378 t.ruhns. Mat.: S. Pittie hath al. waiesa prava in readineffe for thole that neede i t. blat. t o. Two things required, that our inset-coil;. on may be cf feetuall. Old ftckenf(esare notquickely reco °. On the Thurfeday after red,nor old finales fpeedily redretfed. Y Befides,Inimployingour loue f'owholely vpon the Creatures,wemaychance tochoake that loue whichwe owe to the Creator.Saint After; expounding that place of lohn, Loue not the World, neitherthe things that are in the world, faith, That our heart is likevnto aveflell, which if it be filled full with the World, it ¡ cannot receiue God ; bceing like to that peeceofground where theTares did choakethe Wheate : Sothat of force wee muffemptie theveffell, and weede well theground of our hearts, that the loue ofGodmay fruétifiein vs. This in- ordinate loue doth fet the heart, like aCalentare,on fire. From the heartcorneal' our euillthoughts, andgoe fè[iring through the faculties ofthe foule. Andfnne, when it isfrnrfhed, bringethfoorthdeath, faith Saint lames. Shewas taken with agreat Feuer. As there are diuers kinds of Feuers,fo haue theya correfpondencie with thediuers infirmities ofthefoule;your youngmen are foone rid of their Feuers, efpecially iftheir fits becnot violent : but anold womanthat is taken withagreat Feuer,wil hardly recouer herhealrh.Aprifoner will eafily (hakeoff flight and (lender fhakles, but thofe that are doublechained and double bolted, he will hardly freehimfelfe from them. One frngle flick is tally broken ; but morebeeing bound together, verie hardly. A threefold cord nhardly broken. The like reafon maybe giuenofoldhones, vpon which,cuftorue hath drawneaneceffitie. Saint Auf?en treatingòfthe State ofhis owne finnes, fayth, That he was fall fettered with three ftrongchaines : Theone, of' his owne Will. The other,of an illCuftome that hehad gotten. The third,ofakindof neceffitie which did keepe him as it wereby force in this fo hardandcruell flauerie, Tenebat me,duraferxitus. Theybefaught himfor her. Themotiues of this interceflion, were : Firft, For that this good oldwoman, was of fo fweet a difpofition, and fo lo- uinganature : Whichwas much in foold awoman ; and no fmallmatter, con- fidering fire was a Mother inLaw. It maybe, Mothers in lawein thole daycs, were more louing, and better beloued than they are now. And onegreat argu- ment thereof is, That our Sauiour Chrift fhould put the loneof the Mother in lawand Daughter in law, in one and the fame degree with that of the Children &Parents,as it appearethin that place ofS. Mathew.1came tog( a manat variance againfi his Father,& the Daughteragain'?her Mother,and theD aughter inlaw again(! her Mother in law. Where youfee he links them togetherall in onechain. And fo it ought tobe : For,ifthe Husbandand theWife,by Matrimony remaine one flefh;the Daughter inlawought likwifeto be fowith the Motherin law,though not in the felfefame degree,whollyandaltogether. The fecondmotiue, was the intreatieof the Apoflies, who (as Saint u Parke maketh mention) interceded for her. And fuchpitrifullhearts,and tender bow- elsastheirswere, bee ing fought vntoby fogood an Hofteffe, who defired fo much as fhedid,toferuethem, could not chufe but take pittieof her,and fpeake a good word for her. Befides,the miferablePainefhewas inmighthaue moued the hardeft heartto compaffion,muchmoretheirs,whofe eyeshad feene in what an ill taking fhe was in. And kind hearts are foone fencible of thofeforrowes which theeyes (hall impart vnto them. They befought himfor her. In the interceflionof Holy men,God -attendstwo things ; The one,Thatwe perfuadc our feluesthat theyare preuailent with God, and that they can effeet muchwith his diuineMaieflie. The othcr,That he is well pleafed that we fhouldmakevfeof them, for the ho-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=