An epithrene: or Voice of vveeping bewailing the want of vveeping. A meditation.

§. 29.

We doe all professe to be the Seruants of the living God, But as of old, * 1.1 none that was blind or had any blemish in his eye might serue at the Altar; So now, none can sincerely serue the Lord that are blemished with the want of Weeping; And a∣mong many Reasons this may be One, because for that impe∣diment in the eye, wee cannot well shew our inward Sorrow∣ing by outward Weeping. Which Necessitie of Weeping, Hierome positively confirmeth, * 1.2 Concluding, that, Longus risus perpeti compensandus est fletu, Much Laughter must be recom∣pensed with much Weeping: And els where, that not onely

the Inhabitants of the Materiall Hierusalem, * 1.3 remembring in their afflictions and Miseries, all their pleasant things, that they had in the dayes of old, mour∣ned and Wept; But the Mem∣bers also of the Mysticall Hie∣rusalem repenting and groning for anguish of Spirit, must ac∣knowledge they have erred from the way of Truth, and wearied themselues in the way of wickednesse and destruction. * 1.4 The most frequent Sacrifices a∣mong the Iewes were Doues and Pi∣geons, which of all Fowles doe most often lament, and there∣fore the Lord ordained them to bee often vsed in his Sacrifices, as the most significant Embleme of Weeping: * 1.5 Wherevnto Au∣gustine elegantly alluding, saith, that the first visible manner in which the Holy Ghost

descended from heaven, was like a Dove vpon our Saviour in his Baptisme; To teach vs that as in the Arke of Noah ther were a Raven and a Dove, So in the Arke of the Church there are Ravens knowen by their Croking, and Doves knowen by their Groning, the infallible witnesse of the Spirit abiding in them, which baptizeth and washeth them with Teares. The Lords breaking the Heads of Dra∣gons in the waters, mentioned Psal. 74.13. is Allegorically ex¦pounded by Interpreters, to bee the weakening and washing a∣way of our strongest and vilest Sinnes by Weeping. The Pro∣phets for the most part received their Commissions to prophecy by Rivers, as Ezechiel by the Ri∣ver Chebar, * 1.6 Daniel by the Ri∣ver Hiddekel, * 1.7 the Baptist by the

River Iordane; And all of them preached and prophecyed not so much with words as Wee∣ping: Which course of Wee¦ping, * 1.8 Gregory requireth as con∣stantly in every constant pro∣fessor, to bee sought for, by Prayer from the Lord; * 1.9 as Achsah petitioned her father for Springs of waters, vnto whom he had given a South-land; * 1.10 For many doe feed the hungry, lodge the stranger, cloth the naked, visit the sicke, and doe other good workes, wherein the Lord hath only gi∣ven them a dry and South-land; With which (saith the Father) they must not bee contented, but must further desire the Blessing of the Springs of wa∣ter; The Vpper Springs, that through the love of heaven; And the nether Springs, that through the feare of Hell, they

may bewayle the Sinnes they have committed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Levit. 21.20
• * 1.2

  Hier. ad Eustoch.
• * 1.3

  Hier. in 1. cap. Thren.
• * 1.4

  Levit. 1.14. Levit. 5 7.
• * 1.5

  August in Ioan. Tract. 6.
• * 1.6

  Ezech. 1.3. Dan. 10.4.
• * 1.7

  Matth. 3.6.
• * 1.8

  Greg. de Al∣log. l. 3. c. 34
• * 1.9

  Iosua 15.19
• * 1.10

  Mat. 25.44.