assigneth not blessednes vnto them but vnto the forgiuenesse of sins Therefore let vs cry after him with sweet Bernard i Bernard in Cantica Ser. 23. O solus vere beatus cui non imputauit Dominus peccatum O the onely O the true blessed man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne For who is without sinne None no not one ALL haue sinned and come short of the glory of God Neuerthelesse who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect T is sufficient to me in stead of all righteousnesse to haue God alone propitious vnto me because to him alone I haue sinned What 's oeuer he hath decreed not to impute vnto men is as if it had neuer beene non peccare Dei iustitia est Hominis iustitia indulgentia Dei Not to sinne is the righteousness of God The righteousness of man is Gods indulgence Gods mercifull fauour whereby hee forgiueth sinne is my blessedness IV. This was the iudgement of a man who had beene an adulterer and a murtherer Such also was the iudgement of a woman whom the Scripture calleth k Luk. 7.37 A Sinner She came to the Pharisees house where Christ was The Pharisees of all men were most affectionate to the Law l Gal. 3.24 The Law is a pedagogue to Christ m Rom. 10.4 who is the end of the Law for righteousnesse to euery one that beleeueth See the wisedome of the woman when shee is in the Pharisees house shee goeth not to him who taught who beleeued that man is saued by the righteousness of the Law She said in her heart with David n Psal 51.3 I acknowledg my transgression my sinne is euer before mee I haue transgressed the Law I find no good workes in my life which hath bin so lewd that I dare not trust in it Therefore O Pharisee I am come to thy house but not to thee Thou speakest of perfection of righteousnesse thou preachest of rewards thou bragst of merites I cry to my God o Psal 130.3.4 If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquitie O Lord who shall stand But there is forgiuenesse with thee that thou mayest he feared My misery is my sinne my blessedness is his mercy I haue need of forgiuenesse I come to craue mercy I haue hoised the sailes of my faith towards the only haven which God hath ordained for sinners I flie to the port of Salvation where the stormie windes of the law tearing asunder the mountaines and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord blow not where the still and small voice of the Gospel refresheth the conscience which thirsteth after thee O my God like a drie land I am come ô Pharisee to him who p 1 Tim. 1.15 is come into the world to saue sinners of whom I am chiefe He is in thy house He is not of thy house So she thought so hâ—â— hart spake Out of hand she runneth to her Sauiour And to apply to her with the alteratioÌ„ of two words that which S. Chrysostome hath written of the woman of Canaan * Chrysost tom 2. Ex varijs in Matthaum locis homil 16. See the wisedome of the woman Shee intreats not Iames shee prayeth not to Iohn shee goeth not to Peter shee looketh not to the company of the Apostles shee sought not a Mediatour In stead of them all she tooke repentance with her for companion which was to her in stead of an aduocate and so she goeth straight to the Soueraigne Spring for this saith she is he come downe from heauen for this hath hee taken our flesh for this was he made man that I may be bold to goe vnto him In the heauens aboue the Cherubims tremble before him the Seraphims feare him and here below a Whoore goeth vnto him She speaketh not she cryeth not with her mouth as the Woman of Canaan did q Mat. 15 22. Haue mercy on mee O Lord thou sonne of David Her humility spake for her She stood at his feet behind him Her godly sorrow for sinne cryed aloud vnto him She washt his feet with teares and wiped them with the haires of her head Her loue was a most ardent prayer She kissed them she anointed them with oyntment each of those actions was a sensible prayer O Lord O sweet Iesus haue mercy on mee Thou art come into the world to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of God haue mercy on me Thou hast taken our flesh thou art become that which I am to haue mercy on sinners O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee Thou art still that which thou wast thou art become that which thou wast not Now thou art both in one person O Immanuel O God and man haue mercy on me Woman what ayles thee What cause hast thou to weepe Iudge by Christs answer to her weeping prayers what was the cause of her praying teares r Luk. 7.48.50 Thy sinnes saith he are forgiuen For her sinne she wept because her sinne was her misery Her sin was forgiuen her because forgiuenesse of sinne was her felicitie Simon the Pharisee made vnto him a feast of flâ—sh filled vnto him cups of wine The Lord had no stomacke for Simons meate no thirst for his drinke This woman like vnto Å¿ Gen. 27.9 Rebecca who could make sauourie meat to Isaac such as he loved knowing that t Ioh 4.34 his meat and drinke was to comfort and to saue repenting sinners filleth vnto him a bowle of teares mingled with faith and he pledgeth her in u Psal 116.13 the cup of salvation saying vnto her Thy faith hath saued thee Goe in peace Deare brethren if this day wee weepe as this sinner did our fasting will bee feasting to Christ our teares will be his drinke If we cry to God as David did x Psal 6.1.4.8 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Returne O Lord deliver my soule oh saue me for thy mercies sake The Lord will come and speake to our soules and wee shall returne home saying with David Depart from mee all ye workers of iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping V. I say if ye pray so the Lord will heare you If ye weepe so the Lord will comfort you If yee trust not in the prayers one of another If ye rely not vpon the prayers of the Church but if euery one pray for himselfe Heed what I say I doe not forbid you to pray and to weepe one for another for I haue taught you that the Saints did weepe and pray when their brethren sinned did not God say to Iobs friends y Iob. 42.8 Goe to my servant Iob and offer vp for your selues a burnt offering and my servant Iob shall pray for you for him will I accept He commanded them to goe to Iob whom they had offended and to require his prayers He commanded them also to offer vp for themselues a burnt offering to teach vs three most profitable lessons The first that
feast MARIVS himselfe could not have shewen a greater courage I could name women yet living who went stoutely to the skirmish against the enemies no wayes dreading the glistering of swords the brandishing of speares the hail of bullets falling thicke and whistling about their eares When men made head to men with their heeles they ran to the breach and catching the partizans that fleeing men had flung away laid their enemies heads where their feete were and saved the beleaguered towne The only sonnes of some of them being killed in that cause they buried them vvith dry eyes and laughing faces calling themselves happy that God had made them mothers of such children Neyther did they at any time weepe but when they saw men doe many things unbeseeming not onely Christians but men then through great displeasure they wept because men did neither blush for shame nor waxe pale for feare of eternall disgrace nor weepe for forrow that like IVDAS they had betrayed Iesus Christ or like REVBEN abode among the sheepfolds to heare the bleatings of the flockes Moreover the principall passions which provoke weeping are love anger sorrow If those passions bee more vehement in women than in men as men say then when they are sanctified in women as they are in all true Christian women we must confesse that in women there is greater anger against sinne greater sorrow for sinne and for the affliction of the Church greater love of God greater zeale of his glory than men and therefore that women weepe more than men Are they first in weeping they shall be first in comforts The more bitter their weeping is the greater shall their comfort be Women not men wept publiquely at the death of Christ therefore they vvere first comforted vvith the delightsome sight of his glorious resurrection and with the commission given unto them to bee the Apostles of the Apostles and to preach that their Lord and Master was risen againe S. Peter saith that women are the weaker vessell That speech may be turned to their praise for as a little cup of crystall though it be frayle and brittle is of more value than a thousand bowles of varnished tin so one godly and vertuous woman is more to bee esteemed when she weepeth to God in time of misery than ten thousand brutall men vvho can roare but cannot weepe I speake of brutall men for we finde in the Scriptures and I shew in this booke that the most courageous wise and godly men that ever had eyes in their heads did make of their heads living fountaines of tears of their eyes pipes to convey them to their cheekes and did weepe as much not only as women but as little children And indeed are vve not all Gods children why then shall we not weepe when vve offend him and hee chasteneth us Are vve not in his Church as new borne babes vvhy then should we not weepe in our necessities till hee take us in his lap lay our mouthes to his breast still us with the sweet milke of his spiritual comforts Can man have a true feeling of his evils and not weep Can he know that his helpe is in the Name of the Lord vvho made heaven and earth and not run unto him and cry unto him as the woman of Canaan did LORD HELP ME Will such men need rules of weeping Masters or Preachers to teach them how they ought to weepe No no their unfained love to the Church of God their earnest affection to the glory of God their extreame and godly sorrow for the bruising and crushing of Ioseph their passionate hatred and grudge against sinne will be to them a most sufficient and learned Master in that Art Godly sorrow will be Aarone rodde to their hearts of rocke and make them an undrainable spring of sighes of groans of cryes of tears of lamentations of complaints of expostulations of deprecations Their fervent love will make them most eloquent in devoute praying The heart wounded to the quicke sendeth up to the eyes rivers of teares and to the mouth flouds of most pithy and signifying words and easeth it selfe by weeping and praying There all the Saints of God men and women have in all times found teares enow and words in aboundance to make their mone to God Not that God vvho seeth without eyes heareth without eares and before whom hell it selfe is naked and the deepe hath no covering hath need of our teares to know our wants but because vve stand in need of him he will have us to know to feel our own miseries and to acknowledge with sighing mourning and praying that we have no hope but in his helpe but in the exceeding riches of his grace but in the infinite treasures of his mercies For this cause doth he exhort us to fast to weepe and to pray for the same cause at a Fast solemnized those dayes by-past made I in substance and so far as two houres of time would permit and I thought fit for the time and the hearers this exhortation to weeping which now I present to you MADAM as a publick testimonie of the due account which I make of those excellent gifts both of nature and of grace vvherewith God hath with an open hand inriched your noble and honourable person ISABELLA the Queen of women of whom I have already spoken might have been called the PHOENIX of Queenes if there had not bin a ZENOBIA before her in the Orient and after her an ELIZABETH in England This Queene was to all women a glistering Mirrour of chastitie a rare example of sobriety a perfect president of modesty She could not abide Iesters Stage-players Fidlers but banished them all off her Court when shee was not distracted with matters of State she was ever in the middest of her Ladies sewing with her owne hands and instructing exhorting them by word and by example to godlinesse and vertue Every day twice she had her ordinary houres of private prayers Her daughter MARY Queene of Portugall like unto her was very grave in all her carriage was as milde as any might be to all persons was enemy to idlenesse and was wont to exhort all her Ladies to MODESTIE saying that MODESTY IS THE PRINCIPAL ORNAMENT OF A WOMAN The Chastitie and Modesty of a woman the gracious and courteous gravity of a Lady the zeale and piety of a Christian the wisdome and providēt care of a vertuous noble Matron are the vertues w ch I have observed in your Ladiship and which have moved me to beare witnesse unto them by this dedication Futhermore all who know your Ladiship and know the perpetuall attendance of my Lord your vvorthy and right honourable husband on his Maiesty at Court will beare you record that you indeed are the vertuous Woman of whom Salomon saith that THE HEART OF HER HVSBAND DOTH SAFELY TRVST IN HER that her children arise and call her blessed that her husband praiseth her and saith MANY DAVGHTERS HAVE DONE VERTVOVSLY BVT
a Feast of mourning let everie man NOW drinke to his brother every woman to her sister full cups of tears When the people of Israel were rebuked of Samuel for their sinnes t 1 Sam. 7.6 they gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day said there Wee have sinned against the Lord. Lo how busy lo how forward they were to draw water for the clensing of their sacrifices and for the purifying and washing of their bodies or as some Doctors allegorize the words lo how contrite they were making of their harts wels of godly sorrow and going thither with the bucket of faith to draw up to the eyes tears of repentance for bewailing of their sinnes And what had they done They had worshipped strange gods and set up among them ASTAROTH u R. David Kimchi in lib. radicum which was the god of their sheep their fathers had done the like And when the Angell of the Lord rebuked them of that sinne x Iudg. 2 4 5 they lift up their voice and wept and called the name of that place Bokim i. weepers and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. O how many strange gods doe wee worship What are our self-love our ambition our filthy lusts our envie our hatred our pride but strāge gods to whō we offer most abominable sacrifices al the hours of the day Our covetousnes our insatiable desire of cattel of sheep of the Mammon of unrighteousnes is our Astaroth yea an Idoll so much worse than Astaroth in that wee worship it not openly but privately not in the face of the world but in the face of God not in temples of stone but in the temples of our hearts which God hath dedicated to his owne service How many Samuels how many Angels hath GOD sent unto us to reprove us of so many sinnes and wee are heer assembled as Israel in Mizpeh to acknowledge confesse our sinnes O then dear brethren and sisters let us first look up to the infinite Majestie of God whom wee have offended and let us afterwards looke downewards to our selves who are the offenders y Iob 4 19 Wee dwell in houses of clay our foundation is in the dust wee are crushed before the moth Houses of clay earth and dust wormes which are the meat of of wormes sin against God and shall wee not mourne shall wee not draw teares from our hearts shall wee not command our eyes to pour them out NOVV before the Lord shall wee not NOVV wash with them our reasonable sacrifices the calves of our lips which wee are come hither to offer up unto God shall not this House of God bee this day Bokim unto us shall wee not NOVV cry to heaven with weeping mourning Wee have sinned against the Lord David sinned but one night and b Psalm 6.6 hee was weary with his groning every night hee made his bed to swim hee watered his couch with his teares If I say of many of us that we sin every night and every day I thinke that I shall not lie Oh then shall we not weep this one day David when he wept cried to heaven c Psalm 51.1 2 3 Have mercie upon mee O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions wash mee thorowly from mine iniquitie and clense mee from my sin What moved him to cry so loud and in crying to pray for mercie For saith hee I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me Because he acknowledged his sinne therfore he wept If wee knew how hatefull our sinnes are to God we would weep we knowe them not we feele them not wee cast them still behinde our backs wee never bring them before our eyes therefore we weep not Oh how horrible shall bee that day wherein shall bee fulfilled that which GOD saith d Psalm 50.21 I will reprove thee and set them in order before thy eyes The Lord in his mercy preserve us from the terror and horror of that day Hee will doe it if by the weeping of this day wee prevent the weeping of that day if as Daniel did e Dan. 9 3 c. wee set our face unto the Lord God to seek him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes if as he did wee confesse that wee have sinned committed iniquity and done wickedly our Kings our Princes our fathers and all the people of the Land if wee acknowledge as hee did that if GOD should deale with us as hee dealt with his people of those daies righteousnesse should belong unto him unto us confusion of face if as hee did we joyne deprecation to the accusation of our owne sins and confession of our owne deserts crying f Ver. 19 O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and doe Where are the women of joy which through grief for their sin wash Christ's feet with their teares as g Luke 7 37 one woman of that kinde did once How many alas how many Publicanes yea worse than Publicanes doe swarme in the Church Shall ye finde one among a thousand who dare h Luke 18.13 not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven for shame who smiteth upon his breast which conceived sin in him who with words interrupted with sighes and carried into heaven with a swift flowing stream of teares cryeth to God God be mercifull to mee a sinner as the Publicane in the Gospell did Wee are all prodigall sonnes what do we all but feed swine but feed upon swines provender but cherish in our selves our filthie lusts but delight in sin Nevertheless which of us all commeth to himself returneth to his Father and saith Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne i Luke 15 15 as once a prodigall sonne did k Mat. 26 75. Peter denied Christ but once and against his heart and yet he excused not his fault but wept for it bitterly Are wee not of the crue of those of whom the Apostle writes that l Tit. 1.16 they professe they knowe God but by their workes they deny him beeing abominable and disobedient and to every good worke reprobate Would to God we were not But we are and yet our hart is glad our faces shine our cheeks are dry our eyes are hardned like Pumice-stones and we weep not Think yee that Saint Paul could write to the Romanes without vehement sighing how m Rom. 7 19 the good that he would hee did not but the evill which he would not that he did We are of a disposition much disagreeing unto his The evill that we would we do not but the good which wee would not that wee doe Through feare of punishment wee abstaine often from the evill which wee like to doe and through love of praise or of some reward we do sometimes the
lust mocked him Our envy accused him Our pride delivered him Our worldly feare condeÌ„ned him Ouâ—â—nhumanitie scourged him Our ambition crowned him with thornes Our profanenesse and atheism spet upon him smote him and abused him Our causelesse othes nayled him Our intemperancie in drinking gave him vinegar and gall to drink Our blasphemies our horrible execrations our cursings pearced him to the heart and yet wee weep not God was made a worm for us and wee weepe not Blessing it self was made a curse for us and wee â—eep not Life it selfe is dead for us and we weep not VII When the Iewes heard that hee whom they denied whom they delivered whom they crucified and killed by wicked hands was i Acts 3 14.15 the Holy One the Iust the Prince of life k Acts 2 37. they were pricked in their hearts although that l Act. 3.17 through ignorance they did it O how bitterly did Saint Paul weep when he recorded how he had bin m 1 Tim. 1.3 a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressor of Christ's Church altho hee did it ignorantly in unbeleef wee n Heb. 6.6 crucifie him wee put him to an open shame every day if not vvickedly at least vvittingly and vvillingly neverthelesse vvee are not pricked in our hearts and therefore vve have no tears in our eies to vveep and vvail because of him vvhom vvee have pearced VIII Will vve deferre the accomplishment of St. Iohn's Prophesie till Dooms-day vvhen o Rev. 6.15 16 the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and all the rabble of vvicked men shal cry to the mountains and rockes Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe vvhen their crying shall availe them nothing vvhen the irrevocable Doome shall bee pronounced and they shall bee cast into utter darknes vvhere p Mat. 22 13 there shall weeping and gnashing of teeth because then shall bee fulfilled the threatning of Christ * Luke 6.25 Wo bee to you that laugh now for ye shall waile and weep That vveeping vvill be unfruitfull because it shall bee a vveeping of despaire such as Iudas vveeping vvas when he hanged himself Let us then my beloved dear brethren begin to weep NOVV and to shead fruitfull teares q Aug de Temp ser 66. Duplicem habere debet fletum in poenitentiâ omnis peccator five per negligentiam bonum non fecit seu per audaciam malum perpetravit Quod enim oportuit non gessit quod non oportuit egit teares for our sinnes of omission teares for our sins of commission for through negligeÌ„ce we have not done the good wee should have done through rashnes vve have done the evill vvhich vvee should not have done Let us join to that vveeping a resolution to sin no more let us after that manner according to the exhortation of S. Iohn r Mat 3.8 bring forth fruits answerable to amendmeÌ„t of life Å¿ Aug. ibid. Fructus dignus est poenitentiae transacta flere peccata eadem iterum non agere To bring forth such fruits is to weep for our sinnes past and not to commit any sin for which we shal have need to weep again CHAP. VI. 1. TEares of repentance are fruitfull but they are not honourable 2. Teares of charity which we powre out for the sinnes of our brethren are both fruitfull and honourable 3. In this charity there is a duty to God 4. And to man 5. Examples of godly men which wept for other mens sinnnes are accusations of the hardnes of our hearts 6. Namely the examples of Iesus Christ I. SUch fruites are fruitfull such teares are profitable but they are not honourable 'T is shame to a man to sinne and therefore it is not honorable unto him to have need of pardon to beg it to weepe for it t Quem liberat notat A remission is a disgracefull brand to him that opposeth it to the hands of justice and amongst the Nobles of the land those are most esteemed in whose family there is no pardon no letters of remission But u it is the glory of a man v Pro. 19.15 and namely of a King to passe over a transgression and to forgive it It is even so between God and us x Pro. 25.2 It is the glory of God to conceale a thing and to give pardons to great sinners But they which receive such pardons must confesse as Daniel did that y Dan. 9.8 to them belongeth confusion of face and say with Ieremiah a Lam. 3.2 It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed because his compassions faile not II. As we must have fruitfull teares of repentance to weepe for our owne sinnes NOW so must we have honorable tears of charity to weep NOW for the sinnes of our brethren whereof we are not guiltie As it is honourable to b Luk. 15.10 the Angells to reioyce over the sinners that repent because they themselves are without sin so it is a glory to us to mourne for those sinnes wherewith wee are not blemished III. In this glory there is a duty if wee honour God if we feare his glorious Majestie if wee bee zealous of his glory can we heare his great and fearfull name blasphemed can we see his word despised his law transgressed his glory turned into shame and not bee commooved If our dearest friends uttered in our eares but one word of discommendation and reproach against our fathers and mothers that begat us what noise would we not make up would all friendship go no exhortation no submission no satisfaction would be able to bridle our impatience and to restraine our passionatenesse furie from vengeance If great men who are above our reach if our Magistrates if our Princes if our Kings speake disdainfully of them at the least wee would weepe at the least wee would shew by all kind of tokens of sorrow that such disgracing checks are grievous unto us The living God the Father of spirits is every where vilipended dishonoured reviled by great and small by our inferiors by our superiours by our equals by our friends by our foes And shall not we which professe to be Gods children be sensible of such contumelies IV. A great many yea many millions yea the greatest part of men give themselves over unto lasciviousnesse and run head-long into the dark gulf of death eternall damnation Are they not created to the image of God as well as wee are Are they not our owne flesh are they not our brethren where then is our charitie where our bowells where our mercy if we seek not to rescue them if we endeavour not to pull them out of the fire if all helps beeing impossible to us wee weepe not for them V. c 2. Pet. 2.7 8. Lot a poor stranger in the middest of a towne swarming with wicked men when hee could
our prayers are not accepted of God till we be reconciled to our brethren This is Christs lesson saying z Mat. 5.23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the altar there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leaue there thy gift before the altar and goe thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift The second that we must forgiue them which trespasse against vs This Lesson also hath Christ our good Doctor taught vs not onely * Mat. 18.32 by the Parable of the wicked seruant who was punished because he shewed no mercy to his fellow but also in proper words when he giueth vs this warning * Luk. 17.3.4 Take heed to your selues If thy brother trespasse against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgiue him And if he trespasse against thee seauen times in a day and seuen times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent Thou shalt forgiue him Protest wee not that we doe this when according to our Masters direction wee cry to God in our daily prayers Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs If we forgiue them from our heart we will pray to God for them as God said that Iob would pray for his friends Therefore St Iames sayth both to them who giue offence and to them which suffer it a Iam. 5.16 Confesse your faults one to another And pray one for another that yee may be healed for the effectuall feruent prayer of arighteous man avayleth much VI. In all the congregations of the Primitiue Church Iustin Apol. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Precibus finiâ—is mutuis nos inuicem osculis salutamus Tertull de Oratione cap. vlt. the brethren had a most vsefull and laudable custome to seale and close vp their prayers with mutuall imbracings and kisses which they called Orationis signaculum the seale of Prayer And so they went to the Table of the Lord. They kept this Custome principally in their fasting dayes as a publike testimony that they did forgiue one another were assured that God would heare their prayers which they had offered vp vnto him with single and meeke heart purified of all inward grudge and rankor and indued with brotherly charitie according to his holy and righteous commandement If any man withdrew this kisse from his brother he was rebuked and hissed of the whole congregation which being an assembly of holy true louers could not abide a brother who bewraied the ill-will and hatred of his heart when he refused the kisse of his mouth This custome was grounded vpon the custome of the Iewes who at their meetings did kisse one another and vpon the expresse commandement of the Apostles For S. Paul exhorteth the Romans Rom. 16.16 1 Cor. 16.20 2 Cor. 13.12 1 Thes 5.26 1 Pet. 5.14 the Corinthians the Thessalonians to greete one another with anâ—hâ—â— kisse And S. Peter exhorteth the brethren to greet one another with a kisse of charitie Not with the kisse of religious homage which is due to God alone and him whom he hath sent our Lord Iesus Christ Psal 2.12 as it is written Kisse the Sonne not with the kisse of superstitious homage to idoles as the Israelites kissed Baal 1 Kings 19 18. Hosea 13.2 and the calues Not with the kisse of naturall affection onely such as is vsual among those who are of kinred and nigh friends as when Isaac kissed his Sonne Iacob Gen. 27.27 and Iacob kissed his kinswoman Rachel Gen. 29.11 Not with the kisse of humanitie and ciuilitie such as were frequent among the Iewes when they did meet one another or when they invited a friend to their houses whereof Christ spake when he said to Simon the Pharisee who had invited him Luke 7.45 Thou gauest me no kisse Plin. lib. 14. c. 13. Ideo propinquos foeminis osculum dare vt scirent an â—emetumolerent Not with the kisse of triall such as was much vsed among the Romans who kissed their wiues and kinswomen to try if they had drunke wine nonnius ex Cicer. 3. de Repub. Carent remetâ— omnes mulieres Gellius lib. 10. cap. 23. and if they did sent of it killed them for amongst theÌ„ it was a crime in a woman to drinke wine Farre lesse with the kisse of treacherie and treason shadowed with the cloake of friendship loue as when Ioab kissing Amasa killed him 2 Sam. 20.9.10 Luke 22.48 and Iudas betrayed our Lord Iesus Christ with a kisse Pro. 27.6 Faithfull are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemie are deceitfull In no case with the vncleane and vnchast kisse of wan tonnesse whereof it is written that the Harlot met a yong man Pro. 7.13 caught him Origen ad Roman cap. 16.16 Osculum fidele primum castum sit dâ—inde pacem simplicitatemque habeat in chari taâ—â— non ficta and kissed him but with an holy kisse wherein there is no vncleannesse and with a kisse of charitie wherein their is no dissembling but a cleare demonstration of a peaceable and loving heart Where such holy kisses were vsuall were there thinke ye any iarres any alterations any cousenage any contentions at law Or if any were they not presently smothered and extinguished in the very eyes of the congregation I know the precept of the Apostle is not vniuersall and that we are not tyed by it to the custome of kissing But this ye must all know that he thing signified thereby to wit coÌ„cord peace charitie is a law both vniuersal and perpetuall And therefore as our fasting giueth wings to our prayers that they may mount vp to the throne of grace swiftly so let vs this day by an vnfained reconciliation if there be any iarres amongst vs and with christian charity grace imbellish them that coÌ„ming there they may be welcome and accepted VII The third is that euery one weepe and pray for himselfe as Iobs friends were coÌ„manded to offer vp for themselues a burnt offering This lesson is implyed in my text For to whom doth Christ promise that they shall be comforted To them which mourne Salomon bids vs b Pro. 31.6.7 giue strong drinke vnto him that is ready to perish and wine vnto those that be of heauie hearts Let him drink and forget his pouertie and remember his misery no more This Christ doth He maketh glad with the wine of his comforts the hearts which are heauie for sinne for who that is not witlesse will giue wine to him who is already too merrie Let not any man be deceiued Though this whole Church though all the Churches of God Though all the Saints all the Angels of heauen should pray for one of you if that one weep not if he pray not for himself God wil not heare them to forgiue him his sins c Iam. 5.17 18. Eliah may fast and pray for raine when wicked Achab feastes