618 Mat.l. Efar43 lob s4. lob ;Las. The conuerfiouof the Theefe euery way miraculous. TheConuerfion of is alwayes anfwerable to the figure andif youprolong your longingsas they did inyour life time, yourdeath like theirs will be likewifebad. Saint Bernard treating vpon that placeofSaint uNiittheni, Theaxe is Wm,put to theroot ofthe tree, faith, That the treedoth for the molt part fall to that fide,whereuntotheweight ofit's boughs caufeth it to incline ; and that our luftfull longings and defires are theboughsof this tree , inclining the contrary way. And therefore ifamans whole life !hallleanwhollyvnto frnne, and incline it felfe towickednefle, it muff beGodsexceeding great mercie, ifit fall at lall vntoGrace. Gods mercywas alto themore,in regardofthistheeues blafphemingofhim, The theeues lskewifireuiledhim. Saint .iugufline, Epiphanies, Anfelme, Saint Jerome, Saint vimhrof , and Beda faith, That the plurali numberis put here for the fin - gular ; and thatonely onethiefedidblafpheme,by the figureSynecdoche, orvino:- le/gee, as it feemeth toSaint vluguffine ;which (according toSaint Jerome) is a figurefrequently vied n Scripture. Saint Luke faith, That the fouldiers gaueour Sauiourvinegre todrinke , whereas the relt ofthe Euangelifts fpeake onely of one. Ofthecalfe, Exodus faith, Thef,alfrael ,are thy Gods. Nebuchadnezzar Paid to the three children,sydrach, Mifech,andvlbednego, fpeaking of the Statue of gold, rewill:sat wor/hip our Gods . Dauidtreatingof HerodandMat , as appeareth by that of the Tcis, fiich, TheKings of theearth band themfelues, and thePrinces areafmbledtogether againf the Lord, andagainfl his Chrifi. Saint Paulin his Cata- loguewhich hemakes of theSaints,faith,Theyfioppedthe mouthsofLyons; Daniel being theonely man that did it : fo,set'iifunt, When it was onely Efay,u thatwas fawne afunder. Againe, Cire:deruntmeLoris, whichhad onely referenceto Elias. And it is a veryvfuall phaafe both intheLatine and the Spanifhtongue, to fay, vflexandros, Annibales, Scipiones, jc. And a maineargumenthereof,is that (harpe and feuerereprehenfron wherewith hee rebukedhis companion, that blafphe- med Chrift ; faying vnto him, Ewell thou not Gad, firing thou artin the famecan- demnation ? Who ifhehad blafphemedour Sauiour,would neuer hauefo round- ly reproouedhim. Ofa contrary opinion to this is Saint Tereme, Saint Chryfoflone, Cyril, Hilary, Thomas, origen,Theophilaíï, Eatbimius, Saint Ambrafe, and Saint Marke,and Saint c.tiJatthew feeme toexpreffeasmuch inplaine termes: butbe it in thattence that they wouldhaue it, it is but fomuch the more indeering of Gods mercie, who allohath companion euenof the beafts of the field. Accordingto that which Efay prophefied, The wildbeatspallhonourme, the Dragons and the oflriches, be- caut e Igauewater inthe defert and fonds in the wildernefleto giucdrinke to mypeople, euento mineelect : as ifhé fhould haue Paid, It is not muchthat the ftarres ofheauenfhould praife me, or the Quireof Angels, or the children of God, which are captivated by their knowledgeofme,& thebenefits that I haue heaped vpon them. But that a theefe,a villaine, one that was bred vpin bufhes, and lay lurking to doemifchiefe in the thickeft of the woods, andin mountai- nous places, that fuch aone fhould praifeandmagnifiemyname,it muft hauean Epithite beyondmore than much. Laftly, Thediuine prouidence fhew'ditfelfe, in hauing hid and laid vp fuch it's treatûresina theefe , Haft thou entredinto the treafureafthefnow ?or haft thou fiene the treafures ofthe hayle, whichI hauehidagaiufl thetime oftreuble ? &c. In the frozenbre(t ofa finner, and in thofe ftormes of our finnes, as thickeand ashard as hayle, Godbath hidden and ftored vp (asSaint Gregorie faith) againIt theday oftrouble,thegreat and richtreafures of his grace. Therewere two theeues crucifiedwithhint, anon the righthand,andtheather an the left.
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