61 Theef£icacie of Teases. R.afons whyPeter maned notpardon for hisdenyall. OfPeters Deniall. (as he thought) dcferue to be beleeued. And therefore our Sauiour queftioning him afterwardsconcerning hisloue, he dur¬ answer more than this, Thou knoweft,d Lard,whether I lone theeor no. Secondly,he askes not pardonby words,becaufe the pledgesoftheheart are foCure, that theyadmit nodeceit. And for that Lachryma font cords f nguu, Tzars are thehearts Ilood;S.4Imbroft therfore faith,Lachrymaripreces,vtilioresfont, yuäfrmoni;yuia f rmo inprecanáofortkftllit,lachryma omninenonfaller: Theprayers of teares are moreprofitable, than ofwords ;forwords inpraying, may now andthen de- ajarvs, but teares neuer. S. Chrififowefaith, That our finnes are fet downe in the Table -booke of Godsmemorie ; but that tearesare the fponge which blotteth them out. And indeering the forceof teares, he faith, That inChrifts fouldier, thenobleft Adthat he can do,is to fliedhisbloodin his feruice,Maiorem cbarita- tern uernohabet, &c. For what our blood fbed for Chriff,efl teth ; that doth our teares for our fumes. &waryMagdalendid notfhedher blood , but flit fbed her teares : And Saint Peter did not now flied blood , but hee flied teares; which were fo powerfull, that after that bee hadwept, hee was truacdwith apartofthe gouernment of the Church ; who before hee hadwept, hadnot gouernment ofhimfelfe : forteares cure our wounds, cheere our foules,eafethe confcience, and plcafe God, o lachrymahumilie (faithSaint Jerome) taus eft reg- num,6,c. o humble Teaee, thine u thekingdoms, thine zis thepower, thouflare!?not the Judges Tribunal, thou inioyaeftfsleneeto thineact-NJ-in : if thouenter emptie, thou doeß Mtgot out emptie ;thoufnbdaell the inuincible, andbindeft the omnipotent. Hence itis that the díuell beareth fuch enuie toour Teares. WhenHolofernes haddryedvp the fountaines of Bethulia, hee held the Citie his ....and the Diuell whenhe fhall come to dry vp the teares inour eyes,when he hathffopt vp thofe waters that fhould flow from the fouleof a tanner, het hopeshe is his. Eliot of Tryphon,the Tyrant,reports of thisone vnhearo-of crueltie : Fearing his Sub- ieQs wouldconfpireagainff him, hemade a publikeEdict, that they fhould not talke onewithanorher;andbeing thus debarr d oftalking one withanother,they did lookevery pittifully one vponanother,communicating theirminds by their eyes. And beingforbid by a fecond Edia,thatthey fhould not fo muchas looke one vpon another, when they faw theywere refirained of that libertie likewife, wherefoeuer theymet oneanother,they fell a weeping. This feemed totheTy- rant the damnableft and molt dangerous confpiracie ofall the ref}, and refol- uedtoputthem todeath. Thediuell is afraidofour words, afraidofour affûi- ons, butmuch more afraidofour teares. OLord fo mollifie our frnfull hearts, that whenfoeuer we offend thee, our words, our affe6ions, and our teares,may inall deuotionandhumilitieprefentthemfelues before thee, crauing par- don for ourfinnes. Which we befeech thee togrant vs forthydeare Soot Chrift lefus fake. Towhomwith theholy Spirit, beall rrayfe, honour, andglorie, &c.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=