-y 6 Tearesmaybeefeultia upon the Thurfeday after twomanncrofwayet. mend thefe tearesofpittyvnto vs; vilexander wept when he met with atroup ofpooremiferable Greekes that were all tottcrdand torne ; and theywho vpon fuch fadandmiferable fpeE}aclesare nottender eyed,and hearted, arecruel crea- tures. rifiera seram crudelia, (faithSalomon) and Saint Pau!files them,Sineaffe. F.lione,Voydofnatxrall Ira-lion. Now thefe teares mayoffend twomanner of wayes : Firf}, In theirexceffe ; for Godwillnot haue vs tobewaile that thing much, which in it felfe is little. Saint Auguflinehath obferued, That after Iaceb began to mourn for the loffeof lefeph, and the bereauing him of Benjamin , which mourningof his continuedalmoft the(pace of twentieyeares ; God withdrew thofe Regalesand fauours from him which hee waswont to conferre vpon him : before,the Angellsafcended and defcended the ladder ; before,theAngellgaue him f}rength to wreftleall night long,&c. before,he inioyed profperitie,wiues, children, and vietorie againf}Efts : but afterwards, the more teares, the more forrow fell vpon him ; for Godneuer grants to the teares of the earth, thecom- forts ofHeauen. And although he permit amannerly andmoderatekind ofna. tss(.=2 turallpittie, according tothat ofEcclefsailices,SupermortuummodicumFlora: And 'Was. inanother place, ,uafi direpaffus,incipeplorare, My fonne, let teares fall down ouer the Dead, and begin to lament , as if thou had ft fufferedgreat harme thy felfe. Such few drops he fauoureth andcheriflieth,but if they beexcefftue, or ouetmuch,he condemneth them as vnlawfull, and asawrong done vnto God. For the lofingof God, or the loffe of his loue, thoumayft well weepe World withoutend, becaufeit is an incomparable loffe ; but for the outward loffes of this World ; Incipeflorae, Begin thou to weeps, but quicklymakean end. Thefecondoffence is, That aman hauing caufeenough tobewaile his owne fines, the Joffeof his Soule,andof God ; cloth notwithffanding lamentthefe earthly& tranfrtorie loffes, neglecting the former. Thisdiforder Chrif} fought to redifieand amend in thofe tender-heartedwomenof Ierufalem , who wept fo bitterly to fee how ill hee was vfed by theIews, and how heauie the bur- then ofhis Croffe lay vpon him. Daughtersof leruflem, weepenot formee, hut weepeforyourfelues, &c. Ilewent andtouchedthe coffin . Thefirft place is takenvp herebyhis mercie, which is the wel-headofal thofebleffingswhichwe receiue from his bountiful Gods nerds hand.His Prouidencedoth conferuevs;his wifedom proteûvs&gouernvs; his f swt Goodnefle, fuf}ainesvs; his Liberalitie, inrichethvs ; his Grace, healethvs : all his bier. Andall this flowethfrom the fountain of hisMercie. The antientsfiled lupi- flngsflow. ter,optimus maximur; Becaufe (asCicero notes it theattribute of Beneficence is moregrateful!and acceptable in God,thanhis Greatneffeand Power. Inthe fecond place,came in his words of comfort, olifere,weepe not. In the third, his hands, Tetjgit loculum. Heere hee exercifeth his hands, his tongue,andhisheart. Ifwe cannot imitate thehands of our Sauiour Chrifin doing good ; yetat leaf} imitatehis heart,and bis tongue. For Pittieand words cotnothing,and are wanting to few. They made a flans,that bare him. Here heChewed himfelfe Lord both of the lining, and thedead. And therefore Saint Luke vfeth this word Dominus, Hare cumvidifet Dominus, When theLordhadfeene her . Thefe thatbarehim thus to his graue, are firft of all a fampe ortokenof the goods of this life , whichCar- rievs f}epbyfep from our honors,riches,delights,andpafiimes,to the houfeof eternal! lamentation and mourning. Secondly,theyarea (tamp or tokenofil & lewd companie,which fayto anvn- experienced
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