsi magno labore ematur c. Grace is freely given although it were bought with
elect can give so by this intreaty to himselfe and his answer he sheweth that he will not helpe them though with repentance trembling and teares they cry and call him Lord never so oft You see therefore how particularly and plainly he would have us take notice what wee may expect and because the damned shall not have opportunity to cry Lord Lord open to us therefore to us is this instruction sent that wee now call upon the name of the Lord and while the gate of salvation is not shut and sealed up for ever we may knocke and call Lord Lord open unto us We have all possible warning given us many to exhort us Christ all the Prophets and Apostles to us doe their writings belong they can doe no good when once death hath possest us for in destruction there is no place for amendement We have Moses and the Prophets Luke 16. if we will not take their counsell wee will farre lesse hearken though one should come from the dead They that doe not take warning at Gods word their punishment is that nothing shall be able to move them If it had beene fitting or profitable we should not have wanted that helpe but whosoever will not be instructed by Gods owne words their punishment is that though one should come from heaven or hell yet they should esteeme all false and counterfeit or though they knew the truth of it yet where Gods word worketh not no vision or miracle is able to move The Iewes who still called for signes and warnings from the dead they had them Math 9.25 Luke 7 15. for Iairus daughter was raised a widdowes sonne at Naim but above all a well known man and one that dwelt hard by Ierusalem Lazarus was raised for whom the Iewes beleeved not in Christ but hardened their hearts and laboured to kill him Iohn 12 10. on whom God had bestowed life the second time And though many that were well knowne in Ierusalem rose at Christs resurrection Mat 27.52 53. and shewed themselves to their old acquaintances yet for all this the rage of the Iewes grew greater and more fiercely persecuted them that beleeved and put them in remembrance of these things the truth whereof they could not deny Therefore as the last destruction is of all most terrible and intollerable so Christ hath used his word to perswade us which is the most effectuall to make us prevent it if any meanes be available Afterward came also c. Seeing that our Saviour hath beene so carefull to forewarne us of the danger it appeareth that justly they be called foolish who never knocke at the gate of Gods mercy untill it be shut So did Esau seeke his fathers blessing with teares Gen. 27.30 after it was bestowed on Iacob teares could not call it againe there was no place for his repentance because he despised it and solde it away for a matter of nothing Gen. 25 32. Let no man be a prophane man as Esau was Hebr. 12.16 to account that of no value which God esteemeth precious When the plague of hailestones and thunder was threatned in Egypt such as regarded not the word of the Lord Exod 9 19 21 25. left their servants and their cattell in the field and were destroyed because they removed not all out of the field according to the counsell of Moses so they with whom these words of Christ are not effectuall must feele this woe and knocke and cry without any answere Let us doe as the Egyptians that feared the Lord they followed the counsell of Moses and so escaped the aforesaid plague and though there were but few to be excluded from eternall life yet were it enough to make every man tremble and to labour for prevention that he be not one When Christ tolde his Disciples that one of them should betray him Matth 26 22. all of them were exceeding sorrowfull and asked Is it I But Christ tells us that nor a few but many shall knocke call Lord Lord and be denied which ought to put us in greater feare untill wee have obtained meanes to be delivered from the danger of this multitude This verse sheweth the fruit of delay in turning to the Lord. VERSE 12. But he answered and said Verily I say unto you I know you not SEeing that by entring into the Mariage-chamber with the Bridegroome is signified unto us the receiving of the possession of our eternall inheritance it followeth that the voice of lamentation or complaint of the damned cannot reach thither for nothing shall be heard in it but the voice of joy and gladnesse neither shall any answer be given unto them But if any answer were to be given them it would be like this Verily I say unto you I know you not So that no meanes can availe either in judgement or after but reprobates shall be denied both the helpe of charitable men and of a most mercifull God Comparison of the words of verses 8 9 11 12. Betweene the petition of foolish Virgins unto the wise and their petition to God there is this difference when they speake to the Virgins they give a reason why they petition to them and so receive a reason againe why they are denied because their fellowes might be ignorant of their necessitie and the foolish ignorant of the ability of the other but whē they cry to God they name no reason because without their information hee knoweth their misery well enough and so are now answered without any reason expressed although the words have a reason in themselves because the damned understand and feele their owne misery and the cause of it well enough without any further expressing of it unto them Secondly Vide patientē sanctum dicitur enim Ecclesiasticus 4.3 Animam humiliatam ne turbaveris ipse respondet fili Theophylact in Luc. 16.25 in speaking to men they adde a reason of necessity to move them to take compassion on them and they are answered with a reason to shew that although they cannot helpe yet they are not cruell and unmercifull but in speaking to God they adde no reason to move him for hee of himselfe is very mercifull and full of compassion and so receive answer without any reason added because they would not harken unto him when with reasons he moved them Lastly whilest they have an extraordinary demaund to others to be furnished with their provision they receive an ordinary answer for every one thinkes they haue too little for themselues but when they have an ordinary petition to God to open heaven unto them they receiue an extraordinary answer for God never disclaimeth them that do drawe neere unto him I omit the application of these I onely would by these as by the rest of the particulars of this Parable give a taste of the great wisdome of our Saviour who preached it and what concent one word giueth to another Verily I say unto you These words containe