~to· Book IV. Part. 3· Le~king unto f-efsu. Chap.z.Sed.6 - ---lefm turning to them, [aid, deughters of {erufalem weep not for mr, but weep for your [elves, tmd for your children. In the midft of his mifery he forgets not mercy ; in the midft of all their tortures ~nd loudeft out-cryes of contumely, of blafphemy of fcorne, he can hear his following friends weeping behind him and neglect all his own fufferings to comfort them, wup not fo; me. He hath more compaffiun on the women that follow him weeping, than of his own mangled felfe, that reeles along, fainting and bleeding uar.o death : he feeles more the teares that drop from their eyes, than aU the blood that flows from his own veines: we heard before that fomerimes he would not vouchfafe a word to Pi!ttte that threatened him, nor to Herod that entreated him, · and yet unaskt how gracioufiy doth he turne ab~ut his bleffed bleeding f:~ce to thefe weeping women, affording them • looks, and words too, both of compaffion apd of confolation, dliughters of {er.ufa!em weep not for me, but for JOHr /elves.-~ and yet obfcrve, he did not turne his face to them untill he heard them weep; nor may we ever think to fee his face in glory, unleffe we fir{i bathe our eyes in forrow. It is a wond.er co me that any in our ·age lhould ever decry teares, remorfe, contrition, compunction; how many Saints do we finde both in the Old and New Tdl:ament, confuting by their practifes thefe groife opinions? the promife tells us,that they thatfowe in team jhall re!!pe in joy; he that follows Chriil, or goeth forth wuping, bearing pr.eciPf-al . u6.),G; om feed, jha/1 doubtlej]e come againewith rejoycing, brin1,inghis jheaves with him. But what'sthe meaning of this, weep not (or mt? may we not weep for the death of Chrift? do we riot finde in Scripture that Dtur. 3 4.s, all the people w~pt at the death of Mofes ? that all the Church _ACts.:. wept at the death of Stephen? that the women lamented the death of DorcM? and if all Chrifts aC!:ioas be our infiructions (I meane not h'is miraculous, or me~itorious, but hia.moral ones) did not Chrift himfelfe weep for La~arm, and for {erufa/em? nay, is he nor here weeping_~oures of blood all along the way? and may not we drop a teare[or all thofe purple ftreames of his ? 0 what's the meaning of chis, w.eep not for me, but weep for foHr [elves ? · I anfwer, the words are not abfolute, but comparative. Chrift doth not !imply_forbid us to weep for our friends, but rather to - · tW'ne
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