Múth the belt Medicine. the firft Sunday inLent. Serin. to. 167 any : and thatother,whichhada Spirit of ipfrrmitie eighteenyeares, and was bowed together, andcould not lift vp her 1 fè in any wife : Whom fome inter- pret tobe the Deuill, by thofe words ofour Sauiour , This daughter ofAbraham, whomSaban bathbound. Eight and thirtie yeares of fickeneffe would require eight and thirtie yeares of meditation : And firft ofall,ler vs confider,what a fadandmiferable life this poore man led. ,..inimusgaudens f eridam virginfac:t , jirit:as tripsexfccat ofa, A *Jerrie life makesa cbeerefullcountenance ;but that which is f dandmournfullwithe- reth theflef i; ; andnot onely confumes theoutwardbeautie , but alfo rotteth the bones. Another Letter hath it, Animusgardensbenefacit medicina, Aioyfe ll heart caufeethgoadhealth ; but ofrrowferllmind drieth thebones : A joccond mind difpo- fethtüebody asphyficke ; nor is there any phyficke forman comparable to that ofJoy. According to that which theWife man faith in another place , T¿dhil sliudfibColo, quam Letari & benefacere, 7dmakea cheerefullcountenarue,there is no- thing tinder Heauen like to it ioyefullheart ; but by the forrow ofthe heart the niind is heauie, Inmeerareanimi deycttur f iritut ; another Letter giues it, Frangi- tur : a man is broken thereby, andgrownd in pieces as corne vnder a millftone. Ecclefaflicue renders the reafonofit, paintingforth the conditionofaheauy and forrowfull foule ; Sicut in percurfura triticipermanebitJlercue,&c. As when onefsf- teth, theflthinef remaineth in thefeue ;fothefilthofa manremaineth in his thought: For as thewoman that winnoweth the corne,leaucs nothing in the lieuebut the chaffe ; (which is as it werefarinaflercue , The dung of themeale) fo, if youwill but lift the thoughtofa forrowfull man, ( which is as it were the lieue ) and throughlywinnow hisgoodand euill difpofitions,thegoodones quicklyrunne from him, and thebad remaine behind. But what ioy can a man take that lieth bed-ridden eight and thirtieyeares e A great griefe (thoughbut fhort) will kill the flrongeff man aline, [Multos enim occidit tritia, Sorrow bathkilled many] and though it doth not giue themprefent death,itgiues them aheart todelire it. Eligefound himfelfe fo outof heart when he fatehim downe under the Iuniper tree in the Wilderneffe, (flying from the furie of lefbel, who fought after his life)that he deftred in this his melancholly mood,that hee mightdie. What de- fpairethen may not that forrow driue awretched poore foule into,whofe griefe is as long, asgreat, and as great as it is tong r Seneca tells vs, Mehraefi femelfindi, quamfemperpremi, Better is aJ1'ert,thana lingering death, lobpaf ed ouer many a forrowfull day,and in a ny amournfull night, Diesvacuos,& nodes labor:ofas,Com_ panílej,andcomfartlefe ; and his wife thinking it the letter ill, to die out ofhand, than to hue in Thch perpemall torment ; faid vnto him, pittying his grieuous pain, BenedicDeo, morere ; Play the Renegado once, curfe God to his face, that thou maift oblige him thereby to take awaythy life. But fay that lobs Ali-. &ion wasgreat,it was not of38 yearesftanding,as this pooremans was: Eight andthirtieyeares . Here we areto confider, That this fickemanwas at leaft fiftieyeares old : andwe may makethisconithure, That heelay ina little carre, withhis bed vnder him, together withfuch ragges andclouts as were for his neceffarievfe. Whence it followeth,that Godhad laid this long frckeneffe of thirtieeightyeares vpon him forhis uinnes,as Saint- Chry flome;ireneue, and manyother Saints inferrervpon that commandwhich Gòd laidvpon him, 4lteli ampliMSpeccare, See thoufnncnomore. It feemeth, that heehadcommitted thefe finneswhen hewas but twelue yeares old'; formanytimes [Prauenit maliciapec- catum] it fo falls out, that our wickednes outftrips ourage, and that weerunne into great finnes, before wee come to 'great yeares';' young Youthes beeing herein Luke I;. Prom. 17. Pram. Is. Ecet. z7. Sorrow, a iharpe (word. 3. i(ingr 19.
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