The Christian mans teares and Christs comforts. Delivered at a fast the seventh of Octob. An[n]o. 1624. By Gilbert Primerose minister of the French Church of London.

TO THE RIGHT Honourable and Re∣ligious Lady, ELIZABETH, Countesse of Anan∣dale, Viscountesse of ANAN, &c.

MADAM:

COnsidering it is the custome of those which set out Bookes, to stamp them with the glorious titles of some per∣son of note and authority, that they may bee received as cur∣rant

money; I have given to this little booke the silver wings of your right Honoura∣ble name, that flying abroad like a mourning Dove, it may finde a quiet resting-place in the favourable allowance of the Reader.

The matter wherewith it is stuffed, is weeping & laughing, mourning and comforts. The end wherefore it is made, is to exhort all kinde of persons to shead teares of godly sorrow, which God may put in his bot∣tles, & the Lamb of God turne into the wine of heavenly com∣forts, when they shall be called unto his marriage-Supper.

Such teares were never more necessary; I will not say that they were never lesse heeded nor cared for, than they are

now, because I am a stranger at home: let every man speake to his owne conscience; let e∣very conscience aske of its own heart, how it is touched with sinne, how affected with the af∣fliction of the Church: let eve∣ry heart iudge it selfe; and if our heart condemne us, let us all know, that God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

One thing I know general∣ly, that men when they are ex∣horted to weep, are accustomed to say, that weeping is more womanish than manly: for wo∣men are of a more weake and moyst constitution of body, and more sensible of the passions which provoke weeping, than men are. Men blaspheme the glorious and dreadfull Name

of the Lord our God: Men are more frequent in the Ta∣vernes, than in the Church: Men let flye all they have at Cards, at Dyce, at other un∣lawful games, & foolish sports. Where is there deceit, where robberie, where oppression? where, but among men? Who trouble the state? Men. Who undermine, who betray, who dismember the Church by schismes, by heresies, by secret plots? Men. Who persecute the Church? Men. Who for∣sake it? Men. The most part of the evill that is done in the world, is done by men: Not because they are moe, but be∣cause they are worse than wo∣men, and (for the most part, a∣las!) have neither wit nor cou∣rage, but to doe ill. For all this

they weepe not, because, for∣sooth, it becomes not men to weepe. But when the hand of God is heavie upon them, will they not curse? will they not roare like wild beasts? Is roa∣ring more manly? Is it no∣thing so womanish as weeping?

I know not what they call womanish? for many women have beene, many in this last age of the world are better than manie men. Had not SEMIRAMIS distaffe a sharper edge than NI∣NVS her husbands sword? Was not TAMYRIS as martiall as CYRVS? did she not find out a more wittie stra∣tagem to overthrow him, who was a most craftie and cun∣ning warrier, and his armie of two hundred thousand men

trained up in warres from the cradle, than he did to intangle her Sonne who was a beardlesse Captain? did not the AMA∣ZONES fight, when men fled? did they not subdue their enemies, who had overcome their husbands? Had not ZENOBIA a lions heart in a womans breast? How of∣ten did shee constraine the Ro∣mane armies to shew her a faire paire of heeles? Neither was she overcome, but wearied with the innumerable multitude of new armies sent against her by the Emperor VALERIVS AVRELIANNS; who when he had triumphed of her, was faine to be a suitor unto her, for her daughter to be his wife. Though she was a Syri∣an, shee spake Greeke and La∣tin;

shee was instructed in all sciences; she writ the Story of the Orient; she had quick eyes, and a mans voyce; her teeth were so white, that she seemed to have pearles, and not teeth in her mouth: in all the gifts of the body and of the spirit, she went beyond all the men of her age. Her owne husband ODENATVS vvas the most valiant man of those dayes: He subdued all the O∣rient, & the Emperor GAL∣LIENVS was fain to pray him to be partaker of the Em∣pire with him: but shee was better than he. PHILE was so wise from her tender nayles, that being yet a yong girle, her father ANTIPATER, that old and wise Counsellor of A∣LEXANDER▪ THE

GREAT, that worthy King of Macedonia asked her coun∣saile, and followed it: & when she was wife to DEMETRI∣VS, a man given to many vi∣ces, she could manage and go∣verne his passions with such discretion, that she made his government tolerable to his subiects, his person respectable to all men, his power fearefull to his enemies. I forbeare to speake of CRATESICLEA, the royall mother of CLEO∣MENES king of Sparte, and of PORCIA the wise daughter of CATO, and the courageous wife of BRV∣TVS, who, when she had recei∣ved a great wound, did not so much as shrinke.

To enter into the Church; Was not DEBORAH

more meete to bee Generall of an army, than BARAK? did not IAHEL, with a hammer and a nail, teach the great Cap∣taine SISERA, that he had a foolish head? One woman in the Citie of ABEL was wi∣ser than all the men therein. There was no man in BE∣THVLIA to be compared in wisdome with IVDITH: What courage shee and her hand-maid had, OLOFER∣NES proud and cup-shotten head could best tell. When IV∣DAS betrayed Christ, when PETER denyed him, when the Priests and Elders of the Iewes accused him, women were faithfull unto him: When Pi∣late condemned him, when men mocked him, and nailed him on the crosse, women wept

for him: when his owne disci∣ples through feare fled away from him, women most coura∣geously followed him.

PVLCHERIA faire in∣deed, but more wise than faire, was more worthie of the impe∣riall diadem, than her brother THEODOSIVS II. who prospered when hee was guided by her; was unfortunate, and turned the empire topsie turvie when he neglected her counsell. FERDINAND king of Spaine was a wise and valiant Prince: But his roiall wife I∣SABELLA outreached him in all princely vertues. He was hard and sparing; She was li∣berall and honourable. He was fitter to keep and maintain his own kingdom, than to enlarge it: She, She I sal, encreased it

with the kingdome of Na∣varre, with the Canarie Isles, and with the new world, which we call AMERICA. She ne∣ver drank wine. When she was sicke, when she was in travaile, not onely shee cried not, shee mourned not, but shee did not so much as change her counte∣nance, as give one sigh. On her daughters wedding day, newes being brought unto her of the death of her only sonne, shee suppresseth her griefe, she keepes a merrie countenance, lest she should marre the feast MARIVS himselfe could not have shewen a greater cou∣rage.

I could name women yet li∣ving, who went stoutely to the skirmish against the enemies, no wayes dreading the gliste∣ring

of swords, the brandish∣ing of speares, the hail of bul∣lets falling thicke, and whist∣ling about their eares. When men made head to men with their heeles, they ran to the breach, and catching the par∣tizans that fleeing men had flung away, laid their enemies heads where their feete were, and saved the beleaguered towne. The only sonnes of some of them being killed in that cause, they buried them vvith dry eyes and laughing faces; calling themselves happy, that God had made them mothers of such children. Neyther did they at any time weepe, but when they saw men doe many things unbeseeming, not onely Christians, but men: then, through great displeasure, they

wept, because men did neither blush for shame, nor waxe pale for feare of eternall disgrace, nor weepe for forrow, that, like IVDAS, they had betrayed Iesus Christ; or like REV∣BEN abode among the sheep∣folds, to heare the bleatings of the flockes.

Moreover, the principall passions w^ch provoke weeping, are love, anger, sorrow: If those passions bee more vehe∣ment in women, than in men, as men say; then, when they are sanctified in women, as they are in all true Christian wo∣men, we must confesse, that in women there is greater anger against sinne, greater sorrow for sinne, and for the affliction of the Church, greater love of God, greater zeale of his glo∣ry,

than men: and therefore that women weepe more than men.

Are they first in weeping? they shall be first in comforts. The more bitter their weeping is, the greater shall their com∣fort be. Women, not men, wept publiquely at the death of Christ: therefore they vvere first comforted vvith the de∣lightsome sight of his glorious resurrection, and with the com∣mission given unto them, to bee the Apostles of the Apostles, and to preach that their Lord and Master was risen againe. S. Peter saith, that women are the weaker vessell. That speech may be turned to their praise: for as a little cup of crystall, though it be frayle and brittle, is of more value than a thou∣sand

bowles of varnished tin; so one godly and vertuous wo∣man is more to bee esteemed, when she weepeth to God in time of misery, than ten thou∣sand brutall men, vvho can roare, but cannot weepe.

I speake of brutall men; for we finde in the Scriptures, and I shew in this booke, that the most courageous, wise, and god∣ly men, that ever had eyes in their heads, did make of their heads living fountaines of tears, of their eyes pipes to con∣vey them to their cheekes; and did weepe as much, not only as women, but as little children. And indeed are vve not all Gods children? why then shall we not weepe, when vve offend him, and hee chasteneth us? Are vve not in his Church as

new borne babes? vvhy then should we not weepe in our ne∣cessities, till hee take us in his lap, lay our mouthes to his breast, & still us with the sweet milke of his spiritual comforts? Can man have a true feeling of his evils, and not weep? Can he know that his helpe is in the Name of the Lord, vvho made heaven and earth, and not run unto him, and cry unto him, as the woman of Canaan did, LORD HELP ME?

Will such men need rules of weeping, & Masters or Prea∣chers to teach them how they ought to weepe? No, no: their unfained love to the Church of God, their earnest affection to the glory of God, their ex∣treame and godly sorrow for the bruising and crushing of

Ioseph, their passionate ha∣tred and grudge against sinne, will be to them a most sufficient and learned Master in that Art. Godly sorrow will be Aa∣rone rodde to their hearts of rocke, and make them an un∣drainable spring of sighes, of groans, of cryes, of tears, of la∣mentations, of complaints, of expostulations, of deprecations. Their fervent love will make them most eloquent in devoute praying. The heart wounded to the quicke, sendeth up to the eyes rivers of teares, and to the mouth flouds of most pithy and signifying words, and easeth it selfe by weeping and praying. There all the Saints of God, men and women, have in all times found teares enow, and words in aboundance, to make

their mone to God.

Not that God, vvho seeth without eyes, & heareth with∣out eares, and before whom hell it selfe is naked, and the deepe hath no covering, hath need of our teares to know our wants: but because vve stand in need of him, he will have us to know & to feel our own miseries, and to acknowledge with sighing, mourning, and praying, that we have no hope but in his helpe, but in the exceeding riches of his grace, but in the infinite treasures of his mercies. For this cause, doth he exhort us to fast, to weepe, and to pray: for the same cause, at a Fast so∣lemnized those dayes by-past, made I in substance, and so far as two houres of time would permit, and I thought fit for

the time and the hearers, this exhortation to weeping; which now I present to you,

MADAM, as a publick testimonie of the due account which I make of those excellent gifts, both of nature and of grace, vvherewith God hath, with an open hand, inriched your noble and honourable per∣son. ISABELLA the Queen of women, of whom I have al∣ready spoken, might have been called the PHOENIX of Queenes, if there had not bin a ZENOBIA before her in the Orient, and after her an ELIZABETH in England: This Queene was to all wo∣men a glistering Mirrour of chastitie, a rare example of so∣briety, a perfect president of modesty. She could not abide

Iesters, Stage-players, Fidlers, but banished them all off her Court: when shee was not di∣stracted with matters of State, she was ever in the middest of her Ladies, sewing with her owne hands, and instructing & exhorting them, by word and by example, to godlinesse and vertue. Every day twice she had her ordinary houres of pri∣vate prayers. Her daughter MARY, Queene of Portu∣gall, like unto her, was very grave in all her carriage, was as milde as any might be to all persons, was enemy to idlenesse, and was wont to exhort all her Ladies to MODESTIE; saying, that MODESTY IS THE PRINCI∣PAL ORNAMENT OF A WOMAN. The

Chastitie and Modesty of a woman; the gracious and courteous gravity of a Lady; the zeale and piety of a Chri∣stian; the wisdome and provi∣dēt care of a vertuous & noble Matron, are the vertues w^ch I have observed in your Ladi∣ship, and which have moved me to beare witnesse unto them by this dedication.

Futhermore, all who know your Ladiship, and know the perpetuall attendance of my Lord, your vvorthy and right honourable husband, on his Maiesty at Court, will beare you record, that you indeed are the vertuous Woman, of whom Salomon saith, that THE HEART OF HER HVS∣BAND DOTH SAFE∣LY TRVST IN HER;

that her children arise and call her blessed; that her husband praiseth her, and saith, MA∣NY DAVGHTERS HAVE DONE VER∣TVOVSLY, BVT THOV EXCEL∣LEST THEM ALL. You are the last and most sure receiver of my Lords debts: you are the most faithfull keeper of his treasures and Registers: Let it please you then, most vertuous and Noble LA∣DY, receive this obligatorie bill, whereby I acknowledge my selfe indebted to my Lord for his favour and kindnesse, and doe bind me by it, as by a solemne contract, to powre out my soule before the Lord of Lords, day and night; besee∣ching his divine Maiestie to

powre downe upon your right honourable persons and hope∣full issue, all kind of blessings externall, internall, and eter∣nall, for Christ Iesus his Sons sake; in whom I am, and shall remaine for ever,

MADAM, Your most humble and most affectionate servant, Gilbert Primerose.