20` Thetruewotthofathing neuerkñowne,til( loft. Upon the Monday after U Angells himfelfe and of all the Hofts ofHeauen, cornes vnto them , offers to cure them, byapplying the Medicines of his Word and his Miracles ; but they refufe to bee holpen , and fo heleaues them amongft the Catalogue of the Incurable. Secondly,The prayer which Chrift made for them vpon the Croffe, was a ftrange meanes ; and though hethen conuertedaTheefe, yet couldhenot con- uert a Pharifee. Saint Stephen made the like prayer, Lay not thisfnne,bLord,vnto their charge,Let not the fineofthis people be afin=vnto death. Inaword, the blondof our Sauiour Chriftfoftneth the hardneffeofftones,butmollifieth not thehearts of the Iewes. Thirdly,anoccaftoit once loft, as it is feldome orneuer recouered,fo is it or- dinarilybewailed. Horace faithof Vertue, That hee that inioyes it, efteemes it not; but hauing loft it, enuies it, Of Herod, lofephus reporteth, That ke caufed his wife tobe puttodeath vpona falfeaccufatìon, and íhe was fcarcecold , but that he pinedaway for her. vllexanderkilleddim andwept ouerhim when hehad done. Athens exiledSocrates,&afterwards repentingthemfelues there- of, they ereEtedhis Statua, and banifhed his Accufers...lbimelec banifhed Ifaac out of hisCountrie , and afterwards went to feeke for him, &c. Humane and diuine Hiftories are full of this truth : onely in thebrefts of the Pharifees this remorfeand pittie could findno place : but hauing loft inChrift our Sauior,the happieft occafnonthat euer theworld inioyed ; yet fuch and fo great was this their wilfull obftinacie that theywere fo farre from weeping or bewailing ei- ther his ortheir owne loffe, that if they could catchhimnow againe aliue,they wouldcrucifiehim anew. The bona_ Great obftinacies,greatftiffeneffeanditubbornenefledoththeScripturemen- heartednefá tion ; as that of the Gyants,which built the Tower of Babell ; that ofPharaoh, oftherewes whom fomany feuerall plagues couldnot vnharden ; that ofSaul,Ieroboam, An- without a pa- tiochus,& Herodd calonita ; thatof Elah andofZimri, who-went into thepallace 31Kin3r. t6 of the Kings houl , andburnt theKings houfe ouer himwith fire,and died.But none was like vntothat of thispeople, fortheir hardnesofheart hath nowcon- tinued abone t 600 yeares. Aboueall thefe harmes, there is one that isyet greater than the refl,whichis thisprefent rhreatning, Yeefhalldie in yourfnne. Ofall difafters thatmay befall vs, this is not only greater, but the fummeofall the refs. Howmanybufineffes offer vntomen inthis life,though theybee ofEmpires and Monar- chies, which will bebut as it wereaccefforie vnto them, and not much trouble them,whither they fucceedwell or ill r But this is foprecife a one,and fonecef- farie, that he that lofeth it,lofeth all ; andnot onely all prefent good,but thefu- ture hope ofeuer recoueringit againe. Saint Paulwriting to thofe of Corinth, comes vpon them withanobfecro, vt vefirumnegotiumagatis, i.t befcechyou mind your ownebufnelli ; your ownebufineffe, byanAntonomafia ; forall the reff are aliena,others. Seneca in anEpiftle that hewriteth toLucilirks, faith , That aman fpendeth part ofhis life indoing ill, and thegreater partinvnprofitable things ; andall his life, innotlookingwell what he doth : As,he that pray es withourat- tention; he thatreads with adiuerted mind:ifhe wouldhaue fpoke likeaChri- ftian,he might haue put them in mindofmany,who fpend all their life, or the greateft part thereof, byplacingtheir thoughtsvpon their end. At this marke PAL 49. í. did Dauid aimeinmany ofhis prayers. Caßiodorue thus expoundeth that place ofthe fortieninth P/alme, Theinigultieofmy heelesfhallcompaff mee about. The head is Principium hominis,the verie lifeand firftbeginning ofman;and the heele is
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