cruelly as the Pharisees and the high priests deferred the bloody fact in the killing of Christ until they had gotten time and opportunity for their purpose. Sometime the impatience and unquietness of the mind appeareth with checks and taunting answers unto God; as when God asked Cain, where his brother Abel was he asked God again, whether he were his brother's keeper, or no? (Gen. iv.) The same ways appeared Pharaoh's unquietness. When God would have had him to dismiss his people, he asked what God he was, unto whom he should do such homage and service. (Exod. v.) Sometime it appeareth by desperate weighing the greatness of trouble, not considering the mercy of God, that it is greater than sin. As Cain's unquieted soul for the killing of Abel brought his tongue to biaspheme the mercy of God, saying, that his iniquity was greater than the mercy of God could forgive (Gen. iv.); so did the wicked soul of Judas, that betrayed Christ, make his tongue confess before the Pharisees his treason and wickedness, and never to call upon Christ for the remission thereof. (Matt. xxvii.) Sometime the impatience of the mind is known outwardly, by finding fault with God's works: as when Adam's mind was unquieted for the eating of the apple, he said unto God, that his wife, the woman that he gave unto him, deceived him. (Gen. iii.) Ahab the wicked king being impatient with the scourges that God sent upon his realm for his own sins and the people's, picked a quarrel with the good Prophet Elias, and said, that he troubled all his realm. (1 Kings, xviii.) So said the Jews against Paul: "This is he that troubleth all the world." (Acts, xxi. xxiii.)

This is daily seen, whensoever the mind and the soul are unquieted: the fault is laid upon God's work as if the higher powers hang a true man, and save a thief; deliver Barabbas, and hang Christ

straightway the tongue walketh, that he is set in authority by God. Indeed so he is, but yet to punish the evil, and to maintain the good, and not to mo. lest the good, and maintain the evil, as commonly now-a-days is seen. Simon Magus shall be at liberty, and Simon Peter in chains: Annas and Caiaphas shall rule like lords; Christ and St. Paul shall be ruled, and suffer death; although not personally in their own bodies, yet in their members and disciples.

Let the mind of the thief be touched for theft; straightway poverty, the work of God, beareth the blame. Let whoredom vex the whoremonger's mind; immediately the tongue complaineth upon God's work, youth, strength, and such other. Let the mind be troubled with covetousness; by and by God's work, wife, children, be alleged for excuse, for they must be provided for, saith the covetous man ; when he hath enough for himself and ten times as many more children as God has sent him, if it were thankfully used towards God, and liberally towards the world: so that if any man be touched with anguish or heaviness for sin, immediately the tongue saith, he was born under an evil planet, or in an evil hour, and so findeth fault with the work of God, which God made excellent good. (Gen. i.)

Thus may ye see, where the soul of man waiteth not upon God, the impatient man accuseth God and all his works, both in heaven and in earth. But the godly, feeling the rod of God for sin and iniquity (Prov. xviii.), as God never punisheth without just cause, he first accuseth himself, and acknowledgeth his own offences; and then saith with the Prophet Micah, "I will suffer the indignation of God, for I have deserved it." (Mic. vii.)

To this waiting upon the Lord without quarrelling and desperate lamenting, exhorted Jeremiah the

Prophet the children of Israel, for the time of their being in servitude and captivity at Babylon; bidding them to plant and graft trees, and so to provide for themselves, until the time were expired of their affliction and captivity.

Men may mourn and lament their sins and troubles that they suffer for sin; as we may see how the Psalm of the Prophet containeth the bewailing and weeping of the people, that sate heavily and lamentably by the river-side in Babylon. (Psalm cxxxvii.) And the like may ye read in the Lamentations of Jeremiah. But this mourning was without desperation and quarrelling, as the letters and books do record. Besides these things, the cause of their bewailing and lamenting, whilst their souls waited upon the Lord, differeth from the most sort of mourners and bewailers now-adays: for we may see now-a-days, if the wife bewail the death of her husband, it is most commonly because she hath taken from her a loving head and governor. If the husband lament the departure of his wife, it is because he is bereaved of a faithful helper. If the son mourn for the death of his father, it is because there is taken from him, not only his father, but also his patron and defender. If the parents be sorry for the taking away of their children, it is because they want their dalliance, sport, and pastime with them, or such other worldly affections. If the prince take grievously the calling away of his subject from this world, it is because he lacketh a trusty soldier, a faithful captain, a wise counsellor, or profitable officer. If the subject lament the death of his prince, it is because he hath lost his advantage, authority, or estimation. If the servant weep for his master, it is because with his master is departed his commodity, and trust of worldly riches and friendship. If the master mourn for his servant, it is because there is taken from him a skilful, a diligent, or a faithful

doer of his business; and such-like causes as men grievously of every sort feel and lament. If the parson lament his parishioner, it is most commonly because he seeth the breach of an honest household decayeth his tenths and profits: and if the parishioner mourn for his pastor, most commonly it is, because he lost a good companion or profitable friend. If the bishop bewail the death of such as die in his diocese, it is most commonly because he is destitute of such an one, as favoured much affection to set forth and do such things as he worldly desired should go forward; or else perchance such manner of one as could excuse him, what negligence or fault soever he should perpetrate or commit for the time he were in office. If the diocese be sorry for the death of the bishop, it is because the one part (which is the clergy) doth fear lest there shall come another that will be more diligent and quick in doing his office, and see that they shall do the same: the other party (called the temporalty) lament, because they have lost such an one as peradventure fed well their bellies with bread and beef; or else was so remiss, that he would suffer all sin unpunished, and rather be a bearer of the evil, than a maintainer of the good. Now this is such bewailing and mourning as ethnics, publicans, aud infidels may have. But wherefore the Christian soul, that waiteth upon the Lord without quarrel or desperation, doth weep and lament, read you the Psalm before named, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah; and there shall you find in the Psalm these words: "We sate by the rivers of Babylon and wept, when we remembered thee, O Sion."

The chiefest cause of their weeping was, because the word of God was not preached, the sacraments ministered, nor the Almighty God lauded and praised in the temple of Jerusalem, as God had com

manded by his word. This is a most just and also a most worthy cause to weep for, whilst God promiseth us, that for our sins, not only our quietness and wealth, but also the word of God (which is greater), is taken away, and his due honour given unto idols; for the children of Israel perceiving that God's honour was defaced for their sins, they wept as often as they remembered it, as God give us grace to do the same. The like did St. Peter: he lamented not because he left all his goods for Christ's sake, but wept that by his denial of Christ he felt himself not constant in the faith and love of his Master. (Matt. xxvii.) So did Mary Magdaler.. bewail that she had offended Christ; and not because the world knew her to be a sinner. (Luke, vii.)

St. John Chrysostom hath a notable saying: "He that feareth more hell than Christ, is worthy of hell." And what meant the Prophet when he cried out, "What is there in heaven or in earth, that I prefer before thee, O Lord?" (Psalm lxxiii.) As though he had said: There is nothing can make me as glad, as thy love towards me, nor any thing so sorry, as thy displeasure, good Lord.

Thus doth the soul of the very Christian wait upon the Lord in all troubles and adversities, and patiently doth bear the punishments of sin; and not only bear patiently the pain, but also considereth, what is the greatest loss that may happen unto him, by reason of troubles: not the loss of worldly riches, lands, and promotions, nor the loss of health of body by sickness, neither the loss of the body itself by death, nor yet the loss of the soul into eternal pains. But the greatest loss that he weigheth, is the loss of the good will of Him that made him, and of great mercy redeemed him, and with much kindness always nourished him.

That is to be seen in the prodigal sor, which when