This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
For it is (once here, for all, to insert and inculcate the Confu∣tatiō of Monkish hipocrisie) the Doctrine of Popish Superstition, all the day to bow downe the head like a Bulrush, to affect a sad ca∣riage, a demure looke, or a de∣iected Countenance; Because sincere Christians should al∣wayes Weepe. Which immo∣derate and affected Weeping is condemned by Nature and Rea∣son, as well as by Religion. In Nature all the Elements abhorre
excesse of Weeping; The Earth through immodera••e raine is o∣verflooded, the Waters bemud∣ded, the Ayre darkened, the Fire oppressed with water giveth nei¦ther Light nor Heate: And the Eye it selfe (as Anatomists ob∣serue) hath six dry skins, * 1.1 to damme vp like Sluces the ex∣cessiue course of Teares, where∣as it hath but three moist hu∣mors like Channels dissoluing into Teares. In reason, even blind Reason, such as the Heathen had, it was a Pythago∣rean Theoreme, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Not to eat the heart; or, as Salomon expoundeth it, As the moath fretteth the garment, and the Worme eateth Wood, so Heavinesse doth the heart: Wherevpon Heraclitus having soust himselfe all his life time in Weeping, is reported to have
dyed of a Dropsie, and (as a Selfe-Murtherer) drowned him∣selfe in his owne Teares. In Re∣ligion, wee are taught, That it becometh the Righteous to re∣ioyce; * 1.2 And wee are comman∣ded to Reioyce evermore, 1. Thess. 5.16. But no where to Weepe evermore; At the most, Salomon alloweth but a Time to Weepe, * 1.3 as a Time to Laugh: Therefore the very Egyptians when they would describe Wee∣ping, paynted those Pearles, which wee call Margarites, or V∣nions, * 1.4 whence Suidas saith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Margarites Hiereglyphically signify the shed∣ding of Teares; For as those Pearles are called Vniones in La∣tine, because they are found one after another, and never more at once; So Teares must be shed successiuely one by one, & neuer
powred out all at once. Hence it may in like manner bee con∣ceived, * 1.5 that Teares are not al∣wayes absolutely and necessari∣ly required to manifest true Hu∣miliation; For sometimes the Constitutiō of body will yeeld no Teares, neither in Sorrow, for Sinne, nor worldly Crosses, which therefore may not bee imputed to Corruptiō of heart, or State of Vnregeneracie; Sometimes aboundance of Griefe, doth so oppresse the heart, that it cannot ease it selfe by Teares. When Amasis saw his sonne led to execution hee could not Weepe, but when he saw his Friend begging hee wept, * 1.6 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; For the one was miserable, but the other cruell, saith the Philosopher. Thus many times Curae leves loquuntur, ingentes
stupent, Our lesser Griefes may be expressed by Weeping, grea¦ter ones by astonishment.
Vesael 〈◊〉〈◊〉 7. cap. 14. Tolet, 〈…〉〈…〉 Arist•••• ••••∣nim.
Psalm.
Eccles. 3.4.
Suid.
Note.
Ar••st. Rhe∣ter, lib. 2. c. 8