Motiues inducing the Threfc tobe converted. the goodTheefe. Ser.4o. death. Saint Axgafiine, That if violinshadnor fought toexcufe h.imfelfe, God would neuerhaue thruft him our of Paradifè. Saint Chryfeflome dothmuch la- ! mentit, that our SauiourPaying ; One of you (hall betrayme ; and prophefieng thebad end that heMould make, IadoMould not confeffehis fault., but Mould fo boldly vtter as hedid, Is a! c7i'ra;ler? Hee Mould haue left out then Nun- laid, Is it It' and faid, Egofum, Iam the man ; then had hee not loft heaven by a word. SaintGregarie, 1 hatthe Theefe neuer (hewedhinifelfc to iúhtill and fo craftiein theoffice oftheeuing,as now ; forwith this his laff theft, he repaired all the thefts of his forepafíed life, vll latrones, latrociniovitamperdaat, hicau- tern latrocinio vitamfuratorfempiternam, Other thetues by theeuing loot their Itfe;6ut this theefèbytheeaing, handfinely robs beavers, andgoes cleine awaywith an tuerla- fítng lfe. . Lordremember me whenthole commefi into thy kingdome,&c. As this petition was . a very humbleone,and a modelt one ;fowas it a nroft di! erectone. Firít ofall, all macs happinefle loth confift in Gods hauiag vs in his re- membrance: Thole that are predeflinated, haue theirnames writ downe in the bookofLife;ofthe Reprobat there isno mention made inthat book. Dauidaskes thequeffion, What uman that thouarefo mindfullofhim ! Saint Augufine faith, That the fecond part of this verfe is an anfwer to the former. ,Led eft home? What fuodmentor es tirea. For man is neither more nor more worth , than as farre foorth as hee is in Gods good remembrance. Naturall Philofo- phie doth multiplie the defi,ùtions of man ; but in Chriftian Philofophie, thereare onely two. The one,Deum time, tjrmandatatihis feria. Hoceft omniahove. All mans being doth confift in fearing God,and keeping his commandements. The other, quadmemor es eius, His good continuance in Godsmemorie ;and this is implyed in Memento mei, Remember me. I do notdefine that thou fhouldit make me a freeDenizen ofthy Kingdome; nor that thou fhouldft honourme, as thou doeft thofe that hauetruly frued thee;butonly that thou wilt bepleafed to remember, That though I do not dye hereforthee,yct Idye with thee:And that itgrieues meto the very foule that I h:dnotknown thee, that I might hauefuf= feted the tormentofthis Croft: in thy feruice,and for thy fake, and that I might haue laiddown my life,nay a thoufand liues,if I had had fomany,for thy loue.O Lord haue thereforemercrevpon me, and futfer me toPuffer not only fo long as my life, but asthe worldhas, fo that at lair thou wilt but thinke vpon me. Con- fiderabat (faith S. Axguflixe) facinora faa, pro magno habebat, f ei, infine mundi parceretur, He didthroughly weighhis owne wickedne[fi, and wouldtake itfar an excee- dinggreatfauotir, that when the worldMould haue an end,hemight haue hu f ones forgi- xenhim.He hid hapÌely heard that whichour Sauiour Chrift faid,Vtdebitiaßliwn bominis, venientemin pote/late,&e. Saint Gregarie dothdifcourfe very wittily ofthe Theologicall and Motall vertues of this Theefe. And beginning firft with his faith, he compares it with that ofAbraham, ofEfy, of ago/Is, ofthe three Difciples, ofNieodemns,andNa- thaniel, with thatof Saint Paul, and that of the Canaaniti(h woman; and hee fèemes to preferreit beforeall theirs : For, ifAbraham beleeued, hee fpakewith God in perfon, hee hadmany prefent fauours done him, and faire and ample promi fes,of far greater future bleflings. IfEfay beleeued, it was becaufe h el-ay? him fitting in his throne ingreat State andMaieftie,garded roundabout withSe- raphins, which cryed, Holy,holy, holy u theLordofHojo, thewhole worldis full of hisglorie. IfMofes belecued,it wasbecaufe hebeheld him in aflame offire,out of G gg the 6ig Man is no- thing batas Godremem- bets him. Two definiti- ons ofman. Golds. Efay 6. Exod.;.
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