Marye stoode without at the Sepulchre, wee­ping. &c.

PVRPOSING to speak to your charytable ea­res at this pre­sent solemnitie, (most derely be­loued) the godly loue of that blessed woman Mary Magdalene recoursed to my remembraūce, howe, for that she loued our Lorde aboue all thin­ges, folowed hym goynge to his death, where his Disciples for­soke him: And howe for that she was kyndled with y^e fire of true loue, in her vehement desire we­pinge continually, departed not frome his sepulcher. For Marye (as sayeth the Euangelist) stode without at the Sepulcher weping. We [Page] do hear (welbelo [...]d) of Maries standing without at the Sepul­chre, we heare also how she we­peth, let vs (if we can) consyder the cause of her standyng, let vs also se why she wepeth: for both of this her stāding may we take profite, and also of her weeping may we be edifyed. Loue it was that made her to stand, & sorowe constrained her so to wepe. She stoode lookyng aboute, yf per­chance she coulde see him whom she loued. But wepte therfore, bicause whom she sought for, she thought was quite taken away, wherby her sorow was doubled: Fyrste sorowynge for hym being dead, and now sorowing for him taken away: and of both griefes this laste was the greater, for it was without comfort. The first cause of her sorowynge was for [Page] that she had lost his lyfe: but of this sorowe had shee some com­fort, for that she thought to haue retained hym dead as he was▪ But yet of this heauynes could she not fynd comfort, for that she found not his dead body. Thus fearing if that she found not his body, the loue of him her May­ster wold sone waxe colde with­in her breaste, by the syghte yet whereof shee hoped shee mighte ware warme againe. In deede Mary was com to his sepulchre bringing with her the odours & ointmentes whiche she had pre­pared, that as before when hee was alyue shee had annoynted with precious oyntmēt his fete, so now she mought anoynte his whole dead body with oyntmēt and wyth her spyces embaulme it. And lyke as fyrste she had atLuc. 7. [Page] his feete shedd her teares and wept bitterly, and with her tea­res watred his feet for y^e death of her owne soule: so now she co­meth to water the Sepulcher with teares for the deathe of her Maister. But fyndinge not the bodye in the Sepulchre, her laboure of anointinge was lost, but the sorowe of her waylyng more increased. Present he was not to haue her seruice, and yet absent he was not to cause her to sorowe. Presente he was not whome she would haue embau­ [...]ed, and yet absent he was not to cause her to weepe. Therfore the more she wepte, the further he was absente. Certes Mary bitterly wept, for Sorowe was heaped vppon sorowe. And two great sorowes she caried in one heart, whiche fayne she woulde [Page] haue eased with her teares, but they coulde not. And therefore was wholye plunged in sorowe, fainting both in heart and body, and what she shold do she knew not: for what could this woman do but wepe? whiche bothe had dolor intolerable, and founde in comforte no remedy? In deede Peter and Iohn came with her to the Sepulcher, but whē they founde not the body, they wente foorthwith theyr waye home a­gaine, But Mary abode without at the Sepulcher weeping. And as oneRom. 4. hoping against hope, did yet pet souere in hope. Peter and Iohn were afrayd, and therfore stode not, but Mary feared not, by­cause she had nothinge lefte her (as she thought) for whiche shee ought to feare, for shee had loste her Maister, whome shee loued [Page] so singularly, that beside him she could loue nothing, could hope for nothing: she had loste the life of her foule, & nowe she thought it better to dye than to liue, thin king perhappes in her death to haue founde, whome in her lyfe she coulde not fynde, withoute whom notwithstanding she was not able to lyue. Strong as the [...]anti [...]. 8. Deathe is loue: for what more could death do in Marye? Shee became as it were without life, without sence: hauing sence she vsed no sence: Seinge, she dyd not see: hearing, shee heard not, neither was she where she was, for wholy was shee there where her Maister was: who notwith­standynge where he was, shee knewe not: she soughte for him, but found him not, and therfore cōtinued stāding at the Tombe [Page] and wept, altogether lamenta­ble, all together miserable. O Mary what hope, what coūsail, what heart was in the, which a­lone didst stande at the Sepul­chre when the Disciples were departed? Thou camest before them, thou returnedst with thē, and after them also there remainedst. Why dyddst thou thys? wert thou wiser then they? Or didst thou loue more then they, bycause thou fearedste not as they? Truely Mary was nowe wise in nothyng but in louinge, and to sorowe for her beloued. She had forgot to feare, forgot to ioy, yea forgot her owne self. What shoulde I more say? She had forgote all thynges, except him whome shee loued aboue al things. And (which is wōderful) shee was so forgetfull, that shee [Page] knewe not him neither. Beleue me, if she had knowen hym, she had not searched for hym in his Tombe: and if she had kept his words still in minde, she had not forowed as of one deade, but should haue reioyced of him, as liuing: nor should she haue wept as of one which was takē away but she should haue reioyced for that he was risen again. For Iesus had forespoken that thus heLuce. 14. should dyc, and that he shoulde rise againe the thirde day. But alack for pitie, ouermuch sorow had filled her heart, & had quite blotted out the remembraunce of these words. In her no sence remained, al counsel in her was loste, all hope failed: to weepe her belly full, did only remaine. She wepte therfore, for weepe she might. She bowed down her self [Page] and looked into the Tombe, and sawe two Angels sitting in white, one at the see te, the other at the head, which sayd vnto her: woman, why wepeste thou? O Marye, loe, nowe thou haste founde great comforte, and per­chaunce it hath happened vnto thee better then thou haste ho­ped: for thou soughtest one, and hast found two. Thou soughtest one dead, and hast found two li­uing. Thou hast found that seme to take care for thee, and that will ease thy heauinesse. For he whom thou sekest semeth to set nought by thy sorowinge, he se­meth not to regarde thy teares. Thou callestc him, and he hea­reth not: Thou prayest, and he geueth no fauorable care vnto thee. Thou sekest him, and fin­dest him not: Thou knockeste, but he openeth not. Thou folo­weste [Page] him, and he flyeth. Alas what meneth this? O lord what a greate chaunge is this? Alas how is al turned vpside downe? For this is IESVS who of late went from the: and how cōmeth this thus to passe? Peraduen­ture thou knowest not whether he loueth thee. Once he loued the, once he defended thee fromLuc. 7. the Pharisey, once hee excusedLuc. 10. the to thy sister diligently, once hee commended thee as when thou annoyntedst his feete with oyntmente, water edst them withLuc. 7. thy teares, and wypedst theym with thy heare, he asswaged thy sorow, forgaue thy sinnes. OnceIoh. 11. he sought thee when thou werte not presente, hee called for the when thou wert away, he com­manded the by thy sister to come vnto hym, shee saynge: Thee [Page] Master is here and calleth the▪ O howe quickly did Mary thē arise after she heard that, how carefullye came shee, and after her acustomed māner fel at thy fete? O sweete IESV, thou whē thou sawest her weepe, weeptst also. O how pitifully diddeste thou cōforte her when thou sai­dest:Ioh. 1 [...]. Where haue ye laid hym? To cōclude, for the loue of her which muche loued thee, thou didst raise frō death her brother Lazarus, and so thou turnedst the mourning of this thy louer into ioye. And O moste gentle Master, what hath this disciple since offended the? And wherein hath this thy d [...]relouer displea­sed the kyndenes of thy heart, in that thou goest so from her? We haue since that time heard of no offence dō by her, except bicause [Page] whē thou wert puried, She came in the mornīg and that very▪ early before all other to the Sepulchre, brynging ointemētes wherwith she might an̄oynte thy body. And when sheIoh. [...]0. found the not in the Sepulchre, shee ran and tolde this thing vnto thy disciples. They cam, they sāwe, and they straighte wente theyre way againe: but she stan­deth stil and wepeth. And if this be an offence, if all this be done for loue of the, and of a feruent desire she beareth towards the, wherfore goest thou thus from her? why doest thou thus hid thy selfe? thou that loueste all that loue the, and thou that art foūd of al thē that seke the: for thou sayest: I loue those that loue me.Prou. 8. Why doth not therfore this sely woman finde the, whiche did so early watche for the? Why doste [Page] thou not comforte her teares whiche she sheddeth for the her lord, like as thou didst once comfort her teares which shee shede for her brother? If truly thou louedst her after thy wōted mā ner, what meanest thou to pro­longe her desire? O true and faithfull Maister, call to thy re­membraunce the good reporte and testymony thou once gauest of her to her syster Martha. For thou saidst: Mary hath cho­sen the best part, which shall not be taken from her. In dede MaryLuc: 10. did chose the beste parte, for shee did chose to stande at thy fete and to heare thy preaching. She chose in dede y^e best part, for The she chosed. But how is this true which shall not be taken from her, yf thou bee taken from her? and if the beste parte [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] that she chose bee not taken a­way, why then wepeth she? Or what thē doth she seke? Certes Mary seketh nothinge els but y^e whiche she chose. And for this alōe she ceaseth not to wepe for that which she hathe chosen she hath now lost. Therfore (O thou man sauiour and keper) either saue in her the parte shee hathe chosen, or els I knowe not how this is true, which shall not bee taken from her, vnles yt maye be thus vnderstanded, that al­though thou art taken from her sighte, from her corporall eyes, yet arte thou not taken awaye from her heart. But alas Mary why makest thou any longer ta­riynge? why arte thou trobled? why wepest thou? Loe, see thou hast Angels, let the sight of An­gels suffice the. For paraduen [Page] ture, he whome thou sekest, for whōe tho [...] wepest, espieth in the something for which he will not be sene of the: [...] of now thy sorow, measure thy teares: ca [...] to mynde what he sayd bothe to the and to other women: WepeLuc. 23▪ not for mee. Therfore what is this thou doest? He forbad the to wepe, & yet thou spareste not to wepe. I feare me least by th [...] weping y^t offend him for whome thou doste so continually wepe. For if he loued thy teares, hee could perchaunce no more now thē he did once suffer thy teres. Now therfore heare my aduice. Let the comfortinge of Angels content and satisfye the, abyde thou with them, aske & inquire of them. And it may fortune y^t they shall tel what is become of him thou sekest, and for whom [Page] thou wepest. And I beleue assu­redlye, theyr comminge was to be are witnes of him, as also be­leue that he whom thou wepest for, hath sent them for himselfe & for thy selfe, to tell the of his Resurrectiō, and to comfort thy lamenting. For they said to her: woman, why wepest thou? What is the cause of this thy great hea­uines? hyde not thy teares from vs, open to vs thy grief, and we shal shew the thy desire. Marye wasted with to much sorow out of measure, and as it were who­ly cast in a traunce, receiueth no comforte, & resorteth to no com­forte, but museth thus within her selfe and sayth: Alas that e­uer I was borne, what comfort is this? what manner of visita­tiō is this? All cōfortes be but [...] burthen vnto me, they do but [Page] greue me, and not comforte me, For I seke the Creator, there­fore heaui to my sight is al man­ner of creature. I will not be­holde Angels, with Angels will not I abyde, for they may aug­mente my sorrowe, but they can not vtterly put away my sorow. If they shall begin to tel me many things, and I to euery thing shal make them āswere, I feare me they will rather hinder my loue, then furder my loue. To be shorte, I seke not for Angels, but him who made me and An­gels. I seke not angels, but the Lorde of my self and of angels. They haue take away my soue­raigne Lorde, him onely will I seeke, he alone can comfort me: but I cā not tel where thei haue laid him. I looke about if I can see him, but I se him not: faine [Page] I wolde finde the place where he is layed but I fynde it not. O wofull W^toman that I am, what shall I do? whether shal I go? and whether is my beloued gon? I sought for him in his Sepulchre, and there I found him not. I called him, but he answe­red me not: wo is me, where shal I seeke him? where shall I fynd him? I will rise truly, I will go about, I will search in al places I can, I will geue no sleepe to myne eyes, I will geue no reste to my feete, vntil I shall fynde him whome my Soule loueth. Wepe ye myne eyes, gushe out with teares & stynte not, walke ye my feete, runne about & reste not. Alas alas whether is my ioye gone? where doth my loue hyde him? where is my sweete Lorde? why hast thou m [...] health [Page] forsakē me? O vnsufferable so­rowes: O intolerable perplexi­tie of minde, I se troble on eue­ry side, & what to chuse I know not. If I abide next his Tomb, yet I finde him not. yf I go frō his Tombe, I know not wretch whether to go, I know not wherto seeke him. To departe from the Tombe is death vnto me, to stande at the Tombe is griefe incurable: how be it, better it is for me to keepe still my Lordes Tombe, then to go far from it any further: for in goinge fur­ther, perchaunce at my returne again, I shall fynde bothe him takē away, & also his sepulcher destroyed. I will stande there­fore, & here will I dye. that yet at leste wyse I may be buried nye the sepulchre of my Lorde. O how happy shal my body bee, [Page] if it bee buried nighe vnto my Master. O how blessed shall my Soule be, whiche passing forth of thys bryckle vessel of my bodie, may by and by enter into my Lords glorious Sepulcher. My body hath alwaies ben to my soule labour and trauaile, my Lords sepulcher shallbe vn­to me rest and honor. Therfore I will not forsake this Sepul­cher, bycause thus to die it shall be my cōforte, and in my death it shall be my reste. So longe as I liue I will abide by it, when I dye I wil cleaue fast vnto it, neither aliue nor dead I wil be seperated from it. Alas what a wretched woman I am, where­fore did I not then this foresee when I behelde my lorde bury­ed? why did not I stande with him? wherefore did I not with trewe [Page] attendance keepe the Sepulchre: then had I not bewayled his taking away, for I had either withstanded them which toke him away, or els had gone after them. But O woful case, I wold haue kepte the lawe, and haue let go the Lord of the law: I wolde haue obeied the lawe, and haue not kept him to whom the lawe it selfe is obediente, though with Christe to abyde had not ben to transgresse the lawe, but to fulfyl the lawe. For the paschal Lambe is not disteined by the deathe of him, but is again iterate & renewed. His corps doth not defile the cleāe, but clenseth the defiled: he healeth all suche as touch him, and dothe illuminate all suche as come to him. But what do I renewe the memory of my sorow? [Page] I wente, I returned, I founde the Tombe opened, but founde not him I soughte for. I will stande therefore, I will waite, lokinge if happely hee may any where appeare. But howe, shall I stande alone desolate? The Disciples be gone theire waye, and haue left me alone weping. None do appeare who woulde sorow with me. No where doth hee appeare, whiche with mee wolde seeke the Maister. Here haue appeared Angels, but I knowe not for what cause they haue appeared. If to comforte me, they oughte not then to bee ignorante wherefore I weepe. If they bee not ignorante for what I weepe, why say they to mee: Why wepest thou? Do they therefore question with mee, to let me from wepinge? I beseche [Page] them, not to swade me to that, that they will not counsell mee to that, for or els let them kill me. What needes mo wordes? I will not obey them, I will not cease to weepe duringe my lyfe but I finde my lorde. But what may I do to finde him? whither shall I turne me? to whom shall I go? of whome shal I inquire? of whome shall I aske counsail? who shal haue compassiō on me? who shall comfort me? who shallCant. 1 [...] shew me whom my soul loueth,Cant. 2. where he is bestowed, where he lieth at noontide? where he res­teth? I beseche you tel him how I pyne with loue and consume with sorowe, and that there is no dolor as is my dolor. TurneTren. [...]. againe my beloued, turn againCant: 6. my hartes desire and dearling.Psalm. 50. O amiable, O delitable, geue againe to me the gladnes of thy [Page] comfortable presēce. Shew meCant. 2. thy countinaunce, let thy voicePsal. 90. sounde in mine eares, for thy [...]0, 118. voice is sweete, and thy visage is beutiful. O my hope, confoūd mee not in myne expectation. Shew me thy face, and it shall suffice my soul. While Marye did thus mourn and thus wept as she spak these things, She tur­ned her selfe back, and sawe Iesus standing, and knew not it was Iesus. Iesus said vnto her woman why wee­pest thou? & Whome seekest thou? O thou the desire of her soule, why doeste thou aske her why wepeste thou? and whome seekeste thou? She but a little before, with her very eies, to the great dolour of her heart, beheld the her whole hope, to be hanged vpō the tree, and saieste thou nowe vnto her, why wepest thou? She the third [Page] day beheld thy hādes wherwith she hath ben oftē blessed, thy feet which she had kissed, and whiche she had watered with her teares nailed vpon the crosse, & thou being her whole sorow, saiest vnto her: Why wepest thou? She be­held y^e geuīg vp of her spirit, y^t is to say, thy spirite: and saiest thou now, why wepest thou? Yea fur­dermore she supposeth thy body is stoln away whych she came to anoīt, y^t by som meāes she might cōforte her self, and saiest thou, why wepest thou? whome seekest thou? Thou well knowest, y^t the alone she seeketh, the alone she loueth, for y^t she contemneth all things, and sayeste thou, What seekeste thou? Swete Maister, for what purpos I pray y^t doest thou pro­uoke this womans spirite? for what purpose doeste thou vexe her Soule? She wholye depen­deth [Page] on thee: she wholye aby­deth in thee. All her hope is in the, all dispaire in her self. She doth so seeke the, that seekinge the, she can seeke nothinge but the, she can minde nothinge but the: and therefore perchaunte she doth not know the, because she is not in her selfe, but for thy sake is out of her selfe: why therfore saiest thou: Why weepest thou? whome sekest thou? Doest thou thinke that she can say: I wepe for the, I seek the, except thou first inspire her, and say in her heart: I am he whome thou we peste for, and for whom thou sekeste? Doeste thou thinke that she can knowe the, so longe as it shal please the to hide thy self? But she supposinge that he had ben the gardiner, said vnto him: Sir, if thou hast caried him hence, tell me where thou [Page] hast laid him, and I will take him vp. O sorowe miserable, O loue vnspeakable. This woman was so couered with a thicke cloude of wo and sorowe, that she saw not the Sun, y^t in the morning tyde arising, shone by her windowes, and by the eares of her bodye was now entred into the house of her heart. But bicause she lā ­guished in her loue, of this lan­guishinge the eyes of her heart became so dym, that she coulde not se him whome she sawe. For she did see Iesus, but she knew not it was Iesus. O Mary, it thou sekest Iesus, why doeste thou not acknowledge Iesus? And if thou knowest Iesus, why sekest thou Iesus? Beholde, Iesus commeth vnto the, and hee whom thou sekest asketh of the? Woman, why wepest thou? and [Page] thou supposest him to be a gar­dīer, to shew thou knowest him not. For Iesus is also a gardi­ner, because he soweth all good seede in the gardin of thy soule, and in the hearts of his faithful he planteth euery good Herbe, and watereth it in the soules of his sainctes. And it is IESVS himself which talketh with the. But therefore perhaps thou doest not knowe him, bycause hee corporally talketh with y^e. Thou sekest a dead one, and therefore thou doest not acknowledg him as liuing. Haue I not truly espi­ed, that this is the cause where­fore he went from the? and why he appeared not vnto the? For why should he appeare vnto the for whome thou doest not seke? Thou verely soughtest for that which was not, and soughtest [Page] not for y^e which was. Thou didst seke Iesus, and didste not seke Iesus: and therefore in seinge Iesus, thou didst not knowe Iesus. O pittiful and sweete Mai­ster, I can not altogether excuse this thy disciple: I can not frely defende this her error: And yet for all that shee erred, bycause she soughte the for suche an one as once she had seene the, and for suche a one as she had lefte the, when thou wert laied in thy graue. For she had sene thy bo­dy taken downe dead from the crosse, & layed in a tombe, and so greate sorowe had taken hold of her for thy death, y^t she coulde not hope of thy life. And suche sorowe had possessed her herte for thy buriall, that shee coulde thinke nothinge of thy resurrec­tion, To conclude, Ioseph [Page] put thy body into a tombe, & Mary had buried there her spirite also, & so vnseparably ioyned it, & as it were, vnited it with thy body, y^t she could more easily se­perate her liuing soule frō her liuing body, thē her louing spirit from thy dead body: for the spi­rite of Mary was rather in thy body, thē in her owne body. and when she eaftsones soughte for thy body, she did then also seeke for her own spirit: and when she lost thy body, she lost with it her own spirit: what meruaile thē if she had no sense, which had lost her spirit? what maruail was it if she knew not the which had no spirite where with shee shoulde knowe the? Restore therfore vnto her again her soule, which thy body hath within it selfe, and shee shall recouer furthwith her sense againe, and forsake her er­ror [Page] But how did she erre which did so sorowe for the, and did so loue the? Truly if she erred, I speake without doubtinge, that she wyst not she erred, and so her error proceded not of error, but of loue and grefe. Therfore O mercifull and iuste Iudge, the loue shee bare to thee, and the sorowe she toke for the, may ex­cuse her before the, if perhaps she erreth of the. And marke not the error of the woman, but the loue of thy disciple, whiche did not wepe of error but of sorowe and of loue, and said vnto the: Sir, if thou hast borne him hēce, tel me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him vp. O how skilfully is she ignorante, & how learnedly doth she erre? To the Angels she said, They haue takē him away, and they haue layed: [Page] And she said not? Ye haue taken him, and Ye haue layed him, be­cause the angels neyther tooke the out of thy Tombe, nor layed the in any place: but to thee shee said (If thou hast borne him away) &, (where haste thou laied him) bicause thou indede didst beare thy selfe out of the Tombe, and layds [...]e thy self in the place where thou arte. To the angels she said not Tell ye me. bicause thee Angels coulde not tell wholy what had ben done of the, nor howe it had bene done of the, but to the shee saith: Tel thou me, bycause it is not vnpossible for the to tel that which was possible for the to do: for thou rosest againe by thyne owne power, & that whiche was done of the, thou diddeste it thy selfe. But what is this (Lorde) that Mary so often speaketh & [Page] repeteth this worde, Where haste thou layd him? For shee had said to the Apostles firste of all, where haue they layed him? The selfsame answer she spake vnto y^e Angels, Wher haue they layed him? And nowe speaketh to the of thy selfe, Where haste thou layd him? This word wax eth exceding swete in her heart that so aboūdeth in her mouth. Lertes thy swetenes maketh it more sweete, and she dothe this for thy loue sake, bycause shee remēbreth that thou saidst onceIoh. 11. of her brother, Where haue ye laid him? for sithens y^t she heard this word of thy mouth, she hath kept it diligently in her heart, and hath delighted to vse it in her speache. O howe dothe shee loue thy person, that so loueth thy voice? O how moch doth she [Page] desire to see thy countinaunce which so desirously pronoūceth thy worde? And howe gladlye wolde she kisse thy feete, whiche so gladly vseth thy sayinges? what is this also (O good Iesu) that she speaketh to the of the? And I will take him vp. Ioseph feared and durste not take doun thy body from the Crosse but in the night, and but askinge it of Pilate: but Mary abydeth notIoh. 19. for the night, nor fereth Pilate, but boldly pronounceth saying, I will take him vp. O Mary putte the case that the body of Iesus were layed in the palayce of the high Preist where the cheife A­postle did warme him selfe at y^e fyer, what woldeste thow doe? I wolde take him vp. O wonderful woman in boldenes. O woman, no womā. and what if the Dam [Page] sell, the dore keeper should ask [...] the? what wilt thou do? I wil take him vp. O vnspeakable loue of this woman. O meruailous au­dacitye of a woman. O woman, no womā: she excepter hno place she preferreth none, she speketh without fear, she promiseth absolutely, Tel me where thou haste laied him, and I will take him vp. O Wo­man greate is thy faith, great is thy cōstancy. Therfore (O good Lorde) why haste thou forgottē to say: Let it be don vnto the asMat. 1 [...]. thou wilt? And, Be of good cher,Mat. 1 [...] ▪ thy faith hath made y^u safe. HastPsal▪ 76. thou forgotten to haue mercye? wherfore then doest thou not te [...] her where thou haste layed thy selfe, that she may take the vpp vpon her hert, and beare thee in her body, and shew the vnto thy disciples. Do not (I beseech the [Page] sweete Maister) prolonge her desire any more: for lo now these three daies shee hathe endured waytinge for the, & hath nothingMat. 8. to eate, and hath naught where with to feede her hungry sowle: but thou by disclosinge thy selfe, doest reache vnto her y^e bread of thy body, & doest fyl her with thy fragments of the basket of her heart. Wherefore, if thou wilte that she faynte not by the way, refresshe and comforte the bo­wels of her soule with the ple­saūtes of thy taste. For thou artSapi. 16. the liuing bread whiche haste in the al maner delectablenes and all sauour of swetenes: for the life of her body will not long en­dure, onles y^u quickly shewest thy self, which art the life of her soul. Iesus sayed vnto her: Mary. She turned her selfe and sayd vnto him. Rabboni, which is to say: maister, Iesus saied vn [Page] to her. Touch me not. Opermutatiō of the right hand of the highest. Greate sorow is now turned in to greate ioy. The teares of so­row be changed into the teares of loue. So sone as Mary heard this worde, Marye, (for so was her Maister wonte to call her) she did perceaue before in that name, a certain singular swete­nes of callinge, and by that shee knew him to be her Maister, of whom she was called. Thē her spirite reuiued, & her sence came again. And when Iesus wolde more haue added, Mary coulde not paciently tarry to heare any more: but for very greate ioye interrupted him, saying: Rab­boni. for she thought she needed no word that had found y^e word, and thought it farre more pro­fitable to handel the word then [Page] to hear any manner of wordes. O loue stronge and vnpacient. It was not enough for her to se Iesus, and to speake with Ie­sus,Luc. 6. and. 8. onles also she touched Ie­sus, for she knewe that vertue wente out from him, and howe that he healed all men. O moste pitifull Lorde, and moste swete Maister, how good arte thou to those that be of a pure hearte:Psalm. 73. howe sweete art thou to those y^t be of an vprighte hearte, and be [...]ap. 1. lowly in spirite. O howe blessed be they that seeke the in singel­nes of heart: and how happy be they that truste in the. It is ve­rily trew, & vndoubtedly trewe, that thou louest althat loue the,Prou. 8. and doste neuer forsake them y^t Psal. 9. put their truste in thee. For be­holde, this thy louer did seke the vnfainedly, and hath found the [Page] trewly. She trusted in the, & she is not forsaken of the, but hath obteined by the, more then she loked for at the. Let vs therefore (bretherne) follow the good af­fection of thys woman, that we may come to the like effecte. Let eueri one wepe vnto Iesus, and seeke faithfully Iesus, that will not hyde hym selfe from a sinner that seketh him. Learne sinfull man of a sinfull woman, whose sinnes notwithstandinge be forgeuen her: Learn to wepe for Gods absence, and to desire his presence. Learne of Marye to loue Iesus, and to trust in Iesus, and by seekinge Iesus in this search, to feare no aduersi­tie, and besides Iesus to receiue no comfort, and for Iesus to cō ­temne all thinges. Learn of Mary to seeke for Iesus in the Se [Page] pulcher of thy heart, Rol away the stone from the doore of the Sepulcher of God, remoue all hardnesse, and put away euerye thing that may hinder thy faith: take away all wordly desire frō thy hearte, and serche diligently whether Iesus be in it. And if thou finde not Iesus in it, stand without and weepe: persiste in faith, and looke outwardly to o­thers, whether happely y^u maiest see hym in anye. And wythe weepinge pray Iesus that hee wil vouchsafe to entre into the, and will dwell in the, and leste perchance with a proud stiffe vp right necke, thou put him away from the: humbly incline thy self and bowe downe vnto him, and looke often into the Sepulchre of God whiche is in thee, and if thou shalte see Angels there sit­tinge, [Page] one at the head, an other at the feete, that is, yf thou shalte knowe in thy hearte as it were heauenly desires, appertaining aswell to this actiue lyfe as to y^e contemplatiue lyfe, by y^e which neuertheles thou canst not see and haue Iesus, bee not with these contentid, do not yet faint and geue ouer, but wepe & seeke still Iesus in thy self, vntil thou fynde him. And if he so chaūce at any time to appeare vnto y^e, and to presēt him self vnto thi desire. doe not presume of thy selfe as though thou knowest him, but inquire of him, and beseche him he will shew him selfe vnto the. I dare boldely vndertake, if in faith thou shalte stande at the tombe of thy hearte, if wepingly y^u shalt seeke Iesus, & shalt cōti­nue in sekīg: if y^u shal bow down [Page] thyselfe with humbl [...]nes, if by Maries exaumple thou wilt re­ceaue no cōfort of Iesus, except y^u receuest Iesus, hee wil reuele him selfe vnto the, & thou shalte fynde him and knowe him. So that thou shalt not neede to ask of other, where is Iesus, but thou shalte rather tel and shew him to others, & say: For I haue seene the Lorde, and hee spake these things vnto me. To whom with the Father and the holye ghoste bee all honor and glory, worlde without ende.

AMEN.

An Homilie of Abraham, how he offered vp his Son: written by ORIGEN.

Geue eare to this which I haue to say (I speake to you y^u drawnye to the Lord) you I say which thinke your scluesto be faithfull, and consider di­ligently how y^e faith of the faith full is proued: as by the wordes which haue ben rehearsed vnto you, shall appeare. And it came to passe, that after these things almightye God did proue Abraham, and said vn­to him: Abraham, Abraham: and then answered he, Lo here I am. Marke wel euery thing as it is written: for in euery one of thē, if a man can dig depe, he shal finde trea­sure. and perhaps where it is not thought, shalbe hidden some precious Iewels of secret miste­ries. This godly man is called [Page] Abraham: & no where we reade that God called him with that name, or that he spake to him saing, Abraham Abraham: for hee coulde not bee called of God by a name which shoulde be diminished, but he called him with that name whiche himselfe did giue him: & not with y^e name only he called him, but he dubleth his name, Abraham, Abraham. And when he had answered, Lo here I am, he sayed vnto him: Take now thyne onelie sonne whome thou louest, Isaac I say, and offer thou him vp for a brent sacrifice, in one of the montaines, which I will shew vnto the. For what cause God gaue him a name, and called him Abraham, himself declareth it, for (saithe he) I haue apoited the to be the father of many nations. This promise made God to him after [Page] he had Ismahell his sonne: how be it he made the promise to be fulfilled in that sone which Sa­ra should be are vnto him. Thus therefore had hee kyndled hys hearte in the loue of his sonne, not onely in consideration of the posterity, but also in the hope of the promises. And yet is he commaunded to offer this his sonne to the Lorde for a brēt Sacrifice in one of the moun­taines: his onlye Son in whom so great and maruelous promi­ses were made: I say euen that sonne, in whose respecte hee had his name to be called Abraham. What saist thou to this Abrahā? what manner cogitations are tossed in thy hearte? A worde is come from God him self, which will discusse and trie thy faithe: What sayest thou to this? What [Page] thinkest thou? what musest thou? doest thou thinke thus with thy self, withī thy heart: that if in I­saac y^t promise is made vnto me, and I offer him vp for a brente sacrifice, it muste nedes fall out y^t the hope of y^e promise is frus­trat? or rather doest y^t thus rea­sō within thy self, & saist: bicause it is not possible for him to lye who hath made y^e promise, therfore what so euer y^t promise be, it shal stand? How be it, because I am so base, I am not hable to searche out the cogitations of so excellēt a patriark, nor yet am I able to fynde out what man­ner of deliberations that voice which came from God to proue him stirred him to, what coun­saile it broughte with it, when he was commaunded to cal his onlie sonne. Notwithstandinge because y^e spirit which is in pro­phettes [Page] ys subiect to prophettes,Rom. 4. Paule the Apostle which (as I beleue) was instructed by y^e ho­lye spirite, what mynde, what counsail Abraham bare in his heart, hath reueled it sayinge: Abraham in his faith staggered not when he was about to offer vp his only sōne, in whom he re­ceued y^e promises: iudgīg thus in himselfe: God was able to raise him vp again, thoughe he we are dead. Thus therefore doth the Apostle declare vnto vs the co­gitations of this faithfull man, that the faith of the Resurrec­tion was then sene to haue a beginning in Isaac. Abraham ther­fore did hope that his son Isaac should rise agaī. And he beleued that it wolde be hereafter full­filled which as yet was not don. How thē? be they Abrahams children which do not beleue to be [Page] fulfilled in Christ, which he beleued wold be fulfilled in Isaac? yea if I should speake yet more plainly: Abraham knew that he did forme out before as it were an Image of that truthe which was to follow: That is, he knew before that Christe shoulde bee borne of his seed, whiche should as a more parfa [...]ct sacrifice bee offred vp for y^e whole world: and that hee shoulde also rise againe from deathe. But thus in the meane whyle (writeth Moy­ses) God did proue Abraham, and said vnto him: Take vp thy on lye beloued sonne whom thou derelye louest. It was not enough to say: Take vp thy son, but thi onli beloued sonne. Let it be so, what is more added? And whome thou louest. O see & consider y^e weigh­ty grauity of this tentatiō, how [Page] with so deare & sweete names, so oft and oft repeted, is the Fathers heart and affecriō sturred vp: whereby the freshe remem­braunce of his loue, this father shoulde holde of his righthande to offer vp his son: wherby the whole power of his flesh shoulde fight against y^e faith of his heart. And further is added euen in the very rune when he proued him: Take vp (saith he) thy moste deere Son Isaac, I say, whome thou louest. Let it so he O Lorde, that thou puttest the father in remembraunce of hys sonne, and commaūdest him to kill him, why addest thou, Thy most deere Son? Let this suffice to the torment of a Father, Thou ioynedst to it again, Yea whom thou louest. Let this doble & tre­ble affliction be enough and e­noughe to the Fathers hearte. [Page] What need it to rehearse to me­mory the name Isaac: was not Abrahā aduised of this, that his ōly so wel beloued son, he whom he loued, was called Isaac. But why is mention made of him at this very time: was it for y^e Abraham calling to his remēbraūce how thou saidst vnto him, that in Isaac thy sede shalbe called, & y^t in Isaac shoulde y^e promises be fulfilled: and by rememberaūce of his name he shoulde be driuē to dispaire of all the promises which wer made vnto him ūder that name? But what? All these thinges thus wer don, for that God did proue Abraham. And what yet foloweth? Go thy way, saith he, into the hie lāde, to one of the mountaines which I wil shew the, and there offer thou him for a brent sacri­fice. Consider euery thinge by it [Page] self, how the tentations aboun­ded. Get the vp into the hye lande. I pray you wolde not Abraham firste be led with the childe to y^e high land, & to be placed vpō the hill whiche the lorde had chosen out, & there to be said vnto him that he shoulde offer his sonne? But it is firste said vnto him y^t he shoulde offer his sonne, & thē is hee commaunded to goe to a highe Land, and to ascende vp into y^e hill. What meaneth this? Truly, that whilest he went and made his iournye, hee shoulde as I might say, be torn in peces by his owne thoughts through­out the wholl way: and that hee shoulde be crucified of one side through the commaundemente of god vrging him, on the other side through the Fatherly affec­tion of his onely sonne,g repining [Page] and abhorring the facte. Therefore, for this cause he was enioyned to go a longe wave, to clyme vp an hye hill, to this intēt, that his fansy and fayth, the loue of God, and the loue of his owne flesh, the desire of thinges pre­sent, and the lookinge after thinges to come, should stryue toge­ther for a time in all those thin­ges, he is sent therfore into an hye lande. And it sufficed not to prescribe vnto the Patriarche whiche shoulde doe so not able a worke vnto the Lorde, for to go vnto an hye lande, but also he is commaunded to ascend vp into an hye hill: Truly that he might forsake earthly things being ex­alted by faith, & ascend to those things which are aboue in hea­uen. Ahraham then rose earlye in y^e morning, he sadled his Asse, [Page] and cut wood for to burne at the sacrifice: hee toke his son Isaac with him and two seruauntes, and came at the third day to the place that God apointed him to go vnto. Abraham rose early. Wherfore doth the text adde, Early in the morninge? paraduenture it wolde declare that light began to shine in his heart. He sadleth his Asse, he prepareth wood, hee taketh vp his sonne, he taketh no deliberation in y^e matter, he ma­keth no stickinge or staying, hee maketh no man priuy of his purpos, but furth with he taketh him selfe to his Iourney, and came (as the texte saith) to the place which the Lorde tolde him of, on the third day. I here passe ouer to say what secret misterye the thirde day doth signify, I onlye haue a regarde to the wisdome [Page] and purpose of God that min­ded to proue and try him. Was there no hill at al nigh at hand, seing the whole country was set in hilles, but that his Iournye muste be drawne out three daie longe, and for the space of those three daies, his fathers heart must be tormented with so ma­ny cares recoursinge together? so that all this longe tyme the father should behold his sonne, he should eate meate with him, and so manye nightes the sonne shoulde be embraced of the Fa­ther, should sitte in his fathers lap, and lie in his bosome? Se I pray you, how greatly his tem­tacions wer multipled & encreased. But yet the third day is very apt to expresse misteries: For when the people of Israel came out of Egipt, they did offer sacrifice [Page] vnto god on the thirde day, and on the third day wer purifi­ed: and Christes resurrectiō was vpon the third daie: and manye other misteries bec comprehen­ded within the thirde day. Abraham (saith the texte) looked vp & saw a far of the place apointed, & he said to his seruants: Staye ye here with the asse, I & the child will go together to yender place, and when wee haue don our offering, we wil returne vnto▪ you againe. And thus he leaueth his seruāts: for the seruants might not ascende with Abraham vnto the place of sacrifice which god had pre­scribed. Therfore saith he to his seruants: Syt ye here, I & the child will go vp into the hill, & when we haue made our sacrifice, wee will re­turne vnto you. Abraham I pray the tell me, doeste thou say the [Page] truth to thy seruants, that thou mindest to do sacrifice & to re­turne with thy child again vnto them, or doeste thou dissemble? If thou sayest the truthe, ergo thou shalt not make him a sacri­fice. If thou doest dissemble, it becommeth not so greate a pa­triarch to dissēble. What mind therfore doth this word bewray in th? Truth saith he I speake, and I offer the child for a burnt sacrifice: for to that intente do I carrye wood with me, & with him will I returne vnto you. For I do beleue and this is my faith, that God is hable to raise hym vp, yea though he be dead. After this (saith the text) Abrahā toke wood to the sacrifice, and layd it vpon Isaac his son: and he toke fier in his handes and a sworde, and went for ward toge­ther. [Page] In that Isaac caried for him selfe wood vnto sacrifice, it was a figure of that that Christ him selfe bare his owne crosse. And yet to carry wood to sacri­fice, is y^e priests office. Thus is he made both Sacrifice & Priest. But where as it is added in the text: They wēt both together, is referred vnto this cōsideration: for when Abraham (as minding to make a sacrifice) carried fyre and a knife, Isaac doth not drag after him, but goeth iointly with him, to signifye that hee iointlye with him ēioined the preisthod. And what followeth after this? Isaac, saith the text, spake to his father Abraham: Father. euen this word spokē at that time of his sonne, was a word of muche tentariō. For how thīke you? did the sonne whiche was straight [Page] way to be sacrificed, shake his fathers bowels by this word? And although that Abraham was sō ­what the more constātly set for the faithe that was in him, yet he putteth out a worde of lyke affectiō and āswered: What me nest thou my sonne? Whereunto he said: Beholde (saith he) fyre & wood, but where is the sheepe to sacrifi [...]e? To these answered Abraham: O my sonne, God wil prouide for him selfe a sheepe to sacrifice. Certenly this precyse and ware answere of Abraham moueth me muche: for I can not tell what he saw in spirite, for that hee aunswered not of the tyme present, but of the time to come: God himself will prouide a shepe for his sacrifice. He aun­swered with a Shal to his sonne which asked of him a thing pre­sent, [Page] For in dede the Lord him self prouided to him self a shepe in Christ, for that wisdom it self hath bulded to him self his hous and he him self hath humbled hym self euē to death: And what soeuer els y^t readeste of Christe, thou shalt finde them donne, not by any necessity, but by free election. Then they both went for­warde together, and were come to the place which God did shew him. Whē Moises was come to the place which God did shewe vnto him, he is not permitted to clyme vp to it, before it was sayde to him, Vnlose the latchettes of thy shooes frō thy fete. But to Abraham no such matter is sayde nor to Isaac, But thei clime vptogether, and put of no showes. The reason peraduēture therof, was bicause Moises (how great soeuer hee [Page] was) yet was he come out of E­gipt, and therefore had his fete snared with some bādes of car­ [...]alitye. But Abraham & Isaac hadde no suche matter, but they came to the place, they builded the Alter, Abraham laid wood vpon the Altar, and bindeth the childe, he prepareth him self to slea him. Many of you y^t heare these thinges in the Churche of God, are Fathers youre selues: And which of you thinkest thou, by hearinge this historye tolde, hath attained to such constancy and strength of minde, y^t if your son, yea your ōly son, your derly beloued son perhaps be taken a way by death (both common and dew vnto al mē) frameth to him selfe Abraham for a patron, and laieth his stoutnes before youre [...]yes? yet truly y^e like stout mind [Page] is not required of thee, that thou thy selfe bynd thy Son, y^t thou thy selfe make him faste, y^t thou thy selfe prepare y^e sword, that thou thy selfe shoulde slaye thine onely childe: (all these my­steries are not required at thy hand) but at the least be constāt in thy purpose and will, stedfast in faith, and cherefully offer thy Son to God: be a priest touchīg the soule of thy son. And it becō ­meth not a prieste that offereth sacrifice to God, for to do it we­pingly.

Wilt thou vnderstande that this is required of thee? Oure Lorde saith in the gospel: If yeIhon. [...] were the children of Abraham, ye wolde truly do the workes of Abraham. Lo this is a woorke of Abraham: do y^e workes which [Page] Abraham did, but not with grief2. Cor. 9. and sorrowe: For God loueth a chereful geuer. And if ye shal be thus readdy, it shal be saied vn­to you of God: Clyme vp vnto this hygh Land, and to the hill which I will shew thee, & there offerre vnto me thy son. And of­fer thy son not in the deepe pla­ces of the earth, nor in the vale of wepinge, but in the great and high hilles. Declare thou then, that faith in the Lorde is stron­ger then any carnal affection.

For Abraham (saith he) loued I­saac his son, but he preferred y^e son of God to his owne fleshly loue: And so he was found not in the bowels of hys fleshe, but in the bowels of Christe, that is in the bowels of the word of God, of truth and wisedome.

Abraham (saith the text) stretched [Page] forth his hand to take the sworde, and kill his Sonne. And the Angel of the lord called vnto him from heauen, & said: Abraham, Abraham And he an­swered: Here I am, And he said: Lay not thy hand vpon the childe, neither do any hurt to him. For now I know that thou fearest God. It is commō ly out of this place obiected vnto vs, how god saith that he knoweth that Abraham did feare him, as if he had bene ignorante there of before. Wel, god which in dede knoweth all thinges be­fore they be done, did also know this thinge, and was not igno­raunt of it: but it is thus writtē for thy cause, for thou haste a faith in God, and yet excepte y^t accomplish the workes of faith, except thou obey, yea all the hardest commaundements, excepte thou offer vp sacrifice, and shew plainelye that thou doest not set [Page] more by father, mother, and children thē by God, it shal not be acknoleged that thou fearest God, neither shall it bee said of thee: F or now I knowe that thou fearest God.

And besides this, wee may here consider y^t the Angel which is said here to speake these wor­des to Abraham: in processe afterwarde is euidētly shewed to be the Lord. Wherevppon I thinke thus: that as amonge vs men, he was found in his behauiuiour as man, so among the An­gels, [...]. 15▪ he was foūd in his behaui­our as an Angel. And so the An­gels in heauen following his exaumple, are glad of one Sinner which repentith, & reioice greatly, when men go forward in god lines.

For these Angels haue as it [Page] were the ouersighte of oure soules, vnto whom as tutors &Gal. 4 [...] gouernours, wee whiles we are yonglinges are committed, vn­til the time appointed by the fa­ther be comme. Therefore thei say now concerninge the goinge forward in godlines of euery on of vs, that now I knowe that y^u fearest the Lord. But for a plainer exaumple hereof: Be it so y^t I purpose in my minde to suffer martirdom, yet y^e angel can not save vnto mee, that nowe I knowe that thou fearest y^e lord? for God only knoweth y^e secret of y^e mind. but if I abide tormēts if I boldly publish a good cōfes­sion, if I constantly beare what soeuer shallbe doone vnto mee, then the Angell as comfortinge & confirming me, may say: Now I knowe that thou feareste the [Page] Lorde.

Thus thē these thinges were spoken to Abraham, and hee so was pronounced to feare y^e lord. And why? Because he spared not his owne sonne. But let vs compare these thinges with the wordes of the Apostle, where he saiethRom. 8. of god: which spared not his owne son, but did giue him for vs all. Beholde here howe God contendeth with men in bounti­full liberalitie. Abraham offred to god his mortall sonn not yet like to dye: God gaue his im­mort all son for al men to death. What shall we say to theis thinges? What shall we render to y^e Lord, for all that he hath beslo­wed vpon vs? God the Father hath not spared his owne sonne for vs. And which of you al (thin kest thou) at any time shall hear [Page] this voice of the Angel sayinge vnto you: Now I know that y^u fearest God, bicause thou haste not spared thy son, thy daughter thy wife: or thou hast not spared thy wealth, thy worldly honour and the pompe of the world, but hast dispised them all, haste coū ­ted them as dunge, that thou mightst gayne Christ, but haste solde all and haste geuen it to y^e poore, & hast followed the worde of God? Which of you, (thinkest thou) shall he are such a voice of the Angel? Yea Abraham heard this voice againe the secōd time and it was said vnto him, Be­cause thou hast not spared thy beloued sonne for my sake. &c

And Abraham (saith the texte) looking back, saw with his eyes, and beholde. A ramme was holden by the [...]ornes in the busshes of Sabet. I [Page] suppose, that we haue saied here tofore, that Isaac▪ bare the fi­gure of Christ, and yet notwith­standinge, this ramm semeth to beare the figure of Christe also. But how these two agree vnto Christ, bothe Isaac whiche was not slaine, and the ramm which was, it is expediente to vnder­stand. Christe is the woorde of God, but this worde was made flesh. There is thē in Christ one thing which is from aboue, and an other which is taken of y^e nature of man and the woombe of the virgine. Christ thē suffered his passion, but yet in his flesh: he suffered death, but yet in his flesh: whereof this ramme was a figure, according to the saingIoh [...], 1. of Iohn, Behold the Lambe of God, behold him whiche taketh away the sinnes of the worlde. [Page] But y^e worde whiche is Christe accordinge to the Spirite, did continew in incorruption, whose Image this Isaac was. So hee is the sacrifice and highe prieste after the spirite. For he that of­fereth y^e sacrifice to his father accordinge to the flesh, the selfe same is offered vpon the aulter of y^e crosse. and lykewise as it is said of him, Beholde the Lambe of God, Behold him who taketh away the sinnes of the world: so is it also saied of him, Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech. Therfore this ramme is holden by the hornes in the bushes of Saber.

And he toke (saieth the text) the ram, and offered him a burnt offeringe for Isaac his sonne. And Abraham called the name of that place, the lord sayth. Here is a broade way of spiritu [Page] all vnderstāding, laied open for all them that ar skilful to hear these thinges. For all that bee here done, do [...]ende to som spirituall vision, bicause it is sayed: The Lord seeth. This vision of the Lord is in spirit, that thou also mayst behold these thinges which are written in spirite: & as in the Lorde there is nothing corporall or grosse, so also that thou in all these thinges sauour nothinge corporally or grosly, but that thou inwardly in spi­rite beget to thy selfe a childe which may be called Isaac, whē thou shalte obtaine the frute of the spirite, ioy and peace. This childe at the length thus thou may conceaue: if, (as it is writtē of Sara, y^t it was not with her, after the manner of womē, and so she bare Isaac) all womanly [Page] affectiōs so cease out of thi mīd, so that thou haue no worke and effemina [...] thinges in the soule: but doest thinges manfully, and manfully girdest vp thy loines, and hast thy breste fensed with the brest plate of righteousnes, and thy self armed with the helmet of health, and the swerde of the spirit. Yt therefore such womanly māners cease in thy life, thou begettest a son, that is ioye and peace, of thy wife vertu and wisedom. Thou begettest ioye, if thou suppose it all ioy, when thou shalt fall into diuers temptations, & canst offer that ioye a sacrifice to god. For whē thouIacob. [...] doeste come cherefully to God, he rendereth to thee that again which thou haste offered, & say­eth vnto the: Againe ye shal see me, and your heart shalbe glad▪ [Page] and no men shall take your ioye from you: So then shalte thou receaue those thīges increased, which thou shalte offer to God. Such a thinge is sette furthe inLuc. 19. the gospel although by an other figure, as where it is saied, that one receaued a pound for to oc­cupy, and get gaines for y^e good man of the house: And if y^u bring fiue increased into ten, they are geuen to thee thy selfe for a re­warde, they are graunted thee. Herken what he sayethe: Take from this man his pounde, and geue it to him y^t hath tē pounde. Thus though wee seeme to oc­cupye for oure Lord, yet the gaines of this matchandise retur­neth to oure selues: though wee seme to offer sacrifice to y^e lord, yet those thinges which wee of­fer are restored to vs agayne. [Page] For God hath not neede of anyething, but he wold haue vs riche he wisheth by all māner of mea­nes oure wealth.

Thys manner of doctrine is set furth vnto vs in those thin­ges, whiche happened to Iob:Iob. [...]. who beynge ryche, lost all for Gods sake. But because hee endured well the fyghte of pa­cicnce, because he was of a stout courage in all thinges hee suffe­red, saying: The Lorde gaue, & the Lorde hath taken away: as it pleased the Lord, so is it come to passe, the Lords name be blessed: beholde at the ēde what is written of him: He receaued a­gaine (saith the texte) twise as much as he loste. Thou percea­uest thē what it is to loose any thīges for the Lorde: y^t is, to re­ceaue for thy selfe duble: Yea [Page] the gospel doth promise som yet more; that is, it promiseth an hū dred fold to the againe: and be­sides that also eternall lyfe, in Christe Iesu oure Lorde, to whome bee glorye and empire for euer and euer.

AMEN.