Motiues to Charity. the firft Sunday in Lent. Serm.6. iöt I him for the prefent vnworthieofpardon; Asthe Lordliueth,he is thechildofdeatht Inaword , the WordofGodcannot fìtile. And Amos inhis fourth and fixth Chapter, threatneth thofe powerfullçruell oneswithmolt feuerepunifhments. And Salomon faith, That the hard heartfhall hauemany a fhrewd pang whenhe lies on hisdeath bed. ThisDoérine bath in it'sfavour three powerfullreafons. The firft;Inthe fecular fiate; fortheelder brother is bound tomaintaine his younger brothers, andvpon this condition is bee made the heire ofhis houfe ; otherwife hefbould be condemnedfor vnkind and cruel'. God(faith SaintBap) madethe rich manthe elderbrother that hemight relieuehis younger brother, the Poore. And c.3talachie faith,That the hungrie, the naked, and the maimed man, on whomthe richmanbends his brow, is hisbrother ;that they haue one and thefame God to their Father, &one and the fame Church to their Mother. The fecond, Our SauiourChrift isnot contented that thou Ihouldit make ac- count that thougiueft thybrotheran almes, but thy felfe : And he doth reueale this truth,andnotifieit vnto thee, tothe end that thou fhouldit not defpife the Poore ; Has-requies mea, refrcite lapin, hoc eft mean; refrigerium. How isit poffr- ble (ô Lord) that the fuccouringof thePoore fhould be thy cafe andthy refre- thing ? Becaufe I (faithour Sauiour) amthat pooreMan ;and happie is hee,who vnder the ragges of thePoore,diuideth the richesof God. Thethird, Thatthis charitie towardsthe Pooregiues vs anaffuranceofHea- uen: Charitieafoordsgreat confidence to all that prathife it,andmillnottaper theirfoule togoeintodarkenel. Betides, Davidcallsthat man happie , whole finnes arc co- uered ; Beaten vir,cuisuu tel afontpeccata. AndSalomon, and Saint Peter affirme, That Charitiecouers amultitude offinnes, Yniuerfapeccata operit Charitas. Dfcediteinignem eternum. Goeinto euerlaîtingfire . This is a moltcruell punifhment , inregard of the defpaireofany futurecomfort. Micheal treatingofapuniflrment that God was to intliát vpon hisPeople,faith, Iwill makeawailing like the Dragons,& mour- ning as the daughtersof theOwle ; Qtiadeferata eftplaga etas, For her wound is incurable. O,withwhat teares, ô, with what hideous fhreekes oughtman to bewaile the defperate torments of Judgement, andof Hell .f This punifhment all the damnedthall equally fuffer ; nor there is not the immagination of any thing that can fomuch affrightanddifmayvs. But inthofe other punifhmenrs, Tome fhall flittermorethan other-fome, theirfhame,confufron,and their hellifh torments, being anfwerable to thenatureoftheiroffences. Thefirft fort that (hall fufferthe feucreiFpunifhment,fhallbe theIewes ; who incrucifyingourSauiour Chrift,coinmitted the greateftfin, and the heinoufeft offencethat euer was committed in theWorld;Who,whenat thedayofjudge- ment theyMall fee and perceiue whom they foimpudentlyabufed, fhamefullÿ mocked,cruelly fcourged,fcornefully crowned, rigoroufly handled, fpit vpon, buffeted andcrucified, and all vndeferuedly ; beeing onethat wifht them all pod, hugg'dthemvnder his wing, asthe.hen clockethher chickens, wept ouer them,and mournedfor them ; they(hall remain fo thunder-ftrucken, fo aftoni fhed,fodaunted,and fodeadwithfeare'atid the horror oftheir punifhment, that theyfhall cry vntothe mountaines,andcallvnto the hills,witha Cadite taper nos, Fallvponvs. This lamentable andwretchedcondition.oftheirs,Zacharypoin tethat,in there words , Etafpicieneddme,quem confrxerunt,They fhalllookevpon mee whome' they have pierced. And Saint iohn . Videbiant, inquerncrucifxerunt, 13 They Tob. 4. A difference of punifh- ment aceor- dina tothe difference of Sinnes. Zachar. r s.
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