S The Circumftances of Maries perdition. Vpon the Thurfeday after Saint Hiereme would haue it)or onejhatwas neuer married,(as common opinion cries it) Petrus Chryfilogxsfaith, That fhe hadmade the Citie fo infamous that flip might more fitly be called, PeccatumHieroflima, quam Peccatrix, TheSinne of lerufalem, than of sinner ; becaufe by reafonofthe bad fame and euill report that went ofher, the whole Citie didfuffer therein, and was in a mannerfpoyled and vndone; fòmebeing takenwith her beautie , others withher graceful!behaui- our, nota fewwith the pleafantneffe of her witand liberal! language; butmoft withher ill example, occafioning murmuration in fame, &obduration in other- fome,caufing them not onelyto fpeake ill, butall'otodoe ill : In a word , fhee was Pellagenerals, vlgeneraaplague,andCommunefcandalum , i1 commonfcan- dalltoal. Thecircumftances of her perditionwere ftrange : Thefin ofdif- Firft, In that her finne was a finne ofdifhoneftie; wherein wee vfually fee honeihe path thefe two effects : twoproperties (i,) The one, That it clings like bird-lime to ourfoules. Thomas faith, That it is It Ricks of all Peccatummaxima inharentia, That it is a finne ofall other that cleaueth clofeft others thed°' unto vs and ftickes longeft b Saint Hierome That it much refembleth the ,o the 5 y vs. t Souk. Bird called the Phoenix, which dothreuiue and renew herfelfe with the fire which fhe kindleth with the motion ofher wings. Thoumourneft,thoubewai- teft andrepeneft theeof the dilhoneft fit-me which thouhaft committed,and de- fireft to giue it ouer,& thatit may dy in thee;but with thewings ofthy thoughts thoubloweft thofe coles a£refh, andmaker+ them flame more than before , fo that thinking to killthe Tuftsof the fle(h,thoudooft quickenthem&giue them new life; fo that what thoubewailed(' before for dead, thou now embraceft as lining, and huggeft it in thy bofome , as aman clafpes his deereft friend in his arm es, that afterfomc long fwounerecouers againe. A holy Hermit that led a deuour and folitarie life, talking one daywith the Deuill, demanded ofhim, Whichamongft theSinnes,wasthe greateft? Hetold him,Difhoneflie. And he replying, What, are not Blafphenlie, Murther,and Swearing,far greaterfinnes e Whereuntohe anfwered, In point of Diuinitie thefe are the greateft; hut the Rents and In-comes of the finnes of the flefh are farre greater : and this is the reafon why I doe not tempt anywith blafphemieormurther, but fome one de- fperate perfon or other; butwith difhoneflie,all forts of men; theMerchant im- ployes his Stocke in that kindof trading which(hail turnemolt to his commodi- tie; the Vfurerputs forthhis moneys where hemay haue moltprofit, andbelt fecuritie. There is not anyother finne that like aplague hath fpred it felfe foge- Gen.e: nerally ouerthe world,as that ofthe Flefh ; and thiswas the cau(è that God re- pented himfelf that he had mademan : and if at any time in the world there hath been any one that hath(hewed himfelfe fo valiant as torefillthe affaults ofhell, yetin theend theverie-fame partie hath beene fhrewdly encountred with the concupifcenceof the fiefh, as Saint Gregorie hath noted it of Salomon, Et noncu- ;.Reg.ir fod:uit qua mandanit eiDominos, It made him breakeGods command. (,,,) Theothereffedt is , that it blinds the Vnderftanding, as wee (hall Phewyou It blinds the hereafter. Vnacrftading The fecond circumítance is,That it isan impudent and fhameleffefinne; Marie Magdalenby thismeanes lofingall feare of God,and fhameoftheworld. When a R iuer runnes betweene twobanks well planted with treeswhich ferue aswals tohedge it in, thewaters thereofdoe noharmer but ifthefe Riuers breaketheir banker, and make their wayouerthofe walls,they ouerflowand fpoyle all that is in theirway. Whileft ourlife !hall bee bounded inbetwixt fhame and feare, na
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