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There came a Prince and adored, saying: Lord my daughter is newly deade, but come and putt thy hand vpon her and she shall liue. Matt. 9.
CONSIDER the great peruersi∣tie of mans harte who still putts false rates vpon thinges, and most loues and labours for that which deserues the lesse loue and esteeme. We may obserue in this Gospell as well as in all the rest, prince and people, poore and
rich, Iewe and gentile running to our Sa∣uiour for bodily cures. While yet we scarce find any haue recourse to him in behoofe of their soules; vnlesse it be a weeping Magdalene or a poore humble Publicane with propitius esto mihi peccatori in his mouth.
[Affection.] How longe, my soule, shall we be willing to vse false waightes, euen in waighing to our selues? How longe shall we be in loue with lyes. What proportion doth our corruptible body, dust and ashes beare to our immortall soule? What pro∣fit will bodily health, togeither with the honours pleasures and riches which we so earnestly breath after, bring vs, if we suf∣fer the losse of our soule, which Christ knowes, best to value, who putt downe the price of his pretious bloud for it. Alas, my soule if we haue but a tooth that akes we presently suffer the paine to haue it plucked out; and yet to cure our dying, or deade soule, how litle are we sensible? how smale paines are we willing to suffer?
The girle is not deade, but sleepeth.
CONSIDER that we may often see∣me to the censorious world, and euen to our selues too, to be dying or dea∣de in spirit: whilst in truth, and in the neuer fayling sight of God, we are in per∣fect health, and doe but onely slumber, and a litle forgett our selues. Or els if (being truly deade through infirmitie) we presently run to Iesus for succour, while we are in his hands in whom all thinges doe liue, he being indeede resurrection and life, we cannot be said so much to be dea∣de, as to sleepe for a while, till he inter∣pose his powerfull hand, to rayse vs to our spirituall life againe.
[Affection.] Alas my soule, the litle skill we haue to discerne betweene suggestion, deliberation and consent, causes in vs more doubts, then deathes; more fear∣full apprehensions then true crymes. Be our harte brim-full of disloyall and abo∣minable representations, they are but yet suggestions, none can auoyde them: they want deliberation; they want consent; the
mayde is not yet deade; this infirmitie is not to death, but to Gods glorie. But doth suggestion begett pleasure, and pleasure procure deliberate consent through infir∣mitie and ignorance, yet is she not irre∣couerably or finally deade, nor is this varie death to death since presently she has recourse to Christ for helpe, who in∣terposeth his hand, and suffers her not to be brused in her fall, but teacheth her therby her owne weaknesse and miserie; his power and mercy, by which alone she sees she is able to stand.
And behold a woman who was troubled with an issue of bloud twelue yeares came behind him.
CONSIDER, with what dispositions this poore woman came to our Sa∣uiour. And first tho we may easily con∣ceiue that twelue yeares sufferance of that wasting desease had brought her lowe enough yet she with as much courage of mynde, as weaknesse of body pressed
through the thronge to gettneere Christ; Secondly she approched with as much modestie, humilitie, and vnderualuing of her selfe, as high conceipt of his power and Maiestie, before whose face she would not presume to present her selfe, but one∣ly came behind him to touch him &c.
[Affection.] O my soule, let vs place the example of this poore woman before our eyes. And let vs but vse the same care, courage, modestie, abiect conceipt of our selues, and high esteeme of God, for the cure of our spiritual infirmities, be they not of twelue yeares grouth onely but euen farr more inueterate; and we may certainly harbour in our soules ma∣ny comfortable hopes, that our care, cou∣rage, modestie, abiect conceipt of our selues, and high esteeme of God, will be agreeable in his diuine sight: thar he will looke vpon them with pittie: and say to vs, as he did to her: take a good harte daughter, thy faith hath made the safe, and the woman became whole from that houre.
She said within her selfe, if I shall touch onely his garment I shall be safe.
CONSIDER further, two other dis∣positions which this good woman brought with her. To witt, a huge estee∣me of Christ his power, and an vnspeaka∣ble confidence in his goodnesse. The first plainely appeares, in that she dares ven∣ture her cure, in the onely touching, not of himselfe, but euen of any thinge which toucheth him; to witt, the verie hemme of his garments. And the seconde is ma∣nifested in these few confident words. If I shall touch onely the hemme of his garment I shall be safe.
[Affection.] Alas my soule, when we com∣pare our cold confidence to the great faith of this good woman, we may well say: we beleeue, ô Lord, yet helpe our incredulitie, and increase this deade faith of ours. For loe she neither couets to speake to Christ, nor to haue him speake to her: neither to touch him, nor to be touched by him but onely in silence to touche the hemme of his garment, and she is presently cu∣red.
O conquering modestie! O soule speaking silence! Thou haste a more fa∣cile accesse to him who heares hartes, then the lowdest importunities of those too sollicitous and perplexed soules, who see∣me to endeuour, as it were, by force of armes to obteyne their requestes. My sou∣le, lets onely humbly hope in our Lord and he will giue vs the desires of our harte