Weare puni fhablefor . oureuill thoughts. . the firll Sondayin Lent. Serin. to. kept him backe, whenhe wouldhaueQuootinned withAgamemnonIçing of the Greekes. Dauid gaue thank es to Abigál, becáufe hehecing rcfolued to def roy Naha/and all his houfe, the had withheld him fromit ; uìaprohibuJbme, &c. Somay we likewifegiue th nkes vetoGckeneffe, becaufè it detaines vs & turns vs afide from the forbidden paths ofhumane pleat-in-es : fothat thcfe thirtie eight yeares are fo farre from the rigour ofIudice,thatit is rather anadofmer- cie and pittie. But if we confider thefe thirtie eightyeares in reafon ofIuflice, it will not feeine rigorous to any : He is not tobe accoun edan auflere & fauere Iudge,who. Both keepe aDelinquent long inprifon ; if when he is inprifonhee rcturne to a relapfe in his delifis : What hope can a Iudge haue,that fucha oneshouldproue goodbeing fetat libertyroi-ofa theefthat íhal fal adealing whilehe is inpriföt Now thisman that had neither handnor foot tohelp himíelfe,lying benum'd in his little cart,bore before himthe caufe ofhis griefe, by falling into thofe faults which hehad formerly committed. And this is inferred out of thefe our Saui- ours words unto him, lamnoli ampliuspeccare, Ngwfee thoufnne nomore. But if ob any man aske me,How can that man finnethat is boundhandand foot c Ianfwer, sot. That for all this , his defires and thoughts arenotfettered. Iniquitateznmedi tatto eftin cubilrfuo, aflitit or/kWvidnonbond, Hee that applies himfelfe to cuill thoughts,and bath adcfireveto them, there is not that wickedneffe whereofhe á4äú1dnot reap the fruits thereof. Fromwhence I cannotbutnoteout thefetwo things vnto thee The one, That the finites of ourthoughts and imagilnationsare of all other, the eafied tobe done. How manyKniueswould a Cutler make in a day , ifhe could finifh themwithout a Forge , anAnuilc or a, Han-liner Qtedionlefhe, yeti many. The like reafon isto be rendred ofthe errors ofourth9ilghts. The other, That they are the harder rò be fceneor holpen : ToTie feéne, for; that they are fo fecret, Ah occultis meis munch me,Clenfe me,âLord,frommyfecret. flans. To beholpen; foras he that is dill kept hungrre and thirdie,hath neither his thirdnorhis hungerfatisfièd , but encreafeth more andmore vponhim ; fo he that neuer enioyes thofe humanedelights, neuer bath the hanger and third of his defires fatisfied. So that this poore ficke manperfeuering in his finné, it is not much that God Mouldperfcuer in his punifhments : for our shorter finnes Gods chaftifements are àlfo (port,Inmomento indignationis auertefaciemmenuparumper, (i.) Foramo- ment inmyneanger,!hidmyfacefromtheeforalittlefeafon,. Butfor ourlonger,lon- Lc:te.Z;. ger ; Yir multumjurans,à domoeisu nonrecedet plaga,(f.)7he Plaguefhiallneuerdepart fröthehoufeofhim thatfiveareth much: whence itcömeth topalfe,that fomany are marr'd, and fo few amended : Which is all one withthat of Ieremie,»ipati,ne- quecompandti. Thefe are the Deuils Martyrs,who fuffer nor oncly without ward, (as Saint Paulf<aith,Si peccantesfffertis,quidvobis,efgratiæ?) but treadlire vpnew torments voto themfelues. But fome onewill askc, Howcomes it to padfe, that thismanbeinga firmer, which waitedat the Fi(h-pools, our Sauioutfhouldfor his;fakeleaueother suit andgoodmen,andmake choice to come vnto him Ertl,(as I haue told youalreadie)becaufe Sickneffepieferneth the fonle from finc, and thatirisa tokenof Gods nacrcseand goodse1Th towardsys. Secondly,Becaufethispoorewretch didhope tobehealed,his thoughts and his Tropes laying hold vpon Gods fauotir towards him, withadrones and affared affiance : and this was thatwhich this udce man did purpofely feekeafter. P Euthimiva os. So/. A patient fuffering ac- ceptable veto God, & pro- fitableto our felues.
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