Chapter 82

How attentively our Lord doth hear us; and how piteously he doth behold us; if we manifest our infirmities to him, with that grief which is fit; and how ready he is to cure us, and to do us many other favours.

THE great goodness of our Lord hath this; That to the end his Commandments and Laws, may be kept by us, he maketh them easy in themselves, and more easy by his having been pleased to perform them first. He hath commanded us (as hath been said) that we should hear him, and behold him, and incline our ear unto him, which is all most reasonable, and easy. For, such a master, who will not hear? Who will not be delighted, in beholding such a delightful light? Who will not incline his ear, to that infinite wisdom? But¹ to the end, that the thing which is light, might be yet more light, he was pleased to pass by the same law, which he hath imposed upon us; & he performed it with great diligence. He heareth us, he seethe us, he inclineth his ear to us; to the end that we may no longer say, there is none, who looketh towards me; none who hearkneth to my complaints. A² great comfort it is, for one that is in distress to have some body, who at all times of both day, and night, will be at good leisure, and in good humour, to hear his difficultyes related; and if (without the failing of any moment) he stand looking upon his miseries, and infirmities, and if he do not so much as say, I am weary of seeing those afflictions; & thy wounds, and sores do turn my stomach. And although such a person, were hard of heart, we would yet be glad, that he should ever hear, and see us. For we would hope, that the gutter of our sorrows (which would fall upon his heart, by the conduit of his ears and eyes) would one day eat into him, and breed compassion; since how hard soever, he were, he would not be more hard than stone; which yet is wrought upon, by the fall of water, although sometimes that water cease to fall. And although we knew, that he were not able to relieve our miseries, yet should we comfort ourselves much, by the only compassion which he might have of our case.

Now³ if we should owe much gratitude to such a person; how great must that be, which we own to our Lord? And how joyful ought we to be, in that his eyes, and ears, are bend upon the sight of our afflictions; and that he doth not at any time retire them from us. And this is done by him, not with any hardness of hart; but with internal, and profound mercy; and not with mercy of the hart alone; but with entire power to relieve our necessities. Be⁴ thou O Lord eternally blessed, who art neither deaf, nor blind to our afflictions; since thou dost ever hear, and see them. Nor art thou cruel, since of thee it is said Our Lord is, a worker⁵ of mercies, and he is of a merciful hart, he expecteth us, and he is very merciful. Nor is he weak withal; since all the miseries, and sins of the world, are both weak, & few, if they be compared to his infinite power, which hath no end, nor measure. We read, that in times; past, God gave a marvellous victory to King⁶ Fzechias, over his enemies; who as some relate, did not yield those thankes, and sing those praises to our Lord; which were both due, and accustomed; to be presented, in such cases. For which offence; God⁷ did cast him into a sickness, and that so dangerous, that (humanely speaking), it could expect no cure. And least, (through a vain hope of life) he might forget to set his soul in order, the Prophet Isay was sent to him; and he said, by the commandment of God, This saith our Lord; Dispose of the affairs of thy house; for know that thou shalt dye, and not line. The King, being frighted, by these words, turned his face towards the wall; and wept with great lamentation, imploring the mercy of our Lord. He considered, how justly he had deserved death; since he had not been grateful to him, who had given him his life; and he reflected upon the sentence, which had already passed on him, which said, Thou shalt not line.

Ho found not, that there was any thing superior, to him who had passed that sentence, that so, he might procure to have it reversed. And although there had been any such, yet would not his title have been good; For, from the man who is ungrateful, that is justly taken away, which was mercifully afforded to him. He saw, that he was but a man of middle age; and that the line of David was to fail in his person; for than he was to have died, without children. And besides all this, he was assaulted, by all the sins of his life past; the fear whereof, is wont to press men most, in that last hour. And by these things, his hart was even broken with grief, and troubled, like a tempestuous sea; and which way soever he looked, he found reasons of sorrow and fear.

But⁸ yet in the midst of so many miseries, the good King met with a remedy; and it was, to ask physic at his hands, who had made him sick; and security of him, by whom he had been frighted; and to convert himself to him by hope, and penance, from whom he had fled before, through pride. Yea, and of the judge himself, he desires, that he will become his advocate; and he falls upon an invention, how to appeal from God, (not as to any other, more high than he) but from himself being just, to himself being merciful. And the reasons of his defence, are no other, than the accusations of himself, and the Rhetoric that he useth, are but sighs, and tears. And by these means, he is able to prevail so fare, in that court of Chancery of the divine mercy; that before the prophet Isay (who was the proclaimer of the sentence, of his death) could go but half way over the King's chamber, our Lord said to him, Return, and say thus to King Ezechias, that Captain of my people; I have heard thy prayer; and I have seen thy tears; & I grant thee health; and I give thee moreover, fifteen years of life; and I will deliver this City, out of the hands of thine enemies.

What is this (O Lord)? So soon dost thou sheathe thy sword again; so soon dost thou turn thy anger into mercy? Can a few tears, which are shed, not in the Temple, but in the corner of a bed; whilst the eyes, look not up to heaven, but upon a wall, make thee so soon revoke that sentence, which thy majesty had given, and commanded to be notified, to that guilty person? What⁹ is then become, of coppying out the whole process; what of the costs of the suit; what of the terms that have been given; what of the producing of the testimonies, both of the plaintiff and defendant? and what can be said to this, That the judge ought to esteem himself to have received an affront, if his sentence be revoked? Thou dost pass over it all, by the love, which thou bearest; and by the desire which thou hast, to pour blessings down upon us. And thou saidst, I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears. All terms seem long, till thou mayst free him that is faulty; for never did any man so desire to receive pardon, as thou dost to give it; and more dost thou joy to pardon them, to whom thou desirest to give life; then the sinner doth himself, for having escaped from death. Thou obseruedst no ordinary delays, or laws; but the law shallbe, That he who hath broken thy laws, shall afflict his hart with grief, for what is past; and shall purpose an amendment of life, for that which is to come; and shall apply the wholesome receipts, of thy Sacraments, which thou didst leave in thy Church; or at least shall have intention to take them.

And the delays shallbe these; That¹⁰ whensoever a sinner, shallbe deeply sorry for his sins, thou wilt remember them no longer. And to the end that sinners, may take hart in craving thy pardon, for their offences; thou wert pleased to grant this man more favour than he asked of thee, by fifteen years of life; and the delivery of his City, and the retreat of the Sun, as far as it is wont to walk in ten hours; in token that upon the third day after that, the King should go up into the Temple safe and sound. And thou wert merciful, by vouchsafing him other secret favours; who neither yet wouldst suffer sin to approach to us; but only for the bringing of greater good from thence; letting us see thy mercy, by our misery; and thy pardon, and goodness, by our wickedness; and thy power, by our weakness.

Therefore¹¹ thou, O sinner, whosoever thou be, who art threatened by that sentence of God, which¹² saith, The soul that sinneth, the same shall dye; be not yet all dismayed, under the burden of thy great sins; and that insuportable weight, of the wrath of God. But taking courage, in the consideration of the mercies, of him, who¹³ desireth not the death of a sinner, but that he may be converted, and live, do thou humble thyself, by weeping in his sight, whom thou hast despised by committing sin. And then receive thy pardon, from the hand of that piteous Father; who¹⁴ hath so very great desire to give it, yea and to impart greater blessings to thee, than thou hadst before. As he did to this King, who rose up sound in body, & sound ●n soul, as appeared by the thankes he gave in these words; Thou¹⁵ O Lord, hast delivered my soul, that it might not perish; and thou hast cast away my sins behind thy back.

Footnotes

1. The example of the holy life of our Lord jesus. ↩

2. Look attentively to this consideraon. ↩

3. The case, applied. ↩

4. God doth ever hear our complaints; he is inclined to pity our ease, & he is highly able to help us. ↩

5. Psal. 100LS. ↩

6. 4. Reg. 10.
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7. A great example of ●ods mercy, and man's misery. ↩

8. They are sure of remedy, who have recourse to prayer, especially if they resort to it, immediately after the occasion is ministered. ↩

9. The pardon of God to man, is instant, and amorous without upbraiding. ↩

10. Ezech. 33. ↩

11. A conclusionful full of comfort. ↩

12. Ezech. 18. ↩

13. Ezech. 33. ↩

14. Infinite goodness of God. ↩

15. Isa. 38. ↩