Sinnedriues God farre from vs. thethird Sonday inLent. Ser.ip. that they might not bee able toput forth ahand to hurt him ; and leauing them like fomany blockes, might paffe through the middeft of them, as beeing the Lord both of their foules and bodies. Andas heonce left the Iewes with their (tonesfrozen in their hands,fo now leauing theNazarits aftonifhed, Per medium illorumibat. This¡bat dothinforcea perfeueranceand continuation,intokenthat Godwil leauehisbelt beloved countrie,&that citie whichwasmoft graced andfauored byhim, if itbe fograceleffeas toprooue vngratefull. When God carried Eze- chielin fpirit to the Temple,difcoueringgreat abhominations vntohim,and Paid vntohim, Thefe things my People commit , Vtprecut recedam á Santtuariomeo, Theygiue meeoccafiontherebyro forfake them, and to getmee faire enough from them. So hath he departed from Ifraell,fromAfia,Affrica, &manyother partsofEurop, forfaking fo manycities & templesfo muchheretofore favored by him,and lbmuch made of: Nazarethfignifiesa Flonre, aCrownc,oraGar- land ;,and the Nazarites were oncetheonlyFloures in Gods Garden, that is, inhisChurch; theywere religiousperlons thatwere confecrated tohis feruice, and therefore Nazareth is by themmore particularly called Chrifts ownCöun- trie, forthat thereinhe hadbeeneoften fpiritually conceiued. But becaufe Of the Nazarits, irrem. doth lament,Thattheybeing more white thanmilke, were become as blackeas a cole,byreafonof their vnthankfulnefle. Therfore in Col= ledgesandreligious places-, with whom God communicates his fauours in a more large and ample manner, they oughtofall other to Phew themfelues moft grateful! : for the morea manreceiues,and themore he profeWeth, themorehe ought todoe. Cumenimerefturndone,rations etiamcrefcunt donorumDei,fo faith Saint Gregorie. But hepail&dthrough the middell ofthem,andwent his way . Howbeitdeath to the Iuft is notfudden, nor canbe Paid to take him hencevnawares [Thoughthe Righ- teousbepreuentedwithdeath, yetlimnhee be inreff,]The Church norwithftanding loth notvfe this prayer invaine, Afubitaneaer improuifa morte, liberanos Denti- ne, From fuddendeath good Lord deliuervs. Saint drtgufline in hislaft frcke- neffeprayed oucr thepenitential) Pfalmes, and fhedding many teares,fayd,That though a man wereneuer foiuft and righteous, yet was hee not to die without penitence. Saint Chryrßometells vs, That when Feare at thehoure of death doth let vpon the Soule,burning as it were with fire, all thegoods of this Iife, theenforceth her with a deep and profound confederation, tomeditate on thofe of that otherlife which is tocome. Andalthough a mans firmes bee neuer fo lighr,yet thenthey feeme fogreat andfo heauie , that theyopprcffe the heart . Andasapiece.of timberwhiléft,it is in thewarer,any the weakeft arme is able tomooue it, butbeeingbroughrto the (bore hath need ofgreater ftrength ; fo finwhileft it floateth on thewaters of this life, feemeth light vntovs,but being brought tothe brinke of death, it is verseweightie, and itwill requirea great deale ofleifure,confideration,and grace,to land itwell and handfomely,and to ridour hands of it. Ofthis good,fudden death depriueth vs : Andalthough it is apparentinScripture, That God dothfometimes permitthe Iuftto diea fud- den death,as origen,SaintGngerie,andvlthanafiue BithopofNice afiirmeth ; as inFobs children,on whom the houle fell when theywere making metric : and in th6fc who diedWith thefàll of the Tower of Siloah; who according to our Sauiours teftiinonie,wereno filchnotorious tanners yet commonly this is Pent by God as a punifhment fortheir finnes. Morspeccatorum,pefirna , (i. ) (Iredebet, Aneuill deathwas madeforanevil man. AndTheodoret expounding what David meant 3x We oug}ri to prayagain(i fudden death. Sap. ;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=