58z The nature o a Prophet fhould be ra- therTweet thanTarp*. True zeale ne- uerdifheart- neth,but en- courageth the weake. God in a mo- ment can make ofa (in- ner a Saint. Of Maries Re- pentance. Vpon theThurfday after britfhe hathannoyntedmyfeet withsyyment,&c. Theother, That at the feet of our Sauiour fhe made agenerall facrificeofall thofe things, wherewith fhehad before offendedhim ; as of her eyes, mouth, hayres, hands, heart , and foule, not leauing out fo muchas that her oyntment, which is that which womenare loatheft to leaue, and doe lateft and hardlieft part withall. Saint Bernardfaith,That MaryMagdalendid climbevp toheauenby the fame rounds, bywhich fhe went downe to hell. Wee make a rope of our vices and a ladder of our fines, by whichwe defcend to hell. Infome, their eyesare the'inftrumentsof theirdeftrudion, in others their hayres, in others their daintiesand delicaciesin ; c atary c Magdalen, all whatfoeuer fhepoffeffed : Sheewas the net that fwept all the vices vnto her ; and all thofe good bleffings which Godhad beftowed vpon her, fhe had made themweapons wherewith to offend him.And as the fouldier thatyeelds himfelfe,holding his weaponby the point, offers it to the Conqueror;fodid c titary cJ'wagdalen,ô Lord(faidfhe) with thefe weapons haue I offended thee, butnow I here lay them downe at thy feet. if this man werea Prophet,he would furelyhaue knownwho, &c. God doth fo kind- lyand fo louingly entertaineall thofe that are penitent (inners, that it'would makea man thinke that he had not knowne them. He thathath kild thy brother, ifthouknow himnot, thou welcommeft him to thy houfe , and fetteft him at thy table : beholdheere the immenfiueLoueofGod for that which thou doeft outofmeere ignorance God doth here doe it out ofcleere knowledge.Ifthou (halt bewayle thy finnes and offences, thou (halt finde God after that manner, as ifeither he had not knownethy faults at all, or if heedid knowthem, that hee had quite forgot them. Inaword,here theboord ofa (inner is made the chaire ofholinefl'e,andofvertue. 7fthrs man werea Prophet. Your Hypocrites which defire no morebut the barename ofProphets,andto be onelyefteemed for fuch,are commonly feuere and (harpe : but thofe whichprofefle tobe fo indeed,will rather offend through mildnefl' eand foftnefl'e, than roughneffe and aufteritie. SaintChrife/lome fayth, Melia'seft Dee, demifericordia rationem reddere,guamdeauferitate. It betteragrees with Godto renderanaccount ofhis mercy , than of his feueritie. If God bee naturally kind, Why fhould a Prophet be cruell ? One of the reafons, Whythe day ofiudgement ought to be defired, is That wee may feethefaces of thofe who being verywell fatisfied of their owne fandtitie, are outofa loathingof other folkes finnes,ready forfooth to turne vp the ftomacke. Your Vultures are all femalls, (according to the opinionofyour Naturalifis) andconceiuing by theAire, they arethe ftampe and Embleme of your Murmurers, which teare and rend the ilelbaliue, as your Vultures doe dead carcaffes : and if thou wouldeft knowwhereupon they ground this, thou (halt find it is in theayre. Ifhe but knew who, andwhat manner ofwoman thiswere whichtoucheth him. The iudgements that are moft preiudiciall to a Common-wealth, and moltcontrarie to Gods nature andcondition, are the difcrediting anddifgracingofprefent ver- tues, with the reprochfull remembranceof forepaffed vices : forcedoe thisout ofzeale forfooth ; but true zeale neuer difheartnethor difcourageth thofethat are weake. How can that be zeale which perfuadesit felfe, due elfpo,fiempre es fapo, That once a toadandeuer a toad. Thiskindof zeale I fhouldhardly glue credit vnto , though it fhoulddefcend downe from heauen ; efpecially when I confi- der withmy felfe, duedel f po, puedehazerdios Perdiz, That Godofa toad can make a Partridge. What faith Jeremy ?orieturficut mane 1u0i6a, Confider the thicke duskineffeofdarknefl'e, and thenagaine the glorious brightneffeofthe light,be ing
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