mercy, Hebrews the thirteenth chapter, to diftribute and to doe good. forget not; for with fuch facrifice God is well pleafed. Thus thall we approve our felves to be godly, as alfo if we fay with David, Pfalm the twenty fixt, I have loved the habitation of the juft. It we account the Sabbaths our delight, Ifaiah the fifty eighth chapter; If we cfteem of places and times of godline ffe aright, and cleave to the perfons that profeffe godlineffe, as Acts the feventeenth chapter and the thirty fourth verle, Dionyfius and Damaris ; they that doe fo, fhew Godlineffe.

The fecond Virtue is, love of brethren: For as in the Law he gocs from the first Table to the fecond, fo here having noted whar is due to God, he prefcribes us duties to be performed unto men. So the Gospel, as well as the Law, commands both purity and charity, and we must take the ground of our love, ex fonte puritatis ; God makes his Sunne to rise upon the just and unjust, Matthew the fift chapter; So muft we fhew, not only brotherly love to Chriftians, but charity to all men. Which brotherly love, is not to be extended to natural brethren, as Matthew the twelfth chapter, My brothers and filers are they which hear the word, and keep it: this is to be fhewed to the Church,and for fuch which have one father and one elder brother. Some forfake the fellowship, Hebrews 10. they are filii hipoftoles, they withdraw themselves from the fraternity; but towards fuch as continue in the faith, let brotherly love continue, Hebrews the thirteenth chapter, and the first epistle of Peter, the first chapter and the twenty fecond verfe, They that are faithfull, are called a brotherhood, the fecond epiftle of Peter, the fift chapter; and therefore to them muft this brotherly love be extended. This love must be without hypocrife, not to lay, as Fames the second chapter, If thy brother ftar ve, and thou fay depart and be warm, but minifter not to him,what faith and goalineffe is that? So for Charity, the first epiftle of John the third chapter, Love must not be in word and tongue, but in deed and truth. That is true charity, when we doe good to the fraternity; not that of the world, or after the fl: fh, but of the Church.

Concerning which,you need not that I write, for you are taught of God, who faid, By this shall all men know that ye are my Difciples, f you love one another, John the eleventh chapter. From hence he proccedeth to Charity, exhorting us to fhew love, not only quia funt, but ut funt; As to the faithfull, because they are brethren, but to all men generally, that they may be wonne to be of the Church. We must love, Inimicum in Deo, & inimicum propter Deum. O that is true love. As he begun with Faith, fo he endeth with love, which is the bond of perfection, Colossians the third chapter, and keeps in all the other virtues. Ferufalem is an heap offtones; but love is that makes it a compac building, Ephesians the fourth chapter. As the Apoftle here exhorts to love; to in the fi ft epiftle of Peter, the fourth chapter, Above all things have love, Coleßians the third chapter; and, the first epistle of Peter, the fourth chapter and the eighth verfe, which covereth the multitude of finnes. Of all graces it is the more excel

lent,

lent, the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter: It is greater than faith or hope,the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the third chapter and the thirteenth verle.

vine nature.

Touching the end, fuga corruptionis, and the partaking of the Divine nature, are the two things we have looked unto in all the other virtues. The caufe of our corruption is amor corruptionis in the judgement and valuation; but it is refined by charity. Love is Charitas, of deareneffe; we fet a great price of that which is most deare: And fo if we make greatest account of God, we will love him above all things. If we fet our love on that which is most deare, we shall efchue corruption. Secondly, The partaking of the Divine nature, is to be like to him, the first epistle of John, the third chapter; and love is the greatest representation of the divine nature. In the other virtues we doe but difpofe our fouls to be partakers of it. The ApoAtle faith, Deus eft Charitas, the first epistle of John, the fourth chap ter. If then we be poffeffed of love, we shall be poffeffed of the DiLove is it that makes us adherere Deum, Pfalm the fe venty third Fides videt, fpes tendit, but charity poffeffeth. Love is ca1led an annointing, the first epistle of Fohn and the fecond chapter; because, as Kings were annointed, fo it makes us have a right unto Gods kingdome: Fides per charitatem operans, is that which muft doe us good, Galatians the fift chapter: There it is the mid'ft, but here the end of all, without the which, all the other will doe no good It is as oyle to the Lamp Matthew the 25. without which the lamp gives no light. The pretious faith is that which hath all these virtues, and charity at the end. Then is Christianity well taught, when it is taught as a building, ftanding on many parts, Ephefians the fecond chapter; or Armor, Ephefians the fixt chapter; as a tree, Galatians the fift chapter, as a body, Ephefians the fourth chapter; as a choifer harmony of mufick,as the Apostle here fetteth it out, in the fecond epistle of Peter, the firft chapter and the fourth verfe.

Nihil ad vos, ô viatores omnes; intuemini & videte an fit do Lament. 1. 12. Lor par dolori meo, qui factus eft mihi: quam afficit Febova mærore die aftus ira fua.

HE words of a party in great extremity, and that two wayes. First, That he is in forrow and pain, fuch as none other ever felt. Secondly, That being in this extremity, he is not regarded of any. It is well known that it is a grievous thing to fleth and blood to be afflicted, but fo to be afflicted as no other, that is a high degree of mifery, but that in this cafe there is none to have compaffion, that is as much as can be faid.

Against

Against the croffes that befall us in this life, the ordinary comfort is, the first epiftle to the Corinthians the tenth chapter, Nothing befalls us, but is fuch as pertaineth to man; but this was not any other mans cafe. And whereas there is none fo hard-hearted, but will fhew fome relief, at leaft pitie a man in diftreffe, here was none touched with any compaffion.

For the verfe it felf, it is the Prophets fpeech in the perfon of the City of Ferufalem, lamenting the miferies that happened at the death of Fofiah; but by the rule of reciprocation, whereby that which is laid of the members, may be applyed to the head; as was faid to Saul by Chrift, why perfecutest thou me? where it was the Church that was perfecuted, Alts the ninth chapter, it is otherwise to be expounded. If any member, then efpecially of them under the Law, Quibus ad contingebunt in figuris, the firft epistle to the Corinthians, the tenth chapter: therefore Ifaacs facrifice, Fofsephs [elling by his brethren, and Davids betraying, who were particular members of the Church, were types and figures of Chrifts being flain, fold, and betrayed. If the eyes, or hand, or foot fuffer, the head alfo luffers with it; much more may the fufferings of the whole body together be applyed to the head, as Out of Egypt have I called my fonne, that being a place of the deliverance of Ifrael, Gods firft borne, Coloẞians the eleventh chapter, is applyed to Chrift, Matthew the fecond chapter. And according to this rule, this verfe is by the ancient Fathers applyed to the paffions and sufferings of our Saviour Chrift.

Whether it be the Cities (peech, or any other whosoever, it may well be the fpeech of Chrift on the Croff, that he was then in that great extremity, which none ever indured the like; and yet being without cause, none vouchsafed to look at him. That is he drift of the words, and is fet down firft by way of compla nt, Have ye no regard? Secondly, by way of petition, Mark and regard.

In the Paffion two things are to be confidered, firft the grievoufneffe of his fufferings, noted in these words, If ever there were the Like forrow; Secondly, the cause of it in thele, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me. Upon which follow these three actions: First, to fee: Secondly, to confider: Thirdly, to regard and esteem of it, as a thing which concerns us.

us,

As is implyed in the firft words, which are thus read, Nonne ad vos pertinet, for the first point, here is fome fpectacle to behold, in as much as he dire&teth his speech to them that paffe by the way, Omnes qui tranfitis viam. When a stay is made,not of one, but of all, there is fome great matter; and the holy Ghoft tells that there is no journy fo important, nor hafte fo great, thar fhould hinder us from confidering of the fufferings of Chrift. The motives that he ufeth to quicken our weakneffe, are two, the one taken from the thing it felf; the other from the beholders. For the thing it self, we know those things that are rare, draw our eyes to behold them ; therefore he faith, If ever there were forrow like my forrom: And this

reafon

reafon he takes from the beholders; as, Doth it not concern or pertain to you? For the things that were thewed, chic fly are fuch as concern us as for other things that appertain unto us, we respect them not. The lufferings confiit as all other doe, either in fenfu or damno, that is,either privatively or pofitively. That which is tranflated forrow or prayer, is a blow or wound, which is a matter of sense; and it fignifies such a blow as ftrikes off both root and leaves: that is it we are to confider in this fpe&tacle. That which he felt, was ci her in body or foul.

Touching his bodily fufferings, our own eyes are witneffes: For there was no part of him, neither skin, nor bone, sor fenfe, nor any part, wherein he was not ftricken: His bleffed body was an Anvile to receive all the ftroaks that were laid on him. And we have no better argument hereof than Pilates Ecce homo, Fohn the nineteenth chapter; for he thought they had brought him to hat paffe already that even the hard-hearted Jews would have pitied him. But that which is faid here, fi fuerit dolor ficut, is not to verified of his bodily fufferings, as in that which he suffered in his foul: For in bodily fufferings many have been equall to him; but the fuffering of the foul is moft grievous, as the greatest heavineffe is the heavineffe of the heart the afflictions of the body may be fufteined, but a wounded spirit who can bear? Proverbs the eighteenth chapter. Therefore St. Paul calls that fuffering which he felt in his foul, corpus mortis, Romans the seventh chap er: Upon thefe fuff. rings it is that he cryeth out, Ecce, fi fuerit dolor ficut The grievousnesse of whofe fuffering we argue not fo much from that which is recorded of him, that he did endas y admovey, Mark the fourteenth chapter and the thirty third verte; that he was ragaria, Luke the twenty fecond chapter and the twenty fourth verie; that his foul was Tirum ias Javáre, Matthew the twenty fixt chapter; as from the bloody fweat, Ecce, & fuerat fudor; that is verified when no uncleanneffe is offered; when a man lying on the cold earth (for then it was cold, fo as they were fain to make fire) then to fwear, not tenues fudores, but granos fanguinis: He that confiders this, may make a caufe of it,that there was never any fuch forrow or sweat. The cause of this sweat was bought, as indeed the word imports; wherewith the Lord hath boyled me, as in a furnace; as after in the next verfe, Ignem mifit Dominus, he was in a furnace of Gods fierce wrath: therefore the Greek Church prayeth, By thy unknown (ufferings, good Lord deliver us. For that which was taken from him, that was P'œna Domini: he was fpoyled both of earthly comforts and heavenly graces. For the firft, He that had gone up and down feeding, healing and preaching among the Jews, receives no comfort from the earth; their words were not his but Barabas. Again, His blood be upon us and our children. Laftly, When he was on the Croffe they Icorned him, Hetrufted in God, let him fave him; and, Thou that faveft others, come down and fave thy felf. As for his Difciples, from whou he might have looked for moft comfort, one of them betrayed him,

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another

another deayed him, and all forfook him, and he is ftript of all earthly comfort.

And as for his foul, that was bereaved of all heavenly graces or influence, there was a traverfe or draw-bridge drawn, as appeareth by his words, My God, why haft thou forfaken me? It is not fo with the Martyrs; for they in the mid'it of their pains and forrows, feel drops of heavenly confolation, which make them cheerfull. But it was not fo with our Saviour; there was a fequeftration, whereby the influence of his divinity was reftrained from his humanity, whereupon enfued that cry, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? there was never the like cry. Thirdly, From the party that complaineth, we may argue, there was never the like forrow: A little thing done to a perfon of great excellencie, doth aggravate the matter; but never the like perfon fuffered, and never the like forrow, Exodus 23.3. God takes order, men fhall not handle the poor beast barbaroufly, but be ready to relieve and help him; but more refpe& is to be had of a man, although a Malefactor, and much more an Innocent, as he that fell among theeves and was hurt, Luke the tenth chapter: But if it be not only an Innocent, but an exalted perfon, as Fofiah, then great respect is to be had; but ecce, major Fofiah hic, Matthew the twelfth chapter; it is Chrift that (uffers: of whom not only Pilate faith Ecce, Fohn the nineteenth chapter, but the Centurion cont. ffeth, Verè hic falis eft Deus; this makes it a caufe not to be matched. The caule of thofe his fufferings is imputed not to the bloody Soldiers, or hard-hearted Jews, or highPriests & Scribes,but afflixit Deus. When God doth as well chaften in wrath,as chriften in his difpleafure,this is not don in his mercifull chaftifement, but in his wrachtull difpleasure, in die furoris ejus, Day his colour was red. When God is angry, or punisbeth grievously, it is for fome grievous fione,and is for lome notable finne,of which it may be faid non ficut, had our Saviour deferved the wrath of God in fuch manner. Pilate confeffeth, He found nothing in him, John the fourteenth chapter and the thirtieth verie, Why then did he fuffer? It was foretold, The Messias fhould be flain, Daniel the ninth chapter and the twenty fift verfe, not for himself, but for others. He that took not a penny was made to pay for all: That is the nature of furety fhip; he undertaking to be our furety,our debt became his. It is a pityfull thing to fee a Lamb have his throat cut; but if he will be a Sacrifice, it must be fo. Chrift undertook to be our Surety, to be a Sacrifice to God for our fiones; therefore he was wounded for our finnes, By his ftripes we are healed; Pofuit Deus fuper eum iniquitates omnes noftras, Ifaiah the fifty third chapter. That ftroak that brought forth that bloody fwear, and the forfaking that brought forth that cry, fhould have light upon us.

The parts to us. Have we no regard? Had it not concerned us, as a thing for our benefit, yet we ought to have had compassion, and not only as unfenfible Creatures; for at the time of Chrifts fufferings, the rocks and ftones clave, and the vaile of the Temple was rent,

Matthew